Mike Giglio

Washington Avenue, One Year Later: Not As "Wild"

Marc BrubakerPrivilege: Late to the Party?​Today the Rocks Off team unveils our newest cover feature, "Getting Past The Bouncer" (or, in print, "Bar Codes"), in which we investigate more in-depth December's "Hydeout at Hudson" controversy, and examined the door policies at some of the other ni ... More >>

Bars, Racism & Dress Codes: A Report

​In this weeks cover feature, "Getting Past The Bouncer," by Chris Gray, Shea Serrano and myself, we investigated more in-depth the Hudson Lounge Hydeout controversy from back in December, plus the other door policies at some of the nicer watering holes in town that came to light in the wake o ... More >>

Basketball Diaries

Readers respond to "Trash Talk"

Getting Played

Readers respond to our story on the Trae ban at 97.9 The Box.

Getting Creamed

Online readers respond to high school girls slathered in whipped cream and chocolate.

Readers Miss Robb

And viewers of our chef tats piece weigh in on the ink.

The Best Slap-Fights, Verbal Or Otherwise, In Houston Rap History

Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we'll examine a recent bit of music news and list five reasons why it's either brilliant or dumb-assed. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. ​Last week, Chamillionaire and Paul Wall kicked off their 20-city "In Love Wit My Money" reunion tour in d ... More >>

Teen Porn Troubles

Plus: Readers reaction to Wild on Washington.

Wild on Washington

The three-mile stretch of avenue is Houston's place to be if you're young, white, single and ready to party. At least for now.

Enemies of the State

Questioning Texas's legal and educational systems.

DWI Attorney Tyler Flood Now Watches Over Washington Ave. By Billboard

Photo by Mike Giglio​As the enormous and bespectacled eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg looked out on The Great Gatsby's Valley of Ashes, Tyler Flood now watches over Washington Avenue from a billboard on Sandman Street. It went up just in time for New Year's Eve. The billboard is the latest in a lo ... More >>

Weed Takes Root

Marijuana's steady creep toward legalization nationwide.

An Historic Night in Houston

Annise Parker wins the runoff to become Houston's next mayor.

Jail, Coffee, Drunk Driving and Insidious Racism?

Houston Press readers weigh in.

MasterMind Awards

The Houston Press will once again recognize outstanding local artists.

Election Night Parties So Far Are As Scintillating As The Campaign

Photo by Mike Giglio​Things are very quiet at the vote-watch "parties" tonight, as the candidates and their supporters settle in for what's likely to be a long night of seeing who ends up being the odd person out.This description, of the Annise Parker bash, is pretty much true of the others. Excep ... More >>

The Halloween Drunk Tank

Photos by Mike Giglio​Beneath an almost full moon on Halloween night the (probably) drunk man tried to follow the tip of the officer's pen with his eyes. Behind him a parade of costumed yuppies shuffled between Washington Avenue's trendy bars: sexy school girls, sexy devils, mobsters, Facebook. ... More >>

Boosted Booze and Marvin's Angels

Highlights from the Blog at HOUSTONPRESS.COM

Free Rice-Cookers Help Out Burmese Refugees Here

Photo by Mike Giglio​A crowd of Burmese refugees gathered in the parking lot Sunday afternoon at the Sun Blossom Mountain apartment complex on Ranchester Drive -- which was the subject of our recent cover story on Houston's refugees -- and waited for John Glenn to shout their names.A local company ... More >>

The H-Town Countdown, No. 15: Chamillionaire's Original Mixtape Messiah, or 20-Plus Ways to Dis Mike Jones

Roughly 84,000 rap albums have been released in Houston since 1989. We're counting down the 25 best of all time every Thursday. Got a problem with the list? Shove it. Just kidding. Friendship. Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com. "You drop one track, he's still alive." - Chamillionaire, on why he ai ... More >>

Getting Lucky, Or Trying To, At The Lucky Strike

Photo by Paul Knight​Hair Balls was prepared for an evening of stale beer and possibly mullets at this weekend's opening party for the new Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge in the Houston Pavilion. Then we noticed a small warning at the bottom of the invitation: "dress code enforced."Our confusion m ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

Golden-brown is the proper tone for any loaf of sourdough / Hollywood starlet.​Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where today we're bitterly sniffling at the fact that everyone else from the office is at the Austin City Limits festival. It's cool! There's lots of fun ... More >>

We Call Bull

Readers fight back after our Texans season opener feature.

