U.S. Department of Agriculture

National Cancer Organization Wants Hot Dogs Out of HISD Schools

National Cancer Organization Wants Hot Dogs Out of HISD Schools

Raging Hormones

Frédéric Perrier

Lines & Shadows

A former farmworker wanted only a utility system for her Fort Bend colonia. Seven years later, there's still tainted water and untreated sewage -- but raw words and the stench of politics flow freely.

The Big Deal

Vending machines are leaving Texas school cafeterias. But the mother lode of "minimal nutritional value" has hardly gone away.

Open Mouths, Closed Hearts

The Feds created a program to feed the hungry. In Harris County, it became a program to feed the greedy.

The Valentine's Day Minefield at Central Market

The Feds created a program to feed the hungry. In Harris County, it became a program to feed the greedy.

Steak Night: Under the Volcano

The Feds created a program to feed the hungry. In Harris County, it became a program to feed the greedy.

T-Bone Tom's Steakhouse Restaurant

Visit T-Bone Tom's and help keep Kemah weird

Monkey Business

Primates -- destined for laboratory research -- are being brought into a compound in Houston so carefully and quietly that no one knows they're here

Horse Flesh

Texas struggles with what to do with its overabundance of Equus caballus, while Europeans wait with open mouths

A Cut Above

The future of the best beef in America may depend on a herd in East Texas

Eighteen Greater Houston Hamburgers You Need to Try Right Now

A "must try" list of Houston-area burgers

Burnt Offerings from the USDA

When will the federal agency tell us it's safe to eat medium-rare burgers again?

Eighteen Hamburgers You Need to Try Right Now

A "must try" list of Houston-area burgers

Texas Burger Binge

Our food critic reports on the state of the Texas burger -- and recommends 18 you need to try immediately

Past Its Prime

Taste of Texas Steakhouse takes you on a nostalgia trip to the salad bar.

Dry-Aged Discrimination

What grade of beef are the steaks at The Capital Grille?

Jekyll & Hydesky

Two trips to steak house Smith & Wollensky yield wildly different results

Bring On the Bovine

Beef-mad Houstonians keep eating steaks

Make Mine Moo

Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar

Best Steak House

Brenner's Steakhouse

Dinner and Darts

The Rivendell Bar & Grille

Mystery Meat

Maverick's motto may be "Supper + Whiskey," but the restaurant doesn't always deliver on both counts

American Kobe

Lynn's Steakhouse proves a few restaurants still serve up USDA Prime

Aging with Grace (and Science)

American steaks: second of a three-part series

A Matter of Fat

The U.S. beef industry's lower standards have led to an increase in chop houses

Loco for Loroco

The secret herb at Houston's pupuserias can drive you out of your mind

Swine Flu FAQs: The Answers You Need...And The Answers You Deserve

Unlike in 1918, when the flu really bitch-slapped humanity, leading medical experts have the ability to immediately update us with information on how to stay safe, and how to separate myth from fact. For example: By now, unless you're a vapid hotel-fortune heiress who answers the cell phone during s ... More >>

Batter Blaster: Against God and Nature?

Photos by Nikki MetzgarFirst, there was whipped cream. Then, there was cheese. Now, it's pancake (or waffle) batter being sprayed out of aerosol cans. God-fearing people everywhere are trembling as technology pushes us ever closer to experiencing breakfast as nature never intended. We tried Batter ... More >>

Not So Clear Cut

What are you really eating when you order fajitas in a Tex-Mex restaurant?

Dry-Aged Black Angus

Photo by Robb WalshWhile we were debating the word salumeria, a commenter by the name of SpandTexPants complained that Houston didn't have a butcher shop that sold dry-aged beef. Well, now we do. Hubbell & Hudson Market in the Woodlands has a dry-aging case in its meat department. When I stopped by ... More >>

Burnt Offerings from the USDA

When will the federal agency tell us it's safe to eat medium-rare burgers again?

