Gulf Coast

In the Home Stretch for Menu of Menus: A Few Tickets Left

With just a few days left before this year's Houston Press Menu of Menus, coming this Tuesday night, fewer than 50 General Admission tickets and fewer than 100 VIP tickets remain. General admission tickets are $50 ($60 at the door) and VIP are $90. Menu of Menus kicks off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, A ... More >>

The Dan Marino Restaurants

The 13 restaurants that nearly made our 30 essential Texas restaurants list.

The 30 Essential Texas Restaurants: The List Is Live

Sorry about that teaser earlier this week. No fooling around this time, though: Our list is live. Go check out this week's feature -- "Eat Here: 30 Essential Texas Restaurants to Visit Before You Die" -- before reading on. We don't want to spoil any surprises for you. *** Read it yet? Are you sure ... More >>

George Aragon Charged with Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child, is Brought Back From Guam

It took about a month but Harris County Sheriff's Office investigators finally have U.S. Marine George Aragon back in the United States, specifically in the Harris County Jail on charges of continuous sexual abuse of a child. The 22-year-old Aragon was picked up about a month ago in Guam but refuse ... More >>

Uh-Oh, Texas: Why You Shouldn't Ignore Tropical Storm Isaac Just Yet

With all the advances in computer modeling and meteorological technology, ultimately, weather is just sometimes difficult to predict. Case in point: current Tropical Storm Isaac, floating along in the Caribbean Sea worrying the crap out of people all along the Gulf Coast. For the past couple of day ... More >>

Lou Ann Barton

Living Loud and Proud

Celebrating Houston’s Gay Pride 2012—The celebrity grand marshal, local GLBT history, where to watch the parade — and the parties

Louisiana Senate Votes to Beg Roger Goodell to Unsuspend Saints Players and Coaches

Let me preface what I am about to say by noting that I love the State of Louisiana. I don't think I've ever had a bad trip to the state. It's one of my favorite places to visit, complete with otherworldly cuisine, ultra-accessible alcohol and gambling, and unintentional comedy galore. In short, I a ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Just Say No to Green Beer and Cancer

Instead of chugging crappy green beer for St. Patrick's Day (which is tomorrow, in case you missed the memo), here are three other suggestions that don't suck: Barbecue guru Neil "Bigmista" Strawder is returning home to Galveston tomorrow for a charity barbecue at St. Augustine of Hippo, the oldest ... More >>

T-Bird & the Breaks

Cowboy Mouth

We Love Food

Our 100 favorite dishes in Houston.

Upcoming Events: Speed Bartending and Valentine-Making

Pondicheri's second monthly charity breakfast is planned for tomorrow from 7:30 a.m. to noon. Half of the proceeds from all sales will go to benefit Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, so dig in. The following Monday, January 16, Valentines for Soldiers will take over the Saint Arnold brewery from 6 to ... More >>

In Memoriam: Musicians And Industry Giants We Lost In 2011

For Rocks Off, one of the creepiest parts of our job is to report on deaths in the industry. Now matter how old or young the musician or mogul is, it's hard to try to quantify a person's life over the course of a few hundred words. How can you? Professional obit writers must be touched by the hand o ... More >>

Gulf Coast Fried Rice, or What To Do with Random Leftovers

Photo by Nicholas L. HallThis dinner only cost 5 cents. That's my story, and I'm sticking with it.​I think I might have mentioned that I hate wasting food. Perhaps you've noticed on your own. Either way, I think it's fair to say that re-purposing leftovers - ingredients, composed elements, who ... More >>

Garden Fresh: Radishes

Photo by John Kiely​A Master Gardener will know the ideal dates to plant and harvest each crop, but a Casual Tiller like myself requires a simpler scheme, so I go with holidays. Tomatoes and hot peppers go in after Valentine's Day; broccoli comes out on St. Pat's. Parsley and cilantro get pl ... More >>

Carrots: The Good and the Bad

Photo by John Kiely​The unique challenge to carrot-growing in Houston is simply a question of depth. A productive local garden can be made with a mere four or five inches of raised-bed soil, but carrots grow to be much longer, or should I say, deeper than that. A few inches underneath the ga ... More >>

Earl Gilliam: "A Huge Loss That Can't Be Filled"

Another of Houston's unique blues treasures, the effusive, ebullient and always stylish pianist Earl Gilliam, has moved on to the big juke joint in the sky. Gilliam, 81, died peacefully this morning at his home in Tomball of advanced lung disease.

