Subject:

Jeff Balke

  • Blogs

    May 15, 2012

    100 Favorite Dishes: No. 97, Caprichos Mixtos at Taqueria Monterrey Chiquito

    This year leading up to our annual Best of Houston® issue, we're counting down our 100 favorite dishes in Houston. This list comprises our favorite dishes from the last year, dishes that are essential to Houston's cultural landscape and/or dishes that any visitor (or resident) should try at least o ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 10, 2012

    Rest Of The Best: Houston's Top 6 Live-Music Sound Systems

    It's often difficult enough to hear a great band or solo artist over the yammering of those in attendance, but it is made worse when the sound system sounds like garbage. We music lovers have often lamented the lack of decorum shown by some local music "fans" when it comes to talking during shows, b ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 9, 2012

    Houston Slips to No. 4 on Travel Leisure's List of Top Burger Cities

    After reigning as Travel Leisure's No. 1 burger city in America for 2011, Houston has now slipped to No. 4 in the magazine's 2012 list. This year's top city? Providence, "with its reputation for creative, locavore chefs" according to the magazine, followed by Philadelphia and Chicago. Providence? ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 2, 2012

    Cover Story: In the Clutch (Web Extra Video & Photos)

    In the tunnel next to the lounge under the expensive seats at the Toyota Center this past March, Robert Boudwin ripped the head off of his costume and collapsed to the floor in exhaustion. Boudwin, the man behind the Clutch the Bear mascot costume for the last 17 years, had just performed the final ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 19, 2012

    Miraculously, Nobody Died in This Video of a 76-Year-Old Woman Plowing Her Car Through the Front of This Building

    I should probably be writing about the Rockets. Their collapse and continued downward spiral from the NBA playoffs to another crappy back-end-of-the-lottery draft pick is the most relevant story in town right now (until the Texans draft a wide receiver next week, at least). But I can't bring myself ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 20, 2012

    Served With a Side of Nostalgia: Houston's Top 10 Time Warp Restaurants

    There are restaurants which evoke a strong sense of nostalgia, even if you've never dined there before. You can look around at the picture-lined walls or the spots near the counter where the linoleum has rubbed away and know that you are only a small speck of the humanity that this place has served ... More >>

  • News

    March 15, 2012

    EMT Hires Hit Man

    There are restaurants which evoke a strong sense of nostalgia, even if you've never dined there before. You can look around at the picture-lined walls or the spots near the counter where the linoleum has rubbed away and know that you are only a small speck of the humanity that this place has served ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 2, 2012

    The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 5 Enchiladas

    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.

  • Blogs

    February 29, 2012

    King's X Marks The Spot: Three Bands Spawned by Houston's Hard-Rock Power Trio

    As many local music fans and members of the hard-rock/metal scene, King's X drummer Jerry Gaskill had a heart attack Saturday. Fortunately, according to bandmate DUg Pinnick, he seems to be responding to treatment and the prognosis appears to be good for the founding member of Houston's third most-r ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 13, 2012

    Meet Chris Clackson, Hockey Player, App Developer

    It's been a strange season for the Aeros. They shot off to a quick start, having the best record in the league for the first month or so. Then the injury bug hit the parent club, and key player after key player got the call to join the Wild, leaving the Aeros depleted and relying on young players ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 13, 2012

    Are Streaming Sites Ensuring The Music Industry's Long-Term Survival?

    The look on my face when I couldn't hear "Temporary Secretary" on Rdio.​This past week, Paul McCartney's team pulled most of his catalog - including his works with Wings - off streaming music sites such as Rdio, Rhapsody, Spotify and MOG. Listeners are now deprived of Band On the Run, Back To ... More >>

  • Blogs

    February 13, 2012

    The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Romantic 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. Most peo ... More >>

  • News

    January 19, 2012

    Hand Doc and Strippers

    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. Most peo ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 16, 2012

    The 7 Deadly Queues: Restaurants Where You'll Always Have to Wait in Line

    Photo by Ronald WoanThe longest line of them all...​I greeted last week's news of a second Banana Leaf with a bittersweet kind of joy. It's sad to lose the only good Chinese halal restaurant in Chinatown, but if the trade-off is getting another Banana Leaf location...then I guess it's almost a ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 16, 2012

    Saturday: Chris Gray Day at the Continental Club

    Photo by Marco TorresChris with the officers that saved his life.​Click here for a slideshow of the bands and here for a slideshow of the crowd. "I didn't know Chris was a celebrity." Chris Gray's mother told a rapt audience from the stage on Saturday afternoon that she was "overwhelmed" by ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 13, 2012

    Bartender Chat: Curtis Cunningham of Onion Creek

    This week we went over to the Heights to visit neighborhood coffee joint, eatery and bar Onion Creek, one of our favorite spots to perch on a picnic table in the sun and enjoy a good, dark brew, whether it's coffee or beer. Since they're open from 7 a.m. till late, it's good for breakfast, lunch or ... More >>

