Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission

Tough Times at Rich's

Trouble keeps following the infamous Midtown dance club like a cloud.

UPDATED: Rich's Abruptly Shuts Down Again, Under Another Cloud of Mystery

UPDATE (Monday, 5:45 p.m.) Cade Michals is a spokesman for Rich's Sacred Ground, not a partner. No doubt this is not the way Rich's wanted to celebrate its 30th anniversary this year. The most recent tenants of the long-running and equally star-crossed Midtown dance club closed their doors Friday w ... More >>

Looks Like We Can Pour One Out for Pearl Bar

This may be the end of the line for Pearl Bar. The once-crowded jewel of the Washington Avenue bar scene has apparently been locked out by its landlord for nonpayment of rent. The above notice was posted on the door of Pearl Wednesday night, and the photo was sent our way by a friend of Rocks Off's ... More >>

Promoter Sues Owners of Club Where Jay-Z, Beyonce, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade Celebrated All-Star Weekend

A group called All Pro Management is suing the owners of Rich's, where Jay-Z (aka Mr. Beyonce Knowles) hosted an NBA All-Star par-tay, accusing them of cheating All Pro out of proceeds from liquor sales. The promoters claimed to have paid $25,000 to host the event, according to the Courthouse News ... More >>

The Taxman Cometh

Pearl Bar runs up a hefty tab with the comptroller's office as once-hot Washington Avenue sings the blues.

Comptroller: Pearl Bar Owes More Than $40K in Taxes

According to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts' office, Pearl Bar owes more than $40,000 in mixed-beverage and franchise taxes, and agents confiscated some cash as part of a "limited seizure" operation at the Washington Avenue bar this past Saturday evening. A lien has also been filed against ... More >>

Pearl Bar Reportedly Shut Down By Comptroller

According to sources in the Washington Avenue bar scene, Pearl Bar (4216 Washington) was raided and shut down this past Saturday night. The doors have been padlocked, and the bar's safe was reportedly seized. Dustin Evans, owner of Pearl Bar's neighbor Underdogs, said a Pearl doorman told him that ... More >>

The TABC Responds to Our Article on Over-Serving at Restaurants

Last week's blog post on the dangers of over-serving at restaurants was a broad topic to touch on in a single article -- perhaps too broad, as Carolyn Beck, director of communications for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, contacted us to clear up a few items about the TABC's role in combating ... More >>

Quietly, For a Dance Club, Rich's Reopens Under New Ownership

Rich's, the popular but troubled Midtown dance club, has quietly reopened under a new ownership group after the landlord evicted previous tenants in May. The venue at 2401 San Jacinto is now operated by a group of investors calling itself Rich's Sacred Ground Inc. According to Texas Alcoholic Bever ... More >>

Does Over-Serving at Restaurants Go Under-Investigated?

A few weeks ago, I endured a rather unpleasant dinner at The Rouxpour -- the subject of this week's cafe review -- which had nothing to do with the food itself and everything to do with two very drunk patrons. After being harassed by the two men throughout the evening, I finally retrieved a manager ... 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 >>

Tearful Treasures Dancers Ask Judge to Renew the Liquor Permit; City Asks to Put the Smackdown

Dancers from Treasures implored a state administrative judge today to renew the club's liquor permit and dismiss the city's protests. (No ruling has been issued yet.) The dancers -- some of whom said they were single mothers and small business owners -- told State Office of Administrative Hearings ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where the rules are all made up and the points don't matter. We started the week off right by fantasizing about who we'd most like to eat lunch with. My pick? Summer Glau. And the fantasy lunch would be maybe a couple oysters, and then str ... More >>

Like the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission on Facebook?

This morning, I captured the above screenshot of the new TABC Facebook.​Remember the Jonathan Franzen New York Times essay from last year, "Liking Is for Cowards. Go for What Hurts"? In it, he considers the "transformation, courtesy of Facebook, of the verb 'to like' from a state of mind to an ... More >>

Why We Love to Hate the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission

Image via Westerville Public Libary (Westerville, Ohio).To understand our state's peculiar relationship with alcohol, we need to look back to the early post-Prohibition era when the TABC was founded (1935).​In the wake of a recent post on the absurdity of wine shipping regulation in Texas, a c ... More >>

Me and the TABC (Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission)

Image via the Texas Restaurant Association.TABC To Go is an excellent online TABC certification program for Texas restaurant and bar workers. Although not required by the state, many Texas employers require certification to ensure proper service of alcohol.​The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commiss ... More >>

Absurdity of Texas Wine Shipping Law Reaches New Heights

Photo by Jeremy Parzen.Castell'in Villa Chianti Classico is one of the greatest values in Italian wine today, but out-of-state retailers can't ship it to me in Texas... at least not legally.​On Friday, one of the most bizarre press releases I've ever read found its way to my inbox. "The Texas ... More >>

Austin's Jester King Craft Brewery Sues the TABC, But Is the TABC Really the Bad Guy?

