New Mustachioed Taxis Under Legal Pressure Pending City Hall Vote [UPDATED]
Updated 7/3: This story has been updated with info from a Lyft spokesperson. Alternative West Coast taxi companies Lyft and Uber have finally deployed in Houston with the reputation of establishing dozens of successful operations throughout the country — and warding off ample legal protest from local cabbies. Houston City…
Poachers Kill More Than 50 Sharks in Gulf
Coast Guard crews in the Gulf of Mexico have found what they’re calling a bootleg fishing net operation about 37 miles north of the Mexican border that left more than 50 sharks dead and decomposing in the ocean. According to the Coast Guard, “Crews in South Texas located and recovered…
Date Night: Wings, Pizza, and Love at Coltivare
When looking for a special spot for our anniversary, my man and I decided to try out Coltivare. A lot has been said about the White Oak resto’s no reservations policy, but the thought of pizza, wine, and an urban garden was enough to get us there, despite the chances…
The Best Comics in June Part 1: A TV Vagina
Each month the staff at 8th Dimension Comics picks out the best book to review. Look for Part 2 tomorrow. Trees #1: Everything Warren Ellis does is amazing, and no one knows that better than Warren Ellis. That might sound snarky, but I think it allows him to do things…
Torta Cubana at La Guadalupana Bakery & Café
Whenever I feel nostalgic for Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, I visit La Guadalupana Bakery & Café. During the period that I resided in that Boston suburb, I did my laundry each week at a laundromat next store to a terrific restaurant, El Oriental de Cuba, and in between cycles I frequently…
Keep Texas Cheerleader Kendall Jones’s Hunting Pics on Facebook!
Screenshot from Kendall Jones’ Facebook pageWe are adamantly opposed to the movement to remove a Texas Tech cheerleader’s Facebook pics showing her posing next to exotic animals she killed with her trusty bow and arrow. Kendall Jones has sparked outrage after she posted pics of her showing off a lion,…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Snowpiercer
Title: Snowpiercer So It’s July 4th And This Is Opening On … Two Screens? In Houston, yes. Clearly Hollywood feels we’re blockbustered out. Or maybe Harvey Weinstein is a petulant pain in the ass. You be the judge. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: Three-and-a-half Snow Misers 0ut…
We Wonder If The Woodlands Really Needs Its Own Show About Wild Latinas
The Latino population of the ever-growing area of The Woodlands (total population, according to the Census is 93, 847) is still at around 11.5 percent. The area is already well documented as being a draw for wealthy Mexicans. And it probably comes with little surprise that a Hollywood production company…
[Video] Houston Celebrates a Very Exciting Pride 2014
Pride is more than just a parade and it’s more than a festival. It’s a celebration to be sure, a technicolor party that often features Houston at its wildest, but it’s more than that too. Pride is a statement, this year maybe more than ever. After all the controversy about…
This Week in Food Blogs: Buttermilk Biscuits & Grilled Oysters
CultureMap Houston: Marene Gustin loves to indulge in fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the summer months. She suggests making a tomato and cucumber sandwich with mayonnaise, black pepper and sea salt stuffed between two slices of chewy sourdough bread; pair it with a glass of Duchman Family Winery Vermentino for…
Lessons for Team USA From 7 Soccer Films
Despite Ann Coulter’s disapproval, the United States has World Cup fever and it’s pretty awesome to experience. Across the country people are calling in sick to work and hitting the bars at ungodly hours just to watch some dudes kick around a ball. Whodathink it? I mean, besides the legions…
Former Texan Sam Montgomery Arrested for Speeding by Overzealous, Now Suspended Cop (VIDEO)
When Sam Montgomery was a Houston Texan, he always seemed like a really nice guy. He just never seemed all that motivated, up to and including his release from the team after a somewhat mysterious incident involving a quasi-tobacco product at the team hotel in Kansas City last season. Certainly,…
A Ranking of Texas Whiskeys Under $40
Though Kentucky and Tennessee have long been considered the whiskey and bourbon capitols of the country, Texas is increasingly making a name for itself as a whiskey producer. Walk into Spec’s and ask for Texas whiskey, and they’ll point you to a whole section filled with amber-hued liquor purportedly produced…
Five Desserts Perfect for the Fourth of July
I’m going to go out on a limb and say you don’t want to see another red-white-and-blue cake, cupcake or pie recipe. Am I right? While it’s fun to make that striped cake with buttercream frosting, strawberries and blueberries, it gets old after a while. Who are we kidding? It…
The Mystery of Mary Sarah: Country Music’s Next Star?
