Sonoma

The Burger Guys and the Zen of the Burger

Customized beefcakes from the complex to the purist's dream.

Zen and the Burger Venn (Diagram) at The Burger Guys Downtown

At this point, it's fair to say that The Burger Guys is an established part of Houston's healthy handful of bright-burning burger stars, though their original outpost clings to the far west side of that constellation. Open since last fall, the downtown location, the subject of this week's Café Revi ... More >>

Seasons 52 Opens Today with a Full Menu of Dishes Under 475 Calories

Seasons 52, the new restaurant located in the new Millennium complex on Westheimer adjacent to Bo Concept, is opening to the public today. "The name Seasons 52 represents the 52 weeks of the year," said Reuben Rolf, the managing partner. "Every week, our menu offers a side panel of new dishes that ... More >>

The Top 5 Things to Eat, Drink or Celebrate This Weekend: Revival Market, Anvil, Sonoma Brunch, Hotel Derek's Early Easter & Ninfa's Crawfish

In case your weekend doesn't revolve around the parking lot full of food trucks at Haute Wheels or all-you-can-eat brisket at the Houston Barbecue Festival, here are five other great things to eat, drink or do this weekend. Revival Market's two-year anniversary party Saturday, 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. 550 ... More >>

Our 10 Favorite Affordable Luxuries: Treat Yourself This New Year

Most of our readers will hopefully remember Robin Leach's signature sign-off at the end of each episode of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous during the show's decade-long run: "Champagne wishes and caviar dreams." As far as sign-offs go, the phrase is no Walter Cronkite's "...and that's the way it ... More >>

Holiday Gift Guide: 5 Gifts For Kids Who Cook

Every week this holiday season, we'll be posting our favorite food-centric gift ideas. We've looked at 5 Gifts Under $30 That Every Kitchen Needs and attempted to avoid that awkward re-gifting moment with the 5 Useless Gifts That Nobody Actually Wants. This time, we're focusing on the kiddies. Chec ... More >>

How to Ship Wine Legally to Texas

In the wake of my post Wednesday, "Texas Wine Shipping Prohibition Is Morally Indefensible (and Bad for Business)," I wanted to follow up with some tips on how to ship wine legally to Texas. Although it hasn't been updated for more than two years, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission does have a ... More >>

My Trip to Napa Valley: Part II

I'm pretty sure I fell in love with Napa. It's like an alcoholic's wine lover's Disneyland; a land with a picturesque landscape and fantastic crisp breeze, with some of the world's best wine at your fingertips, just ripe for the taking. And the food scene: TDF. I was lucky enough to enjoy two incr ... More >>

My Trip to Napa Valley: Part I

I'm pretty sure I fell in love with Napa. It's like an alcoholic's wine lover's Disneyworld; a dream land filled with picturesque landscape, a fantastic crisp breeze and some of the world's best wine at your fingertips, ripe for the taking. And the food scene; well, it's TDF. I was lucky enough t ... More >>

Openings & Closings: Second and Third Locations Edition, Including The Burger Guys' New Downtown Spot

The big news this week for burger fans: The Burger Guys announced plans a second location of the popular west-side restaurant downtown. Instead of a pop-up run this time, the Guys will have a full-time restaurant in the city's central business district in the old Korma Sutra location at 706 Main. S ... More >>

Where the Chefs Eat

Grant Gordon, Matt Marcus and Kevin Naderi

Upcoming Events: Midsommar's Night Eating and Free Frescas

It's already scorching hot in Houston, and it's only going to get hotter. So cool off by celebrating the first day of summer on Thursday, June 21, at Pollo Campero. The fresh-Mex joint will be offering patrons a free agua fresca with purchase of any entree all day Thursday, including: Mango: A pu ... More >>

Woodlands Wine & Food Week to Take Place June 4 to 10

Food and wine lovers, rejoice. Just a few short days away is a big-time celebration of gourmet cuisine and marvelous vino. The annual Woodlands festival, put on by the event-planning extraordinaires at Food and Vine Time Productions, and now in its eighth year, is slated to draw more than 10,000 att ... More >>

