Check Out the Rum Cocktail Pairings at Union Kitchen
Although tequila is king in Texas, Houstonians well-versed in and appreciative of the diversity in the world of mezcals will find equal variety in the rum spectrum. White rum, for example, is too often pigeon-holed as only appropriate for mojitos; however, many light types have hints of vanilla that pair well…
Knowing the Set List Before Going to the Show Is Still Cheating
Before I saw Billy Joel late last year, an acquaintance asked if I’d checked out Setlist.fm to see what my musical hero might offer up on show night. My first thought was, “It won’t matter. I know every song so anything he plays, I’ll dig it.” And my second thought…
Dish of the Week: Homemade Pretzels
From classic comfort foods to regional standouts and desserts, we’ll be sharing a new recipe with you each week. Find other dishes of the week here. This week, we’re sharing a snacktime favorite: homemade pretzels. Hot, fresh pretzels aren’t just something you have to save for a ballgame or the…
7 Best Places to Find Vegetarian Empanadas in Houston
Is anyone ever not in the mood for perfectly hand-sized, flaky pastries filled with delicious ingredients? Didn’t think so. Luckily for vegetarians everywhere, Houston’s bustling foodscape offers not only a wide breadth of options for empanadas, but also vegetable-packed, meat-free empanadas! Read on to learn where to find some of…
The Saga of Curt Flood, ‘A Well-Paid Slave’
With spring training starting up this week, what better time is there is to look back at the one man that did more to transform the sport, and all professional sports for that matter, than a native Houstonian by the name of Curt Flood. Odds are that most people, most Houstonians,…
Is Megadeth Still Worth Seeing Live? Yes!
In this day and age, it’s getting harder and harder to keep up with all the great shows coming through town. Even guys like me whose bread and butter it is to keep up have trouble with it. Bands make most of their money off touring now, so it’s much…
The Five Best Things to Do in Houston This Weekend: Laughter, Lights and Pythons
Comedian Pablo Francisco has been everywhere, man. The 42-year-old impressionist, far from being travel-weary from stops in Norway, Los Angeles and Nashville, is “pumped” to be bringing his riffs on pop culture to the Houston Improv this Friday night, and we’re equally pumped about his full arsenal of celebrity voices…
Openings and Closings in Houston: Tarakaan Wasn’t Serious About Food After All
The big news this week is that Tarakaan, 2301 Main, is suspending its food service indefinitely because, according to a press release by owner Piran Esfahani, “… it’s become evident through guest interactions and alcohol sales that the key draw of the concept is an upscale and upbeat lounge…” and…
NFL Draft: 10 Quarterbacks Who Set Their Teams Back Worse Than Johnny Manziel
Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. It’s a simple concept that happens to resonate amazingly this time of year for NFL fans, especially in cities like Houston that are in dire need of an infusion of youth, talent, and hope at the quarterback position. Up…
War On Women Aim for a More Inclusive Kind of Hardcore
Speaking on the phone with Houston native and War On Women lead singer Shawna Potter is a little like talking to the modern voice of feminist punk rock. This is the intersection where activism and hardcore meet; for WOW, that activism is all about equality. Potter understands that punk at…
Barry Manilow Rewards His Houston Faithful, “One Last Time”
Barry Manilow Toyota Center February 17, 2016 Showing more resiliency than plenty of folks half his age (I call in sick to work if I cut myself shaving), the 72-year-old Barry Manilow was back onstage Monday, a mere three days after he was hospitalized due to complications from oral surgery…
Texas Forensic Science Commission: Bite Mark Evidence Is Junk Until Proven Otherwise
There were bite marks on John Sweek’s arm when police found him stabbed to death on his kitchen floor in 1987. Dallas County prosecutors charged Steven Chaney with the murder—he was a construction worker who had bought drugs from Sweek. And those bite marks were going to hurt. During his…
Big XII Expansion Rumors Have University of Houston on Outside Looking In
Ever since the shifting of collegiate athletics’ tectonic plates hit overdrive back in the summer of 2010, the future structure of the Big XII has been the subject of much lively (and, at times, contentious) conversation. With the topics ranging from conference networks (or lack thereof) to simple math (“When…
