Best Tofu/Soy Products
Rice Epicurean Markets Sometimes we all need a break from chicken-fried steak and baby-back ribs smothered in mesquite barbecue sauce. And, well, some of us don’t like to eat dead stuff. So when your inner hippie’s stomach starts grumbling, hightail it to Rice Epicurean for Houston’s widest-ranging selection of healthy,…
Best Dog Trainer
Jim Burwell Rover Oaks Pet Resort offers boarding, grooming, classes and all the other amenities available at today’s high-end pet facilities. But more important than the expensive clippers and gourmet dog food is owner-founder Jim Burwell, who has an uncanny ability to communicate with dogs. Not some weird “dog guy,”…
Best Jamaican Restaurant
Caribbean Cuisine When the kitchen door swings open and a cook carts out another tray of patties, all eyes are on the pies. The golden-brown pastries with pungent meat-and-vegetable fillings are as much a staple of the island nation as is reggae music. Patties come with every dish at Caribbean…
Best Cajun Restaurant
Ragin’ Cajun It’s only right that our best Cajun restaurant has a giant fiberglass crawdad on its roof. The Ragin’ Cajun revels in its Southern shtick — from the newspaper place mats, to the heaping buckets of spicy mudbugs, to the just-crispy hush puppies and corn bread in red plastic…
Best Mint Julep
Cotton Exchange Bar We like toasting our balmy weather with a light beer in a cheap koozie. But sometimes we feel more genteel, and that’s when we head to the Cotton Exchange Bar for a mint julep. A true speakeasy marked only by the “808” on a black awning, the…
Best Pawnshop
Valu The most oft-used phrase inside these four walls must be “They don’t know what they have.” If they did, they’d be certified eBay millionaires. Think you’re too cool for a stinking pawnshop? Maybe a drill, a gun, an obsolete stereo and a copy of Predator 2 on Beta aren’t…
Best Color Commentator
Larry Dierker Color commentators are often former players or managers. Good ones have a background in the game and can tell the listener or viewer what’s going on in the minds of the players and explain the strategy. This year, Houston Astros fans are lucky. This year, the Astros welcomed…
Best Picnic Spot
The Japanese Garden at Hermann Park Houston has its share of parks, but it’s hard to find a picnic spot free of weeds, wailing kids and nasty views of parking lots. If you’re the kind of alfresco diner who leans toward quaint gravel paths, tall shady trees and patches of…
Best Place to Meet Raging Singles
Harris County Civil Courts Building A single woman in Houston is hard to find. At places like Skybar, Dean’s and Club Vision, that lonely-looking hottie at the bar is probably waiting for her husband to come back from the bathroom. It’s a painful fact for bachelors: Nearly 50 percent of…
Best B-Boy
Josh Pena In a city chock-full of world-class breakers — so many of whom deserve accolades for using their art to stay out of trouble — the safest bet for B-boy of the year is busting out from Youth Advocates and its home crew, Havikoro. There have been some up-and-comers…
Best Place for a Wedding
Vargo’s This place is strictly old-school. Its location on eight acres of plush lakeside gardens means it’s also strictly gorgeous. Private parties and functions are their specialty, and the old pros at Vargo’s have helped hundreds of happy couples achieve nuptial nirvana, since they know how to accommodate any request…
Best Place for a Lunchtime Tryst
Skyline Bar and Grill People love a good view. It’s so steadfast a truth, in fact, that when the Hiltons opened a restaurant on the top floor of their new downtown convention center hotel, they named it Skyline Bar and Grill. The marketing team, no doubt, was promptly given a…
Best Tamales
Berryhill Baja Grill It’s fat. It falls easily from the corn husk wrapper, revealing a generous layer of sweet, steamed cornmeal. But what lies inside is even better: tender strands of pork. If you want a vegetarian tamale, you can be certain it also will be stuffed. Berryhill’s hefty tamales…
Best Soul Food Restaurant
This Is It Soul Food At This Is It, you’re likely to see old-time Third Ward residents rubbing elbows with the yuppies from the new apartments across the street, along with a few politicos and downtown suits on the picnic tables. The sheer number of folks here tells you that…
Best Place to Buy a Musical Instrument
Rockin Robin Rockin Robin is H-town’s best place to buy any musical instrument, but don’t take our word for it. Ask the steady stream of millionaire musicians who have slipped in unannounced to buy cool stuff ever since it opened in 1972, or just to sit in the corner and…
Best Local TV Anchor
Tom Koch Every anchor, from the networks on down, has to unleash the occasional amusing asides and anecdotes — those supposedly spontaneous but carefully scripted lines to show how human and personable these made-up personalities are. But something’s different about Tom Koch; the guy from Oshkosh U (no kidding) can’t…
Best Neighborhood Spot in the Heights
Onion Creek Coffee House The Houston Heights is a great neighborhood that’s starving for more social spots, and the Onion Creek Coffee House is a prime example of what those hangouts could look like (if more people had the fortitude to battle the prohibition-minded Houston Heights Association). Onion Creek’s expansive…
Best Salsa
Jarro Cafe Houston hot sauce has been in a slump lately. Maybe they toned down the heat level for visiting All-Star Game fans and forgot to zip it back up again. If you’ve gotten used to insipid picante sauce, Jarro Cafe’s salsas will open your eyes — wide. At this…
Best Sports Hairdo
Jeff Van Gundy, Houston Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy must be getting a lot more sleep now that all-star baller Tracy McGrady has joined the Rockets. Gone are his signature darkened eyes, which made him look like he hadn’t slept since Houston won its last title in ’95. Also…
Best Place for a Pickup Game
Fonde Community Center We give this place props for being a decent recreation center and an amazingly good spot to watch or play a little afternoon ball. Here’s the draw: With the cost of NBA tickets going from obscene to laughable, there may be no better spot in the state…
Best Hotel Bar
Whiskey Bar at Hotel Icon Achingly hip hotels have been springing up all over Houston like crabgrass. Really hip crabgrass, of course. One of the hippest is Hotel Icon, housed in the beautifully restored, 93-year-old Union Bank Building (which, in Houston years, qualifies as prehistoric). And the best part of…
Best Original Show
Jerry’s World at Infernal Bridegroom Productions Based on the programs of Joe Frank — a real-life radio personality dubbed “the most imaginative, literate monologist in radio” — Jerry’s World, like a strangely ecstatic tone poem, celebrates the dirty little corners of our contemporary landscape, in which life gets funnier as…
Best Unsigned Band
Freedom Sold From the funky whiteys and their rap-rock hybrids, to the experimental East Coasters and their off-kilter patterns, to the crunk pioneers of the Southeast with their ultra-aggro approach to the art, it’s hard to say just what hip-hop is these days. It’s gone way past two turntables and…
Best Brunch
Backstreet Cafe The recipe for a successful brunch should include the following: excellent food (particularly egg dishes), great drinks, great atmosphere, live jazz and stellar service. Backstreet Cafe delivers on all of these. Plus, you have a choice of where you’d like to enjoy the best meal of the week:…
Best New Construction
Downtown lofts “Adaptive reuse” is the fancy phrase used by builders to describe the process of renovating old buildings for new uses. It’s a simple idea that’s finally taking hold downtown, where old shells of former banks and office buildings are gutted and reconstructed for the adventurous urban dweller. We’re…
Best Grocery Store
Central Market With a full-time sommelier and a bevy of wine stewards overseeing more than 3,000 vineyard varieties, on-site cheese mongers caring for the more than 700 different products, and bakers by the dozen, you’ll be well cared for at Central Market. From the colorful produce department full of exotic…
Best Place to Get a Tint Job and a Taco
Adas Window Tint Pimpin’ ain’t easy, least of all when it comes to your ride. If you’ve got to score your ground effects in Pasadena, your alloys in Tomball and your LEDs and hydraulics in Katy, you might not have time to brake for lunch. That’s why today’s busy gangstas…
Best Place to Buy an Engagement Ring
I.W. Marks A quarter-century in the making, this jewelry emporium in Braes Heights Center has ten — count ’em — ten cases of engagement rings. There are diamond solitaires set in platinum, loose diamonds and the wildly popular three-stone engagement rings. Want to treat her like J.Lo with a pink,…
Best Astro
Adam Everett Back in the days before A-Rod and Carlos Guillen, shortstops were scrawny whippets who vacuumed up grounders but couldn’t break a lamp taking batting practice in a hotel lobby. Think Mark Belanger or Buddy Harrelson. The Astros’ Adam Everett is a throwback to those classic days, from the…
AmeriCCan Splendor
Last week, the Alley Theatre brought the California-based performance team Culture Clash to town to perform their wicked-funny, deliriously irreverent celebration of American culture. And the usually hushed auditorium of one of H-town’s fanciest venues sizzled with laughter and energy. Founded by Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Sigüenza in…
Best Place for Cocktails
The Lounge at benjy’s The upstairs lounge at this Rice Village restaurant offers eight specialty martinis, strawberry-infused vodka and great chilled sake. But more than fantastic drinks, it has the perfect cocktail-lounge atmosphere: swank, sexy and fun. From the low-slung leather couches to the mod pale blue barstools to the…
Best Installation
Chapel at Live Oaks Friends Meeting House If you think James Turrell’s tunnel of colored light under the MFAH is cool, check out his chapel at Houston’s local Quaker meeting house in the Heights. Every Friday night, if the weather obliges, folks gather to see the “celestial vaulting,” as Turrell…
Best Band Name
Toaster Oven Nightmare Squad We like names that give us some kind of picture. That’s why we like Toaster Oven Nightmare Squad. Toaster ovens are, by their very nature, nightmarish contraptions. It seems like every time we use one, we burn our food or start a fire. And that’s why…
Best DJ
Michael DeGrace These are tough times for house DJs, scrapping to have their signature sound heard above the ubiquitous din of Top 40 and hip-hop. (As if there were much difference between the two nowadays.) If anyone has earned the respect that comes with longevity, though, it’s local spinster veteran…
Best Original Show
Jerry’s World at Infernal Bridegroom Productions Based on the programs of Joe Frank — a real-life radio personality dubbed “the most imaginative, literate monologist in radio” — Jerry’s World, like a strangely ecstatic tone poem, celebrates the dirty little corners of our contemporary landscape, in which life gets funnier as…
Best Drive
White Oak Drive, between Studewood and Houston Avenue Heading east with Fitzgerald’s behind you, you cruise down a typical neighborhood street. Then you take a turn and voilà: quaint San Francisco-style houses are stacked together on your left while ballparks adorn the bayou on your right. Head down one of…
Best Place for a Wedding
Vargo’s This place is strictly old-school. Its location on eight acres of plush lakeside gardens means it’s also strictly gorgeous. Private parties and functions are their specialty, and the old pros at Vargo’s have helped hundreds of happy couples achieve nuptial nirvana, since they know how to accommodate any request…
Best Place for a Lunchtime Tryst
Skyline Bar and Grill People love a good view. It’s so steadfast a truth, in fact, that when the Hiltons opened a restaurant on the top floor of their new downtown convention center hotel, they named it Skyline Bar and Grill. The marketing team, no doubt, was promptly given a…
Best Regional Cemetery
Wyatt Chapel Community Cemetery Motorists along U.S. 290 might never realize the rich heritage hidden in the woods-shrouded lowlands about 30 miles northwest of Houston. University Drive, near the edge of the Prairie View A&M campus, has displayed a historical marker for the Wyatt Chapel graveyard for the past decade,…
Best Hidden Neighborhood
Japhet Say the words “Fifth Ward” to most Houstonians, and they’ll think crime, poverty and desperation. The neighborhood is infamous in song — everyone from bluesmen like Juke Boy Bonner to rappers like the Geto Boys has made music about the Bloody Fifth and its perils. The tiny pocket called…
Best Empanadas
Marine’s Empanadas When you name your business after yourself, you’d better be good at it. The empanadas ($2.35 each) at Marine’s are better than good — they’re outstanding. Marine’s offers 47 different versions; most are savory, but some are sweet, distinguished by a dusting of powdered sugar. These made-to-order, stuffed,…
Best Mariscos
Tampico Seafood & Cocina Mexicana There are a lot of Mexican seafood restaurants in Houston, but none is as consistent as Tampico. Named after the seaside city on the Mexican Gulf Coast, this little oyster bar and grill has brought the best of our neighbor’s seafood traditions to the north…
Best Comic Book Store
Bedrock City Comic Company From 1940s superhero comics to underground Freak Brothers books to hot-off-the-press mainstream affairs, Bedrock City is the place to satisfy your inner geek. The folks there know how to treat customers, too. You can sign up for their subscription service and they’ll hold copies of the…
Best Car Wash
Carriage Glass & Detail Co. Brothers Andy and Craig Deas don’t just run a car wash — they offer an “automotive cosmetic repair facility.” Price-wise, this may not be where you wash your car every week, but the service is far and away the best in town. Hand-washing and -waxing…
Best Wine Store
Christopher’s Fine Wines The former Christopher’s Wine Warehouse may have a new name and location, but the selection, ambience and staff expertise carry on in the tradition of excellence that longtime customers appreciate. Christopher Massie has been in the business for 20 years, so he knows his stuff. And if…
Best Middle Eastern Restaurant
Cafe Lili Lebanese Grill One reason we like Cafe Lili better than the strictly halal Middle Eastern restaurants over on Hillcroft is that you can get a Heineken or a glass of wine with dinner. But that doesn’t mean that the food is any less delicious. In fact, there is…
Best Retro-Mex Restaurant
Felix An easel and a poster board have been set up in the lobby of Felix Mexican Restaurant at Westheimer and Montrose. Polaroids of loyal customers and their families are tacked up on the board, and each is accompanied by a caption that tells how many years they have been…
Best Ceviche
Pezcalato Peruvian Restaurant If you think ceviche means rubbery chunks of mystery fish in a lime juice marinade, Pezcalato is going to spoil you. When you order ceviche at this mom-and-pop Peruvian restaurant on Richmond, you have to specify your fish. There’s grouper or snapper ceviche ($14 a plate) or…
Best Video Store
Audio Video Plus Places like Hollywood and Blockbuster do a great job of making sure you get your copy of Terminator 3 if you want it. But when you’re looking for a tougher find — like, say, Schwarzenegger’s American film debut as Hercules living in NYC — you have to…
Best Cheap Seats
Astros outfield deck We see George and Barbara down there near home plate, a looming, presidential presence behind every televised pitch. They don’t know what they’re missing. Way up here in the nosebleed section, we’ve got the whole damn north 40 to ourselves. We can stretch out and curse without…
Best Play-by-Play Announcer
Marc Vandermeer When the search began for a voice to call Texans games, folks round these parts figured we’d go local. Veteran sports TV/radio names like Russ Small and even Craig Roberts were brought up on talk radio and around water coolers. So it was near-blasphemy when Marc Vandermeer, a…
Best Farmer
