Oak Forest

Top 10 Restaurants in Downtown Houston

New restaurants and bars are opening in downtown Houston faster than we can keep up, thanks to a renaissance around the Market Square Park area that's bringing new life to downtown's north side. But that's not the only part of downtown that's blossoming -- nor are those new restaurants the only game ... More >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Bistros

How do you define a bistro? If you're going to stick to the traditional Parisian definition, a bistro (or bistrot) is a small, tidy restaurant that serves inexpensive wine and simple dishes in a modest price range. Those dishes are traditionally French "comfort food" recipes like coq au vin, boeuf ... More >>

Health Department Roundup: Bad Day at a Totilleria, and the Montrose/Midtown Question

It's hard to define exactly when an inspection turns bad, but like Potter Stewart said, you know it when you see it. And El Maizito Tortilleria (4912 Airline) had a bad time. Seventeen violations lead to a citation; it might be a good idea to get your tortillas somewhere else for a bit. Issues there ... More >>

Eat, Play, Love

Houston's 10 most romantic restaurants.

Top 10 Restaurants in Garden Oaks/Oak Forest

It wasn't too long ago that the Houston Chronicle called Oak Forest "the new West University." The neighborhood just north of Loop 610 and to the east of Highway 290 has been attracting young families in spades -- families who are helping to reinvigorate the subdivisions that make up Garden Oaks and ... More >>

The Dan Marino Restaurants

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

Openings & Closings: Backstreet's Back ... All Right!

Last week was quiet; this week has some talking to do -- starting with news that David Grossman will be closing out at Branch Water Tavern and taking the restaurant's name with him when he does. The restaurant itself will remain open under a new name and new ownership, reports Greg Morago at the Hou ... More >>

Openings & Closings: Surfing Cowboys and Plenty of Pizza

Last week's roundup was heavy on the closings, but not this week. Although there were some high-profile places that shuttered, this week features mostly good news. But in the grand tradition of breaking news to people, let's go ahead and start with the bad. First is that Tintos, the tapas joint in ... More >>

OK, Who's Been Slipping Bible Tracts into Our Papers?

We were surprised to find out today that, when He's in Houston, Jesus Christ utilizes the Oak Forest Post Office for all his mailing needs -- or at least one of His disciples does. Some evangelical person, worried about how this week's Houston Press cover story on athiesm would affect readers' morta ... More >>

Noise Complaining Nimbys: Not Just an Inner Loop Hassle Anymore

The owner of a historic Oak Forest ice house is suing a neighbor for assault, claiming that the man's violent threats and overall pattern of harassment are harming his business. Plaintiff Edward Sanchez owns the Catty Corner Ice House on Wakefield Street, a storied avenue of near Northwest Side div ... More >>

Ten Houston Men Named (So Far) In Boy Scouts "Perversion Files"

Since 1919 the Boy Scouts of America has maintained a database of "ineligible volunteers." Known informally as "the perversion files," the database contains the name of 5,000 men and a few women who have been expelled from the BSA because of allegations of sexual abuse of children. Last week a grou ... More >>

Top 10 Restaurants in the Heights

Let's get one thing out of the way before we get started: This is a list of the 10 best restaurants in the Heights, as "the Heights" is defined by the Houston Heights Association. That means that restaurants outside of its boundaries -- north of Loop 610 West, west of North Shepherd, south of the Ka ... More >>

More Delays for the T.C. Jester/White Oak Bayou Bike Trail

Bicyclists looking forward to tooling from Oak Forest towards downtown will have to deal with another setback: The seemingly simple project is going to take even longer than thought. The Texas Department of Transportation announced on the Houston Bikeway Program's Facebook page: It is with regret ... More >>

Charles Marion Robertson, 71, Fatally Shot by 70-Year Old Brother-In-Law, Bayou Body Count No. 104

It's been an oddly murderous week or so in the Harris County area, but this may be the strangest of the bunch. According to police, Charles Marion Robertson was at home with his brother-in-law, who apparently lived in the same house, when the two got into an argument. Police say Robertson approached ... More >>

Charles Marion Robertson, 71, Fatally Shot by 70-Year Old Brother-In-Law, Bayou Body Count No. 104