The Plight of Conservative Christians in Texas
Forget about the monument to the Ten Commandments right outside the Texas capitol grounds. Disregard the fact that this past Christmas Gov. Greg Abbott tossed out a benign, nerdy “nativity” scene celebrating the U.S. Constitution in the statehouse basement because an atheist group put it there. Never mind that Abbott…
“The Interview” Explores Life on Mars at CAMH
Complete with the possibility that viewers will be able to pick up a phone and talk with the artist MPA and ask questions, “THE INTERVIEW: Red, Red Future” exhibit at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston focuses on life on Mars. The titular work, The Interview, is based on live audience exchanges…
Rice’s Kinder Institute Gives Thumbs Up to Mayor Turner’s Pothole Initiative
On Wednesday, Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research confirmed that Mayor Sylvester Turner is not kidding about obliterating Houston’s pot holes. Kinder Institute researchers set out to make sure that the stats Turner has been keeping on the pothole project’s very own website, houstonpotholes.org, are accurate. Between January 4…
Buying Beer, Part 5: Breweries to Visit When Traveling
Buying Beer: The Series So Far Part 1: Beers For Everyday Drinking Part 2: Readily-Available Beers That Can Be Aged Part 3: Seasonal & Limited Beers Part 4: Beers Worth Standing In Line For First, an announcement: as we’ve progressed through this series, there are a few more topics that…
Houston’s Alt Model and Sex-Positive Podcaster Emily Snow Confronts Slut Shaming Head-On [NSFW]
The video on YouTube shows a first person perspective as a person enters a Starbucks, and then confronts a man sitting at a table. The woman filming asks him to explain why he’d threatened her online and called her a slut and a whore. A drink is thrown, and shaky…
Megadeth’s Dystopic Visions Have Almost Come True
For more than 30 years, singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine has guided thrash-metal kings Megadeth through shifting musical, social, and political landscapes with a guttural growl, shredded notes, and pointed lyrical daggers. After all this is a band with album titles like Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?, Countdown to Extinction, The System Has…
Haters to the Right: Southern Poverty Law Center Designates Steve Hotze a Hater
Local hatemonger Steve Hotze has received one of highest honors in the profession. In its annual nationwide round-up of hate groups, the Southern Poverty Law Center labeled Houston’s own Hotze one of the nation’s premier haters, officially dubbing his political action committee, Conservative Republicans of Texas, an anti-LGBTQ hate group,…
Houston Ballet Honors Ben Stevenson By Using His Version of Sleeping Beauty
In honor of Artistic Director Emeritus Ben Stevenson ‘s 80th birthday, the Houston Ballet is presenting a revival of his four-act staging of The Sleeping Beauty, and First Soloist Katharine Precourt, dancing the lead role of Aurora, calls it “a joy to dance.” Precourt, who on alternate dates will dance…
Is Kanye West Taking a Page Out of the Donald Trump Playbook?
Kanye West is too big to fail. Sure, he’ll be the butt of jokes for anyone looking for low-hanging fruit as long as he access to his Twitter account and he may pile up some truly impressive debt, but he’s not going to fail. The release of The Life of…
Marathon Oil Reports $2.2 Billion Loss for 2015
Oil prices have been in the toilet for months now, but it was still something of a surprise when Marathon Oil announced that the company had sustained massive losses in the fourth quarter of 2015. On Wednesday the company reported a $793 million loss for its fourth quarter, and is…
Trae Tha Truth & Killa Kyleon Are as Authentic as They Come
As it stands, Trae Tha Truth is a master of his own universe. Though he sort of belongs to the major-label system, he’s still a bit of an outlier. He doesn’t answer to label qualms of wanting certain singles or bend his personality to fit radio or television. He’s merely…
My Pregnant Girlfriend Ran Off to Another State. Help!
MY PREGNANT GIRLFRIEND RAN OFF TO ANOTHER STATE WITH MY CHILD Dear Willie D: My unborn child’s mother ran off to Nebraska to live with another man. We broke up after dating for five months. She is three months pregnant. My mother said she don’t think the baby is mine,…
The Sound of Music: Nuns, Nazis and Alps, Oh My!