Joan Gundermann Making vegetables grow in Houston’s clay soil, pest-riddled humidity and searing heat is tough. Doing it without any pesticides or artificial fertilizers is even tougher. So, to the increasing number of people in this city who want locally grown, organic produce, Joan Gundermann is quickly becoming a celebrity…
Best Franchise Owner
Drayton McLane Up until this year, grocery magnate Drayton McLane had been drawing the ire of loyal Astros fans for his discount shopping of free agents, near-worship of Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio and refusal to increase the team’s payroll. That changed, however, when the club lured Deer Park natives…
Best New Magazine
Rice Addict When publishers Mike Tran and Jesse Choi set out to print a guide of Chinatown, they decided to go the extra mile with a bit of added flavor. Rice Addict features articles on all things Asian in Houston: cutting-edge style, culture and entertainment. Ad sales have been brisk…
Best Local TV News Reporter
Katie McCall Ever since it hit the air four years ago, KHWB’s nightly 9 p.m. news broadcast has been a welcome addition to the Houston media scene — solid reporting, not a lot of glitzy hidden-camera investigations of strip clubs. Epitomizing the station’s less-frills, more-facts approach is night reporter Katie…
Best Croissants
Panera Bread Company The croissants at Panera Bread Company look like they’re on steroids — almost twice the size of normal ones, they dwarf the side-dish plates they’re served on. When you bite into one, you can immediately tell that it’s made with real butter. A second bite reveals that…
Best Belgian Cafe
Café Montrose Family-owned and -operated, this little hole-in-the-wall next door to a launderette is one of those strip-center diamonds in the rough. Short on looks but long on authentic Belgian food, Café Montrose prides itself on to-die-for pommes frites, steak au poivre and desserts dripping with Belgian chocolate. But the…
Best Ensemble Production
Main Street Theater’s The Dead The fact that dramatists Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey managed to tease James Joyce’s melancholic story The Dead into a musical was nothing short of astonishing. But it was the skilled cast who re-created the essential Victorian party scene at the center of Joyce’s tale…
Best Place to Meet Single Women
Valhalla Aren’t you tired of chasing the mindless girls of the Downtown Carrie Bradshaw Impersonation Society only to discover that, when you finally catch one, she doesn’t have anything to say? Well, take off your running shoes and rest those weary feet at the steps of studious Valhalla. Located in…
Best Pre- or Post-Theater Restaurant
Artista The best complement to a fine performance is a fine meal. Lucky for theatergoers, the perfect eatery is right in the thick of downtown. At Artista, on the second floor of the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, every dish is a skilled production. From the ethereally light soft-shell…
Best Empanadas
Marine’s Empanadas When you name your business after yourself, you’d better be good at it. The empanadas ($2.35 each) at Marine’s are better than good — they’re outstanding. Marine’s offers 47 different versions; most are savory, but some are sweet, distinguished by a dusting of powdered sugar. These made-to-order, stuffed,…
Best Microcinema
Aurora Picture Show The Aurora Picture Show is a holy trinity of art, media and fun. Located in a former church (the audience still sits in pews), the tiny Aurora Picture Show has presented film, video and installations by locally and nationally known artists since 1998. A desperately needed alternative…
Best Artist
Robert Pruitt The man is ubiquitous. The Contemporary Arts Museum, DiverseWorks, Lawndale Art Center, Project Row Houses, OneTen Studios, you name it — Pruitt has shown his work just about everywhere in town that has an available wall. His series of “Black Stuntman” cartoons chronicles the life of a hapless…
Best Park
Cherryhurst Park Great parks don’t always come in big packages. In fact, some of the best neighborhoods wrap around intimate spaces where people meet over a picnic blanket, under an arching bough or across a newspaper and a park bench. Stroll down Missouri Street in the heart of the Montrose…
Best Radio Talk Show (AM)
Confessions Who doesn’t want to eavesdrop on or, better yet, weigh in on, a total stranger’s dysfunctional relationship? That’s the premise of Confessions, KCOH’s mid-afternoon talk show hosted by the unflappable Wash Allen. At the beginning of the show, a “soothsayer” phones in to say he’s cheating with his wife’s…
Best Jukebox
The Next Door The jukebox at Rudyard’s — next door to the Next Door, as it were — is no slouch, with its selection of alt-country, cool local tunes, classic jazz and rock and blues, but the one at this art gallery/bar has it beat. Though the art on the…
Best Mexican Bakery
Arandas Bakery Sure, the breads are delish, but it’s the sweets that get us salivating every time we walk in the door of an Arandas Bakery. The place is truly Tex-Mex, featuring a variety of desserts from Mexico and the States — although, when it comes down to it, most…
Best Contribution to Downtown Redevelopment
Metro light rail Okay, there are the accidents (mostly the fault of Houston drivers) and the occasionally backed-up traffic, but any new addition to the city that can increase mobility, cut pollution and get people back downtown is a winner to us. And with plans in the works to bring…
Best Reweaving
Jimmie’s Reweaving & Alterations Damn. You only wore that delicate pink merino sweater one time, and now you discover that “machine-washable” doesn’t mean you can throw it in with a load of jeans and sneakers. You’ve maimed the previously perfect thing with two ugly holes, and your sweet, generous boyfriend…
Best Head Shop
Smoke N’ Toke This place is the epitome of stoner chic. Spread out in five rooms of a converted house, the joint has an ample selection of pipes, bongs, hookahs, nargiles, dugouts, smoke stones, papers…hell, just about anything you could ever need to smoke your, um, stuff. The staff is…
Best Kids’ Clothes
Andree’s Corner This consignment store is no secret to thrifty Inner Loop ‘rents. Located at the busy corner of Kirby and Sunset, it has trendy items for every stage of a kid’s life. Andree’s knows every mommy (and daddy) needs more time, so the old house is divided into different…
Best Socioanthropological Study
Captain Benny’s Half Shell Oyster Bar This small tugboat-shaped eatery, nestled almost out of sight off South Main, is a happy docking place for a diverse array of diners with a lust for crustaceans and other fare from la mer. Folks know that if it’s fried or on the half-shell,…
Capsule Reviews
The Cat’s Meow Even if the cinematic names Marion Davies, Elinor Glyn, Thomas Ince and Louella Parsons are unrecognized by contemporary movie audiences, the uninformed will still be fascinated by the Jazz Age sex and Hollywood scandal in Country Playhouse’s production of Steven Peros’s The Cat’s Meow. In 1924, pioneering…
Best Radio Talk Show (FM)
Cultural Baggage Like many of us, Dean Becker has a problem with the current war against the livelier substances available on our streets — particularly marijuana. With “Project Housterdam,” he’s knocking on the doors of every politician in town, spearheading an initiative smokier than a hole in Afghanistan after Dubya…
Best Art Show
“Inverted Utopias: Avant-Garde Art in Latin America” In 1965, Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez constructed an amazing light-based installation — pre-James Turrell and Dan Flavin. And in the late ’60s, Brazilian Lygia Clark created interactive works that employed brightly colored hoods to control participants’ senses: Vision was obscured, sachets of spices…
Best Gay Bar
JR.’s JR.’s is a standby in the Houston gay community — for more than a decade, it’s been the place to go for a good buzz and the hook-up that often follows. With its sexy ranch-house atmosphere, $2.50 domestics and other notoriously cheap drinks, beefcake dick dancers in tight shorts,…
Best Theater Company
Masquerade Theatre Musical theater doesn’t get too adventurous in Houston. TUTS revives the usual suspects of Broadway warhorses; Broadway in Houston tours the safest current hits; and most of the smaller troupes in town, ever on the edge of financial ruin, can’t afford to take too many chances. But for…
Best Performance Space
DiverseWorks A visiting performance artist once sent a note to DiverseWorks saying, “Once you’ve done DiverseWorks, you’ve done Texas.” That’s a mighty strong statement, but we agree that everyone should “do” DiverseWorks. Now in its 21st year, the funky, intimate performance space has brought consistently challenging and groundbreaking contemporary works…
Best Nonprofit
Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention Air pollution shouldn’t be a partisan issue — at least, not for those of us who breathe. But in refinery-dominated Houston, clean-air advocates can be painted as whining hypochondriacs who just don’t understand that a little bit of ozone keeps the economy well greased. Industry…
Best New Magazine
Rice Addict When publishers Mike Tran and Jesse Choi set out to print a guide of Chinatown, they decided to go the extra mile with a bit of added flavor. Rice Addict features articles on all things Asian in Houston: cutting-edge style, culture and entertainment. Ad sales have been brisk…
Best Local TV News Reporter
Katie McCall Ever since it hit the air four years ago, KHWB’s nightly 9 p.m. news broadcast has been a welcome addition to the Houston media scene — solid reporting, not a lot of glitzy hidden-camera investigations of strip clubs. Epitomizing the station’s less-frills, more-facts approach is night reporter Katie…
Best Local TV Anchor
Tom Koch Every anchor, from the networks on down, has to unleash the occasional amusing asides and anecdotes — those supposedly spontaneous but carefully scripted lines to show how human and personable these made-up personalities are. But something’s different about Tom Koch; the guy from Oshkosh U (no kidding) can’t…
Best Light Rail Station
Ensemble/HCC Keep your fancy downtown fountains. Forget about the convenience of the Medical Center stops, which allow you to forgo the horror of trying to park there. The best station along Metro’s light rail line is, hands down, the Ensemble/HCC stop. The “HCC” stands for Houston Community College, an often-overlooked…
Best Pimento Cheese Sandwich
Brown Bag Deli You get a brown bag and a pencil when you walk into this busy lunch counter. On the bag are a series of commands like “Choose Bread,” “Choose Meat” and “Choose Cheese.” Oddly, the fabulous sandwich filling of a Southern childhood, pimento cheese, is listed under the…
Best Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Cleburne Cafeteria Many of the faithful who line up at West U’s Cleburne Cafeteria can afford to eat at fine restaurants where the food isn’t served on gray plastic trays. But Cleburne owner George Mickelis seems to have tapped into their inner eight-year-old with his macaroni and cheese. The macaroni…
Best Greeting Cards
sloan/hall If you like your greeting cards dripping with hearts, flowers and sentimentality, you’ll be just fine at the drugstore. But if you want something a little more subversive, there’s no better card selection than the one at sloan/hall. In a strip mall that straddles the Montrose and River Oaks,…
Best Farmers’ Market
Houston Farmers’ Market Two years ago, choosing the best farmers’ market in Houston would have been impossible because there weren’t any. Now, the problem has flipped the other way: In addition to visiting the Houston Farmers’ Market in the Heights, the intrepid produce shopper could venture to the Midtown Farmers’…
Best New Cafe
Byzantio Cafe Ilias Giannakopoulos gutted his house on West Gray to make room for the European flourishes omnipresent in this hip new cafe, where he and partner Dora Manolopoulos keep the Greek tradition of hospitality alive day after day. Inside you’ll find a smorgasbord of Hellenic delights: stuffed grape leaves,…
Best Bistro
Mockingbird Bistro and Wine Bar Fresh Texas ingredients meet French Provence recipes at John Sheely’s neighborhood eatery. Inside the eclectic yet comfy confines of this restaurant, you’ll find some of the heartiest and tastiest choices around. “Bistro” generally implies a small cafe serving down-home food, but these eats aren’t Mom…
Best Late-Night Restaurant
Mai’s The bars have closed, and the munchies have your stomach growling — roaring — for something more than just a burger from a drive-thru window. Although late-night dining used to be an oxymoron in Houston, now there are a bunch of spots in the downtown area. Judging by its…
Best Wings
Wing Stop Chicken wings fly out of this Dallas-based franchise. After placing your order at the counter, be prepared to wait precisely 14 minutes, since everything is cooked fresh. Their original wings are similar to those at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York (which purportedly invented buffalo wings in…
Best Grocery Store
Central Market With a full-time sommelier and a bevy of wine stewards overseeing more than 3,000 vineyard varieties, on-site cheese mongers caring for the more than 700 different products, and bakers by the dozen, you’ll be well cared for at Central Market. From the colorful produce department full of exotic…
Best Beach
Porretto Park Everybody knows about East Beach, where Playboy models and other assorted hardbodies gather during the summer. Not as many folks know about No-Name Beach off Condominium Road, where the topless and queer crowds commingle behind the dunes. But our favorite place to drop the beach towel is also…
Best Putt-Putt
The Putting Edge Where have you gone, Malibu Mini Golf? Our city turns its lonely eyes to you. What’s that, you say? Mountasia Golf has left and gone away? Of Houston’s once-glorious mini-golf trifecta of Mountasia, Malibu and Celebration Station, only Celebration Station remains. Thankfully, locals wanting some pizzazz in…
Best Recycling Effort
Patricia Hair Woods’s cottage A few years ago, attorney Patricia Hair Woods learned that the law firm where she worked, Womble, Cotellesse & Howell, planned to demolish a neighboring Victorian cottage built in the 1890s near the Historic Sixth Ward and replace it with a parking lot. She offered to…
Best Fans
Houston Texans Never has a team been adopted so quickly and so ferociously as the expansion Houston Texans. The ever-disappointing Oilers and their Snidely Whiplash owner are a distant memory as Reliant Stadium rocks to its rivets for every home game. The Texans themselves do more than their share, rarely…
Best Public Bathroom
Toyota Center You have to pay admission to use these facilities. What’s new? You have to buy a sandwich if you plan to drop a dook in Subway. While it’s nothing special aesthetically, the Toyota Center Restroom Committee seemed to pay special attention to an issue many larger venues often…
Best Bureaucrat
Jeffrey Arndt Metro has gotten its fair share of grief over the past year, what with the new light rail train barreling over cars and pedestrians like a vengeance-seeking instrument of an angry god. But the fender-benders draw attention away from just what the agency has accomplished: a smooth opening…
Best Pasta
Giannotti’s Pasta Factory Fresh pasta is common at upscale Italian restaurants and in Italian family homes, and it’s easy to see why. One taste of the stuff at Giannotti’s Pasta Factory is enough to convert anyone from the dry boxed kind. The beauty of fresh pasta, apart from its incredibly…
Best Vietnamese Restaurant
Cali Sandwich It’s not uncommon to wait for a table at this Midtown eatery. That’s because of the sheer variety of Vietnamese food served here, all of it authentic and made with fresh ingredients. Bahn mi (sandwiches), pho (soups) and bun (noodle dishes) are all served here, and nothing costs…
Best Actress
Ann C. James in Laughing Wild In one of her strongest Houston performances in years, Ann C. James burned up the stage in Christopher Durang’s Laughing Wild, produced by the amazingly resilient Unhinged Theatre Company. The strange play focused, in part, on a street woman haranguing the audience with her…
Best Charity