Many critics believe that for the past few years, country music has been experiencing the kind of artistic bankruptcy that comes along once in a generation. But now something odd is happening, and the unlikely catalyst is a teenager from Fort Bend County who once confessed her “MAJOR” crush on…
100 Creatives 2014: Janine Hughes, Visual Artist
It was October 31, 1993 when visual artist Janine Hughes went blind. She was 18 years old. Hughes says her blindness was more of a whiteout than a blackout. She describes it “like driving on the New Jersey Turnpike in a sudden snow storm.” After months of fear, pain and…
NBA Free Agency Day 1: Update on Five Houston Rockets Targets
This year’s NBA free agency class is technically as star-studded as any other in league history. I say “technically” only because there’s a strong belief that the stars at the top of the list are, by and large, virtual locks to return to their incumbent teams. But for now, technically…
Frustrated at Work? Here’s a “Brick in Yo Face”
Like Kermit the Snitch, it’s not my business if you enjoy cocaine. I think it’s the most ridiculous drug of all because I associate it with the 1980s, which was easily the silliest decade I’ve lived through. But I recognize there are people in this world who use it and…
The 10 Worst Places to Be Caught in Houston
No one wants to be stuck anywhere. Sitting in a waiting room at the doctor’s office. Standing in line to buy tickets for a movie. Waiting behind an elderly woman at the grocery story who insists on paying with a check. These daily frustrations can increase stress and generally piss…
Rest of the Best 2014: Houston’s Ten Best Hot Dogs
Our 2013 Best of Houston® winners were announced a while back, but in many cases, picking the best item in any category was no easy task. In order to show off all the culinary greatness Houston has to offer, we’re continuing to round up the “rest of the best” in…
Hurricane Season 2014: Tropical Storm Arthur Forms as the “Real” Season Begins
Tracking forecast for Tropical Storm Arthur.The first named tropical storm of 2014 formed in the Atlantic Ocean Monday. Tropical Storm Arthur formed off the coast of Florida and is expected to move gradually to the north and ultimately northeast over the next three to four days. Currently, forecasts are not…
The Fast-Moving Mind (and Mouth) of Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson
It seems that, Gerald Bostock, the noted writer and lyricist, is at it again. Bostock first came to fame in the early ’70s when, as an 8-year-old boy genius, his award-winning epic poem Thick as a Brick was adapted into a concept album by English rockers Jethro Tull. However, his…
The Force Is Strong With Mali Music’s Conscious Soul
The new king of conscious soul, Mali Music came to earth at No. 2 on Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart with his latest release, Mali Is…. It was pushed there by a first single, “Beautiful,” that encourages us to “put our lighters up” in a nod to Lil Kim’s Brooklyn anthem…
Five Sample-Using Songs That Deserve Grammys Now
Recently the Grammy Awards announced changes to the annual music awards’ criteria and categories, the most notable being now permitting songs that utilize samples in the songwriting categories, specifically Song of the Year. This is huge news for many electronic artists and rappers, obviously. But why wasn’t this always the…
Harris County “Doing Well,” But Some Surrounding Counties Are Doing Better
Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend, Brazoria, Galveston and Chambers counties make up a little East Texas pocket of “doing better.” That’s according to a New York Times graphic released last week. The Times ranked every county in the United States by median household income, unemployment rate, disability rate, life expectancy, obesity…
A Farewell to Gumbys: Monty Python Calling It Quits
The surviving members of venerable British (plus one American) comedy troupe Monty Python are reuniting for a series of shows at London’s O2 arena starting today. There will be ten performances total, featuring much more than mere re-enactments of their Flying Circus material: In addition to famous Python skits, it…
Johnny Manziel Responds to Criticism by Partying With Justin Bieber
“The spotlight is 10 times brighter and 10 times hotter than I thought it was two months ago. I guess I feel like Justin Bieber or something. I never thought it would really be that way.” — Johnny Manziel, 2013 SEC Media Day Irony, thy name is Johnny. For the…
Celebrate the Fourth of July With Food and Drink at These Hot Spots
Where will you be when the fireworks go off? The elaborate annual fireworks display over the city of Houston known as Freedom Over Texas can be seen by those gathered for the city’s festivities in Eleanor Tinsley Park as well as by revelers throughout the surrounding neighborhoods. It’s important to…
Appeals Court Rules Texas Not at Fault in Whooper Deaths
Back in the 1940s, there were only 16 whooping cranes left in the world. The birds, hunted for their white feathers (used for ladies hats, of all things) and shot for sport, were on the brink of extinction, but they didn’t go the way of the Dodo. Instead, years of…
Six Things We Learned From the Leaked Astros Internal Notes
Hacked computers, Internet leaks, FBI intervention. These are things normally reserved for a season of 24, not late June in the Major League Baseball season. However, on Monday afternoon, the story at Minute Maid Park had nothing to do with the baseball game set to take place that night against…
Summer Travels: Tea-Smoked Eel at San Francisco’s Mission Chinese Food
What’s the best thing about attending a good friend’s wedding in Mendocino country, California? The excuse to fly into San Francisco early and partake of its amazing food offerings. (A close second: wine-tasting in Napa and Sonoma.) I have been lucky enough to visit San Francisco about a half dozen…
Pop Rocks: Alternatives During the Most Boring Time of the Year
Beginning July 5, we enter the worst part of the year if you want to be entertained. From the first week of the year’s seventh month through approximately Labor Day in early September, prepare yourself for boredom. Sure, this is the traditional time of year that most people go on…
Louie Gohmert Will Give You $1 Million for Missing IRS Emails
There’s one thing we’ll say for Rep. Louie Gohmert: The man is inventive. Have you seen ex-IRS official Lois Lerner’s missing emails? You know, the two years worth of electronic correspondence that was lost when her hard drive crashed? Lerner has been accused of targeting Tea Party-tied groups that applied…
The Rocks Off 200: Michael Dauzat Sr., a Rabbi and a Hate
Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community — a lot more than just musicians, but of course they’re in there too. See previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? There are…