It's been an oddly murderous week or so in the Harris County area, but this may be the strangest of the bunch. According to police, Charles Marion Robertson was at home with his brother-in-law, who apparently lived in the same house, when the two got into an argument. Police say Robertson approached ... 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 >>

Creative Pizza and Crafty Pints at That Pizza Place On Ella

I'll admit that I wouldn't have been quite as drawn to That Pizza Place On Ella -- the subject of this week's cafe review -- were it not for the marquee above, which crows that the pizza joint has the largest beer selection in Oak Forest Larger than Petrol Station? I thought. Surely not. Either way ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Mucho de Mayo

As May approaches, more Cinco de Mayo events are announced every day. Here are a few of our favorites. La Mexicana in Montrose is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. And while the restaurant doesn't normally host a big Cinco de Mayo bash, it's blowing off the roof on Saturday, May 5, with t ... More >>

Shepherd Park Draught House: A Little Bit Country, a Little Bit Rock 'n' Roll

What's country about Shepherd Park Draught House? The goat cheese-infused grits and the Shipley's glazed donut-topped waffles served during Sunday brunch. The Texas brews like Karbach and Southern Star on draft, along with a $2 Texas happy hour on Tuesdays. The so-called "Texas reds" chili made with ... More >>

Openings & Closings: January 2012

After 45 years in business along Washington Avenue, Guadalajara Bakery is closing its doors on February 29. Unlike previous closing scares for the longtime breakfast taco purveyor, this one is concrete: New owners purchased the building and gave the family 30 days notice to vacate. A bar is planned ... More >>

When McDonald's Kept Us Thin

Photo by John Kiely​I recently found myself on the quiet side of the glass partition from the McDonald's Playland at the new Ella location, in what I like to call the Old-Timers section, the place in just about every small-town McDonald's where retirees congregate. Oak Forest is like a small ... More >>

City Council Candidate Randy Locke Delivers Emptiest Threat Possible

He's got work to do​Randy Locke is running for City Council District C; if his website is any indication, is campaign slogan is "This Site is Under Construction." He's also failed to file the campaign-finance report required 30 days before the election. And, not to put too fine a point on it ... More >>

Best of Houston® 2011: Now In Handy Map Form!

View Best of Houston® 2011 Food & Drink Winners in a larger map By now, you've hopefully had time to peruse this year's Best of Houston® winners in the food and drink category. If not, then we've put together a handy map (above) with all of the winners listed, for those who prefer spatial int ... More >>

Inmates Diss Web Dating

Hey Oak Forest: Get Ready To Share Your U.S. Rep With The Piney Woods

​Oak Forest is a neat urban neighborhood just north of the Loop west of T.C. Jester. Sure, it's got the word "Forest" in its name, but other than that it would seem to have very little in common with isolated backwood burgs like Rye, in the upper reaches of Liberty County. But now, the two c ... More >>

Take It Outside

Our picks for the best patios in Houston.

On the Menu: An Eastern Cup of Drop

​The egg drop soup that is served at many Chinese restaurants usually runs third in popularity amongst customers. I'm not the biggest fan of hot and sour soup, so my decision usually boils down to wonton or the drop. For health reasons, I usually go with the wonton. I love egg drop, but wit ... More >>

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood at Petrol Station

​Is it just me, or is Petrol Station Oak Forest's best kept secret? A confluence of events revolving around unruly children, the need for beer, and a chance Twitter conversation landed me at the converted service station on a recent Sunday night. Nestled between houses on a quiet residential ... More >>

Off the Wall: Bruce R Suggests B&M Brown Bread - in a Can

​Each week, I'll take one reader's comment and base a post around it. Anything is fair game--from restaurant suggestions to cooking strategies to new product purchases. John Seaborn Gray's recent post about the worst canned goods contains my favorite line in food blogging history. In refer ... More >>

Wing It for Super Bowl

Photo by Rick Audet​I go to Super Bowl parties every year. Not for the football, mind you. I didn't even know who was going to be in this year's Super Bowl until last night (my mother nearly stroked out upon realizing this about her only, sports-retarded child). I go for the food. My favorite ... More >>