N o matter how many times you’ve seen the final collaboration of Broadway titans Rodgers and Hammerstein, The Sound of Music (1959), either on stage or the gargantuan movie version (1965), there’s usually something new to appreciate, one tiny detail that makes the show click. Filled as it is with…
BREAKING: Houston Has a Tremendous Showing in the James Beard Semifinals
2016 is shaping up as another breakthrough year for Houston on a national level. Five chefs have been named James Beard Foundation award semifinalists, a notable cocktail bar has made its annual appearance on the list, and both partners of a notable husband-wife team have each earned their own honors…
Montgomery County DA Lets Judge Resign in Lieu of Criminal Prosecution
Judge Michael Seiler, who once once bragged about keeping a gun in his lap while presiding over a violent sex offender’s case, resigned from the bench Tuesday in light of allegations he used confidential juror information to help his fledgling re-election campaign – which is illegal. On Tuesday the Montgomery…
Five Moves the Houston Texans Should Make to Start the Offseason
Sometimes the hardest part of completing a to-do list is assembling it in the first place. Once it’s been outlined, then there ain’t nothin’ left to do but to get her done! So from that standpoint, Houston Texans, when it comes to this 2016 offseason, I’m about to do the…
Ordinary Light by Pulitzer Prize Winner Tracy K. Smith Looks at the Extraordinary of the Everyday
“Memory is a flawed lens,” says Tracy K. Smith, author of the widely acclaimed Ordinary Light, heralded as one of the most anticipated books of 2015 by Time Out New York. “And it was exciting to be an investigator of my own life.” Smith’s memoir is her fourth book, and…
End of the Rainbow Delves Into Judy Garland’s Last Six Weeks
Amy Winehouse died in 2011. By many accounts the winner of five Grammy Awards who battled addictions for years, drank herself to death. All the warnings and rehab attempts in the world did nothing to change this. Kenn McLaughlin, artistic director of Stages Repertory Theatre, is hoping that fans of…
Lone Star College Student Punished With Squats, Ends Up in Hospital for 9 Days
For one student at Lone Star College-CyFair, showing up 15 minutes late to class led to nine days in the hospital. When Marciel Alvarado waltzed in late to his intro-level phys-ed class, the instructor, Chris Rousseau, decided that making him do squats for 35 minutes straight was an appropriate punishment—with…
Annie Leave Your Gun at Home: Houston Rodeo Bans Concealed, Open Carry
Few things are closer to the hearts of most Texans than guns and rodeos. But, like heifers and bulls, sometimes they’re best kept separate. Yesterday, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo announced it will be prohibiting people from carrying handguns at the event, so any attendees who may have hoped…
The 10 Hottest Restaurants in Houston for February 2016 [UPDATED]
Welcome to the very first installment of our picks of the hottest restaurants in Houston. To make it as helpful as possible, the list is divided by category ranked from most to least fancy. Additionally, every month we’ll feature an “Oldie But Goodie” to point out longstanding places that diners…
Gamer Developers Are Protesting Donald Trump With Games
Donald Trump continues to do well in the Republican presidential primaries, but he might have to kiss the gamer vote goodbye. Over the past several months some game developers have taken aim at the businessman turned presidential hopeful by releasing protest titles. It started last year when Mexican developers took…
Apparently Decades-Old Student Loan Debts Are Now a Federal Priority
This week, Fox 26 aired a story about a man who says he was arrested by U.S. Marshals for not paying a $1,500 student loan from 1987 — and, as outrageous stories often do, it went viral. Paul Aker went on air to explain how seven Marshals armed with automatic…
FPSF’s Jagi Katial Looks Forward to What Happens Next
The countdown is officially on. Free Press Summer Fest 2016 is now scarcely two and a half months away, returning to Eleanor Tinsley Park June 4 and 5 after a weather-induced one-year detour to NRG Park. Like last year, Tuesday’s blind presale sold out in about 20 minutes, mercifully minus…
The Witch Is Creepy, Beautiful — and a Shrieking Mess
A laugh comes at last just before the end credits of Robert Eggers’ lit-class horror-bummer The Witch: a boastful note attesting to the documentary truthfulness of the dialogue in the movie we’ve just seen. Over 90 minutes that prove shriekiness is no impediment to ponderousness, we’ve beheld the harrowing of…
Jenni Rebecca Stephenson Sues Fresh Arts, Alleges A Firing “Scheme” [UPDATED]
After months of conjecture, Jenni Rebecca Stephenson was unfairly ousted as the executive director of Fresh Arts. At least that’s what court documents, filed at the tail end of Monday with the Harris County District Court, 129th Judicial District, allege. Stephenson, who’s suing her old place of employment as well…