How Houston Cooks: Anvil Bar & Refuge Mixes Things Up
Every other week, we’ll be bringing you videos that take a behind-the-scenes look at restaurants, breweries, marketplaces, bars and any other spots that define Houston food and drink. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. “We’re gonna find the drink that’s right for you,” Anvil general manager Terry Williams says…
Texas Republican Thinks Cutting Aid to Central America Will Cut Immigration Influx Problem
With an influx of women and children coming to the United States illegally from Central America, more money might soon be spent domestically while cutting down foreign aid. United States Representative Randy Weber (R-Friendswood) on Monday introduced H.R. 5014, the Illegal Entry Accountability Act of 2014, which would hold Mexico,…
15 Fourth of July Fashion & Beauty Inspirations via Tumblr
Are you still on the hunt for a Fourth of July ensemble worthy of Lady Liberty? Well I’m not sure you will upstage the lady in green, but I think a few of the looks below will get your mind a racing. Happy Birthday America and happy shopping to you…
100 Favorite Dishes 2014-15: No. 84, Chai Pie at Pondicheri
Once again, Kaitlin Steinberg is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes as we work our way toward our annual Menu of Menus® issue and culinary extravaganza. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most delicious, most creative and, of course,…
Best Five Reasons Austin Is Way Less Cool Than Houston
I guess city rivalries are a standard thing in almost every state of the U.S. I grew up in the Houston area, lived in Austin through most of the 1990′s, moved back to H-Town, and then recently back to Austin after living in Houston for many years. I like both…
Our 25 Favorite Outfits From the 2014 Houston Pride Parade
There is so much to look at when it comes to the Houston Pride Parade you can experience visual overload if you’re not careful. Those who have been know that if you stand in one place long enough, you’ll see everything (sometimes literally everything, for better or worse). When it…
The Rolling Stones’ Rocky Road to Exile on Main Street
Ain’t It Time We Said Goodbye: The Rolling Stones on the Road to Exile By Robert Greenfield Da Capo Press, 196 pp. $25.99. Like estranged lovers who can’t quite quilt each other, music journalist Robert Greenfield and the Rolling Stones have kept coming back together through the decades…at least in…
More Places to Watch the World Cup and the U.S./Belgium Game Today in Houston
Though the World Cup is more than halfway over, there’s no sense yet that the fervor is dying down–particularly as the home team (that’s ‘Merica, y’all) is still in the running. A few weeks ago, we compiled a list of some of the best spots in town to watch the…
The Super Houston Mixtape Tuesday Column
We’re at the midpoint of the year of our Houston Rap Lord two thousand-fourteen. In that short span, we’ve seen BeatKing topple buildings and get Nicki Minaj’s attention, Doughbeezy’s slow fury wreak havoc all over the country, two radio stations viciously vie for listeners, DeLorean arming himself for radio play,…
Upcoming: Anberlin, the Casualties, Galactic Cowboys, Lydia Loveless, Willie Nelson, etc.
Aaron Einhouse: Fri., July 11, 7 p.m., $8. Cypress Saloon, 12710 Telge, Cypress, 281-304-7777. The Amity Affliction: With For the Fallen Dreams, Obey the Brave, Crossfaith. Wed., October 22, 6:30 p.m., $13.50. Warehouse Live, 813 St. Emanuel, Houston, 713-225-5483. Anberlin: Sat., October 25, 7 p.m., $25. House of Blues, 1204…
The Heat, Turned Down
It’s a relief, after the wretched Identity Thief, to see movies whose makers love Melissa McCarthy as much as audiences do. Identity Thief’s comic centerpiece was predicated on the idea that McCarthy having sex is a hilarious gross-out, like she’s the pie Jason Biggs once had to diddle. Half an…
And Deliver Us From the Anemic Spook Story Deliver Us From Evil
Horror, like porno, can be judged only by its effect on your pulse. If you jerked in your seat, it served its function. Biology requires us to react to jump scares, just it urges a lonely man to thrill to a great set of tits. But triggering a coronary reaction…
King of Nothing Has Something to Be Proud of
Two weeks after trying to kill himself, Daren Napier went to training camp. He had recently graduated from St. John’s School, a prestigious, mostly white Houston private school nestled in River Oaks. He was going to play football for Columbia University. But before he was set to leave for college…
Roll Call! Bernie’s Burger Bus Brick & Mortar Restaurant Now Open
For a couple of weeks now, Bernie’s Burger Bus–the restaurant, not the fleet of burger-flinging school buses roaming the city–has been holding a very quiet soft opening. No announcements were made, but the doors were unlocked, and if you wandered in for a bite, chances are the cooks would take…
Nick Greer & the G’s Launch Heart On Fire in Soulful Style
Nick Greer & the G’s Heart On Fire CD Release Warehouse Live June 27, 2014 Its not his voice alone that stuns you, it’s the emotion and life behind the voice of Nick Greer that reminds you why and how much you love music. It’s not the strokes of his…
No to Four Kinds of Contraception for Employees of Hobby Lobby’s 15 Houston Stores [Updated]
This story was updated to include a statement from Governor Rick Perry and to shed some light on exactly what kind of contraceptives we’re talking about here. Hobby Lobby has 15 stores in the Greater Houston Area, and none of them will have to offer insurance coverage for birth control…
The Leftovers: Don’t Get Left Behind
Sorry for the obvious pun, but HBO’s new post-Rapture show really is something that you shouldn’t miss. Three years ago 2 percent of the world’s population disappears. Just up and vanishes out of their car seats, houses, and marital beds. Doesn’t sound like a lot, does it? 2 percent… if…
Several Houston-Area Hospitals Make List for High Infection Rates
The Centers for Disease Control said more than 1.5 million people get infections while they are in the hospital. As part of a program through the Affordable Care Act, hospitals that receive Medicare money will be hit with a penalty if they have too many people get sick while seeking…
Reel Big Fish at House of Blues, 6/29/2014
Reel Big Fish House of Blues June 29, 2014 Nostalgia is all the rage these days, but not just today. For some time, people have been looking to the past to gain current happiness in their lives. Whether the ’80s are the focus, or the ’60s or the ’20s or…
Houston Actor John Stevens Shines in Barrymoore
The setup: The Broadway production of Barrymore by William Luce won the brilliant actor Christopher Plummer the 1997 Tony Award as Best Actor, portraying John Barrymore, the youngest son of an acting dynasty, and probably the greatest Shakespearean actor of his generation. Barrymore’s performances as Richard III and Hamlet were…