Top 5 Gifts for Wine Lovers

Photo by Jeremy Parzen.Decanters by Riedel take wine service to a higher level of aesthetic pleasure. ​If you're ever invited to dine in someone's home in France, please don't bring a bottle of wine. Nothing will spur a French host to recoil in abject dishonor and displeasure than the gift of ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 3: Grant Gordon of Tony's - Chef's Tasting Menu

Photos by Mai PhamCappelletti alla vodka, Tito's vodka sauce, toasted pistachio, caviar​The last two days, we've been chatting with 25-year-old Executive Chef Grant Gordon of Tony's. See our chats here and here. Today, we'll sample some of the selections from his chef's tasting menu and night ... More >>

Chef Chat, Part 1: Grant Gordon of Tony's

Mai PhamExecutive Chef Grant Gordon of Tony's​There's been a lot of buzz lately about young Executive Chef Grant Gordon of Tony's. Last month, he collaborated on a hugely successful Les Sauvages pop-up dinner with Chefs Justin Basye and Peter Jahnke. Gordon was also among the youngest of the ... More >>

Openings & Closings: Familiar Faces Edition

Hubcap Grill's new fence outside its soon-to-be-open restaurant on 19th Street.​Some familiar faces will soon be popping up around town, from the Heights to Montrose and back again, starting with the news that Olivier Ciesielski -- the former executive chef at Tony's -- will be opening his ver ... More >>

Highlights from the Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & Chef Showcase

Mai PhamMini causitas by Chef Roberto Castre at Latin Bites Cafe​For me, this past Saturday was the culmination of a week's worth of anticipation and a day's worth of appetite-saving, a chance to taste more than 500 wines and sample 50 chef's tastings at HEB Wine & Food Week's Wine Rendezvous ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

Photo illustration by Monica FuentesBWAHAHAHAHA! Hell yes.​Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we've been trying to get Opie and Anthony to re-tweet scandalous pictures of our manscaped junk all day, but so far, no dice. Come on, guys. Help a loyal listener with ... More >>

The Sonoma Burger and Salted Caramel Duck Fat Fries at The Burger Guys

Mai PhamThe Sonoma Burger at The Burger Guys. Applewood smoked bacon, cheddar, avocado, arugula, aoili​I am happily burger-obsessed. I crave them, I find them, I eat them, and I enjoy them. I repeat this process regularly, and last week, the process led me to what has got to be one of Houston' ... More >>

Odd Pair: Chicken Spaghetti and Zinfandel

​There is pleasure in life... and then there is guilty pleasure. You know the kind. The type of indulgence that you are embarrassed to admit to your friends and colleagues... certain forms of gratification best enjoyed -- ahem, how shall I put this? -- whilst alone. For me one such delight ... More >>

Eating Our Words Burger Bracket: The Final Four

Illustration by Doug Mac​Yesterday, a scrappy underdog team from Virginia Commonwealth University upset the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks to advance to the NCAA Final Four here in Houston, blowing many people's college basketball brackets entirely to hell. Well, burger fans, prepare to have your ... More >>

Vintners Own Winery: Wine (in a Freaking Keg!) in the Heights

Happiness is eight different wines on tap.​I called my most wine-savvy friend upon receiving the invitation to the event. "Did you know there's a freaking winery in the Heights, just a few blocks from your house?" This was followed by a string of expletives (apparently she was not aware). I co ... More >>

What Are Houston Chefs Cooking This Thanksgiving?

Photo by Carbon NYC​Thanksgiving: A day to gather with your loved ones and give thanks? Or a day to display your culinary prowess to friends and family? Increasingly, the emphasis has been on the latter in the past few years, as people try to dress up the traditional Thanksgiving spread and im ... More >>

Odd Pair: Sweet Potatoes & Chardonnay

​If you're like me, then you've been "practicing" your Thanksgiving recipes a little early this year. At least that's the reason you give when people ask why you're making stuffing and sweet potatoes in the beginning of November. The upside (besides getting to eat decadent food all month) is ... More >>

Vintage Cocktails: The Mary Pickford

1937 copy of La Florida recipe book​Last week I told you about the La Florida Bar in Havana, Cuba, "la catedral del Daiquiri." This week's drink comes from a brittle 1937 copy of that bar's recipe book, which was found at a flea market. The book is old enough that each recipe is in both Spani ... More >>