Houston Shriners Hospital Picking the best charity is harder than it sounds. What are the criteria? The condition of the recipients? The overall effectiveness? How is the money spent? Well, if you consider all of those aspects, then Houston Shriners Hospital is the best charity to donate to this year…
Best Breakfast
The Breakfast Klub Marcus Davis, owner of The Breakfast Klub, is a God-fearing man. And his food is divine. For two years, this breakfast, lunch and social haven in Midtown has served up consistently fantastic Southern-fried catfish, wings ‘n’ waffles, pancakes, grits and, oh yeah, lunch items. Even on the…
Best Pimento Cheese Sandwich
Brown Bag Deli You get a brown bag and a pencil when you walk into this busy lunch counter. On the bag are a series of commands like “Choose Bread,” “Choose Meat” and “Choose Cheese.” Oddly, the fabulous sandwich filling of a Southern childhood, pimento cheese, is listed under the…
Best Cheerleading Squad
Houston Texans cheerleaders When it was announced that Houston would finally get another franchise in 2001, we were ready. We were ready for dominant defense to punish quarterbacks and intimidate opposing teams. We were ready to take it to the Dallas Cowboys. And we were ready for new cheerleaders. The…
Best Sports Bar
PJ’s Too many sports bars make us feel like we’re in some kind of sports kaleidoscope. You can’t look to either side of the screen immediately in front of you, because there’s yet another TV with yet another distracting game. It’s almost enough to make you puke. Not so at…
Best Midtown Lounge
The Red Door Lounges seem to be popping up all over Midtown, but the Red Door has managed to stand firm in the capricious scene. Once you pass the eponymous port of entry, you find yourself surrounded by attractive twentysomethings who are dressed to impress and sloshed to excess. They…
Best Performance Space
DiverseWorks A visiting performance artist once sent a note to DiverseWorks saying, “Once you’ve done DiverseWorks, you’ve done Texas.” That’s a mighty strong statement, but we agree that everyone should “do” DiverseWorks. Now in its 21st year, the funky, intimate performance space has brought consistently challenging and groundbreaking contemporary works…
Best New Cafe
Byzantio Cafe Ilias Giannakopoulos gutted his house on West Gray to make room for the European flourishes omnipresent in this hip new cafe, where he and partner Dora Manolopoulos keep the Greek tradition of hospitality alive day after day. Inside you’ll find a smorgasbord of Hellenic delights: stuffed grape leaves,…
Best Pizzeria
Star Pizza Star Pizza has been turning out perfect pies since 1976, and they do it every way possible: Chicago-style thick crust or New York-style thin crust; whole wheat or regular; vegetarian or meat lover’s; single topping or the kitchen sink. Because they sell so much of the stuff, the…
Best Parade
Art Car Parade This year’s parade, the 17th, featured a dragon, a cadre of Elvises and a giant George W. Bush thrusting his pelvis into a big globe. Whether you like the downright wacky entries or the ones with a little more edge, you can’t help but admire the art…
Best Bartender
Jen Eberhardt It’s all about attitude. And we’re talking about lack thereof. Jen has been serving up drinks at this Midtown watering hole for a couple of years now — without a trace of the I’m-hot-you’re-not poutiness that plagues other bars. Some drink-slingers around town will act all frazzled and…
Best Asian Grocery
Viet Hoa Here in Houston you can find Asian foods in most any mainstream grocery store. But if you’re hankering for fish sauce, Peking duck or some restaurant-style bowls for serving pho, you’re best served traveling to Viet Hoa in southwest Houston. A massive warehouse-sized temple of Chinese and Vietnamese…
Best Spanish Radio Station
Órbita 100.7 FM Yeah, you can get jiggy with the Box or the Party, two-step till you drop with KILT or Q-Country, hold your burning Bic aloft to the classic rock on the Arrow, or bang your head to all that Audioslave on KLOL, but if you want to dance,…
Best Ice Cream
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream It’s not just novelty that drives the masses into the tiny Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream shop on Kirby Drive. This veteran institution of ice cream and righteous causes has shops just about everywhere nowadays, but only since May has Houston been able to delight…
Capsule Reviews
“Chris Akin: Recent Drawings” and “Matthew and Dayna Linton: American Bikers/Views from the Sissybar” The exhibitions in the upstairs galleries of the Galveston Arts Center are a study in contrasts. On one side are Chris Akin’s quiet, precise drawings, which he furtively created while on the job as a museum…
Best Radio Talk Show (AM)
Confessions Who doesn’t want to eavesdrop on or, better yet, weigh in on, a total stranger’s dysfunctional relationship? That’s the premise of Confessions, KCOH’s mid-afternoon talk show hosted by the unflappable Wash Allen. At the beginning of the show, a “soothsayer” phones in to say he’s cheating with his wife’s…
Best Spanish Radio Station
Órbita 100.7 FM Yeah, you can get jiggy with the Box or the Party, two-step till you drop with KILT or Q-Country, hold your burning Bic aloft to the classic rock on the Arrow, or bang your head to all that Audioslave on KLOL, but if you want to dance,…
Best B-Boy
Josh Pena In a city chock-full of world-class breakers — so many of whom deserve accolades for using their art to stay out of trouble — the safest bet for B-boy of the year is busting out from Youth Advocates and its home crew, Havikoro. There have been some up-and-comers…
Best Strip Club
The Men’s Club You can go to any club and get rejected by that sweaty college girl with the limp hair in her eyes. You know the routine: The drinks will make you broke and the DJ will play techno that was old last year. So why not try a…
Best Coffeehouse
Agora Okay, so Agora isn’t just a coffee house — if all you want is a tall latte to go, we suggest Starbucks. This is a place to linger, to sip, to read. Dark and cozy like a library in one of those rambling Agatha Christie manors, Agora is an…
Best Magazine on Texas Surfing
Revolution Yeah, we know what you’re thinking: Surfing in Texas? Well, after years of being ignored in the Cali-based surf mags, Galveston-born Stephen Hadley launched Gulf Coast Surfer in 2003. That publication metamorphosed into Revolution, a free magazine with great photos, interviews and updates of those involved in the Texas…
Best Public Bathroom
Toyota Center You have to pay admission to use these facilities. What’s new? You have to buy a sandwich if you plan to drop a dook in Subway. While it’s nothing special aesthetically, the Toyota Center Restroom Committee seemed to pay special attention to an issue many larger venues often…
Best Bureaucrat
Jeffrey Arndt Metro has gotten its fair share of grief over the past year, what with the new light rail train barreling over cars and pedestrians like a vengeance-seeking instrument of an angry god. But the fender-benders draw attention away from just what the agency has accomplished: a smooth opening…
Best Place to Meet Single Women
Valhalla Aren’t you tired of chasing the mindless girls of the Downtown Carrie Bradshaw Impersonation Society only to discover that, when you finally catch one, she doesn’t have anything to say? Well, take off your running shoes and rest those weary feet at the steps of studious Valhalla. Located in…
Best Landmark
The Astrodome The cavernous old stadium once billed as the “Eighth Wonder of the World” is still embedded in the heads of out-of-towners as a symbol of Houston. So what if it’s mostly used for monster-truck demos and high school football games? It’s 5,000 metric tons of history in a…
Best Nachos
Pico’s nachos Jorge If you’re looking for something light to snack on, hit the road. Pico’s nachos Jorge are a mountain-sized heap of smoldering ingredients. The plate of tortilla chips comes piled high with the restaurant’s trademark marinated pork roast, shredded for your convenience and blanketed with oozing Chihuahua cheese,…
Best Chocolate-Covered Anything
The Chocolate Bar The Chocolate Bar has chocolate-covered ice cream, chocolate-covered fruits (the bananas are to die for), chocolate-covered potato chips, popcorn, fortune cookies and nuts. There’s even chocolate-covered chocolate — but let’s not get greedy. This Montrose-area sweetery has doubled in size since opening four years ago. No longer…
Best Plants
Joshua’s Native Plants Got crabgrass out back? Critters in your chrysanthemums? Then get your homegrowns some professional help at Joshua’s in the Heights. The specialists at this nursery can tell you how to ward off molds and pests, but they also let you wander the aisles without pushing anything on…
Best Bike Shop
Daniel Boone Cycles Thirty-five years ago, Dan and Joy Boone started refurbishing secondhand bikes in their backyard for extra grocery money. Today, they have one of the most popular bike shops in the city. The shop is still in the backyard, but they now have everything from $300 city bikes…
Best Neighborhood Spot in Montrose
Cafe Brasil The perfect microcosm of Montrose, Cafe Brasil does it all. It has great ambience, a lively, diverse crowd and surprisingly good food. The scones, baked on-site every morning, are miracles of flaky, buttery deliciousness. It’s one of the few places in town where you can order an inexpensive,…
Best Mom-and-Pop Restaurant
Express Grocery and Deli Don’t look for red-checkered tablecloths or “Mom’s Home Cooking” signs at the Express Grocery and Deli — the family feeling runs far deeper than that at this delightful quick-order grill and convenience store in a corner of the Houston House apartments. Mike Baba set up shop…
Best Barbecue Restaurant
Reid’s Bar-B-Que Eddie Reid opened this place with her husband, James Reid, in 1968. James passed away nine years ago, and now Eddie runs the establishment with her son, James, who learned to cook at his father’s side. The brisket and ribs are smoked in the classic East Texas African-American…
Best Veggie Burger
Rudyard’s A few years back Rudyard’s Pub was given Best Burger honors. This year we salute their burger sans viande. The generous, tasty and never-dry patty made from nature’s goodness sits on a perfectly toasted bun alongside crisp lettuce, ripe tomatoes and thin slivers of red onion. You call the…
Best Reweaving
Jimmie’s Reweaving & Alterations Damn. You only wore that delicate pink merino sweater one time, and now you discover that “machine-washable” doesn’t mean you can throw it in with a load of jeans and sneakers. You’ve maimed the previously perfect thing with two ugly holes, and your sweet, generous boyfriend…
Best Golf Course
Tour 18 Tour 18 is the Epcot Center of golf courses. What they call the “cathedrals of golf” are exact re-creations of the 18 most heralded holes on famous courses worldwide. What club would you choose on the famed Amen Corner at Augusta National? Could you shoot par on Harbor…
Best Place to Watch Wildlife in the Urban Jungle
Hermann Park For a great wildlife expedition that’ll fit into your lunch break, hop on the light rail and get off at Hermann Park. In addition to paddle boats and balloon vendors, the park’s pond and woody trails provide a habitat for more than 30 species of birds — and…
Best Reason to Stay in Houston During the Summer
Juneteenth On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army led his troops into the city of Galveston, where he officially proclaimed freedom for slaves in Texas. Many in America’s Deep South hadn’t yet learned of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, so on this date, the freed slaves of…
Best Bike Path
Memorial Park Texan Lance Armstrong won his sixth straight Tour de France this summer. It’s an incredible story. So incredible, in fact, that each time he wins, America runs out to buy more bicycles. But in a city as densely populated with cars and unfriendly bike roads as ours, where…
Best Renovation Project
The Riverside Clinic The Third Ward’s only walk-in medical clinic closed in 2002 because of toxic mold and a dangerous roof that needed structural repairs, forcing hundreds of low-income and uninsured folks to seek care in crowded emergency rooms. Now, two years later (and after a bitter turf war at…
Best Environmental Attorney
Jim Blackburn Houston is a city where it’s always good to have the phone number of an environmental attorney handy. After all, you never know when somebody’s going to decide to build a container port on your favorite spread of wetlands, covertly spew toxins into your air or simply dump…
Best Crawfish
Goode Co. Texas Seafood Come crawfish season, this fixture on the Houston dining scene is packed with cravers awaiting bright red piles of mudbugs. It’s no wonder: Goode Co.’s homemade fresh Creole seasoning of garlic, onions, celery and dried chiles is hot and flavorful. And these crawfish are big enough…
Best Neighborhood Spot in Bellaire
Bellaire Coffee Shop The coffee’s always hot at the Bellaire Coffee Shop — God knows how many pots they make each day. The Mayberry-esque ’50s atmosphere is authentic here: The waitresses call their customers “hon,” and there’s a constant hiss from the griddle as the fry cook shoves breakfast and…
Best Sunday-Night Party
Sundown at The Social “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day.” So reads the second chapter of King James’s Genesis, though the Sabbath crowd at The Social in the Heights apparently didn’t get the memo. Criminally sexed-up…
Best Local TV Commercial
The Texas Hammer (in Spanish) He may very well be the whitest guy in the world, so to hear his thick Texas tongue try to punch out, “I’m Jim Adler, the Texas Hammer,” in Spanish induces unequaled laughs. Imagine an older, more uptight Ray Childress hawking lawyer services rather than…
Best Neighborhood Spot in Midtown
Julia’s Bistro At Julia’s, bistro cooking has gone international. The restaurant’s brand-new menu features both down-to-earth Mexican and funky Asian fusion dishes — creations of Artista’s former executive chef. Duck taquitos and lobster quesadillas fire up the appetite for some sensational entrées, like roasted rack of lamb with mango chutney…
Best Nachos
Pico’s nachos Jorge If you’re looking for something light to snack on, hit the road. Pico’s nachos Jorge are a mountain-sized heap of smoldering ingredients. The plate of tortilla chips comes piled high with the restaurant’s trademark marinated pork roast, shredded for your convenience and blanketed with oozing Chihuahua cheese,…
Best Coach
Jeff Van Gundy In these, basketball’s showbiz days, Jeff Van Gundy doesn’t look like a typical NBA coach — he’s a schlumpy bald guy with a permanent hangdog look whose idea of glamour is probably going for Wish-Bone salad dressing instead of the store brand. But looks are deceiving. Not…
Best After-Hours Hangout
Late Nite Pie Sometimes the party just has to keep going, even after last call. And it’s always a good idea to drop something solid down your gullet before passing out. Late Nite Pie has one thing few other after-hours joints can offer: good food in the form of truly…
Best Graffiti Artists
Meat and Verb Houston is not the best place in the world to go graffiti hunting. Most of the cats out here are merely taggers with limited skill, or have no regard for art whatsoever. But we do have a couple of superstars who take their work seriously — and…
Best Blues and Soul Preservationist
Eddie Stout of Dialtone Records While Stout is an Austinite, we feel he deserves an award from us anyway. After all, many of the artists he records — Little Joe Washington, Gloria Edwards and soon Earl Gilliam — are from here; and no one else is cutting official albums on…
Best Dry Cleaner
McGowen Cleaners Young professionals in the know swear by this particular dry cleaner, which is nestled in the Montrose area just west of Dunlavy. And it’s not because McGowen offers any gimmicks or a particularly sexy product; it’s simply good at cleaning, dryly. One customer swears they can get out…
Best Liquor Store
Spec’s Liquor Where else in Houston can you get a case of Guatemalan lager, a bottle of Italian Pinot Grigio, a towering pastrami sandwich and a big, stinky Arturo Fuente Churchill cigar for the ride home? Nowhere, that’s where. In fact, calling Spec’s a “liquor store” is like calling the…