Cool Down With These Three Ice Cream Sandwiches in Houston
There’s something about a giant scoop of ice cream stuffed between two soft cookies that brings a smile to anyone’s face. It’s a nostalgic treat that everyone grew up on, be it the giant Toll House chocolate chip cookie sandwich from ice cream trucks, the classic rectangular chocolate and vanilla…
Lunice at MFAH’s Mixed Media, 6/27/2014
Lunice @ MFAH Mixed Media Museum of Fine Arts, Houston June 27, 2014 If ever a DJ could be considered a virtuoso, then Lunice would certainly fit into that category. Dressed in all black, with tight jeans and an oversized, fitted, extended drop tee, the Montréal producer/DJ created his own…
Man, 34, Charged in Beltway 8 Accident That Killed Five, Including Child
An accident in the early morning hours Monday claimed the lives of four adults and one child traveling near Wilson Road and Beltway 8. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has charged Efraim Carmona, 34, with five counts of intoxication manslaughter and one count of intoxication assault in the incident. Authorities…
Goo Goo Dolls at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 6/27/2014
Goo Goo Dolls Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion June 27, 2014 “Darling, I’m sorry,” the Goo Goo Dolls’ frontman John Rzeznik said from the Woodlands Pavilion stage Friday night, addressing a young woman he had just publically chastised for being on her phone during his band’s performance. “I just want you…
Map Shows Countries From Which Houston Is Importing Technical Talent (and Teachers)
There’s an online map that lets you look at countries with the most Visa applications to live and work in Houston. The You Are Here project from MIT’s media lab looked at 1775 permanent visa applications in Houston in 2012 and 2013. Software developers and computer engineers were among the…
Dish of the Week: Turkish Shish Kebab
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. See the complete list of recipes at the end of this post. This week, we’re sharing a recipe for a Turkish classic: shish kebab. The word kebab literally means “roast meat.”…
The Great American Landscape Presents Striking Pictures From Several Artists at Meredith Long & Company
The Great American Landscape, from Meredith Long & Company, features the work of Larry Horowitz, but the paintings by William Anzalone capture the imagination as well, and a number of artists in this group show manage to stand out with a single painting. Michael Coleman’s “Sneaky Approach” is a fascinating…
Think a Play Needs Updating? Ask the Author First or Do Something Else
The words “cease-and-desist” have seeped into the theater world in the past few weeks, and I feel compelled to chime in not as a blogger but as a playwright. The first legal action was filed against the Alchemist Theatre in Milwaukee over some gender bending. Alchemist was presenting David Mamet’s…
True Blood: Stick to Your Guns
This week surprised me a great deal on True Blood. I’d resigned myself to ending out the series by sucking harder than a $400 Dyson, but instead it showed that sometime there are things that the show actually does do better than the books. Welp, maybe better is a strong…
Fantasy Crime League Tease: Dallas PD Mistakenly Tweets Aqib Talib Arrested (Turns out to Be Talib’s Brother)
We are counting down now to the end of the 2014 Fantasy Crime season, as we are inside of one month now until actual NFL training camp officially begins. Conspicuous by their absence thus far in the crime season has been the Denver Broncos, who have historically been one of…
Facundo Cafe Has Still Got It, and So Does the Car Wash
Even on a rainy day, there’s a line for the car wash and oil changes at Dr. Gleem, but it’s surprisingly quiet inside. For a while, I’m the only person seated at the granite counter of tiny Facundo Cafe. Every now and then I hear the whirr of a razor…
I Wish You Love at Ensemble Doesn’t Quite Capture the Nat King Cole Magic
The setup: I Wish You Love is not a biopic of Nat King Cole, but rather a slice-of-life segment of a single year in his life, 1957. Essentially, it is trip down memory lane, composed primarily of a performer singing Nat King Cole’s songs, interspersed with some backstage material, and…
Is the Astros’ Magical Mystery Tour About to Go All Helter-Skelter?
The last true collaboration of John Lennon and Paul McCartney (writing together and harmonizing on vocals) was “I’ve Got A Feeling” off of “Let It Be,” which would turn out to be The Beatles last album. The start of the song’s written by McCartney, an ode to the soon to…
First Look at Red Dessert Dive & Coffee Shop
Adding to the Houston bakery boom is Red Dessert Dive & Coffee Shop, located at the corner of Studemont and East 11th Street in the Heights. Owner Jessica Lusk decided to expand her at-home cupcake business, Stella Bakes, (Stella was Lusk’s grandmother’s name), and create Red Dessert Dive (her red-headed…
The 10 Best Places to Take a Selfie in Houston
Everybody loves selfies…or hates them…or says they are bad for you…or dies in car wrecks snapping them…or gathers a bunch of celebrities at the Academy Awards to create the most popular one of all time. Whatever the case, everyone knows what they are and has an opinion about them. And…
Five Things to Know About Chandler Parsons’s First Journey Into Free Agency
There was a time when the summer silly season in the NBA, the time of year when free agency and player movement rule the day, was a non-starter here in the city of Houston. Sure, we’d all get really excited and delude ourselves into thinking “THIS could be the summer…
The Foreign Exchange at Fitzgerald’s, 06/27/2014
The Foreign Exchange Fitzgerald’s June 27, 2014 Fitzgerald’s isn’t known for outright soul revivals on a Friday night. Or any night, for that matter. The last one my father could remember when I let it be known I was heading there for some groovy R&B was a Hugh Masakela concert…
Stock Your Bar With These Summer Party Staples Recommended by Houston Somms and Bartenders
As someone who loves to entertain and who loves to drink, I realized recently that my home bar is woefully understocked. When people come over, it’s always the same thing: “Would you like tap water, gin, tequila or red wine?” Every now and then I’ll have club soda or beer,…
Meet Blac Forest, Germany’s Finest Producer of Houston Hip-Hop
For better and worse, Houston hip-hop has always been a largely regional phenomenon. But after simmering in its own funk for 30 years, its influence on the form has become practically inescapable. Not many people illustrate the spread of the city’s syrupy sounds better than Blac Forest, the small-town country…
The Five Best Shows in Houston This Week: John Egan, Little Joe, Steve Earle, etc.