Ten Houston Neighborhoods: The Crimes They Experience

Paging McGruff the Crime Dog​We've been plotting which neighborhoods in Houston lead in certain crime categories, but doing that doesn't really get you to the more well-known parts of town. So we decided to zero in on a few specific neighborhoods and see what crime's been going down in them. ... More >>

10 Worst Robbery Neighborhoods In Houston

​Last week we gave you the 10 worst neighborhoods in Houston for burglaries. This week, just in time for Christmas shopping, it's the worst neighborhoods for robbery. As we cautioned before, HPD doesn't suggest comparing this raw data from neighborhood to neighborhood. Some beats are more den ... More >>

The 10 Worst Burglary Neighborhoods In Houston (For The Moment)

​What are the best neighborhoods to live in if you want to get burglarized? We've gathered 10 of the finest. We looked at the most recent crime stats for HPD beats, which means the month of October. HPD generally doesn't like "raw data comparisons between police beats" because the info can be ... More >>

Pegging Plonk

A neighborhood wine bar that's hard to categorize

The Guanciale Burger at Plonk: The Ultimate "Bacon" Cheeseburger

Photos by Troy FieldsClick here for a slideshow from Plonk.​In this week's cafe review, we take a trip to Plonk, a hidden spot in Oak Forest that features a slightly rougher crowd and far better food than you'd expect to find at a wine bar. It's that study in total contrasts that makes Plonk i ... More >>

Ingredient of the Week: Pomegranate

​What is it? The word pomegranate was derived from the Latin words "pomum" (apple) and "granatus" (seeded) - and if you've ever seen one opened up, you know this is an apt description. Mostly grown for the U.S. market in Californian orchards for their juice, a few of the intact fruits make it ... 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 >>

The Five Most Underrated Neighborhoods In Houston

This convent is a landmark in Idylwood​Everyone knows THE places to be in Houston. It's just a question of which one fits your taste (and wallet).River Oaks, the Heights, Montrose, Bellaire -- everyone knows those places. But Houston is so vast, so unpredictable, that little bubbles of terrific ne ... More >>

Happy Hour Scene: The Petrol Station

Photo by Paul Knight​The Place: The Petrol Station 985 Wakefield Dr. 713-957-2875www.facebook.com/PetrolStationThe Hours: Monday through Friday 3-7 p.m.The Deals: All $4 beers are $3.The Scene: On Wednesday afternoon, the Petrol Station, a little bar tucked away in the Oak Forest neighborhoo ... More >>

Top 10 Restaurants in River Oaks

It's not surprising that one of the most exclusive zip codes in the country has some pretty fantastic food -- but rest assured that the 'hood isn't all iced tea and crumpets. So excited were we about the ten below that we didn't find room for neighborhood icons like Avalon Diner, Andre's, and the Fr ... More >>

Sole Of Houston: And We Are Back, This Time On Two Wheels

Biking and no beer​David Beebe was back in town for a short time, so we put the band back together for an epic adventure in the streets of H-Town. We will have a full account here later in the week after Beebe uploads his pics to Flickr, but for now we'll tease with a few details... We didn't wa ... More >>

Cheap Breakfast: El Rey Taqueria

​All the chatter from the Top 10 Places to Eat in Oak Forest (and Inwood Forest) list made me realize that I'd never tried the breakfast at El Rey. What blasphemy. Time to remedy that in the name of blogging (and hunger).

This Week in Deliciousness

Oh, okay. When we heard "designer meat" we were afraid it was going to be some ridiculously sculpted abomination, but no, we'd totally eat that.​ Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we accidentally made a fancy dessert dish with our banana-scented sunscreen. We s ... More >>

Plonk Beer & Wine Bistro

Buyer Beware: Bands With Different Lead Singers Are Almost Never Up to the Original Standards

A few Saturdays ago, Rocks Off was in the grocery store a few blocks from our house, slumming around Oak Forest wearing sandals and an old Misfits T-shirt when a group of junior-high punk rockers approached and applauded us for our good taste. We got to talking about the band, and they remarked tha ... More >>

Dive Bars

A handcrafted tour of the best, most obscure places to lean on a stool in Houston.

Cedar Creek is a Blend of Dry and Onion

Theater 101 with Mildred’s Umbrella Theater

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