Best Green Building
Delaney Hall The “What would Jesus drive?” bumper stickers aren’t likely to be succeeded by “Where would Jesus hang?” varietals, but the question is nonetheless worth asking. If the Lord were to pick His favorite Houston building, He might choose Delaney Hall, the new earth-friendly addition to the Emerson Unitarian…
Best Dive
Ruthie’s Place Don’t let the modernist tin exterior fool you — inside the red door of this funky joint there beats the heart of a real dive. Amusements are minimal — sure, there’s a large-screen TV, a well-stocked jukebox and a pool table, but the main attraction is the unpretentious…
Best Tofu/Soy Products
Rice Epicurean Markets Sometimes we all need a break from chicken-fried steak and baby-back ribs smothered in mesquite barbecue sauce. And, well, some of us don’t like to eat dead stuff. So when your inner hippie’s stomach starts grumbling, hightail it to Rice Epicurean for Houston’s widest-ranging selection of healthy,…
Best Bookstore
Half Price Books Half Price Books rules this town when it comes to getting quality reads on the cheap, and the Rice Village store is the chain’s monarch. Here you’ll find volumes on just about any subject imaginable — thanks to the area’s college students, who consistently trade in their…
Best Music Gadfly
Crazy Tony Avitia Say what you will about Crazy Tony Avitia, but the man will not be ignored. Since tearing out of the northside in the late ’80s as a member of 30footFALL, Avitia has released numerous compilation CDs of local and Texas funk, punk and rock on his Broken…
Letters
The Home Front Cover Houston demonstrators: Why did y’all choose to run the article about the Protest Warriors [“Clash Course,” by Robert Wilonsky, September 9]? There is not one interview with anyone from Houston. Are bigots from Dallas really the most important thing for Houstonians to know about in relationship…
Best Blues and Soul Preservationist
Eddie Stout of Dialtone Records While Stout is an Austinite, we feel he deserves an award from us anyway. After all, many of the artists he records — Little Joe Washington, Gloria Edwards and soon Earl Gilliam — are from here; and no one else is cutting official albums on…
Best Second Banana
Susan O. Koozin It’s tempting to say that the best part of Ted Swindley’s Always…Patsy Cline was the music. The show was jammed with hits made famous by the unforgettable singer, one of Nashville’s all-time greats. Julia Kay Laskowski played the down-home star in Stages Repertory Theatre’s production, and she…
Best Curator
Matthew Drutt Matthew Drutt, chief curator of the Menil Collection, is on a roll. He curated the stellar “Kazimir Malevich: Suprematism,” a wonderfully cogent exhibition and indispensable catalog exploring the artist’s development of the movement. The show presented Malevich’s seminal 1915 Black Square for the first time outside Russia, as…
Best Art Gallery
Sicardi Gallery María Inés Sicardi started her gallery ten years ago, focusing on Latin American artists. The always carefully curated space has a history of introducing intriguing contemporary work and thoughtfully presenting lesser-known works by 20th-century masters (such as the elegantly awkward late sculptures of the Venezuelan artist Gego). On…
Best Public Art Project
“give up” Consisting of posters and flyers wheat-pasted to metal boxes all over the Montrose, the “give up” series preaches its message of ironic apathy to all who cruise by. One poster (near Bagby and West Alabama) features a forlorn woman’s face and a Pink Floyd-esque row of hammers. “SWEETNESS,…
Best Local Boy Gone Bad
Jeff Skilling Hey, Jeff: Nobody’s dissin’ you for that little mess known as Enron. Hell, you jumped in as CEO and jacked ’em up — shareholders, small-fry workers and anybody else you could boost — for a few hundred million. But so did the rest of the gang. That act,…
Best Renovation Project
The Riverside Clinic The Third Ward’s only walk-in medical clinic closed in 2002 because of toxic mold and a dangerous roof that needed structural repairs, forcing hundreds of low-income and uninsured folks to seek care in crowded emergency rooms. Now, two years later (and after a bitter turf war at…
Best Environmental Attorney
Jim Blackburn Houston is a city where it’s always good to have the phone number of an environmental attorney handy. After all, you never know when somebody’s going to decide to build a container port on your favorite spread of wetlands, covertly spew toxins into your air or simply dump…
Best Charity
Houston Shriners Hospital Picking the best charity is harder than it sounds. What are the criteria? The condition of the recipients? The overall effectiveness? How is the money spent? Well, if you consider all of those aspects, then Houston Shriners Hospital is the best charity to donate to this year…
Best Place to People-Watch
The Galleria At last count, there were approximately 1.8 million stores in this sprawling monument to consumerism. The Galleria is an economic magnet that sucks folks from all kinds of places into its grip. This, combined with the sheer volume of retail outlets, makes the Galleria the prime spot in…
Best Breakfast Tacos
La Unica Bakery Declaring the best breakfast taco in Houston is kind of like choosing the best hot dog in Chicago, the best pizza in New York, or the best boob job in Los Angeles. We know that the big yellow truck at the corner of Houston Avenue and Center…
Best Tamales
Berryhill Baja Grill It’s fat. It falls easily from the corn husk wrapper, revealing a generous layer of sweet, steamed cornmeal. But what lies inside is even better: tender strands of pork. If you want a vegetarian tamale, you can be certain it also will be stuffed. Berryhill’s hefty tamales…
Best Sexual Health Clinic
Montrose Clinic Let’s face it: No one wants to take an HIV test. But the folks at Montrose Clinic make it as pleasant as possible. A friendly staff member leads you into a small room that somehow seems both warm and antiseptic at the same time. Once there, all of…
Best Chiropractor
Kenneth Lester Comedian Eddie Izzard once had this to say about a chiropractor: “They could have their fingers in your nostrils, one foot on the back of your underpants, and they’re pushing your spine away with a broom.” While you won’t find any brooms at Lester’s office, you will find…
Best Italian Restaurant
Da Marco You’ll get the best pizza and pasta dishes in the city at this intimate and unassuming little Montrose restaurant. And you’ll also find cutting-edge fare such as tuna tartare salad and an appetizer of cold lamb’s-tongue slices served with the Tuscan mustard-brined fruits known as mostarda. Some of…
Best Chinese Restaurant
Fung’s Kitchen Canton Seafood on Richmond, Ocean Palace in the Hong Kong City Mall and Peking Cuisine just down the Southwest Freeway from Fung’s Kitchen are all rapidly gaining on the grandfather of Houston Cantonese restaurants. But Fung’s remains at the top of the heap, primarily for its 400-item menu…
Best Deli
Kahn’s Deli Don’t plan to get a table — there are only a couple, and they’re always full. But Kahn’s Deli is a tiny sandwich counter with a whole lot of history. Here, Michael Kahn carries on the New York deli tradition that his father, Alfred Kahn, first introduced to…
Best Burger
Christian’s Tailgate Bar & Grill Swaddled in tissue paper and laid in a plastic cradle full of french fries, this burger seems to glow. Maybe it’s just the grease sheen on the upper bun reflecting the fluorescent lights. Or maybe there really is an aura surrounding the burgers at the…
Best Restaurant for Toddlers
Skeeter’s Mesquite Grill Got kids? Then you’re going to love this place. Skeeter’s lets kids be kids and moms and dads relax. The crayons are already on the table, and you don’t have to worry what the little monsters are coloring on — the walls here are already decorated with…
Best Place to Ride a Horse
George Bush Intercontinental Airport Like riding horses? Hate terrorists? Well, now’s your chance to trot ol’ Trigger around the trail and keep a lookout for Osama at the same time. The Houston Airport System’s Airport Rangers are volunteers who patrol the 34-mile perimeter of fencing around Intercontinental. You have to…
Best Area Team
Houston Astros This one is as close as it gets to a no-brainer. The combination of Stevie Franchise whining to his coaches and Yao disappearing in April eliminates the Rockets. The Texans are still an expansion team, and the Aeros — yeah, well, come on. When Andy Pettitte and Roger…
Best Bowling Alley
Palace Lanes It was the great Walter Sobchak who said, “Smokey, this is not Nam. This is bowling. There are rules.” At Palace Lanes, the only rule is this: Have fun. And with 44 lanes and cool-colored balls, it’s impossible not to. You won’t pay an arm and a leg…
Best Curator
Matthew Drutt Matthew Drutt, chief curator of the Menil Collection, is on a roll. He curated the stellar “Kazimir Malevich: Suprematism,” a wonderfully cogent exhibition and indispensable catalog exploring the artist’s development of the movement. The show presented Malevich’s seminal 1915 Black Square for the first time outside Russia, as…
Best Court Ruling
Lawrence v. Texas You know the story: Two guys are bonking and a cop goes to the wrong house, walks in on them and arrests them because it’s illegal in Texas to do the naughty that way, if you happen to have matching parts. Well, not anymore. Bonk away, Houston…
Best Sign of Texas Pride
Goode Co. Barbeque When it comes to native pride — the kind that makes you want to hook your thumbs inside your overalls and throw your chest out — no state in the union does it quite like ours. Everything is bigger in Texas; everything, that is, except for irony…
Best Club Sandwich
Edloe St. Deli This club sandwich is the best because it’s the plain-Jane real deal. And you can only find it inside the ever-so-quaint, breakfast- and lunch-only Edloe St. Deli in West U. Served up with a fruit bowl or an onion-y scoop of creamy potato salad, the traditional double-decker…
Best Neighborhood Spot in the Village
El Meson Assuming you can find a parking spot in the Rice Village, you’ll find the air-conditioned cave that is El Meson a most relaxing treat. Always start with a tangy margarita (they go like gangbusters at cocktail hour). Then decide what you’re in the mood for: Cuban? Spanish? Mexican?…
Best Place to Be Glad You’re Alive
Houston Zoo Lions, tigers and bears, oh, my! Komodos, leopards and white alligators — even better! It’s hard not to feel giddy while roaming the Houston Zoo on a sunny day. After all, for $7 you can be instantly transported to the Serengeti, the Andes or the Australian Outback, gazing…
Best Revitalization
Midtown If, five or so years ago, you decided to ride your bike through Midtown, you might’ve felt like you were on the set of Judgment Night. But chic restaurants, hip bars, tall condos and Randalls supermarkets have replaced the area’s haunted empty lots and dilapidated shacks. And what was…
Best Expense-Account Restaurant
O’Rourke’s Steak House Owners John O’Rourke and Sam Hernandez grill a mean steak, but this Museum District eatery also sports some fabulous stuffed potatoes, divine salads and hearty seafood, like Chilean sea bass and Australian rock lobster tails. A fairly extensive wine list, a piano player, superb service and a…
Best Breakfast Tacos
La Unica Bakery Declaring the best breakfast taco in Houston is kind of like choosing the best hot dog in Chicago, the best pizza in New York, or the best boob job in Los Angeles. We know that the big yellow truck at the corner of Houston Avenue and Center…
Best Color Commentator
Larry Dierker Color commentators are often former players or managers. Good ones have a background in the game and can tell the listener or viewer what’s going on in the minds of the players and explain the strategy. This year, Houston Astros fans are lucky. This year, the Astros welcomed…
Best Movie Theater
Landmark River Oaks If you want stadium-style seating, 24 screens and convenient parking, this is not your movie theater. But if you care about the movies — if you actually go to watch the show, not to swivel back in your seat while the special effects whiz by — then…
Best New Effort to Inject Culture into Houston
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Okay, maybe it’s not high culture that the Alamo Drafthouse is injecting into Houston, but they’re catering to film buffs who like their brew. The Alamo features independent films alongside Hollywood smash hits, underground classics like the Toxic Avenger series and plenty of Japanese anime. They serve…
Best Coffeehouse
Agora Okay, so Agora isn’t just a coffee house — if all you want is a tall latte to go, we suggest Starbucks. This is a place to linger, to sip, to read. Dark and cozy like a library in one of those rambling Agatha Christie manors, Agora is an…
Best Neighborhood Spot in Montrose
Cafe Brasil The perfect microcosm of Montrose, Cafe Brasil does it all. It has great ambience, a lively, diverse crowd and surprisingly good food. The scones, baked on-site every morning, are miracles of flaky, buttery deliciousness. It’s one of the few places in town where you can order an inexpensive,…
Best Vegetarian Restaurant
Shiva Indian Restaurant From the saag paneer to the rice pudding, this Rice Village spot and its Sugar Land cousin serve up some of the best vegetarian Indian food around. Fun Indian decor and soothing music, along with good spinach pakora, creamy curry with rice and fresh-baked nan add to…
Best Road Trip
Marfa Call it a triple threat. For more than a hundred years, folks have seen unexplained lights near Marfa, putting the small West Texas town on the map of Agent Mulder types. Just under 50 years ago, director George Stevens filmed Giant there, forever cementing the place as a shrine…
Best Comic Book Store
Bedrock City Comic Company From 1940s superhero comics to underground Freak Brothers books to hot-off-the-press mainstream affairs, Bedrock City is the place to satisfy your inner geek. The folks there know how to treat customers, too. You can sign up for their subscription service and they’ll hold copies of the…
Best Band Stage Show
The Medicine Show This category is somewhat misnamed, for when the Medicine Show performs, the group is seldom constrained by the stage. The madcap bluegrass/old-time ensemble generally uses the stage as a mere launching point. One minute you’ll see guitarist Craig Kinsey picking from atop the bar, the next you’ll…
Best Clothes for Your Dog
Haute 2 Trot If your pooch is tired of being in the doghouse of fashion, browse the Web site of local canine couture outfit Haute 2 Trot. Founded four years ago by interior designer Elise Winslow Kelly after she couldn’t find any decent clothes for her pampered Chinese crested, Haute…
Male Call
THU 9/23Considering that the titular hero of Sir James M. Barrie’s Peter Pan was a man, it’s odd that the role, when originally adapted to the stage, went to two very non-males: Cathy Rigby and Sandy Duncan. But now the show is returning to its roots. Houston Ballet choreographer Trey…
Topical Storm
In our book, any theater group that’s produced a show called And Gimme Back My Chaka Khan CD You Asshole is welcome in Houston, which is why we’re happy to hear that the ladies of Austin-based Gypsy Baby are bringing their decidedly strange brand of theater to town. And they…
Best Blog
Off the Kuff In a field cluttered with “what I had for breakfast” and “my girlfriend/boyfriend is so cute” entries, Charles Kuffner’s gazette keeps track of local and national politics, music, baseball and a bunch of other stuff in an informative and digestible way. And among political bloggers, Kuffner also…
Best Neighborhood Bar
The Harp This Irish-tinged watering hole is a little different from the average Montrose hangout, but that’s part of its appeal. Its dark walls, soft lighting and hardwood floors are charming. And there’s something pleasantly laid-back about the atmosphere — maybe it’s the dart players tallying up their points or…
Best Happy Hour
Cafe Adobe On the streets below, late-afternoon motorists are still battling the maddening crowds, unaware of the blessed sacrament of happy hour unfolding nearby — that unique time zone of decompression between the rigors of work and an evening’s adventures. But fans of Cafe Adobe are already assembled and ascending,…