John Egan The Big Easy, June 30 Give John Egan credit for taking chances. The longtime solo Houston bluesman’s new album, Amulet, is in some respects the polar opposite of its 2012 predecessor, Phantoms. Besides bringing in a few side musicians and respected Americana producer R.S. Field (Billy Joe Shaver,…
Five Unfortunate Professional Athlete Names
LJ hoes came back with #0. You can’t make this up. pic.twitter.com/R1RVmQ8APf— George Spring(her) (@thegeorgeyoung) June 27, 2014 L.J. Hoes is back with the Astros after being called up from AAA Oklahoma City, and this time he has a fun new jersey number. We wrote last week about how the…
Midtown Properties Apartments: Nice Digs, But You Might Get Evicted if You Express an Opinion
Clarification: Croom was not served with a written eviction notice by Midtown Properties, nor did she allege she had been. She claimed that Gould told her on the phone that he wanted her off the property because she talked to the Houston Press. Midtown Properties operates 13 boutique apartment complexes…
Rockstar Winemaker Pax Mahle Takes Houston by Storm
A Houston wine writer considered himself fortunate to get an audience with rockstar winemaker Pax Mahle yesterday while the charismatic sommelier cum winery owner was in town to show his wine to buyers and speak at a sold-out wine dinner at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse. That’s not to say that Mahle…
What’s in Fashion: Juicy Couture Is Over and Highest-Paid YouTuber Is a Texan
Lots of breaking fashion news hits the interwebs and I don’t want you to miss one bit of it. So, I present some of the biggest headlines each week for your reading pleasure. Click and enjoy!…
Are Restaurants That Don’t Take Reservations Shutting Out Certain Guests?
Recently, my editor posed a question: Why don’t some restaurants that clearly get a lot of business take reservations? I explained that individual restaurants likely have different reasons for that choice, but that it’s becoming an increasingly popular option. First come, first served. She went on: But could that be…
HPD Will Test Your Blood or Your Breath in 10-Day DWI Initiative
For the next ten days, the Houston Police Department Traffic Enforcement Division will be on the lookout for impaired drivers. They gave it the catchy slogan “Don’t Get ‘Popped’ During 4th of July Festivities,” because nothing reminds you that Johnny Law is watching you like a snappy refrain about drunken/high…
Top 10 ABC Sitcoms of the 1970s
While NBC was floundering in its attempts at comedy in the ’70s, ABC was dominating. By the end of the decade, they had rolled out a marketing campaign with the theme “Still the One” just to remind everyone who was king. Of course, that all came to a fairly swift…
Reviews for the Easily Distracted: Transformers: Age of Extinction
Title: Transformers: Age of Extinction Does Michael Bay Make Non-Transformers Movies Anymore? Only one — Pain and Gain — since 2007. Bay is what you’d get if you put James Cameron’s ego in Paul W.S. Anderson’s body. Rating Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: One-half refreshing Mountain Dew bottles…
Using Google Trend Reports to Predict Future Food Trends
We recently came across an article on the Huffington Post food section (you know, an ideal source for incredibly accurate news), and found an article entitled “According To Google, Nothing Is Ever Going To Trump The Cupcake.” That can’t be right, we thought, weary of the cupcake. It’s been a…
Summer of Johnny II: Hall of Famers Not Fans of Johnny Football
Johnny Manziel’s last two summers, the one we are in now and his post-Heisman summer of 2013, have not been drastically different in terms of extracurricular activity. Lots of travel, lots of booze, lots of really good-looking women and plenty of Instagram moments, some fairly innocuous and some mildly controversial…
Meet Big DeMo, the Screwed Up Click’s Mysterious “Mr. June 27”
If you’ve heard only one song mixed by DJ Screw, Houston’s most legendary icon of underground hip-hop, chances are good that it’s the freestyle rap from his 1996 mixtape, Chapter 012: June 27th. Clocking in at an all-too-brief 35 minutes and 45 seconds, the song features the ad-lib talents of…
Supreme Court Nixes Buffers, But Texas Abortion Clinics Are Mostly Closing Anyway
In the middle of the big Wendy Davis filibuster last year, it must have been tempting to think that something big was happening, that real change was afoot, or at least there was a chance the antiabortion law would be stopped. Well, that was cute. It’s been a year now,…
The 5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend: Czech out Kolaches at Southside Espresso
Snout to Tail Heritage Pig Dinner @ Hotel Derek Friday, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. 2525 West Loop South Feast on five pork courses at Hotel Derek during the Snout to Tail Heritage Pig Dinner tonight at 6 p.m. Each course features cuts from a hog from Local Heritage Pork,…
UPDATED: Noel Coward’s Fallen Angels: Absent Their Husbands, Two Wives Indulge in Drinking & Dreams of a Former Lover
Editor’s note: Performances have been extended through August 10. Two women in the late 1920s are living their expected upper class lives as wives when they get word that a man from their past is coming to see them. And not just any man, but a French charmer named Maurice…
Ten Things You Have to Explain to Non-Houstonians
Houstonians love to brag about their town. But there are misconceptions about every city, whether they regard food, politics or transit. Here are 10 things Houstonians have to tell misinformed out-of-towners:…
John Egan Turns the Blues Black on Amulet
It’s a crime that I’ve been up till now unaware of bluesman John Egan, but I’m hoping to rectify that by taking a deep look into his latest album Amulet. If you ask me, Houston’s greatest unsung treasure is the sheer number of folks that we have that can take…
Upcoming Events: 56-Cent Pancakes at IHOP & Beer Flights at The Grove