Trying To Connect With Houston's Burmese Community, Via John Glenn

Photo by Mike Giglio​I threw a football at a refugee and demanded to know where she lived.Her voice wavered, and her answer was hard to hear. So I leaned over and cupped my hand to my ear, waving the hand in a circle first, like Hulk Hogan trying to rile a crowd. Apartment 1212, I finally made ou ... More >>

On Being Watched in Burma

Photos by Mike Giglio​I remember his nose. Thick gray hair spouted from each nostril, all the way down to the old monk's lip, like smoke from the snout of a dragon. He sat on some steps inside the gold and glittering Sule Pagoda in central Rangoon. The monk was bald and missing teeth, and a cinna ... More >>

This Week In Deliciousness

In the mythical land of Awesomevania, burritos are used as currency, and having two or more stents in your heart is a sign of great personal wealth.​Welcome back to Eating Our Words' weekly roundup, where we use meat loaf as the bread in our sandwiches. Hey, if we're not supposed to do that ... More >>

Trying to feed the homeless? Not so fast! Meanwhile, METRO blows $80K congratulating itself.

Highlights from the Blog at HOUSTONPRESS.COM

$13 at Pavani Indian Cuisine

Photo by Mike Giglio​ Where: Pavani Indian Cuisine, 10554 Southwest Fwy., 713-272-8259 What $13 gets you: As many circuits through the buffet line as you need. Plan to make at least a few. We walked in at 5:30 sharp, right when the place opens for dinner, which meant it was just us and the c ... More >>

This Week In Deliciousness

Empanadas are fried pouches filled with dreams. Cardiologists call them "Heaven's Little Artery Grenades".​Welcome back to Eating Our Words' weekly round-up, where we're seriously considering camping out for tickets to that new Julia Child movie. Look, it can't possibly be worse than Episode 1 ... More >>

$13 at Asia Market

Photo by Mike Giglio​ Where: Asia Market, 1010 W Cavalcade St., 713-863-7074 What $13 gets you: Thai food should leave you full, refreshed and feeling like you got way more than you paid for. Thirteen bucks at Asia Market gets you clear sinuses and more than enough food for two. Best served ... More >>

Catfish Reef: The Rise of Swishahouse

[Note: this is the second in a series on the origins of Houston rap, to go along with this week's feature on wayward star Mike Jones.]Mike Giglio​As a local hip-hop writer and radio host, Matt Sonzala (also a former Houston Press Music Listings Editor) did what he could to promote Houston rap to a ... More >>

This Week In Deliciousness

Ray's Franks' Freddy Krueger will haunt your dreams. But in a good way. Welcome back to the weekly round-up here at Eating Our Words, where we have gravy on tap. To start off with, Mike Giglio out-spent Robb Walsh $13 to $7, because Mike is a fancy man of top-shelf tastes. He seemed impressed b ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Luvianos in Kyle

Photos by Mike GiglioOn a recent tail-between-legs retreat from a rough weekend in Austin -- sunburnt from a long float down the river, broke and dehydrated -- the Texas Traveler wanted only two things: free water and cheap sustenance.Luvianos in Kyle had plenty of both. Water-filled bags hung aroun ... More >>

Flashing Back to the Heyday of DJ Screw

Ed. Note: To go along with this week's feature on Mike Jones, Mike Giglio takes a look at the origins of Houston rap's once and future calling card, "screw music." Photos by Mike GiglioScrew: The Next Generation (l-r): Randy, Big Bubb, Bird Wearing corn rows, a wife beater and green courdoroys, ... More >>