Best Bathroom Graffiti
Late Nite Pie Complete with bulging veins and a ribbon tied around the shaft, the penis drawn on the wall of the women’s restroom is accompanied by a message: “For those who pass through here this is a present for you.” It shares the wall with the usual political fare,…
Best Bar Mom
Carolyn Wenglar Okay, since we’re talking about Warren’s, we’d better make this one “best bar moms.” The bartending babes — young and old — of this venerable downtown watering hole are all delightfully skilled in the stuff of drinks. They can mix virtually anything with flair and flavor; and they…
Best Local Girl Gone Bad
Sharon Bush Sit down, Anna Nicole, there’s a new bad broad in town. Sharon Bush gives exes everywhere a bad name while elevating the whining-victim game to a new high (or low). Neil may not be the brightest Bush in the bunch, but even he couldn’t put up with her…
Best Court Ruling
Lawrence v. Texas You know the story: Two guys are bonking and a cop goes to the wrong house, walks in on them and arrests them because it’s illegal in Texas to do the naughty that way, if you happen to have matching parts. Well, not anymore. Bonk away, Houston…
Best Sign of Texas Pride
Goode Co. Barbeque When it comes to native pride — the kind that makes you want to hook your thumbs inside your overalls and throw your chest out — no state in the union does it quite like ours. Everything is bigger in Texas; everything, that is, except for irony…
Best Local TV Commercial
The Texas Hammer (in Spanish) He may very well be the whitest guy in the world, so to hear his thick Texas tongue try to punch out, “I’m Jim Adler, the Texas Hammer,” in Spanish induces unequaled laughs. Imagine an older, more uptight Ray Childress hawking lawyer services rather than…
Best Place to Pretend You’re in Blade Runner
Reliant Energy Plaza Houston might not look as futuristic as Tokyo, but that’s why we get goose bumps when we wander down to the corner of Lamar and Main. This 783,000-square-foot skyscraper provides a peephole into the future — a sleek, chic architectural tomorrow, well worth the reported $150 million…
Best Mojito
Beso In a city steaming with heat and humidity, the competition is keen for the best mojito. Beso’s classic Cuban concoction will chill out the city’s sweatiest soul, combining the acquired expertise of its owners to capture the mojito crown, elbows down. Master chef Arturo Boada insists on only the…
Best Ice Cream
Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream It’s not just novelty that drives the masses into the tiny Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream shop on Kirby Drive. This veteran institution of ice cream and righteous causes has shops just about everywhere nowadays, but only since May has Houston been able to delight…
Best Magazine Selection
Issues In this Webby world, the idea of a store stocking nothing but magazines might seem quaint. But the recently opened Issues on Shepherd just north of Richmond proves beyond a doubt there’s still life left in the dead-tree trade. More than 3,000 titles line the walls, and the owners…
Best Local Designer
Tina Knowles Destiny’s Child has an image and a style that’s recognized worldwide. In her new book, Destiny’s Style, Tina Knowles, the creator of the world-famous Destiny’s Child look, shares her (and the group’s) shopping, sewing and lifestyle secrets. Her designs have graced the covers of such magazines as In…
Best Drive-Thru
Becks Prime If you really want your burger your way — say, mooing on the inside, black on the outside — this is your place. Huge juicy beef patties — made with a half-pound of mesquite-grilled, ground chuck — as well as fresh toppings make this one of the best…
Best Taqueria
Laredo Taqueria The interior of this popular taco joint at the corner of Fulton and Patton is cheerfully decorated with ceramic roosters and Mexican crockery, and it’s always spotlessly clean. Sit down for table service, or stand in line for tacos to go. While you go down the cafeteria line,…
Best Atmosphere
Rainbow Lodge Tucked away on Buffalo Bayou, this once-private home with a pond, meandering gardens and sunroom overlooking a quaint gazebo has a way of making you think you’re nowhere near the city. Pick a shady spot on the terrace and lose yourself in the trickling of the bayou below…
Best Dim Sum
Kim Son When you crave steamed pockets of Asian goodness, a drive to Kim Son’s Stafford location is more reasonable than a 14-hour flight to the Orient. Truth is, once seated and eating at Kim Son, you might start believing you’ve left the United States. The palatial neo-Chinese-style restaurant and…
Best Service
Tony’s Tony’s is the final flaming star in the celestial Tony Vallone empire. Since the sale of his other restaurants to Tilman Fertitta, Vallone has concentrated on his “baby.” And the waitstaff at Tony’s is even more attentive, efficient and knowledgeable than it was in the glory days. The restaurant’s…
Best Gym
Fit Holy biceps! Fit’s got more hot bods than an I-10 traffic jam in July. And they’ve got state-of-the-art equipment and a really nice view of downtown, plus helpful trainers who aren’t annoying. At Fit, there are fewer cheesy, too-tan bimbos and beefcake macho men than you’d find at other…
Best Franchise Owner
Drayton McLane Up until this year, grocery magnate Drayton McLane had been drawing the ire of loyal Astros fans for his discount shopping of free agents, near-worship of Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio and refusal to increase the team’s payroll. That changed, however, when the club lured Deer Park natives…
Best Gym
Fit Holy biceps! Fit’s got more hot bods than an I-10 traffic jam in July. And they’ve got state-of-the-art equipment and a really nice view of downtown, plus helpful trainers who aren’t annoying. At Fit, there are fewer cheesy, too-tan bimbos and beefcake macho men than you’d find at other…
Best Aero
Mark Cullen Aeros center Mark Cullen has had his share of tough breaks: a broken neck while at Colorado College, a broken ankle in the 2003 playoff run and a badly separated shoulder that caused him to miss two months this past season. More serious was the diagnosis in September…
Best Demolition
Burbridge Apartments It was a wonderful thing, like a huge cave formation that accreted over millions of years, the product of mineral-heavy water dripping and reshaping an ordinary rock into something marvelous. And then one day it was gone — all that was left was shredded wood, broken glass and…
Best View
Scott Gertner’s Skybar For better or for worse, ours is a horizontal city. Actually, strike that. It’s usually worse than better. At flood time, summer storms lay waste to our barely sloping topography. In traffic snarls, you’re never quite sure if it’s going to get better over the next hill,…
Best Onion Rings
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar These ain’t your Jack in the Box fried rings. Fleming’s stacks a towering plate about six inches high with fresh, thick slices of white onions fried lightly so they’re crispy on the outside and juicy inside. The golden batter — made from Japanese bread…
Best Downtown Restaurant
Bank Jean-Georges Hip, Manhattan-based Jean-Georges Vongerichten is to eateries what Carrie Bradshaw is to shoes. Both are on the cutting edge. We had high expectations when he brought his culinary charms to Houston with Bank at the Hotel Icon, and Jean-Georges has delivered with his artful combinations of fine ingredients…
Best CD by Local Musicians
Free Radicals’ Aerial Bombardment This jazzy, funky, hip-hoppity, experimental and dub-centric Houston collective never stays within the boundaries of a particular genre, and that’s only one of the things that make them so special. Their third CD, Aerial Bombardment, is a unique masterwork helmed by percussionist Nick Cooper and featuring…
Best Sexy Newscaster
Dominique Sachse We don’t mean to undercut her journalistic talents by saying it, but a fact’s a fact: Dominique Sachse is freaking hot. There’s something in that flashbulb smile that brightens a living room for the 10 p.m. newscast. Something in that pouty haircut that just says, “Give me naughty…
Best Indian Restaurant
Restaurant Indika Indian fine dining reaches new heights at this enchanted cottage out on Memorial across from Town & Country Mall. Owner and head chef Anita Jaisinghani, who once worked at Cafe Annie, changes the meaning of samosas with a crab-stuffed version served with papaya-ginger chutney. Her answer to chicken…
Best Mojito
Beso In a city steaming with heat and humidity, the competition is keen for the best mojito. Beso’s classic Cuban concoction will chill out the city’s sweatiest soul, combining the acquired expertise of its owners to capture the mojito crown, elbows down. Master chef Arturo Boada insists on only the…
Best Cheap Seats
Astros outfield deck We see George and Barbara down there near home plate, a looming, presidential presence behind every televised pitch. They don’t know what they’re missing. Way up here in the nosebleed section, we’ve got the whole damn north 40 to ourselves. We can stretch out and curse without…
Best Blues Club
The Big Easy Social & Pleasure Club We tip our feathered felt hats to the dearly departed Miss Ann’s Playpen, which closed last summer. The sweaty Third Ward mecca of all things blues was the kind of eternally legit joint that a real blues town like ours needs. But there’s…
Best Bar Decor
Under the Volcano Taking its cue from the Malcolm Lowry novel of the same name, Under the Volcano is a colorfully riotous celebration of El Día de los Muertos — the Day of the Dead — all year round. As you walk in, there’s a glassed-in shrine to recent notables…
Best Blog
Off the Kuff In a field cluttered with “what I had for breakfast” and “my girlfriend/boyfriend is so cute” entries, Charles Kuffner’s gazette keeps track of local and national politics, music, baseball and a bunch of other stuff in an informative and digestible way. And among political bloggers, Kuffner also…
Best Dancers
Barbara Bears and Andrew Murphy What a way to bounce back after a baby. Barbara Bears returned to Houston Ballet’s stage this season after a two-year hiatus, and she’s looking stronger than ever, and her dancing is consequently more expressive. For fans who thought they had seen the last of…
Best High-End Resale Shop
Mid-Century Pavilion At a time when most hip furniture is inspired by the modernism of the ’50s and ’60s or by the clean lines of old-school Danish designers, why not head to Mid-Century Pavilion for the originals? Instead of dropping $2,000 for a Sam Cocker chair out of the pages…
Best Drag Queen
Kofi Drag queens come in all shapes and sizes, but it seems like the ones who take the stage at most gay bars around town try to emulate the skinny, big-breasted model of feminine beauty. Maybe it’s the result of our society’s love affair with Britney and Jessica, or maybe…
Best Greeting Cards
sloan/hall If you like your greeting cards dripping with hearts, flowers and sentimentality, you’ll be just fine at the drugstore. But if you want something a little more subversive, there’s no better card selection than the one at sloan/hall. In a strip mall that straddles the Montrose and River Oaks,…
Best Car Wash
Carriage Glass & Detail Co. Brothers Andy and Craig Deas don’t just run a car wash — they offer an “automotive cosmetic repair facility.” Price-wise, this may not be where you wash your car every week, but the service is far and away the best in town. Hand-washing and -waxing…
Best Second Banana
Susan O. Koozin It’s tempting to say that the best part of Ted Swindley’s Always…Patsy Cline was the music. The show was jammed with hits made famous by the unforgettable singer, one of Nashville’s all-time greats. Julia Kay Laskowski played the down-home star in Stages Repertory Theatre’s production, and she…
Feels Like Old Times
Michael Anthony used to drink Jack Daniel’s straight from the bottle. The fleshy Van Halen bassist, whose body once looked as if it were held together by Bisquick and bourbon, would gulp the stuff down right on stage, draining liter bottles of Tennessee’s finest, to no end but his own…
This Week’s Day-by-Day Picks
Thursday, September 23 If you’ve been living in a cave (or hiding from hurricanes) lately, we’ve got a news flash for you: Chappelle’s Show is the hottest comedy joint on television, hands down. And Dave Chappelle owes a lot to his supporting cast, namely Charlie Murphy, Bill Burr and Donnell…
Best Music Gadfly
Crazy Tony Avitia Say what you will about Crazy Tony Avitia, but the man will not be ignored. Since tearing out of the northside in the late ’80s as a member of 30footFALL, Avitia has released numerous compilation CDs of local and Texas funk, punk and rock on his Broken…
Best Sculpture Garden
The Artery Visit the Artery during the day, and it looks at first glance like an enclave for a neighborhood crack dealer. Surrounded by a dense thicket of hackberry trees and a rusting chain-link fence, the lot in the Museum District’s residential area is full of rubble. Indeed, works by…
Best Fund-Raiser
Bayou City Concert Musicals Five years ago, Houston theater veteran Paul Hope gathered some friends and staged a nightclub production of Follies, giving the proceeds to the Center for AIDS. Since then, what’s become known as the Bayou City Concert Musicals has grown into a huge gift — not only…
Best Mural
Paul Mewis Law Office Houston is home to many beautifully painted murals, some by noted artists. The backside of Paul Mewis’s small building isn’t one of them — but this crude hodgepodge depicting the horrors — and humor — of the justice system is precisely the kind of soulful native…
Best Reading Series
Gulf Coast Reading Series Born from the Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston, the Gulf Coast Reading Series offers any hungry bibliophile a can’t-miss opportunity to witness up-and-coming literati before they hit the big time. Organized by (and featuring) graduate students from the UH program, the Gulf Coast…
Best Local Boys Made Good
Eric Quill, Davey Arnaud (Kansas City Wizards), Chris Gbandi (Dallas Burn), Josh Gardner, Ricky Lewis (Los Angeles Galaxy), Rusty Pierce (New England Revolution), Nelson Akwari (Columbus Crew) and Arturo Alvarez (San Jose Earthquakes) Houston needs a Major League Soccer team. Just check the names above. All of these young men…
Best Demolition
Burbridge Apartments It was a wonderful thing, like a huge cave formation that accreted over millions of years, the product of mineral-heavy water dripping and reshaping an ordinary rock into something marvelous. And then one day it was gone — all that was left was shredded wood, broken glass and…
Best View
Scott Gertner’s Skybar For better or for worse, ours is a horizontal city. Actually, strike that. It’s usually worse than better. At flood time, summer storms lay waste to our barely sloping topography. In traffic snarls, you’re never quite sure if it’s going to get better over the next hill,…
Best Revitalization
Midtown If, five or so years ago, you decided to ride your bike through Midtown, you might’ve felt like you were on the set of Judgment Night. But chic restaurants, hip bars, tall condos and Randalls supermarkets have replaced the area’s haunted empty lots and dilapidated shacks. And what was…
Best Place to Meet Raging Singles
Harris County Civil Courts Building A single woman in Houston is hard to find. At places like Skybar, Dean’s and Club Vision, that lonely-looking hottie at the bar is probably waiting for her husband to come back from the bathroom. It’s a painful fact for bachelors: Nearly 50 percent of…
Best Fried Chicken
Frenchy’s The lines have died down at Pollo Campero. Its zesty Latin version of fried chicken is still excellent, but it isn’t new anymore. And while the old-fashioned Southern fried chicken at Barbecue Inn on Crosstimbers is still as crunchy as it used to be, the crust is admittedly bland…
Best Croissants
Panera Bread Company The croissants at Panera Bread Company look like they’re on steroids — almost twice the size of normal ones, they dwarf the side-dish plates they’re served on. When you bite into one, you can immediately tell that it’s made with real butter. A second bite reveals that…
