Jeff Balke

Five Reasons We Must Keep BangWithFriends.com Alive

It seems we've dodged a momentary bullet, readers. After Jeff Balke's recent and scathing take-down, certain of us remain concerned that BangWithFriends.com has generated enough ill-will that it may yet be taken down. We're awaiting word whether or not the site's backers were actually persuaded by H ... More >>

[PHOTOS] Light Rail Expansion Moving Faster Than You Might Think

Since 2004, anyone living or visiting the areas near Main Street, the Medical Center, the Museum District or Reliant Park has probably gotten to experience METRO Rail, for better or worse. Some ride it daily. Some get in accidents with it. Some just gawk. But, one of the busiest stretches of commute ... More >>

An Open Letter to People I Un-Followed During the Election

Infuriating and Horrifying 9/11 Tweets from American Teens (UPDATED)

Everyone in the United States remembers where they were on September 11, 2001. Those of us who were of age to understand the attacks on New York City and Washington, D.C. sat horrified in front of radios and television screens, wondering what would happen next. Was this a part of a bigger effort? Wo ... More >>

8 Musical Activities That Should Be Olympic Sports

After years of preparation, unprecedented security, and a Mitt Romney gaffe or two, the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London get underway about 3 p.m. Houston time. At the same time, multitudes will gather in nearby Hyde Park for a free concert with Duran Duran, Snow Patrol, ... More >>

Like That Chain Restaurant? Try This Local One Instead

In the last couple of weeks, we've explored fun and funky Texas wines to drink in lieu of old standbys like Cabernet and Chardonnay and we've showcased local beers that can be enlisted to help wean your friends off adjunct lagers made by giant corporations. And just like we all have loved ones that ... More >>

Hipster Lessons: 5 Ways To Make Indie Bands Less Annoying

My girlfriend got a new car recently and it has satellite radio. The result has been a lot of channel-surfing and among the more regular selections is Alt Nation. Though there are certainly some God awful songs that get played on there, on the whole, it isn't bad and has even led me to some interes ... More >>

Picking Rockets Team of the 2000s Not an Easy Task

Throughout the course of this frustrating season, the Houston Rockets have been allowing fans to pick their choices for the starting team of the decade beginning with the 1970s and continuing with the '80s, '90s and 2000s. They had all but one of their starting five for the 2000s on had for their wi ... More >>

Ten Cruises We'd Rather Take Than the KISS Kruise

​Imagine a vacation where made-up members of your favorite glam rock band wander the decks of a cruise ship. Does that sound like heaven on earth? Well, glam boy, you're in luck as the second annual (yes, they've done one before this) KISS Kruise sets sail this October featuring that cuddly '7 ... More >>

Questions and Comments We Have for Fellow Gym Goers

It's January, and the gyms are full of folks making good on their resolutions to get fit, get tight and get perfect for a spouse, a bathing suit or that nude modeling gig at the community college. Good for you, you are better than a percentage of people in Houston who only sweat from May until Octob ... More >>

Musicians & Their Superstitions: Houston's Own Reveal Pre-show Rituals

It's Friday the 13 and superstition says today is unlucky...dun dun dun! A Gallup poll conducted a few years ago found that about 25% of us are superstitious about knocking on wood, 13% about a black cat crossing our path, 12% about walking under a ladder, 11% about breaking a mirror and the number ... More >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Seafood Restaurants

For the next 20 weeks, we'll be rounding up the runners-up to our 2011 Best of Houston® winners. In many categories, picking each year's winner is no easy task. We'll be spotlighting 20 of those categories, in which the winner had hefty competition from other Houston bars and restaurants.

Rocks Off Resolutions: How We Hope to Improve in 2012

It seems like every year around this time, we start with the, "God, I need to lose weight" or "stop smoking" or "exercise more" or "stop murdering babies." It never seems to work and by March, we are back to our old, fat, smokey, lazy, baby murdering ways. It's a shame, really. This year, Rocks Off ... More >>

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Snubs Rush...Again

Photo by Jeff Balke​A couple years ago, I was sitting on the back porch at the Continental Club talking music with a fairly well known music writer who seemed to believe that anything with a big hook or the slightest inkling of musicianship beyond the garage band aesthetic was utter garbage. I ... More >>

Comment of the Day: A Mythical Sandwich

​Here on Eating Our Words, the commenters absolutely make the blog, and our Comment of the Day honors the best of the bunch. Every day, we read you guys and pick the commenter, or commenters, who made us laugh, cry, salivate over something delicious, or think about things in a new way. In re ... More >>

Is J Lo the Calmest Driver Ever?: Five Questions About Current TV Ads

We got some questions.​Given the confluence of football season and the World Series, we're watching a lot of TV these days. Unfortunately, there's often not something to switch to during commercial breaks, so we're seeing more ads than usual. They've left us with a few questions we hope the w ... More >>