Grass-fed Beef: Healthier Hamburgers

Photos by Robb Walsh​Grass-fed sirloin hamburger steak is downright delicious. No doubt grass-fed beef raised without antibiotics and hormones is better for you too. Grass-fed sirloins lack the marbling that makes for tender steaks. But grind it up, and you get all the bold herbaceous flavor w ... More >>

Wangsday Wings

​Jason Clark, the manager of The Social, recently told me that he isn't making any money on chicken wings, but for the time being he is planning on continuing the "Wangsday" 25¢ wing special at the Washington Avenue Bar. I asked him about it because there was a story about the high price of c ... More >>

The Elephant Man Of Texas Is Not An Animal, He Just (Allegedly) Abuses Them

​The U.S. Department of Agriculture has filed charges against the East Texas handler of three -- er, actually it's now just one -- elephants, for allegedly violating the Animal Welfare Act. For those who haven't been following this sad/absurd story out of Leggett, about 80 miles northeast of ... More >>

Looking for a Bull Market

Killen's Steakhouse in suburban Pearland is probably best during boom times.

Haggis and Single Malt Nacht

​Today is Robbie Burns Day, the birthday of the Scottish poet who was born on this date in 1759. "Burns Nacht," as it's known, is celebrated with Burns Suppers, where revelers consume haggis and Scotch whisky while wearing the family plaid and listening to the dulcet tones of bagpipers. If you ... More >>

Immigration Costs and Deadly Showers

​Today is Robbie Burns Day, the birthday of the Scottish poet who was born on this date in 1759. "Burns Nacht," as it's known, is celebrated with Burns Suppers, where revelers consume haggis and Scotch whisky while wearing the family plaid and listening to the dulcet tones of bagpipers. If you ... More >>

Meat and Potatoes

Frank's Chop House stands firmly in the middle of the road.

Terry Grier's Breakfast in the Classroom - Food For All or an Enormous High Caloric Dump Site?

Holly Gologhtly wouldn't throw out the food HISD does​As Breakfast in the Classroom spreads across the breadth and width of the Houston ISD, Superintendent Terry Grier has announced he's been getting some "push back" from parents and educators who aren't embracing the plan.Critics -- most from som ... More >>

Stir-Fried Ong Choy with Garlic

​When I was growing up, one of the few ways my mom got me to eat my veggies was by stir-frying them. Looking back, I'm glad it was this and not a broccoli milkshake. Ong choy is a green, leafy vegetable native to East and Southeast Asia. However, because it has grown like a weed since its in ... More >>

Sweet Potatoes Versus Yams: The Real Story

Now that's a yam. ​Sweet potato season is upon us. And though most Southerners, such as ourselves, correctly refer to the orange root vegetable by its rightful name "sweet potato," some people (i.e. Yankees) insist on calling them yams. Intrigued by the various appellations, I set out to dis ... More >>

PETA's New Target: UT-Medical Branch in Galveston

UTMB gets hit by PETA complaints about experiments​PETA, fresh off claiming a victory over NASA about monkey experiments, has a new target in its sights: The University of Texas medical branch in Galveston. PETA has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture alleging "abuse and ... More >>

Facebook v. Leaky Boob

Houston mom in a FB face-off.

An Egg a Day Is Now Okay

modomatic​I love eggs. I would eat them in a box, with a fox, in a house, with a mouse, here, there, and everywhere - if they weren't loaded with cholesterol. But earlier this week the USDA released surprising findings from a recent nutritional re-evaluation, reporting that modern-day eggs a ... More >>

When to Refrigerate Fruits and Vegetables

Carol Moshier​There has been a war raging in my apartment between my refrigerator and me for quite some time. Every week, I arrive home from the grocery store with bags brimming with brightly colored, yummy-looking produce and put it in the fridge. Yet when I pluck my treasures from their chil ... More >>

Ingredient of the Week: Butter

Photo from Bridget CamdenEverything tastes better with butter.​Ah, Thanksgiving. Hands down the best holiday of the year. Four days off, football, usually the beginning of cooler weather, no gift-giving frenzy -- just good, old-fashioned gluttony. And what ingredient better to be gluttonous ... More >>

Why Texas Should Reopen Its Horse Slaughterhouses

We hear horse definitely doesn't taste like chicken.​It's been five years since the nation's last horse slaughterhouse was shut down. The Cavel horse slaughterhouse in DeKalb, Illinois, closed after Congress banned USDA inspections of horse meat -- effectively ceasing operations at the few aba ... More >>

Fast Times: Burger King BK Chef's Choice Burger

Photos by Christina Uticone​When it comes to the Burger King BK Chef's Choice Burger ($5) there's good news, and there's bad news. The good news is that it's exactly what the advertised description promises: 5.5 ounces of burger patty (USDA-certified ground chuck!) seasoned with salt and peppe ... More >>