Best Vintage Clothing
Retropolis From the sidewalk, Retropolis looks like a sliver among the boutiques and antique shops on the Heights’ main drag — a skinny little closet of a boutique worth a quick peek on your way to the nearby gelato parlor. But step inside, walk up the wood-plank stairs at the…
Best Mechanic
Tracy Writers know their mechanics. Driving around this city in search of hot stories puts a lot of strain on our old jalopies. And most of us certainly aren’t getting rich, so we need a mechanic who’s honest and affordable. According to statistics, there are only about ten such folks…
Best Socioanthropological Study
Captain Benny’s Half Shell Oyster Bar This small tugboat-shaped eatery, nestled almost out of sight off South Main, is a happy docking place for a diverse array of diners with a lust for crustaceans and other fare from la mer. Folks know that if it’s fried or on the half-shell,…
Best Soul Food Restaurant
This Is It Soul Food At This Is It, you’re likely to see old-time Third Ward residents rubbing elbows with the yuppies from the new apartments across the street, along with a few politicos and downtown suits on the picnic tables. The sheer number of folks here tells you that…
Best Neighborhood Spot in the Heights
Onion Creek Coffee House The Houston Heights is a great neighborhood that’s starving for more social spots, and the Onion Creek Coffee House is a prime example of what those hangouts could look like (if more people had the fortitude to battle the prohibition-minded Houston Heights Association). Onion Creek’s expansive…
Best Dry Cleaner
McGowen Cleaners Young professionals in the know swear by this particular dry cleaner, which is nestled in the Montrose area just west of Dunlavy. And it’s not because McGowen offers any gimmicks or a particularly sexy product; it’s simply good at cleaning, dryly. One customer swears they can get out…
Best Cuban Restaurant
Cafe Piquet The local Cuban community may have been the first to discover Cafe Piquet when it opened in 1996, but today the secret’s out about this small, cozy eatery. The menu’s not long or extensive — Piquet specializes in a few traditional dishes that have won the hearts of…
Best Sports Columnist
Jonathan Feigen As streaky and uneven as the Rockets’ 2003-2004 season was, Houston Chronicle readers could count on NBA beat writer Jonathan Feigen to get his touches and make it look sweet without fail. Sports writing is a province inherently booby-trapped with clichés. West Coast late games, repetitious seasons and…
Best Fans
Houston Texans Never has a team been adopted so quickly and so ferociously as the expansion Houston Texans. The ever-disappointing Oilers and their Snidely Whiplash owner are a distant memory as Reliant Stadium rocks to its rivets for every home game. The Texans themselves do more than their share, rarely…
Best Club for Local Artists
Helios Hands down, Helios is the best club for local artists, and by “artists” here we mean every kind: musicians, painters, poets, dancers, DJs, rappers and comedians, to name a few. Helios is home to them all, with various permutations of the above often performing simultaneously, whether on one of…
Best Happy Hour
Cafe Adobe On the streets below, late-afternoon motorists are still battling the maddening crowds, unaware of the blessed sacrament of happy hour unfolding nearby — that unique time zone of decompression between the rigors of work and an evening’s adventures. But fans of Cafe Adobe are already assembled and ascending,…
Best Place to Take Out-of-Towners
The West End We’ll start this driving tour a little outside our spotlight area, at the Starbucks at the corner of West Gray and Shepherd. Then we’ll walk across the street and continue planning our itinerary at the other Starbucks at the corner of West Gray and Shepherd. That ought…
Best Cheap Thrill
Marfreless “I think I’ve made out with two chicks here,” a patron says, adding, “not on the same night, though.” When it comes to Marfreless, he’s certainly not alone. This West Gray-area nightspot is so secretive, only a stenciled black street number marks the door. You can hardly blame the…
Best Chicken-Fried Steak
Barbecue Inn The batter-fried steak at this fabulous old Houston dining institution features the crunchiest crust and juiciest meat combination imaginable. The bright white cream gravy might be a tad sweet for some. It’s that old-fashioned variety that tastes like it was made with evaporated milk. The standard order comes…
Best Comfort Food
Avalon Diner “Justly famous since 1938” isn’t just a marketing phrase for this classic River Oaks joint, which has spawned two offspring. The food here is just like Mom’s, and it will fill your tummy. Old-style drugstore hot dogs and hamburgers (the drippy kind) crowd the menu, along with thick…
Best Modern Dance Company
Dominic Walsh Dance Theater The adorable and talented Nicky Walsh bids ballet adieu as he bows out of Houston Ballet after a 15-year career. But that’s great news for his two-year-old company, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, which was named one of the top 25 companies to watch in Dance Magazine…
Best Tourist Attraction
Moody Gardens Ask six different people why they’ve come to Moody Gardens and you’ll get six different answers. It has lush gardens you can tour for free, an aquarium with amazing fish and penguins, an indoor rain forest with ocelots, tree frogs and bats, an indoor ice rink, IMAX movies…
Best Korean Restaurant
Green Pine Tree Bar & Grill This friendly Korean sushi bar and barbecue joint gives you your choice of sitting out in the middle of the action at one of the barbecue grill tables, or hiding away in a private dining nook. The barbecue table has a gas grill recessed…
Best Fried Chicken
Frenchy’s The lines have died down at Pollo Campero. Its zesty Latin version of fried chicken is still excellent, but it isn’t new anymore. And while the old-fashioned Southern fried chicken at Barbecue Inn on Crosstimbers is still as crunchy as it used to be, the crust is admittedly bland…
Best Beach
Porretto Park Everybody knows about East Beach, where Playboy models and other assorted hardbodies gather during the summer. Not as many folks know about No-Name Beach off Condominium Road, where the topless and queer crowds commingle behind the dunes. But our favorite place to drop the beach towel is also…
Best Dance Club
South Beach Call it “DJs’ choice,” because this Montrose hot spot garners rave reviews from the high priests of Houston clubbing. Now in its third year of existence, the venue (known in its previous life as Heaven) has more than 10,000 square feet of room to work with — and…
Best Ballet
Divergence Houston Ballet is under construction while it morphs from longtime director Ben Stevenson’s baby into a balletic butterfly, compliments of new artistic director Stanton Welch. His restaging of an earlier work, 1994’s Divergence, blew the doors off the Wortham Theater Center and had balletomanes howling for weeks. Sandwiched into…
Best Public Art Project
“give up” Consisting of posters and flyers wheat-pasted to metal boxes all over the Montrose, the “give up” series preaches its message of ironic apathy to all who cruise by. One poster (near Bagby and West Alabama) features a forlorn woman’s face and a Pink Floyd-esque row of hammers. “SWEETNESS,…
Best Italian Restaurant
Da Marco You’ll get the best pizza and pasta dishes in the city at this intimate and unassuming little Montrose restaurant. And you’ll also find cutting-edge fare such as tuna tartare salad and an appetizer of cold lamb’s-tongue slices served with the Tuscan mustard-brined fruits known as mostarda. Some of…
Best New Restaurant
T’afia T’afia, the starkly minimalist Midtown restaurant run by star chef Monica Pope, is named after a Mediterranean beverage that’s made by marinating fruit in a mixture of wine and spirits. The bar offers several varieties of these innovative cocktails, and they’re incredibly refreshing. So are Pope’s high ideals. Her…
Best Drive
White Oak Drive, between Studewood and Houston Avenue Heading east with Fitzgerald’s behind you, you cruise down a typical neighborhood street. Then you take a turn and voilà: quaint San Francisco-style houses are stacked together on your left while ballparks adorn the bayou on your right. Head down one of…
Best Plants
Joshua’s Native Plants Got crabgrass out back? Critters in your chrysanthemums? Then get your homegrowns some professional help at Joshua’s in the Heights. The specialists at this nursery can tell you how to ward off molds and pests, but they also let you wander the aisles without pushing anything on…
Best Farmers’ Market
Houston Farmers’ Market Two years ago, choosing the best farmers’ market in Houston would have been impossible because there weren’t any. Now, the problem has flipped the other way: In addition to visiting the Houston Farmers’ Market in the Heights, the intrepid produce shopper could venture to the Midtown Farmers’…
Best Tobacco Shop
My Cigar Shop: Cigar Factory Sure, there are a lot of tobacconists around town who have nicer stores and more selection than Reno Bayo, but the man wins out because of the little things. His shop is nestled in a strip center between a pedicure place and a tattoo shop,…
A Thin Line…
David Byrne has done it right. Destined to live high on the hog by way of Talking Heads royalties until the day he dies, the adventurous quirkmeister has been nothing but ballsy since his seminal new-wave outfit parted ways. You may not like everything he’s tried since his career apex,…
Trump Card
You know you have ice in your veins when Donald Trump — whose advice to engaged couples is “Get a prenup” — calls you a “cold, cold woman.” But that’s exactly what The Donald called Amy Henry when she was summarily dismissed toward the end of NBC’s The Apprentice last…
Best Local CD Cover
Lagoon! by Clouseaux This band’s tiki lounge exotica sound demands a tiki-lounge-exotic-adelic album cover, and they deliver. The picture on the cover presents us with a palm tree, Polynesian warriors plying the coast of a mountainous island under a full moon, and another godlike tiki guerrilla standing in the foreground…
Best Actor
David Rainey in Topdog/Underdog Suzan-Lori Parks’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Topdog/Underdog revolves around two brothers who bear the unlikely names of Lincoln and Booth: their father’s “idea of a joke.” But the names carry hefty metaphorical weight in this play about violent sibling rivalry. And the play’s interfamily feud burned especially bright…
Best Place to Buy a Musical Instrument
Rockin Robin Rockin Robin is H-town’s best place to buy any musical instrument, but don’t take our word for it. Ask the steady stream of millionaire musicians who have slipped in unannounced to buy cool stuff ever since it opened in 1972, or just to sit in the corner and…
Best Talk Radio Host
Jim Rome “Pimp in the box, what is up? Thanks for the vine, Rome, Houston Press here — first time, long time. Way back, in fact, from the early days on the Mighty 690 with Smacksaw Hamilton. ‘Show us your lightning bolt!’ Anyway, V-Smack, it’s been an epic run of…
Best Patio
La Strada Perched above one of the noisiest areas of Westheimer, the second-floor patio at the newly remodeled La Strada is classy, casual and deliciously above it all. It offers a roof to shield patrons from the sun, track lighting to cut the darkness, and piped-in air conditioning and ceiling…
Best Spectacle
Wish’s Club It’s amazing what people will do inside a shadow box. Hidden by frosted glass with a red light behind them, otherwise distinguished women will take it all off for the sake of a little harmless exhibitionism. Elsewhere in the bar, couples embrace tenderly and not so tenderly –…
Best Place to Take Out-of-Towners
The West End We’ll start this driving tour a little outside our spotlight area, at the Starbucks at the corner of West Gray and Shepherd. Then we’ll walk across the street and continue planning our itinerary at the other Starbucks at the corner of West Gray and Shepherd. That ought…
Best Cheap Thrill
Marfreless “I think I’ve made out with two chicks here,” a patron says, adding, “not on the same night, though.” When it comes to Marfreless, he’s certainly not alone. This West Gray-area nightspot is so secretive, only a stenciled black street number marks the door. You can hardly blame the…
Best Sexy Newscaster
Dominique Sachse We don’t mean to undercut her journalistic talents by saying it, but a fact’s a fact: Dominique Sachse is freaking hot. There’s something in that flashbulb smile that brightens a living room for the 10 p.m. newscast. Something in that pouty haircut that just says, “Give me naughty…
Best Farmer
Joan Gundermann Making vegetables grow in Houston’s clay soil, pest-riddled humidity and searing heat is tough. Doing it without any pesticides or artificial fertilizers is even tougher. So, to the increasing number of people in this city who want locally grown, organic produce, Joan Gundermann is quickly becoming a celebrity…
Best Atkins Chic
Barnaby’s Just flip on the tube or try dodging a pop-up ad and it’s clear: This is the year of the Atkins and South Beach diets. But Barnaby’s has done the high-protein, low-carb thing for years. Owner Jeff Gale (who named the eatery after his dearly departed sheepdog) understands his…
Best Pasta
Giannotti’s Pasta Factory Fresh pasta is common at upscale Italian restaurants and in Italian family homes, and it’s easy to see why. One taste of the stuff at Giannotti’s Pasta Factory is enough to convert anyone from the dry boxed kind. The beauty of fresh pasta, apart from its incredibly…
Best Art Supply Store
Texas Art Supply Longtime Houston staple Texas Art Supply wins by sheer volume. And since its only real competition — Montrose’s other locale for all things arty, Utrecht — shut its doors earlier this year, Texas Art reigns supreme in anything an artist needs: rubber stamps, canvases, paints, stencils, clay,…
Best Gamble for Junk
The Guild Shop Walking through the doors of the Guild Shop is like being on stage with Monte Hall. On the price tags you’ll find three prices. Next to each price is a date. The price goes down as the dates progress. So if you think you can hold out…
Best Greek Restaurant
Mykonos Island Restaurant Forget the freezer. At Mykonos, every day is a shopping day for fish, shrimp and snapper, so the seafood is never more than 24 hours old. The baklava and custard are made every morning, too. The Greek sampler plate comes so heavily laden with Mediterranean favorites like…
Best Belgian Cafe
Caf Montrose Family-owned and -operated, this little hole-in-the-wall next door to a launderette is one of those strip-center diamonds in the rough. Short on looks but long on authentic Belgian food, Café Montrose prides itself on to-die-for pommes frites, steak au poivre and desserts dripping with Belgian chocolate. But the…
Best Pre- or Post-Theater Restaurant
Artista The best complement to a fine performance is a fine meal. Lucky for theatergoers, the perfect eatery is right in the thick of downtown. At Artista, on the second floor of the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, every dish is a skilled production. From the ethereally light soft-shell…
Best Florist
Heights Floral Shop Established in 1935, Heights Floral Shop is one of the oldest florists in Houston. Age doesn’t always indicate excellence (just ask any Hollywood agent), but this family-owned and -operated flower joint is thriving more vibrantly than ever. Take this summer, for example. While many florists reduce their…
Best Mexican Restaurant
Hugo’s Don’t ask for chips and salsa, fajitas, nachos or any other of those familiar standards here. Chef and co-owner Hugo Ortega is a Mexican national who worked his way up from a busboy at Backstreet Cafe, and he doesn’t do Tex-Mex. At the upscale Mexican restaurant that bears his…
Best Pool Hall
The Tavern on Gray Cutthroat, eight-ball, nine-ball — it doesn’t matter what game you play, or even if you’re any good. As long as you’ve got a buddy and a beverage, you’re gonna have fun playing pool at the Tavern, where happy hour is 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. every…
Best Bike Path