Odd Pair: Fried Green Tomatoes and Cuvee

​Last Thursday, Katharine Shilcutt got us desperately scrambling to find some good fried green tomatoes before the summer ends (soft weeping). We found ourselves at the bar at Max's Wine Dive (4720 Washington Avenue) begging the chef to make us a plate of our favorite hot-weather food and then ... More >>

Special Regional Anti-Mexican Slur Edition

Mother's Day Pancakes: Four Ways

​Mother's Day is this Sunday, and if you're like us, you're still trying to decide exactly how to honor the woman who was brave enough to deal with you during your formative years. You could always take her to brunch, but that trick is becoming a bit played out. Huge crowds, huge prices, and g ... More >>

Going Overboard at Truluck's

Photos by Katharine ShilcuttFresh crab claws and oysters: a triumphant start to any meal.​The last time I ate at Truluck's (5350 Westheimer), the restaurant was still located in the charming silver diner car -- still abandoned, by the way -- up the road from its current location on Westheimer. ... More >>

Duck Fat: the New Butter

Is the theme of the awesome Branch Water Tavern "fatty foods for lean times"?

The New American Whiskeys

​Branch Water Tavern, the subject of this week's Café review, has a collection of rare American whiskeys behind the bar that really widened my horizons. St. George single-malt tastes like it was made in Scotland. It starts out as dark-brown ale and is distilled in a tiny copper pot still. It' ... More >>

Buh-Bye 2009

Where to celebrate the dawn of a new year: Our guide to the best events in town.

Buh-Bye 2009

Where to celebrate the dawn of a new year: Our guide to the best events in town.

This Week in Deliciousness

Superbanana slumbers innocently, unaware that he will soon face his fearsome arch-nemesis: Krypto-Monkey.​ Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where we've decided to keep all these sausage and cheese Christmas gift baskets for ourselves. Jane Catherine Collins certainl ... More >>

Last Chance for Free Wine Tasting Tickets

​As promised, we're giving you one more chance to win a pair of tickets to this weekend's highly anticipated Holiday Wine Tasting bash at Sonoma, taking place on December 19 from 6 to 11 p.m. The tickets are a $90 value and include samples of 40 different beers, wines and champagnes, gourmet ... More >>

Win Tickets to Our Holiday Wine Tasting at Sonoma

​You only have a few days left to buy tickets for our first-ever event at Sonoma -- a holiday wine tasting featuring 40 different kinds of beer, wine and champagne -- but one lucky reader could win a pair of tickets for free! The first person to answer the three questions below correctly will ... More >>

Holiday Wine Tasting at Sonoma

​We hope you've marked your calendar for next weekend's event at Sonoma Wine Bar, because we can't wait to see you there. Eating Our Words is excited to be hosting its first ever event for our readers: a Holiday Tasting that will feature not only 40 different kinds of wine, but beer and champ ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

This Christmas, every little German child wants a Volkswagen stuffed with these.​ Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where our special brand of Christmas party punch can double as deck sealant and paint stripper. Greenway Barista started off the week with some deep-di ... More >>

Sonoma For the Holidays: Join Us At Our Holiday Wine Tasting

​Over at Eating Our Words, we're ringing in the holidays in style...by hosting our very first event for you, our readers. We'll be at Sonoma Wine Bar on December 19 from 6 to 11 p.m. for a holiday wine tasting with so much more than just wine -- and we hope you will be, too. For $45, yo ... More >>

Sangrias at Sonoma

​Sonoma on Richmond Avenue has an impressive wine selection and a wonderful menu of fruits, artisan cheeses, cured meats and gourmet entrees. It also offers a decent sangria. Two of Sonoma's three sangria options are average. The rose sparkling sangria, however, is worth reordering. The sweet ... More >>

2008 HOUSTON PRESS NEW YEAR'S EVE GUIDE

Kiss 2008 goodbye in style

HOUSTON PRESS NEW YEAR'S EVE GUIDE

Kiss 2008 goodbye in style

Places That Are Open -- Constantly Updated

Smiles to Go

Felicity Huffman is desperately engaging in an off-kilter road movie

Don't Go Changin'

1415 Bar & Grille

Pig in the City

A foodie saint is tainted by fast food's evil empire

True Grits

Local Restaurant News

Secrets of Sonoma

During the day, it's almost invisible. But at night...

Dish