10 Tips for Eating MREs, from a Pro

The Beef Ravioli Meal, Ready to Eat (MRE) was the best option on my post Hurricane Katrina menu.​Six years ago, citizens of the Gulf Coast were starting to understand the immediate implications of their world post Hurricane Katrina. Power had been out since the storm made landfall, which mean ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Dude, You Going to Eat That?: One of Dr. Ricky's most recent posts covers a fav ... More >>

App of the Week: Top Nine Websites for Hurricane Season

Literally, the weather authority when it comes to hurricanes, it's hard to beat the NHC.​I swear that after this post, I will stop talking about weather apps and websites for a while, but since it is hurricane season here on the Gulf Coast, I figured one more post won't hurt anybody and it mig ... More >>

Karen White: The Beach Trees

Yacht Owners Deserve A Huge Tax Break, Texas House Panel Decides

Who know who's suffering in this economy? Yacht owners, that's who. Luckily Texas legislators have recognized this crisis, and momentarily put aside slashing public education to address the issue. A House panel has approved a bill that would cap state taxes on any yacht -- even the mega-million tw ... More >>

Openings & Closings

Pure Luck ravioli with warm tiny beets, brown butter and hazelnut puree.​With an opening date seemingly in sight, the latest food buzz is centered around Chef Michael Gaspard's Brasserie 19. Gaspard's partners in the new venture, Charles Clark and Grant Cooper, are already old hands at shaping ... More >>

Comment of the Day

​Today Katharine Shilcutt wrote about her first visit to Pondicheri, the new West Ave restaurant from Anita Jaisinghani, leading to an interesting conversation in the comments about Gulf Coast-Indian fusion, local ingredients and pricing. Wrote Doc Ricky: Just mulling it over: shouldn't the u ... More >>

Professor Fish Heads Wants to Give You an Education

Photo by Robb WalshP.J. Stoops at his old booth in the Bayou City Farmers Market.​P.J. Stoops, also known by his blogging name as "Professor Fish Heads," wants to educate you about fish. And not just the same old salmon, tuna and tilapia you see at the store, either. Stoops once had an indepe ... More >>

Happy Hour Scene: Beaucoup Bar & Grill

Fried shrimp po-boy​The Place: Beaucoup Bar & Grill 3102 Old Spanish Trail 713-747-5100 http://www.beaucoupbarandgrill.com The Hours: 4 to 8 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 6 to 10 p.m. Fridays; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesdays; 11 a.m. to midnight Saturdays The Deals: Lots of them. Disco ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 3: Tony Mandola

Blackened snapper.​After we spoke withTony Mandola for this week's chef chat, he brought out a bowl of Mama's famous gumbo. The roux was deeply brown and aromatic, with tons of Gulf Coast seafood and fresh vegetables. The accompanying rice was fluffy and made an excellent base for the deliciou ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Tony Mandola

Plans for the new digs.​EOW recently sat down with Tony Mandola to get the inside scoop on his new restaurant. We met at Tony Mandola's Gulf Coast Kitchen for a chat. Eating Our Words: Hello Tony! It is so nice to meet you. We have so many things we are dying to ask you, but let's just st ... More >>

Sampler Plate: This Week in Food Blogs

Each week, we put together a sampler plate of the most interesting links from both local and national food blogs. Know a blog we should be paying particular attention to? Leave the address in the comments section below. Robb Walsh: If you're still stumped for a Christmas gift, Robb Walsh would like ... More >>

"Boarded Up - The Art of Surf and Skate"

Festival of Lights

Dialtone Records Showcase

Friday Night: Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears And The Relatives At The Continental Club

Photos by Jay LeeBlack Joe Lewis​Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears, The Relatives Continental Club August 27, 2010 A few times a year, the Continental Club hosts shows that can be legitimately described as "soul happenings," usually featuring venerable Gulf Coast stars such as Archie Bell, Roy ... More >>

Openings and Closings

Photo courtesy of the Barbed Rose.Fried oysters on top of house-cured bacon at the Barbed Rose.​Openings all over town have things looking up for intrepid food lovers as well as those ready to welcome back some old favorites. In the Clear Lake area, the beloved Alpine Brauhaus has opened back ... More >>

Alex Kava: Damaged

Our hero might survive a cat 5 hurricane just in time to face a murderer

ACL Fest Releases Schedule; Adds Black Lips, Silversun Pickups

black-lips.com via FlickrBrand-new ACL 2010 adds The Black Lips​The Austin City Limits Music Festival released the schedule grid for this year's gathering in Zilker Park Oct. 7-9. The festival also added several bands, including Atlanta garage-punks (and recovering exhibitionists) the Black Li ... More >>

Upcoming Events

Get ready for a boozy good time on Saturday.​Get your palates primed for the Texas Vodka Throwdown this Saturday night at Caroline Collective (4820 Caroline). The event, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m., is absolutely free (as long as you're over 21), but that's not the best part: The best part is ... More >>

Keaton Prescott: Live From Tropical Storm Alex

​Rocks Off was not happy to wake up Monday morning and find out that we would have to begin each day this week by tracking another potentially home-wrecking storm. Tropical Storm Alex is expected to cross through the southern part of the Gulf of Mexico and hit somewhere near the mouth of the Rio G ... More >>

Houston International Festival

2nd Annual Earth Day Houston Festival, 5K & Green Expo

From A (AIA Gulf Coast) to Z (Norma Zenteno), there's lots of fun at this festival

Soulfest

TONY MANDOLA'S ITALIANTINI

Crawfish Season's Tail End

The bugs get bigger and the prices lower as the season comes to a close.

A Poetic Response to Marlene Dumas

Writer Sasha West explores a painter’s verse-atility

Zydecowboys

Allons danser at Jax Grill's Zydeco Night

Gulf Coast Film Festival

Showing of shorts includes a soon-to-be sitcom

Half Shell Face-Off

Compare East Coast oysters to Gulf Coast oysters and see what you think

Emancipation Jam