New Way To Help The Homeless In Houston

Photo by Mike GiglioThe "After Dark" shelter program at St. John's Bread of Life is up and running, giving Houston a small push toward the method of dealing with homelessness that has been embraced for years in much of the country. The conversion of the former day center -- located on corner of Gr ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Admitting Defeat To The BBQ In Salt Lick

Photos by Mike Giglio It started with 24 ounces of Icehouse. Texas Traveler was headed to Austin Friday morning with a couple of friends. We'd already stopped at the overflowing Buc-ee's along the way, and managed to secure some fudge samples -- peanut butter, rocky road and cookies and cream, ... More >>

Texas Traveler: Admitting Defeat To The BBQ In Salt Lick

Photos by Mike GiglioIt started with 24 ounces of Icehouse.Texas Traveler was headed to Austin Friday morning with a couple of friends. We'd already stopped at the overflowing Bucky's along the way, and managed to secure some fudge samples -- peanut butter, rocky road and cookies and cream, all equ ... More >>

$13 at Reggae Hut

Photo by Mike GiglioWhere: Reggae Hut, 4814 Almeda Rd., 713-520-7171What $13 gets you: Any main course or seafood dish, which will be more than enough. Favorites include the jerk chicken and garlic shrimp, along with a Jamaican take on oxtail. We tried that, mainly because we weren't quite su ... More >>

Outed on the Internet: A Houston professor's plight becomes a web phenomenon

Highlights from the Blog at HOUSTONPRESS.COM

This Week In Deliciousness

The proper presentation for mat kimchee should mirror as closely as possible the appearance of an exploded chicken.Welcome back once again to the weekly round-up at Eating Our Words, where we've found a way to put gravy on pretty much everything (you just have to tell people it's "some kinda sauce") ... More >>

Mack Brown vs. Iraq & John Lomax vs. a Metro bus

Highlights from the Blog at HOUSTONPRESS.COM

This Week In Deliciousness

Photo by Robb WalshI can't write this column on an empty stomach. It's difficult to maintain your trademark acerbic wit when all you can think is, "I would literally murder somebody for that hamburger / pizza / pastry / whatever insane but incredible dish from Feast we've featured this week." ... More >>

The Most Dangerous Game: Man Vs. Metro

Photo by Mike GiglioLomax, keeping to his strict warm-up regimen for the big raceIt was to be the ultimate contest between man and machine. Hair Balls announced in earnest at this afternoon's staff meeting its plans to sample the new 402 Quickline Bellaire, which was unveiled by Metro on Friday ... More >>

$13 at Kitchen Kreations

Photos by Mike GiglioWhere: Kitchen Kreations (but the sign outside still says Milburn's Café), 8601 MLK Blvd. & Reed Rd., 713-738-3011 What $13 will get you: A euphoric food coma that lasts well into the evening. Doors are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; lunchtime saw a grown man giddily jumping and ... More >>

There Will Be Blood:

Kidneys for sale & METRO police shootings

Bring Back the Babes and Bitches

$7 at Blodgett's Fish Market

Photos by Mike GiglioPac Man and chicken reign supreme at Blodgett's Fish MarketWhere: Blodgett's Fish Market, 2603 Blodgett St., 713-526-1222 What $7 will get you: Anything on the menu, and then some. Don't be confused by the fish in the name--most people come here for the chicken, not the batch ... More >>

UH Gets the Brush-Off from Nike

Highlights from the Blog at HOUSTONPRESS.COM

From Homelessness to Wine Snobbery

Weighing In Across the Board

Good News: Helpful DNA Evidence. Bad News: Her Client May Still Die

Defense attorney Sarah Frazier got the DNA results she wanted. They might even win her tomorrow's hearing. But her client could still be put to death. Frazier has fought for years to introduce new DNA testing to the case of Charles Raby, who was convicted almost 15 years ago of murdering a grandmoth ... More >>