Max’s Wine Dive on Washington Avenue will host Flight Night on Monday, June 30, from 4 p.m. until midnight. Sample four wines paired with pork belly pupusas and a small cheese plate. Prices for the wine and food range from $25 to $75 depending on the featured wines. If you…
100 Creatives 2014: Nyssa Juneau, Artist With Postcards From Space
What She Does: The best thing for me as an arts blogger about going to Comicpalooza is that you meet so many new local artists who come out to show off their wares. Nyssa Juneau was literally the first person I ran into this year, as the two of us…
Openings & Closings: The Honeymoon Is Open
Boil House, located at 606 East 11th Street in the Heights, closed just as quickly as it opened. The crawfish restaurant opened its doors on May 9, but because crawfish season has ended, Boil House decided to close until mudbugs become available again, a.k.a. next year. On June 20, Boil…
The 5 Best Things to Do This Weekend: “Lights of Houston,” Author Ingrid Thoft, the Shell/Pennzoil Grand Prix and More
The Brazilian Arts Foundation Cultural Center says, “Thank you, Houston!” on Friday with the “Lights of Houston,” an interactive light painting art exhibit. Mauricio Campos, president and founder of the foundation, says “We are celebrating the transformation happening in the Buffalo Bayou by using light painting in several spots along…
The Beautiful Game Is a Beautiful Thing at El Big Bad
“Gooooooooooooaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllll!” A battle cry is being sounded across the bar by an overzealous fan. It’s the tenth time he’s done so, making it appear as though his boasting button stuck on repeat. Every time his Netherlands team scores against Spain, his drawn-out call elicits looks of fury from the opposing…
Likable Lunice Has the Inside Track to “Higher Ground”
It’s not just a Canadian thing to say that Montreal-based Lunice, with Hudson Mohawke one-half of EDM monsters TNGHT, is overtly polite in describing himself. It’s an everyday thing. There’s not a speck of bad press to be found about the producer listed as 25 or 26 years of age,…
Dear Sports Illustrated: Any Prediction as to When CSN Houston Will Get on Our TVs?
The Houston Astros are on the cover of this week’s Sports Illustrated. The photo’s not a joke; neither is the story. The story goes into the radical rebuild of the club and the magazine makes the bold prediction that the Astros will win the 2017 World Series. And who knows,…
Five More Musicians Who Need Emojis
Last week a new app launched called Hi-Art that birthed unto the world a new round of emojis, including musician-based ones. The most notable name was Ghostface Killah because, well, I think we can all agree that we’d rather text a Ghostface emoji than one of Jason Derulo. This is…
Heavy Is the Head That Wears Z-Ro’s The Crown
When your eye catches Joseph McVey, they immediately pan towards his stature. It’s cold, most of the times draped in blue and hidden behind a pair of Loc black sunglasses. You could jokingly say he hasn’t shown anybody his eyes since his “I’m Alive” video, or whenever he was officially…
The 10 Best Concerts In Houston This Weekend: Pride Festival, Whiskey Myers, John Egan, etc.
Shoulders Continental Club, June 27 Shoulders are a thinking man’s party band, mostly because “thinking” is an excellent word to rhyme with “drinking.” Long before Gogol Bordello, the Tom Waits-besotted rockers all but had the gypsy-alternative market cornered back in the early ’90s, when albums like Trashman Shoes made them…
The Finnisher’s Strange Story Continues
Remember the Finnisher? Remember the guy who tackled an armed robber and then capitalized on it with a super-duper cheesy car dealership ad? This ad: Well, he’s struck again. ABC13 earlier this week reported that RIk Melartin was arrested for bribery and DWI in Galveston County. He blew almost twice…
Mickey Gilley & Johnny Lee at Stafford Centre, 6/25/2014
Urban Cowboy Reunion Tour Feat. Mickey Gilley & Johnny Lee Stafford Centre June 25, 2014 Urban Cowboy has had an unusual half-life. As fiction, it comes up somewhat wanting today; its star-crossed lovers Bud and Sissy ain’t exactly Romeo and Juliet. But the film did have the good fortune to…
Free Hotline for Houston Area If You’re Feeling Sick and Don’t Know What to Do
We’ve only known of nurse help lines as part of a fancy insurance plan. But did you know that thanks to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, there’s a free non-emergency you can call? It’s basically an advice and evaluation hotline staffed 24 hours a day, all week. “The…
Baker Spotlight: Rachel Teichman, The Scone Artist
In April of 2013, Rachel Teichman moved to Houston and found most bakeries here dominated by traditional desserts like brownies, cupcakes and cookies. She decided what the city needed was scones and established The Scone Artist, her at-home scone business in the Meyerland area. Thanks to the Texas Cottage Foods…
Cronut Craze: Taste-Testing “Cronuts” at Kroger in Meyerland & Pearland
Last week we pitted the dosants from Pena’s Donut Heaven against the cronuts from River Oaks Donuts in a “cronut” food fight. The Pearland doughnut shop (Pena’s) came out victorious because of its flaky layers, sweet glaze (in a variety of flavors) and overall taste. A couple of our commenters…
Houstonian Helps Archive Gay History (Part 5)
This is the final part in a series for Houston Pride Week. J.D. Doyle, the male grand marshal for this year’s Pride Parade, is on a mission: To gather as much of Houston’s LGBT history as possible and make it available online. Known to many Houstonians as the longtime voice…
A Leap of Style Lands on Solid Ground for Designer Karissa Lindsay
When would-be designers imagine their success story, most see a life changing fashion show, followed by overwhelming press buzz, mountains of garment orders, and a cliff house in Fiji overlooking a private yacht harbor. But, the reality is quite different and when some are faced with the rough road, they…