Delicious Oven-Cooked Barbecue Brisket... Seriously

The un-holy alliance of brisket burger and Four Loko.​Okay, before you go on and on about how "real brisket is smoked by manly men with manly intentions" and all that, let me just preface this by saying my father did the majority of the cooking in our house and made one of the most incredible ... More >>

Sports-Talk 1560 Loses Another Veteran: Lance Zierlein Calls It Quits at The Game

Photo by Jeff BalkeZierlein (left) with his now former co-host John Granato.​In what feels like the dismantling of KGOW 1560 The Game, long-time morning show co-host Lance Zierlein announced via his Houston Chronicle blog that he would be turning in his microphone and leaving the station eff ... More >>

Our Jeff Balke Talks Apps On Great Day Houston

Jeff Balke, our stalwart expert on all things apps (and weather), took his vast and imposing quantities of knowledge to the TV this morning, appearing on Great Day Houston. We won't mention how they screw up his name the first two times they get the chance. We ... More >>

Top 5: Indian Restaurants

Dawn W. SimmonsMogul.​After naming a Southern Indian eatery as my top vegetarian-friendly restaurant pick, I started to think about what makes an Indian restaurant good. I'm a huge fan of bread, so fresh, golden bubbly naan is always important, as are creamy paneer, high-quality meats, perfec ... More >>

Top 5 Vegetarian-Friendly Restaurants

Ruggles Green.​After listening to The Smith's Meat is Murder album one too many times, I was a vegetarian for many years. And actually when I'm not setting out to sample a restaurant's most popular or signature dishes, I generally prefer to stick to the vegetarian menu options. When I'm goin ... More >>

Metro Etiquette

Five rules that should be added to light rail.

Rockets Playing Well Under the Radar

Photo by Jeff BalkeFinally, the Red Rowdies have something to actually cheer about.​Houston's three major sports franchises have spent the last few seasons in the equivalent of purgatory. None have been good enough to contend for a title, but none have been horrid enough to elicit the types of ... More >>

Man Dies from Roller Coaster Fall at Rodeo Houston

Photo by Jeff BalkeThe HiMiler taken at last year's rodeo carnival.​A man fell 28 feet to his death from the HiMiler roller coaster in the waning moments of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo season. The 46-year-old was given CPR at the scene before being taken to the hospital, where he wa ... More >>

The Top Five Biggest Blights on the Houston Skyline

Photo by Jeff BalkeSee how nice that looks with nothing in the way?​Houston gets a lot of negative publicity for things like sprawl, pollution and other problems common to urban areas short on zoning and long on business interests. Notable, however, is the downtown skyline, which, for all the ... More >>

Ten '90s Movies That Spurred Our Sexual Awakenings

THE SANDLOT??? Oh yeah: Read on​A few weeks back, Jeff Balke chronicled the five `80's movie scenes that spurred his age group's sexual awakenings. The movies that "caused a stirring in my loins" as he said, at that precocious young age where the world is an awfully confusing and sexy place. ... More >>

5 Houston Alternatives to a Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner

A cold Thanksgiving day calls for hot pot, the ultimate communal meal.​Sometimes you don't want to eat a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Sometimes you destroy the turkey and all of your side dishes turn out to taste like broiled roadkill. And sometimes you just want to start a new tradition o ... More >>

Upcoming Events

Photo by Troy Fields​Have you ever wanted to play chef for a day in the vast kitchen at Brennan's? Your chance to man the stoves (seen above) is coming up, as Alex Brennan Martin has now revived the Creole restaurant's beloved "Chef For A Day" program. Available only to one person per day (and ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

Was this kangaroo cooked in a sauce made with pale ale? Because it tastes... hoppy.​Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we're organizing a bonfire of Paula Deen cookbooks. We found Savannah Style a mere two shelves over from Alain Chapel's La cuisine c'est beauco ... More >>

10 Places I Liked as a Photographer, Want to Try as an Eater

Photo by Jeff BalkeSteak and cheesy grits at Plonk Beer and Wine Bistro​Last week, I wrote about my experiences photographing 100 restaurants for the Houston Press online restaurant guide. During the month I was shooting, I shot eateries both familiar and not so much. Given my time constraints ... More >>

5 Things I Learned Photographing 100 Houston Restaurants

Photo by Jeff BalkeOne of my more successful shots at Olives Martini Bar & Grille in Sugar Land​George Carlin once described the phrase "fussy eater" as a euphemism for "big pain in the ass." When I was young, I was a big pain in the ass. Don't get me wrong, I have always loved food. I just di ... More >>

Lawn Mower Man

Kenneth Page followed his peculiar dream from Texas to Florida.