  • News

    January 12, 2012

    SOPA & GoDaddy Explained

    This week we went over to the Heights to visit neighborhood coffee joint, eatery and bar Onion Creek, one of our favorite spots to perch on a picnic table in the sun and enjoy a good, dark brew, whether it's coffee or beer. Since they're open from 7 a.m. till late, it's good for breakfast, lunch or ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 9, 2012

    Beyonce's Baby Shower: Celebrity Gift Suggestions

    With every gossip site on the planet reporting that Beyonce has given birth to Blue Ivy Carter just yesterday, Rocks Off suddenly realized that we haven't gotten her a thing! While we make a quick Target run, we thought it might be fun to ponder what sort of gifts Beyonce and Jay's rich celebrity p ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 29, 2011

    Van Halen, the New Walter's and Radiohead: Things We're Looking Forward to in 2012

    Photo by Mark C. AustinRadiohead returns and we're stoked. Do people say "stoked" anymore?​There was a lot to be thankful for in 2011 in the world of music, but, in some ways, it was also a pretty tough year. We lost some great people and almost lost one of our own. It's a crazy, topsy turvy w ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 28, 2011

    Eruption: Our Dream Van Halen Concert Setlist

    I gave you all fair warning - pardon the pun - on Monday morning when the Van Halen concert announcement went out that Rocks Off wouldn't be quiet when it came to Van Halen. In the next few weeks we will be getting word of the Houston date, so until then all we can do is speculate when and where. Y ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 21, 2011

    Give It Away: Music We're Gifting to Friends for Christmas

    ​We're a generous bunch at Rocks Off. We just give and give and give until it hurts, and then we give some more. That's just how we roll. And when we give, well, it may seem obvious, but we tend to give the gift of music. Our friends and family are appreciative, though we do think grandma is j ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 19, 2011

    Aftermath: Our Favorite Shows of 2011

    Photo By Craig HlavatyRex's War Face: The crowd's at June's Free Press Summer Fest were feral and friendly. ​This week we asked our pool of Rocks Off writers what their favorite shows of 2011 were, the ones that brought joy to their hearts to attend and helped them make magic with a keyboard h ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 2, 2011

    Rocks Off Lists Our Favorite Downloads of 2011

    It's getting to be that time of year, when the temperature drops and the lists start rolling in. Read any blog, magazine or newspaper and you're bound to run across at least a handfull of year-end lists, particularly when it comes to music. We all like to talk about the stuff we like. It's just what ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 17, 2011

    Eat It: Houston Rappers Love to Write Songs About Eating

    Photo by Chase Steely ​One thing Houston rappers are proficient in-besides rapping great-is eating well. Many of the more influential artists were/are big and fat: Fat Pat, Big Pokey, Big Moe, Big HAWK, Big Mello, and Big Steve. Even DJ Screw was a husky man. That's not to say that their wei ... More >>

  • Blogs

    October 14, 2011

    Why the Eff Are Ringtones So Effing Impossible To Get?

    So elusive​It's safe to say I'm not the most tech-savvy guy around. A new iPhone coming out means as little to me as a new Keith Urban album. It's not a "get off my lawn" thing, it's just that tech stuff, to me, is too close to math. And I hate math. And if it's not too math-y, it's filled wi ... More >>

  • News

    October 6, 2011

    PR Headline of the Day

    Parker Afraid of Dick

  • News

    July 28, 2011

    River Oaks Monster

    Readers react to dramatic high society tale

  • News

    June 30, 2011

    Masters of Cyberspace

    The Press hands out its first Houston Web Awards.

  • News

    June 9, 2011

    Broken Promises

    Readers recount problems with DFPS

  • Blogs

    June 8, 2011

    Tropical Storm Allison, 10 Years Later: Where Were You?

    ​Ten years ago today it began. A Friday that didn't seem to hold any particular weather interest, maybe some rain, and then -- if you were in the wrong spot -- a rain to end all rains, it seems. Portions of Houston flooded like never before; other parts of the area didn't get hit much harder ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 20, 2011

    Brian Greenhouse: Hi-Miler Roller Coaster Death Ruled an Accident

    Jeff BalkeThe Hi-Miler, subject of a wrongful-death lawsuit.​The death of the man who was thrown from the Hi-Miler roller coaster during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has been ruled an accident. Brian Greenhouse, 46, fell 28 feet to his death in March, resulting in lawsuits that keep t ... More >>

  • News

    April 14, 2011

    Game Time

    1560AM adds humor to lonely, serious workday.

