Tim Carman

At first glance, the "Coyote Caesar" ($5.90) at Café Compliqe (1525 Westheimer, 713-529-5449) sounds as '80s as a metal kokopelli sculpture. Its mixture of lettuces (romaine, curly endive), Southwestern-style ingredients (roasted corn, black beans) and Tex-Mex flourishes (fried tortilla strips, green peppers) only hints at the classic Caesar from which...

Steven Kowalczyk Moods and Grooves Atlantic Suave New Englander Steven Kowalczyk fancies himself a young Tony Bennett -- or, at the very least, a thinking man's Harry Connick Jr. Moods and Grooves is not so much an introduction as an outline of what to expect in years to come from...

The boys in Banana Blender Surprise have the gift of self-awareness and perspective, a decidedly precocious gift for a bunch of twentysomethings. These guys know who they are. They're a group of post-collegiate kids -- and a pre-collegiate one -- from rather well-to-do Houston families, a pack of still-living-with-the-folks white...

Times are tough for honky-tonkers in this once proud land of the twangy guitar. It used to be that a good old boy could slip into his Wranglers, grab his sweetie and two-step his heart out at any number of establishments that catered to a live country audience. But Gilley's...

Rod Stewart A Spanner in the Works Warner Bros. Rod Stewart is such a pain in the ass to review. The guy's a great talent. With that raspy and rich voice, Stewart can bend a lyric like few others. His songs, even the ones sappy enough to pour over pancakes,...