Houston Locals Musicians Film Video With Dallas Native, Head to Austin for Release

• Fat Tony, Tom Nguyen from The Ton Tons and Kyle Vento from Simple Success teamed up with director Tedric Huff to play the backing band for Dallas artist Angela Carter in the new video for her song "Love Anymore." It looks like they had tons of fun. • Roky Erickson spent about 30 minutes las ... More >>

Surveying the Scene on La Grande Wheel at the Rodeo Carnival

Photos by Jeff Balke​La Grande Wheel -- a fancy name for the Ferris wheel -- is a nice break from the more psychotic rodeo rides. It's a chance to regroup, relax and meditate on the vast sea of cars nearby, the expanse of colorful rides below, and the Astrodome and the Med Center in the distance. ... More >>

A Dance With The Fearsome Tango At The Rodeo Carnival

Photos by Jeff Balke​If your stomach is even a little weak, the Tango is not for you. It doesn't look *that* terrifying, but trust us, once you are rapidly spinning around upside down, you'll be wondering when it will end. Halfway through the Tango, 11-year-old Hair Balls correspondent Jade Matuso ... More >>

Getting Jerked Around by the Hi Miller at the Rodeo Carnival

Photo by Jeff Balke​We didn't ride the Hi Miller, instead leaving the roller coaster to 11-year-old Hair Balls correspondent Jade Matusow and our excellent photographer, Jeff Balke. As you'll see below, neither rated the ride with a very high barf or scream factor. But they still seemed harrie ... More >>

Rating The Rodeo Rides, Part 1: The Disko

Photos by Jeff Balke​The new ride at the rodeo this year is the Disko. It spins you in circles on a disc, making you feel like it's going to spin off track and throw you -- in other words, it's a lot of fun.We rode the Disko with 11-year-old Hair Balls correspondent Jade Matusow. Asked how s ... More >>

Flying High at the Rodeo Carnival: The Sky Flier

Photos by Jeff Balke​When we braved the Rodeo Carnival last year with Hair Balls correspondent Jade Matusow, we didn't get to try the Sky Flier. The day was too windy, and in the interest of not having people swing into each other, the ride was shut down. Not so last Saturday, a beautiful, s ... More >>

Long Faces for the Longhorns

Although they ultimately couldn't stem the Crimson Tide in last night's Rose Bowl after star quarterback Colt McCoy was injured early in the first quarter, University of Texas fans were still excited early in the game at Lucky's Pub. Meanwhile over at the Fox and Hound, Alabama fans had their game f ... More >>

In the Pit

It's easier than ever to take pictures at concerts. Unless that's your job.

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. H-Town Chow Down: Albert runs not only one of our favorite local food blogs, b ... More >>

The Final Fantasy: An Inside Look at Anime and Cosplay Conventions

Photos by Jeff BalkeWe don't know who this character is supposed to be, but she was killing some Japanese opera.​The costumes are expected. The fanciful, the extraordinary, the bizarre, the obscurely referenced, the painstakingly planned and the larger than life weren't surprising -- after all ... More >>

Yes, It's Hot. So Women Are Wearing Tiny Bathing Suits, And We Are There To Photograph Them

Photo by Daniel Kramer​They were washing bikes and cars out at the Harley-Davidson dealership in Stafford, so naturally we sent a photographer. Imagine our surprise when we discovered it was a bikini car wash. We decided to shoot pictures anyway, and here's the slideshow.Then, to compound our bad ... More >>

Your One-Stop HPMA Showcase Link

GroovehouseLos Skarnales just wouldn't quit at House of Blues Sunday.​ Rocks Off is just about recovered from Sunday's HPMA showcase mayhem, or as recovered as we're going to get. Despite some bitching on Hands Up Houston - what else is new? - everybody we've talked to had as much of a blast as we ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Dr Pepper Museum

Photo by Jeff BalkeWaco isn't the first place that comes to mind when people think "road trip." Instead, visions of an ultraconservative town that was once the site of an epic, fiery battle between a cult and the United States government spring to mind. Fortunately for Waco, the town act ... More >>

Saint Arnold's Celebrates Their 15th Anniversary With the First Annual Beer Olympics

Photos by Jeff BalkeSunday's bracing heat and thick humidity didn't stop the hundreds of beer lovers who turned out to help local microbrewery Saint Arnold celebrate its 15th anniversary while feasting on barbecue and watching the spectacle that was the first annual Beer Olympics. Emcee Lennie Ambr ... More >>

A Café Bites Nibble

Photo by Jeff BalkeTruffle macaroni & cheese from Hollister Grill, at the recent Menu of Menus"Stupidity," that's was the first word out of the mouth of Chuck Pritchett, the owner of Hollister Grill (1741 Hollister, 713-973-1741), when asked why he opened a restaurant. Pritchett has been in the reta ... More >>

Talk About a Fundraiser

Photos by Jeff BalkeChef Albert Roux at the restaurant's grand opening in MarchChez Roux, the very fancy, very upscale top restaurant at La Torretta Del Lago Resort & Spa on Lake Conroe, is putting on a six-course wine dinner Saturday, June 6. It will cost $500 per couple, or $600 , if you want t ... More >>

Photos: One Pot Showdown at Saint Arnold Brewing Company

We've just loaded up some photos from Jeff Balke of Sunday's Saint Arnold shindig. Click here for plenty of lip-smacking action.

Orange Is In, with Arthur Yoria and Pale

Friday, May 6, at Rudyard's, 2010 Waugh Drive, 713-521-0521