  • Blogs

    March 25, 2011

    Lawsuit Filed Against Rodeo After Man Dies On Roller Coaster

    Photo by Jeff BalkeThe Hi-Miler claimed a life at the rodeo.​The death of 46-year-old Brian Greenhouse, who plummeted from the Hi-Miler roller coaster on closing night of the rodeo last Sunday, is the centerpiece of a lawsuit filed late yesterday in Harris County court. The wrongful death laws ... More >>

  • Blogs

    March 10, 2011

    Chef Chat, Part 2: Glen Trumble of Heights West

    Jeff Balke​Yesterday, we caught up with Chef Glen Trumble of Heights West. We talked about life at Heights West and the restaurant industry in general. Today, we take a look at some of the fantastic dishes he's serving up. EOW: What seems to be the top dish on the menu thus far (favorite of ... More >>

  • Blogs

    January 14, 2011

    NFL Playoff Best Bets (and a Tiger Woods Wagering Lesson)

    Angry Birds: As good a playoff-picking method as any​Every Friday (Thursday some weeks) when I go to fish the lines for that weekend's football games off the Internet, I go to the same site. (Point of non-disclosure: I will not reveal the name of the site which I use to wager go to. Easily t ... More >>

  • Blogs

    December 29, 2010

    Comments of the Day: On Wine with Lunch, and Hipstamatic

    ​Today we're doing two comments of the day, because we so wholeheartedly agree with them both. First, in response to Katharine Shilcutt's post "Stretch that Dining Dollar: Eat Fancy at Lunch," commenter Francesca gave an over-the-top thumbs up to wine with lunch: Oh, the wisdom encapsulated ... More >>

  • News

    December 9, 2010

    Pardon the DeLay

    Readers weigh in on politician's guilty verdict.

  • Blogs

    November 15, 2010

    Five Questions for Geri Druckman and This Year's Wine Conference

    Photos by Jeff BalkeSamples were drained during last year's Wine Conference sessions.​Last September marked the inaugural year for The Wine Conference, an annual event pairing more than just food and wine. The Wine Conference seeks to pair people with knowledge, whether those people are wine e ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 10, 2010

    Texas Foodies and Chefs Secede from Dixie: The Texas Food Alliance Fundraiser at Armadillo Palace

    Photos by Jeff Balke​While the mighty ice sculpture with the Foodways Texas logo slowly melted amid it all, rivers of St. Arnold's and Dripping Springs vodka / Rio Grande Valley ruby red grapefruit juice cocktails flowed. The Catalan corned beef sliders, Goode Company baked oysters, shrimp cor ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 21, 2010

    Does Washington Avenue Need Any More Live Music?

    Son Lam If Pearl Bar did have live music, where would the band fit?​Last week, the Chronicle ran a story about the owners of Salt Bar, a newer drinking establishment on Washington Avenue, and their goal of building "a live music scene in Houston from the ground up." One of the partners ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 4, 2010

    Flaming Lips Still On For Summerfest... For Now

    Neuski via flickr.com​ The Grand Ole Opry, which was supposed to celebrate its 85th birthday party May 25, is currently underwater, like most of Nashville (above). Nashville Public Radio is reporting that the Cumberland River crested at a whopping 52 feet. When does hurricane season start aga ... More >>

  • Blogs

    November 5, 2009

    In Make-Or-Break Year, Rockets' Landry Looks To Fill Low-Post Void

    Photo by Jeff Balke​There's a popular belief in NBA circles that the third year is when a player makes the transition to stardom, if he's going to make it. Among point guards, that worked for Chris Paul and Deron Williams, and much has been said about Aaron Brooks making a similar - though sma ... More >>

  • Blogs

    August 27, 2009

    Walter's on Washington Closing In October; Club May Relocate

    Bill OliveSilver Jews at Walter's on Washington, September 2008​Rocks Off learned this morning that Walter's on Washington, one of Houston's primary venues for local bands, indie-rock, hardcore and touring acts not yet on the radar of Warehouse Live and House of Blues, will close at the end of Oct ... More >>

  • Blogs

    May 10, 2009

    No Yao, No T-Mac, No Problem: Hayes Sets Tone As Rockets Tie Series

    Photo byJeff BalkeThe opening to the Rockets' player introductions sounded as unlikely and frightening as the task of defeating the vaunted Lakers without Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady. Somehow, "a 6-foot-6 center out of Kentucky" didn't deliver the same punch and energy as the booming "7-foot-6 ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 8, 2009

    Rockets-Magic: Landry makes triumphant return

    Photo courtesy of Jeff BalkeIt was just over three weeks ago that Carl Landry was running for his life, attempting to dodge bullets from assailants who sideswiped his car, punctured his left calf and chased him until he hid between a house and a fence, waiting for emergency help while blood gu ... More >>

  • Blogs

    April 8, 2009

    Rockets-Magic: Landry Makes Triumphant Return

    Photo courtesy of Jeff BalkeIt was just over three weeks ago that Carl Landry was running for his life, attempting to dodge bullets from assailants who sideswiped his car, punctured his left calf and chased him until he hid between a house and a fence, waiting for emergency help while blood gu ... More >>

  • Blogs

    July 4, 2007

    Best New Act 2007

    Photo courtesy of Jeff BalkeIt was just over three weeks ago that Carl Landry was running for his life, attempting to dodge bullets from assailants who sideswiped his car, punctured his left calf and chased him until he hid between a house and a fence, waiting for emergency help while blood gu ... More >>

  • News

    January 4, 2007

    DISConnect

    Sales of CDs are falling faster than you can say iPod

  • Music

    May 10, 2001

    Lupe Olivarez

    Sin Miedo (Go Records)

  • Music

    May 2, 1996

    Static

    Sin Miedo (Go Records)

  • More >>
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