Hit Up Southside Espresso This Weekend for a Kolache Pop-Up Sure to Please
What happens when you get the Sugar Hooker and H-Town StrEATs together for breakfast? LOTS OF KOLACHES. This Saturday, June 28, Rebecca Masson (a.k.a. the Sugar Hooker) of Fluff Bake Bar and Jason Hill and Matt Opaleski of food truck H-Town StrEATs are teaming up at Southside Espresso to present…
The 5 Best Brunch Spots in the Galleria
In Houston, we’re pretty serious about our brunch. Whether it be migas and breakfast tacos or chicken and waffles and loaded Bloody Marys, we have no shortage of awesome spots to get our brunch on. Keeping later hours and killer cocktails in mind, we’ll be taking a look at some…
The Rocks Off 200: Nick Greer, a G Among G’s
Who? Nick Greer, the bespectacled, shaggy-haired front man of Nick Greer and the G’s describes himself as a self-taught keyboard player who genuinely loves his instrument and is always ready and willing to learn more. As a kid, the brand-new multiple 2014 Houston Press Music Award nominee suffered with severe…
Here’s Your Chance to See if Your Average Dog Can Be a Star
Ever tried to get your dog to do something impressive at a dog park? Stood by in wonder as other people and their dogs whip through an agility course with verve and grace? The 37th annual Houston World Series of Dog Shows had you in mind when it decided to…
Article Says More White People Are Moving to Houston Area Thanks to Jobs
While fewer and fewer white people are being born nationally, compared with say Latinos, a recent article in the Houston Chronicle (which prefers the word “Anglo”), shows that statewide and locally the white population has grown. As the Chronicle reports: Texas, on the other hand, saw the largest numeric increase…
NBA Draft 2014: Sean Pendergast Livefeed and Broken Tall Man Feet
It was all going to be so simple. As has seemingly become annual tradition, the Cleveland Cavaliers have the first pick in this year’s NBA Draft (just like 2011 and 2013), and by all accounts, up until about a week or so ago, they were set to draft Kansas center…
100 Favorite Dishes 2014-15: No. 85, Tacos at Taqueria Maya Quiché
Once again, Kaitlin Steinberg is eating her way through Houston and counting down her 100 favorite dishes as we work our way toward our annual Menu of Menus® issue and culinary extravaganza. She’ll compile a collection of the dishes she thinks are the most delicious, most creative and, of course,…
The Girl From Ipanema – Still Turning (Jazz) Heads at 50
She may still be tall and tan and lovely, but the seductive figure strolling on the beach in “The Girl from Ipanema” is no longer young. In fact, she turns 50 this year. Or at least her recorded incarnation on Getz/Gilberto. The hugely influential and groundbreaking record was perhaps the…
Rockets Trade Asik to New Orleans, and So the Dominos Begin to Fall
If we learned anything from last summer’s pursuit of Dwight Howard, it’s that these things happen in stages. It starts with a hope, a dream, and lots of time spent on ESPN’s Trade Machine. Then, it continues with sportsbooks posting odds on the likelihood of success. It continues with the…
Top 10 Car Racing Movies in Honor of the Grand Prix
Just in time for Pride Week, Houston is once again hosting the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix. That was a joke. What is no joke is the amount of dust these cars will be eating at this year’s, now annual, event. Since last year’s inaugural race was such a success,…
Kitchen Improv: Pork Rinds for the Thrifty-Minded
If there’s one thing Shiftwork Bites taught me, it’s how to improvise. From poaching eggs in a coffee maker to the space management required to cook in 25 square feet, I learned how to make do with what limited resources I had, both in terms of space and equipment. I…
What the Hell Has Happened to Mastodon?
If you’re a metalhead and you’re on the Internet, you may have heard that there’s a new Mastodon album out now called Once More ‘Round the Sun. It’s funny they call it that, because in my opinion it’s really just once more around the block for a once-great metal band…
Not Even Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton Can Keep Snowpiercer on the Rails
Nowhere Express After the crash, grim Snowpiercer and its trains keep grinding along. It’s kind of happy-sad, like watching a kid you knew as a toddler graduate from high school: Chris Evans, seemingly destined to be a boy forever, is now officially a grown-up. In Bong Joon-ho’s futuristic snowbummer Snowpiercer,…
I Think My Sister Is After My Man. Help!
Welcome to Ask Willie D, Rocks Off’s advice column where the Geto Boys MC answers reader questions about matters, in his own words, “funny, serious or unpredictable.” Something on your mind? Ask Willie D! CAN’T TRUST MY SISTER AROUND MY MAN Dear Willie D: I made the mistake of giving…
Winsome, Lose Some
Mark Ruffalo’s great gift, besides those scruffy good looks and that prickish, hungover charisma, is capturing the essence of the guy who’s spinning toward a crash but trying to angle himself back. His greatest performance, in Kenneth Lonergan’s You Can Count on Me, one of the best films of the…
Transformers: Age of Extinction: At Least the Product Placement Is Interesting
Believe it or not, during Transformers: Age of Extinction, Michael Bay’s fourth rattling of the toy box, I felt one moment of near transcendence. Three-fourths of the way through the punishing 165-minute runtime—and fifteen minutes after my seatmate took off her 3-D glasses in exhaustion—my brain left my body, crying…
E.T. Update Earth to Echo Makes Everything a Device
Earth to Echo is a slender kiddie flick about a quartet of preteens and their palm-size alien pal that’s at once bland, well-intentioned and utterly terrifying about the mental development of modern children. As in the most honest kids’ films, our five-foot heroes admit to being isolated, unhappy and cowed…
Fifty Years on, A Hard Day’s Night Is Still Revelatory.