Shit just got real.​Jester King, based in Austin, is one of the state's most popular craft breweries. The TABC (or Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission), also based in Austin, is one of the state's most powerful agencies. And with news that Jester King has just filed a lawsuit against the TABC, ... More >>

Goodtime Moonshine: 8 Brands Of Musician-Backed Booze

warmingglow.uproxx.comShirtless hillbillies, backyard stills, and Cletus from the Simpson = things we normally associate with moonshine.​Tuesday, representatives for Colt Ford announced the Georgia-born singer best known for 2010's Chicken and Biscuits would be the first country music star wit ... More >>

Eirin Hicks: Misdemeanor Charges Filed In Death of Texas State Woman Who Fell to Death

TABCEirin Hicks: Dead from a fall out a window​The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and Texas State University police announced a handful of charges stemming from the death of Eirin Ann Hicks, a student who fell to her death from an elevated first-story dorm room last month. The charges ar ... More >>

Five GREAT Things About This Weekend's Rapture

Music to be playing about 6 a.m. Saturday.​In case you hadn't heard, the Rapture will happen at 5:58 a.m. Saturday. All the good, Christian people will ascend to heaven and everyone else will be left here to suffer through unprecedented natural disasters before the End of Time comes in the fal ... More >>

Very, Very Determined Mountain Lion Denied Chance to Eat President Obama in El Paso

Dedicated mountain lion says Yes We Can, learns otherwise.​We know not the name of the mountain lion who was chased through the downtown streets of El Paso this morning, continuing to escape pursuers even with two tranquilizer darts in him. We only know the cat must have really wanted to see ... More >>

Four Loko: Approved In Texas Again!! (Um, Without The Caffeine)

Four Loko: Farewell, point of drinking it​The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission today approved sales of a reconstituted Four Loko -- one that comes without caffeine. Which is kind of like cigarettes without nicotine -- it's a safer option, but what's the point? The TABC had asked retailers ... More >>

Cougar on Prowl in Katy

Mom sexts her teen son's friend

Vertical Epic: Thanks, TABC, For Keeping A Coveted Beer Out Of Texas

Houston almost scored one of the most coveted beers of the year. Then the TABC stepped in. ​In the latest episode of the Fun Police, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission has kept one of the most coveted beers of the year from being sold in Texas. Stone Brewing Company's Vertical Epic, which has ... More >>

Brew Blog: Deschutes Brewery

​Many excellent West Coast and Pacific Northwest brewers have long shown the good sense to ship their wares to Texas, and Deschutes Brewery has now joined the party in a real way, too. The Bend, Oregon brewery has inked a deal with Ben E. Keith Beverages to expand its local reach. Of course ... More >>

Bomb That Mosque!

KTRH host hopes for violence.

Joe Chavez: Former TABC Agent Accused Of Sexually Assaulting His Decoy In Underage Drinking Sting

"I thought she was 18!" won't work​Last May, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission decided that some minors in Bastrop County might have been having a little too much fun. They apparently decided it was high time to conduct a sting operation.One of the TABC's tried-and-true methods is to s ... More >>

More Messy Details On The "Toxic Environment" At The Former Meridian

Chris Gray​Friday evening, Rocks Off met with Jeff Barry, the attorney who represents both SG Properties, owner of the now-nameless music venue at 1503 Chartres, and SG owner Gary Katz, about the events that transpired earlier this week that you can read about here and here. The tired-looking lawy ... More >>

Free Booze At Former Meridian Tonight

​ This just keeps getting messier and messier, but one happy byproduct of the unpleasant change of hands the Old Chinatown venue is currently undergoing is that tonight, everyone of legal drinking age will be allowed two free drinks at the show by Japanese DJ Satoshe Tomiie. A donation for the Dis ... More >>

Dr. Strangelove

Tool and A Perfect Circle wouldn't work, so Maynard James Keenan channels his love of Hee Haw through Puscifer.

Houston Dance Club Rich's Shut Down for Apparent Nonpayment of Taxes; Liquor License Suspended; May Reopen Tomorrow

Update: According to the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission's Web site, Rich's - listed as owned by MZM Nightlife, Inc. - has had its liquor license suspended. The license was scheduled to expire on November 29. Son LamDancers enjoying Halloween at Rich's​Rocks Off received an email this morning ... More >>

Club Dead

The Mansion has been shut down, but not before an 18-year-old stripper got drunk there and died in a highway wreck.

Gay Panic in Cowtown

The police raid on the Rainbow Lounge rocked the calm world of Fort Worth gays.

How To Celebrate Gay Pride Day In Fort Worth: Bust Some Heads

How did cops in Fort Worth celebrate the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, that epic day when gays fought back against cops harassing them in a bar? By harassing gays in a bar. Allegedly.Protests have sprung up in Cowtown over events at the Rainbow Lounge Sunday night.The Dallas Voice reports: Sources ... More >>

Seeing The Astros Without Getting Drunk? Umpossible! But Now, Possible

Photo by Michael (mx5tx)Hey Astros fans. Are you tired of the exorbitant prices you have to pay for booze at Astros games? Well, I've got good news. And I've got bad news.The good news is that the prices might be getting a lot damn cheaper real soon. The bad news is that the reason is that alc ... More >>

City Says Smoking Ban Has Had No Impact On Bars

Photo by porcelaingirlTwo years ago, Houston City Council approved a smoking ban for local bars. This week, it was announced that the city had spent $12,000 to measure the impact of the ban.Their conclusion? It had no impact on bar sales whatsoever. "It's reassuring that we did the right thing ... More >>

Close Up The Still, Clem, They're Comin' After Our Moonshine

Beer and Porn

Once again, the TABC tries to ruin bachelor life

Take My Wife, Please

TABC nabs a sheriff's spouse in a sting

On Their Backs

Sugar Land spreads its legs

Poured Out

With archaic and self-serving laws, reforms don't come easy for the Texas booze industry

Houston Hold 'Em

There are plenty of opportunities for poker here, legal and otherwise

Letters

Zipping Up Mary's

A local landmark for gay sex and social activism closes after 32 years

Getting Stomped

Texas boasts the soil, the climate and the grapes for a strong wine industry. So what stands in its way? Bad taste and politicians.

Political Communion

Did Annunciation use its connections to knock the head off Little Woodrow's beer permit?

Out in the Street

Westheimer Street Festival and the TABC

Wong's War on a Reggae Club

Are the problems traffic and parking, or just the color of the customers?

Clubland