Memorial Park Texan Lance Armstrong won his sixth straight Tour de France this summer. It’s an incredible story. So incredible, in fact, that each time he wins, America runs out to buy more bicycles. But in a city as densely populated with cars and unfriendly bike roads as ours, where…
Best Sports Role Model
David Carr How’s this for guts? Week four of the season. Texans down by three at home against Jacksonville. Two seconds on the clock, and our guys are just inches from the goal line. If David Carr hadn’t made you a believer before — what with his glitterati good looks…
Best Rocket
Yao Ming During the NBA Finals this year, the Los Angeles Lakers thrilled the world by going down in selfish, egotistical flames. They devoted more energy to pointing fingers at each other than to putting the ball in the basket, and one of the most egregious offenders was Shaquille O’Neal,…
Best Civil Attorney
Richard Mithoff Hard-core neo-cons and corporate guys whine about troublemaking plaintiffs’ lawyers, but they actually sweat and pull at their collars when it comes to Richard Mithoff. When officials wanted to sweep away the furor over the senseless police shooting of Pedro Oregon, he kept pursuing the truth. Mithoff also…
Best Place to Meet Single Men
Sherlock’s Pub Hey, we don’t specify what kind of single guy, so Sherlock’s wins due to sheer volume. You’ll find the dudes at any one of the seven Sherlock’s locations around town, clad in backwards baseball caps, shorts and sandals. They pack into the Irish-themed pubs, hit on the cute…
Best Gelato
Nundini Food Store At Nundini Food Store, $1.50 will get you a scoop of real Italian gelato. Gelato has less air churned into it than ice cream, so it’s creamier and a whole lot denser. It also stays cold longer and doesn’t melt as quickly as its U.S. cousin. At…
Best Long Lunch
La Griglia No longer a Vallone enterprise (it’s now part of Fertitta Land), La Griglia is still the extended-power-luncheon hot spot. Its funky decor never distracts from the patrons — this is, after all, Houston’s prime see-and-be-seen locale — but the food ain’t half bad, either. The bread basket, with…
Best Not-So-Cheap Thrill
Hotel Derek Where better to party like a rock star than the hotel named after a fictional one? The Hotel Derek, situated in the middle of the world’s largest traffic jam at Westheimer and Loop 610, is a far cry from the stuffy sanctuary of most Houston hotels, but that’s…
Best Republican
State Representative Bill Callegari Those maniacal westside GOPers usually go off the deep end, they but some show real savvy about the system. The best example for the last four years has been their support of low-profile, mild-mannered grandfather of 11 Bill Callegari. He gives constituents real information and representation…
Best Meat-and-Three Restaurant
Avenue Grill Cops, firefighters and EMS types flock to this time-honored cafeteria across the street from Central Police Supply. The cranberry carpet is well worn, and the wood paneling and tile ceiling have seen better days. But the Avenue Grill prides itself on its “greasy spoon” reputation. The television is…
Best Atkins Chic
Barnaby’s Just flip on the tube or try dodging a pop-up ad and it’s clear: This is the year of the Atkins and South Beach diets. But Barnaby’s has done the high-protein, low-carb thing for years. Owner Jeff Gale (who named the eatery after his dearly departed sheepdog) understands his…
Best Golf Course
Tour 18 Tour 18 is the Epcot Center of golf courses. What they call the “cathedrals of golf” are exact re-creations of the 18 most heralded holes on famous courses worldwide. What club would you choose on the famed Amen Corner at Augusta National? Could you shoot par on Harbor…
Best DJ
Michael DeGrace These are tough times for house DJs, scrapping to have their signature sound heard above the ubiquitous din of Top 40 and hip-hop. (As if there were much difference between the two nowadays.) If anyone has earned the respect that comes with longevity, though, it’s local spinster veteran…
Best Jazz Club
Cezanne Sure, there are more glamorous spots to catch jazz in this town. You can delight in the sights of open-backed, little black dresses and power players at spots like Scott Gertner’s Skybar or Sambuca. But jazz has always been about the music. And traditional, straight-ahead fans have always flocked…
Best Local CD Cover
Lagoon! by Clouseaux This band’s tiki lounge exotica sound demands a tiki-lounge-exotic-adelic album cover, and they deliver. The picture on the cover presents us with a palm tree, Polynesian warriors plying the coast of a mountainous island under a full moon, and another godlike tiki guerrilla standing in the foreground…
Best Florist
Heights Floral Shop Established in 1935, Heights Floral Shop is one of the oldest florists in Houston. Age doesn’t always indicate excellence (just ask any Hollywood agent), but this family-owned and -operated flower joint is thriving more vibrantly than ever. Take this summer, for example. While many florists reduce their…
Best Watch Repair
The Little Watch Shop How many businesses can you think of in this town that have been around for more than ten years? How about 25? And you can forget about 50, right? Well, since 1947, the dedicated specialists at the aptly named Little Watch Shop have been hunched over…
Best Nonprofit
Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention Air pollution shouldn’t be a partisan issue — at least, not for those of us who breathe. But in refinery-dominated Houston, clean-air advocates can be painted as whining hypochondriacs who just don’t understand that a little bit of ozone keeps the economy well greased. Industry…
Best Sexual Health Clinic
Montrose Clinic Let’s face it: No one wants to take an HIV test. But the folks at Montrose Clinic make it as pleasant as possible. A friendly staff member leads you into a small room that somehow seems both warm and antiseptic at the same time. Once there, all of…
Best Bike Shop
Daniel Boone Cycles Thirty-five years ago, Dan and Joy Boone started refurbishing secondhand bikes in their backyard for extra grocery money. Today, they have one of the most popular bike shops in the city. The shop is still in the backyard, but they now have everything from $300 city bikes…
Best Neighborhood Bar
The Harp This Irish-tinged watering hole is a little different from the average Montrose hangout, but that’s part of its appeal. Its dark walls, soft lighting and hardwood floors are charming. And there’s something pleasantly laid-back about the atmosphere — maybe it’s the dart players tallying up their points or…
San Francisco Treat
In addition to the famous sights, San Francisco is also a city of sounds. There’s the jingle- clatter of the famous cable cars straining up the steep Victorian-house-encrusted hills; the raucous din of the sea lions bellowing and barking on their little platforms near Fisherman’s Wharf; and the multilingual babble…
Hog Heaven
THU 9/23 What has 250,000 wheels, wears black and drinks a shitload of beer? This weekend, it’ll be the hordes of bikers heading to Galveston for the 2004 Lone Star Rally — the thundering, heavy-metal monster that now rivals Mardi Gras in attendance. Some 125,000 bikers are expected to rumble…
Best Radio Station
KPFT/90.1 FM It’s tempting to play the contrarian and give this award to some other spot on the dial, but KPFT is simply the best station in town. No other station has as much variety; blues, zydeco, rock en espaol, jazz, several forms of rock, world music, old-school Tejano and…
Best Musical
TUTS’s Thoroughly Modern Millie Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan’s Tony Award-winning Thoroughly Modern Millie is the sort of charming musical that comes along too rarely. And Theatre Under the Stars’ summer production at the Hobby Center offered Houston audiences an especially electrifying theater experience. Combining romance, intrigue and some unexpected…
Best Ensemble Production
Main Street Theater’s The Dead The fact that dramatists Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey managed to tease James Joyce’s melancholic story The Dead into a musical was nothing short of astonishing. But it was the skilled cast who re-created the essential Victorian party scene at the center of Joyce’s tale…
Best Director
James Black “What kinda fuckin’ world is this?!” wailed the man on the stage, wearing only a shirt and underwear. From this opening line, we knew life wasn’t easy for the folks in Stephen Adly Guigis’s Our Lady of 121st Street. In the play, the pants-less character, Victor (James Belcher),…
Best Downtown Bar
Shay McElroy’s Irish Pub Consumption of spirits in a relaxing downtown locale always comes easy, thanks to the McElroy clan. They started with the comfortable beachhead pub in Shepherd Plaza, stepped up to the stylish setting of the State Bar & Lounge at the Rice Lofts, and have balanced that…
Best Local Girl Made Good
Solange Knowles With her debut record, Solo Star, and a role in the major motion picture Johnson Family Vacation, Houston’s other Knowles — Solange — is busy punching her way out from big sis Beyoncé’s shadow. Her recent appearances on Today and Sharon Osbourne, along with her performances on Soul…
Best Civil Attorney
Richard Mithoff Hard-core neo-cons and corporate guys whine about troublemaking plaintiffs’ lawyers, but they actually sweat and pull at their collars when it comes to Richard Mithoff. When officials wanted to sweep away the furor over the senseless police shooting of Pedro Oregon, he kept pursuing the truth. Mithoff also…
Best Place to Meet Single Men
Sherlock’s Pub Hey, we don’t specify what kind of single guy, so Sherlock’s wins due to sheer volume. You’ll find the dudes at any one of the seven Sherlock’s locations around town, clad in backwards baseball caps, shorts and sandals. They pack into the Irish-themed pubs, hit on the cute…
Best Tourist Attraction
Moody Gardens Ask six different people why they’ve come to Moody Gardens and you’ll get six different answers. It has lush gardens you can tour for free, an aquarium with amazing fish and penguins, an indoor rain forest with ocelots, tree frogs and bats, an indoor ice rink, IMAX movies…
Best Recycling Effort
Patricia Hair Woods’s cottage A few years ago, attorney Patricia Hair Woods learned that the law firm where she worked, Womble, Cotellesse & Howell, planned to demolish a neighboring Victorian cottage built in the 1890s near the Historic Sixth Ward and replace it with a parking lot. She offered to…
Best Hangover Coffee
Buffalo Grille “Man, it feels like someone jammed a shard of glass through my forehead. What time is it?” “It’s, like, noon, dude.” “Ugh. It’s bright out. What the hell were we drinking last night, anyway?” “Bartender called it Gulps Gone Wild. I think I saw him put 151, SoCo,…
Best Crawfish
Goode Co. Texas Seafood Come crawfish season, this fixture on the Houston dining scene is packed with cravers awaiting bright red piles of mudbugs. It’s no wonder: Goode Co.’s homemade fresh Creole seasoning of garlic, onions, celery and dried chiles is hot and flavorful. And these crawfish are big enough…
Best Barber
Salon Essie It’s been almost 20 years since Essie set off for a three-month vacation from Iran. She decided to stay here, and seven years ago, she opened her salon on Richmond. You’ll still catch the enchanting lilt of Farsi fluttering through the store in between casual banter with her…
Best Place to Buy a Gun
Academy Sporting Goods Whether you’re looking for a Mossberg Maverick 12-gauge 28-inch synthetic shotgun or a Beretta U22 Neos 4.5 handgun, Academy is your place. With low daily prices on all hunting and protective firearms ($219 for a Smith & Wesson 22A; Rimfire is practically unheard of), they’ve got specialty…
Best Steak House
Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse Nearly two inches thick, the USDA Prime New York strips here strike a perfect balance between flavor and tenderness. The three-pound Maine lobster, which comes split and shelled with a bowl of drawn butter sitting atop a candle-heated warmer, is spectacular. The salads are huge and…
Best Vietnamese Restaurant
Cali Sandwich It’s not uncommon to wait for a table at this Midtown eatery. That’s because of the sheer variety of Vietnamese food served here, all of it authentic and made with fresh ingredients. Bahn mi (sandwiches), pho (soups) and bun (noodle dishes) are all served here, and nothing costs…
Best Breakfast
The Breakfast Klub Marcus Davis, owner of The Breakfast Klub, is a God-fearing man. And his food is divine. For two years, this breakfast, lunch and social haven in Midtown has served up consistently fantastic Southern-fried catfish, wings ‘n’ waffles, pancakes, grits and, oh yeah, lunch items. Even on the…
Best Spectacles/Glasses/Optometry
Spectacles on Montrose Like the librarian type? Then pop out those contact lenses, man. LASIK is vanity, but eyewear is fashion, and the folks at this friendly boutique can fix you up with the sexiest specs in town. Spectacles on Montrose offers a sprawling variety of über-chic styles, and owners…
Best Restaurant
Aries When the editors of Food & Wine chose Aries chef Scott Tycer as one of the top ten new chefs in the country last year, they pegged Aries as part of a national movement. Highly trained chefs such as Tycer who run their own small restaurants are bringing kitchen…
Best Comet
Sheryl Swoopes The Comets’ Sheryl Swoopes has jumped to a level of success guys like Yao Ming and Steve Francis can’t touch. She’s the first woman to have a Nike shoe named after her, and the WNBA’s first marketing campaign was built around her. She’s a two-time WNBA MVP and…
Best Aero
Mark Cullen Aeros center Mark Cullen has had his share of tough breaks: a broken neck while at Colorado College, a broken ankle in the 2003 playoff run and a badly separated shoulder that caused him to miss two months this past season. More serious was the diagnosis in September…
Best New Bar
Shoeshine Charlie’s Big Top Lounge As much as we’ve always loved the Continental, it’s long needed a chill-out room, and this vintage circus-themed bar two doors down fills that bill just right. Though there are occasional live performances here, the usual routine is quiet conversation amid vintage furniture over stiff…
Best Fund-Raiser
Bayou City Concert Musicals Five years ago, Houston theater veteran Paul Hope gathered some friends and staged a nightclub production of Follies, giving the proceeds to the Center for AIDS. Since then, what’s become known as the Bayou City Concert Musicals has grown into a huge gift — not only…
Best Criminal Defense Attorney
Michael Ramsey Rest assured that one grand Houston legacy lives on — that of the wise, witty, sharp, comfortable and confident criminal defense attorney. Percy Foreman and Richard “Racehorse” Haynes set the standard decades ago, and the next generation’s Dick DeGuerin, Rusty Hardin and others have gone on to garner…
Best Kabobs
Bijan You order at a walk-up counter, but the high ceilings and polished marble floors at this Persian kebaberie give the place an upscale feel. Tops on the menu is the chelo kebab barg, consisting of garlicky lamb chunks grilled on a skewer until they have a little char on…
Best Mint Julep
Cotton Exchange Bar We like toasting our balmy weather with a light beer in a cheap koozie. But sometimes we feel more genteel, and that’s when we head to the Cotton Exchange Bar for a mint julep. A true speakeasy marked only by the “808” on a black awning, the…
Best Value Best Value
Bombay Sweets & Pure Vegetarian Restaurant The $4.50 all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet here also includes crispy papadum and bubbly hot nan bread. You can use the straight-out-of-the-oven nan to shovel the luxuriously buttery saag paneer straight into your mouth. The lentil stews called dahls on the buffet line are extraordinary; there’s…
Best Brain
William Martin With the presidential campaign season upon us, there’s much talk of reds and blues, hawks and doves, and right and wrong. And while it’s been nearly a decade since With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America was first published, the cultural tome…
Best Democrat