Let’s get the obvious over with: The early days of the Beatles, as reflected in Richard Lester’s ebullient shout of freedom A Hard Day’s Night, were all about the optimism of the early 1960s, a thrilling and energizing time when young people, and even some older ones, truly believed that…
Ingrid Thoft
Novelist Ingrid Thoft has created a popular and off-beat character in Fina Ludlow, a private investigator at the center of Thoft’s mystery series, including the just released Identity. Ludlow frequently gets beat up (both her clients and competitors are prone to take a swing at her). She has a seriously…
“Lights of Houston”
The Brazilian Arts Foundation Cultural Center says, “Thank you, Houston!” with the “Lights of Houston,” an interactive light painting art exhibit. Mauricio Campos, president and founder of the foundation, says “We are celebrating the transformation happening in the Buffalo Bayou by using light painting in several spots along the bayou,…
Fade to Black – A Series of New Works Written by African American Playwrights
Get a look at the African American experience from the inside out at Fade to Black – A Series of New Works Written by African American Playwrights. Now in its second year, Fade to Black features 10 new plays, all of which deal with the black experience in some way…
Rest of the Best: Houston’s 10 Best Bands (With Only Two Members)
I went from being in a band that at its biggest had six members to ending up in one that has only two. Let me tell you something, it is fantastic! Thanks to modern technology, you can replace damn near any instrument and boil down an artistic vision to two…
Capsule Art Reviews: June 26, 2014
“Bob Schneider: We Invented Love” The artist Bob Schneider is torn in different directions. Part of him wants to teach or intrigue us with ideas. Part of him wants to cater to his keen visual sense. And part wants to demonstrate his skill with the intaglio process, incising directly onto…
Obvious Child: They Finally Made an Abortion Comedy — and It’s Good
For all the Fox News fear-mongering that Hollywood is out to indoctrinate us with liberal values, when it comes to pregnancy, the movies have for years been curiously conservative. If a woman gets knocked up, she either loses the baby by accident (cue waterworks) or carries it to term (cue…
Capsule Stage Reviews: June 26, 2014
Disney’s The Little Mermaid Disney’s 1989 animated film The Little Mermaid was made into a Broadway musical, closing in August 2009, and was then reworked for a national tour. Children will be delighted, but this production is infused with intelligence and charm and has enormous appeal to adults. The good…
The Rover Is More About Mood and Machines than Meaning
The Rover, Australian filmmaker David Michôd’s follow-up to the brutish family drama Animal Kingdom, is a post-apocalyptic western from the Outback, a stretch of land that already looks like the world’s been blown away. All Michôd needs to convince us of the devastation is a title card pegging the events…
Mexican Identity and Style
Dear Mexican, I think I might be Mexican — but there are some people who might disagree. Being that you are the source of all knowledge mexicano, I thought I might ask you. Here’s the deal: My ancestors left the US in 1847 knowingly and entered recognized territorio mexicano. The…
Selling a Legend: How Bob Marley Became a Household Name
There is no other album that defines a genre the way Legend: The Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers defines reggae. If you like reggae music, you own Legend. If you don’t like reggae music, there’s still a good chance you own Legend. It’s sold millions and millions of…
Chic, Upscale and Authentic Thai at Songkran Thai Kitchen
It’s fitting that the name of chef Junnajet “Jett” Hurapan’s new restaurant, Songkran Thai Kitchen, comes from the Sanskrit word sankranti, which means to move on or change. This restaurant is a change for Hurapan, Thai by birth but more accustomed in the past several years to cooking Cantonese cuisine…
At All Levels and From All Over, Basketball Players Head to Houston to Train
It’s early Tuesday morning in the Downtown Club at the Met, and Matt Howard’s next project has just arrived. His name is Augustine Rubit, a recent graduate of the University of South Alabama and the 2012-2013 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year in men’s basketball. An undersized power forward…
Houston Gets a Rare Look at Old Paris at the MFAH
If you prefer your Paris served with nostalgia sauce, the way Woody Allen dished it up in his movie Midnight in Paris, then the exhibition “Charles Marville: Photographer of Paris,” now on view at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, isn’t the show for you. True, many of the photos…
Witnessing a World Cup Massacre at Tequila-Heavy Downtown Bar El Big Bad.
‘Gooooooooooooaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllllll!” A battle cry is being sounded across the bar by an overzealous fan. It’s the tenth time he’s done so, making it appear as though his boasting button stuck on repeat. Every time his Netherlands team scores against Spain, his drawn-out call elicits looks of fury from the opposing…
They Came Together Punts the Romantic Comedy out the Window
Romances are Hollywood’s most anxiety-inducing fantasy. Like superhero flicks or horror films, they exist in a phony world of big scenes and breathtaking climaxes. But while audiences know that geeks can’t meld with spiders and that the bogeyman isn’t real, they still hope to fall in love, and boy, it’d…
Think Like a Man Too Thinks Like Too Many Other Movies
Comedies about the battle of the sexes tend to have one clear loser: the audience. Driven by an oppositional view of romance that proved outmoded and seldom funny, Think Like a Man introduced us to six men living in Los Angeles and their corresponding flames. Some of these entanglements were…
