Alison Cook’s Top 100 Restaurants Revealed – Oxheart Takes First Place for the Third Year in a Row
Last night, Houston Chronicle food critic Alison Cook revealed her 2014 choices for the Top 100 Houston Restaurants. It was the first time since the list was first released in 2012 that she did it in a public forum, in this case, a sold-out walk around dining event called the…
Texas Will Rake in the Green if It Legalizes Marijuana
To legalize or not to legalize? That is the question voters in Alaska, Florida, Oregon and Washington D.C. will be deciding come November. Meanwhile, Texas is a long way off from getting into the whole recreational marijuana game. However, all hope is not lost (if you’re one of those in…
Get the Gown Brings High-End Bridal Rental to the Bayou City
The bridal rental business seems to be taking off. A few national companies have seen success as of late and now the model has hit our area with the launch of Get the Gown. The Houston- and Miami-based luxury bridal rental company aims to meet budget-conscious brides where they are…
UPDATED Chef Chat, Part 2: Jason Gould of Cyclone Anaya’s
Editor’s note: Please see response from Robb Walsh later in this post. When we last left our Chef Chat with Jason Gould, he had just ended up in Houston after a long journey that took him from Seattle to Lake Michigan and then New York at the worst of times…
You Can Now Text 9-1-1 in Harris and Fort Bend Counties
We still suggest picking up the phone and calling 9-1-1 if you’ve got a dire emergency. But as of this week, Verizon and T-Mobile customers in Harris and Fort Bend counties can text 9-1-1. According to the Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network, text-to-9-1-1 can be a lifeline in cases…
Dracula Coming to Houston in Black and White. With a Touch of Red, of Course.
Bram Stoker, author of the classic Dracula, worked in theater for his entire career. “He was manager at Henry Irving’s Lyceum Theatre, which is sort of like saying he worked for the Orson Welles or Laurence Olivier of his time. Irving was an actor/manager – or in today’s terms an…
Saint Arnold Brewing Company Celebrates Oktoberfest
Looking for another Oktoberfest celebration in Houston? Saint Arnold Brewing Company will host its annual Oktoberfest party at the brewery for two nights, Friday, October 10, and Saturday, October 11. Both nights are separate events, so you can choose the night you’d prefer to attend. But, don’t hesitate making that…
Is Freud Trolling Conservatives From Beyond the Grave?
Names are important in works of fiction. Whether or not you realize the significance of what you call your characters, deep within our subconscious mind the etymology is painting in the background to fill in the gaps. And the conclusion that I’ve come to about some recent conservative pieces of…
The 5 Best Happy Hours in The Heights
If you love happy hour as much as we do, you’ll love this new series. We’re taking a look at the best happy hours in town, ‘hood by ‘hood. To narrow it down, we’re focusing on the spots with the best deals on not only drinks, but eats, too. From…
ESPN’s Bill Simmons Dares His Bosses to Suspend Him, So They Do
Inside the figurative collective “building” that is ESPN, there are few people more powerful than Bill Simmons. As editor of the popular long-form writing haven Grantland, erstwhile podcaster and television personality (formerly NBA studio show, soon to be his own NBA show with Jalen Rose), Simmons has his hands in…
“Pepe Mar: Parco dei Mostri (Park of Monsters)” — a Trip Down Memory Lane
The Miami-based artist Pepe Mar has created a highly personal exhibition, one that I had to visit a second time to grasp. I haven’t written “fully understand” as that still remains beyond me. This is a personal show, a trip down memory lane for the artist. It has three elements:…
Randy Evans Kicks Off Consulting Company With James Coney Island
After Haven closed, chef Randy Evans announced that he would begin consulting with restaurants and other food-related businesses through his company, Southern Son Restaurant Consulting. And his first gig is with James Coney Island. In fact, James Coney Island called Evans two days after Haven closed. “They called me on…
Houston’s Best Music Photographers: Trish Badger
Back in June Rocks Off brought you Houston’s ten best music photographers, as selected by a small panel of insiders and professionals. Now we’d like you readers to choose the best. Before voting opens, though, here’s a little more about our finalists, in alphabetical order — and a lot more…
Widmeyer’s Anti-Pit Bull Piece Is an Embarrassment
There’s a real problem when the communications director for the controller’s office in the fourth-largest city writes an ill-informed opinion piece, and the city’s daily newspaper publishes it without question. I’m talking about Roger Widmeyer’s September 20 piece for the Houston Chronicle’s Outlook section, which describes his decision to euthanize…
10 Best Houston Toy Stores
If you’re like me then you do your gift buying for children online because have seen what happens when you take five-year-olds into a toy store? They develop the reach of Mr. Fantastic and have a grip like the bite of a great white shark. Between the wails, the “I…
First Look at Museum Park Cafe
It’s been four years since chef Justin Basye was a semifinalist in the James Beard Rising Star award category during his tenure at Stella Sola. In the interim, he spent time at Revival Market honing his considerable skills, co-hosted several pop-ups called Les Sauvages and did a long stint behind…
The War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel Pulls It Together
On a rare day off, War On Drugs front man Adam Granduciel speaks to me from his Philadelphia home. In the background, clinking kitchen noise can be heard as he prepares his morning coffee (“French Press”). The 35-year-old songwriter hardly needs the caffeine; he’s excitedly loquacious as he speaks, a…
The Five Greatest Duos in Houston Rap History
This past Saturday, Slim Thug decided to break plenty of hearts among Houston rap fans. He announced on Instagram that his King & a Boss album, that long-awaited disc between he and enemy-turned-BFF Z-Ro, wasn’t coming out. Thanks to timing, the proposed project had lost a bit of its luster…
I Get Off With a Vacuum Cleaner. 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! SHOULD I TESTIFY AGAINST MY FRIEND’S EX-BOYFRIEND? Dear Willie D: I’ve been getting to know this…
John Sebastian & Lightnin’ Hopkins: The Odd Couple
“Houston had a special message for me as a young musician, and it came directly through Lightnin’ Hopkins,” John Sebastian says from his home in New York. But the former front man of the ’60s band the Lovin’ Spoonful and solo artist didn’t just get the Houston vibe through the…