State Representative-elect Alma Allen Democratic State Representative Ron Wilson reeked of political arrogance long before he joined the Tom DeLay-led redistricting drive, which will further reroute much-needed state help from the inner-city District 131. Wilson thumbed his nose at the people who needed him most; he even hurled savage taunts…
Best Restaurant for Toddlers
Skeeter’s Mesquite Grill Got kids? Then you’re going to love this place. Skeeter’s lets kids be kids and moms and dads relax. The crayons are already on the table, and you don’t have to worry what the little monsters are coloring on — the walls here are already decorated with…
Best Hangover Coffee
Buffalo Grille “Man, it feels like someone jammed a shard of glass through my forehead. What time is it?” “It’s, like, noon, dude.” “Ugh. It’s bright out. What the hell were we drinking last night, anyway?” “Bartender called it Gulps Gone Wild. I think I saw him put 151, SoCo,…
Best Place to Ride a Horse
George Bush Intercontinental Airport Like riding horses? Hate terrorists? Well, now’s your chance to trot ol’ Trigger around the trail and keep a lookout for Osama at the same time. The Houston Airport System’s Airport Rangers are volunteers who patrol the 34-mile perimeter of fencing around Intercontinental. You have to…
Best Theater Company
Masquerade Theatre Musical theater doesn’t get too adventurous in Houston. TUTS revives the usual suspects of Broadway warhorses; Broadway in Houston tours the safest current hits; and most of the smaller troupes in town, ever on the edge of financial ruin, can’t afford to take too many chances. But for…
Best Piano Bar
Leon’s Lounge Piano bars should be divey, but also have a touch of class. There should be history and mystery in the air. You should be able to envision yourself as Humphrey Bogart, and that shapely woman at the bar as Ingrid Bergman. They should inspire you to think up…
Best Bar Mom
Carolyn Wenglar Okay, since we’re talking about Warren’s, we’d better make this one “best bar moms.” The bartending babes — young and old — of this venerable downtown watering hole are all delightfully skilled in the stuff of drinks. They can mix virtually anything with flair and flavor; and they…
Best Drive-Thru
Becks Prime If you really want your burger your way — say, mooing on the inside, black on the outside — this is your place. Huge juicy beef patties — made with a half-pound of mesquite-grilled, ground chuck — as well as fresh toppings make this one of the best…
Best Ethiopian Restaurant
Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant Once the only Ethiopian eatery in town, Blue Nile now has some stiff competition. The new guys in town, Addisaba on De Moss Drive, are serving up some awesome yedoro wot. They also have a bar and a big-screen television set. But Blue Nile holds on…
Best Magazine on Texas Surfing
Revolution Yeah, we know what you’re thinking: Surfing in Texas? Well, after years of being ignored in the Cali-based surf mags, Galveston-born Stephen Hadley launched Gulf Coast Surfer in 2003. That publication metamorphosed into Revolution, a free magazine with great photos, interviews and updates of those involved in the Texas…
Best Magazine Selection
Issues In this Webby world, the idea of a store stocking nothing but magazines might seem quaint. But the recently opened Issues on Shepherd just north of Richmond proves beyond a doubt there’s still life left in the dead-tree trade. More than 3,000 titles line the walls, and the owners…
Best Chiropractor
Kenneth Lester Comedian Eddie Izzard once had this to say about a chiropractor: “They could have their fingers in your nostrils, one foot on the back of your underpants, and they’re pushing your spine away with a broom.” While you won’t find any brooms at Lester’s office, you will find…
Best Costume Shop
Arne’s Located in a spooky, red brick factory building in the industrial strip between Montrose and the Heights, Arne’s is the perfect department store for all of your ghoulish needs. Hike up the stairs and past the still-operating conveyor belt and you’ll find enough freakish fashion options to outfit an…
Hip to Be Bare
“Dance with no pants for $1 draft and $1 kamikaze shots.” So the sign says at Union, and it sounds tempting. Chances are, if I weren’t rolling bareback I’d be saddled up at the bar in my skivvies for a discounted pint of the liquid bread. Instead, I ask my…
World Party
FRI 9/24 If Dubtex were food, it’d be awful. Any chef that mixes Jamaican with Middle Eastern with Latin with Texan is doing something very wrong and bad. Fortunately, Dubtex is a band, and in combining beats from all over the world with down-home lyrics and lots of drum ‘n’…
Best Theater Season
Alley Theatre Most regional theaters would be delirious with a season that included just one recent Pulitzer Prize-winning play. But the Alley Theatre’s artistic director, Gregory Boyd, is not your typical AD. Last season he proved it by filling up his stages with some wonderfully controversial shows, including two Pulitzer-winners…
Best Bar Dad
Harry Bishop Bars invariably take on the personalities of their owners, and Noche Cocina is blessed to have Harry Bishop at the helm. Bishop arrived late in the restaurant-and-bar trade; he’s a veteran of the oil business who took over Noche a few years ago. Quiet, competent and always ready…
Best Actress
Ann C. James in Laughing Wild In one of her strongest Houston performances in years, Ann C. James burned up the stage in Christopher Durang’s Laughing Wild, produced by the amazingly resilient Unhinged Theatre Company. The strange play focused, in part, on a street woman haranguing the audience with her…
Best Hotel Bar
Whiskey Bar at Hotel Icon Achingly hip hotels have been springing up all over Houston like crabgrass. Really hip crabgrass, of course. One of the hippest is Hotel Icon, housed in the beautifully restored, 93-year-old Union Bank Building (which, in Houston years, qualifies as prehistoric). And the best part of…
Best Unsigned Band
Freedom Sold From the funky whiteys and their rap-rock hybrids, to the experimental East Coasters and their off-kilter patterns, to the crunk pioneers of the Southeast with their ultra-aggro approach to the art, it’s hard to say just what hip-hop is these days. It’s gone way past two turntables and…
Best Book About Houston
Sig Byrd’s Houston In the ’50s and ’60s, Sig Byrd was a columnist for the old daily Houston Press and later the Houston Chronicle, and his beat was the human tragicomedy. Byrd was irresistibly drawn to the city’s lowlife; in his words, the “curious assortment of hard-bitten merchants, working men…
Best Criminal Defense Attorney
Michael Ramsey Rest assured that one grand Houston legacy lives on — that of the wise, witty, sharp, comfortable and confident criminal defense attorney. Percy Foreman and Richard “Racehorse” Haynes set the standard decades ago, and the next generation’s Dick DeGuerin, Rusty Hardin and others have gone on to garner…
Best Not-So-Cheap Thrill
Hotel Derek Where better to party like a rock star than the hotel named after a fictional one? The Hotel Derek, situated in the middle of the world’s largest traffic jam at Westheimer and Loop 610, is a far cry from the stuffy sanctuary of most Houston hotels, but that’s…
Best Republican
State Representative Bill Callegari Those maniacal westside GOPers usually go off the deep end, they but some show real savvy about the system. The best example for the last four years has been their support of low-profile, mild-mannered grandfather of 11 Bill Callegari. He gives constituents real information and representation…
Best Reason to Stay in Houston During the Summer
Juneteenth On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger of the Union Army led his troops into the city of Galveston, where he officially proclaimed freedom for slaves in Texas. Many in America’s Deep South hadn’t yet learned of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, so on this date, the freed slaves of…
Best Doughnuts
Christy’s Doughnuts Spanish and English mingle easily in this Montrose corner shop. Smiles and morning banter come easily, too; cops and kids mix with every-darned-day regulars who sip coffee and take the entire morning to read the paper, and if your server thinks you’re cute, he might throw a couple…
Best Club Sandwich
Edloe St. Deli This club sandwich is the best because it’s the plain-Jane real deal. And you can only find it inside the ever-so-quaint, breakfast- and lunch-only Edloe St. Deli in West U. Served up with a fruit bowl or an onion-y scoop of creamy potato salad, the traditional double-decker…
Best Music Store
Cactus Music and Video Regulars stop by Cactus to browse used vinyl and check out the magazines, clothing and rock-music action figurines. They also show up when local or touring musicians drop by to perform. Oh, yeah, and they go to Cactus to buy CDs. During the past 12 months,…
Best Place to Buy an Engagement Ring
I.W. Marks A quarter-century in the making, this jewelry emporium in Braes Heights Center has ten — count ’em — ten cases of engagement rings. There are diamond solitaires set in platinum, loose diamonds and the wildly popular three-stone engagement rings. Want to treat her like J.Lo with a pink,…
Best Tex-Mex Restaurant
Larry’s Original Mexican Restaurant Larry’s cheese enchiladas actually have a lot in common with their spaghetti mexicano. They’re both relics. The difference is, Larry’s cheese enchiladas taste as good, or better, than modern Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas. The viscous yellow cheese swirls around the dark brown chili gravy, creating an abstract…
Best Neighborhood Spot in Bellaire
Bellaire Coffee Shop The coffee’s always hot at the Bellaire Coffee Shop — God knows how many pots they make each day. The Mayberry-esque ’50s atmosphere is authentic here: The waitresses call their customers “hon,” and there’s a constant hiss from the griddle as the fry cook shoves breakfast and…
Best Neighborhood Spot in Midtown
Julia’s Bistro At Julia’s, bistro cooking has gone international. The restaurant’s brand-new menu features both down-to-earth Mexican and funky Asian fusion dishes — creations of Artista’s former executive chef. Duck taquitos and lobster quesadillas fire up the appetite for some sensational entrées, like roasted rack of lamb with mango chutney…
Best Place to Buy Coffee Beans
Central Market At Howard E. Butt’s megamart, Central Market, there are enough varieties of coffee beans to make Starbucks and Juan Valdez very jealous. The coffee buyers at Houston’s gourmet paradise scour the globe to bring you the finest in roasted bulk beans. Blends from Zimbabwe, Kenya and Ethiopia sit…
Best State Park
Brazos Bend State Park You’ll want to visit this park on a sunny day in February, and not just because the weather’s more palatable then. Winter’s the best time to catch the park’s main attraction: alligators. When the sun comes out, the gators rise to the top of the water…
Best Stadium Announcer
Bob Ford It’s a summer Sunday in Houston, early in the afternoon. Translation: The air’s sweltering, and the sunlight’s blinding. There’s a vast expanse of green grass surrounded by steel and concrete, and a sweating mass of human bodies waiting. A voice comes booming out over the latest Britney Spears…
Best Rocket
Yao Ming During the NBA Finals this year, the Los Angeles Lakers thrilled the world by going down in selfish, egotistical flames. They devoted more energy to pointing fingers at each other than to putting the ball in the basket, and one of the most egregious offenders was Shaquille O’Neal,…
Best Picnic Spot
The Japanese Garden at Hermann Park Houston has its share of parks, but it’s hard to find a picnic spot free of weeds, wailing kids and nasty views of parking lots. If you’re the kind of alfresco diner who leans toward quaint gravel paths, tall shady trees and patches of…
Best Bar Name
Hard Times and Misery Saloon A couple of blocks west of Jack Johnson Boulevard squats this neighborhood bar, which rivals a Mexican cantina called El Higado No Existe (“The Liver Doesn’t Exist”) and a rough pub in Lancashire called Dr. Syntax as the very best bar name we’ve ever come…
Best Benefit to Living Downtown
Main Street Until recently, Main Street was more Mange Street, with whole blocks of poor wandering souls, piss and construction rubble. It didn’t matter that most of downtown was roaring ahead during the last decade. Without a focus, downtown’s streets were merely loose threads leading to theaters, stadiums, clubs, new…
Best Martini
Mo Mong When it comes to martinis, all it takes is gin, vermouth and an olive or three. But if you’re looking for something special, you won’t find a better twist on the classic than the infusion martinis at this Montrose-area Vietnamese hot spot. Mo Mong’s martinis are dry and…
Best Ceviche
Pezcalato Peruvian Restaurant If you think ceviche means rubbery chunks of mystery fish in a lime juice marinade, Pezcalato is going to spoil you. When you order ceviche at this mom-and-pop Peruvian restaurant on Richmond, you have to specify your fish. There’s grouper or snapper ceviche ($14 a plate) or…
Best Seafood Restaurant
Denis’ Seafood House There are lots of seafood restaurants in Houston, but most are part of some chain or another. Hence we are served the same salmon, mahimahi and tilapia here on the Gulf Coast that they get in Sheboygan. But Denis’ Seafood House is different. Like some of our…
Best Buddhist Temple
Jade Buddha Temple Buddhism does not begin with the most hopeful of premises — that all life is suffering — but if you’ve ever battled evening rush hour on the Southwest Freeway, you realize Siddhartha Gautama knew what he was talking about. Do yourself a favor and jump off at…
Best Place to Pretend You’re Famous
The LounGe on Montrose Here, Trent Steele got everything he needed — when he needed it (see “How to Be Famous,” April 29). VIP table with a view of the crowd? Check. Cup of cherries? Check. Confused admiration? Check. Witty insult from a woman who thought he was an asshole?…
Best Service
Tony’s Tony’s is the final flaming star in the celestial Tony Vallone empire. Since the sale of his other restaurants to Tilman Fertitta, Vallone has concentrated on his “baby.” And the waitstaff at Tony’s is even more attentive, efficient and knowledgeable than it was in the glory days. The restaurant’s…
Best Doughnuts
Christy’s Doughnuts Spanish and English mingle easily in this Montrose corner shop. Smiles and morning banter come easily, too; cops and kids mix with every-darned-day regulars who sip coffee and take the entire morning to read the paper, and if your server thinks you’re cute, he might throw a couple…
Best Sports Columnist
Jonathan Feigen As streaky and uneven as the Rockets’ 2003-2004 season was, Houston Chronicle readers could count on NBA beat writer Jonathan Feigen to get his touches and make it look sweet without fail. Sports writing is a province inherently booby-trapped with clichés. West Coast late games, repetitious seasons and…
Best Strip Club
The Men’s Club You can go to any club and get rejected by that sweaty college girl with the limp hair in her eyes. You know the routine: The drinks will make you broke and the DJ will play techno that was old last year. So why not try a…
Best Set Design
Infernal Bridegroom Productions’ Symphony of Rats Stepping into the Axiom theater for Symphony of Rats was like entering an attic from another world. In a place where presidents receive messages from robots — who make bubbles and smoke cigarettes as they discuss philosophical constructs — Infernal Bridegroom’s production of Richard…
Best Radio Station
KPFT/90.1 FM It’s tempting to play the contrarian and give this award to some other spot on the dial, but KPFT is simply the best station in town. No other station has as much variety; blues, zydeco, rock en español, jazz, several forms of rock, world music, old-school Tejano and…
Best Spectacles/Glasses/Optometry
Spectacles on Montrose Like the librarian type? Then pop out those contact lenses, man. LASIK is vanity, but eyewear is fashion, and the folks at this friendly boutique can fix you up with the sexiest specs in town. Spectacles on Montrose offers a sprawling variety of über-chic styles, and owners…
Best Pawnshop
Valu The most oft-used phrase inside these four walls must be “They don’t know what they have.” If they did, they’d be certified eBay millionaires. Think you’re too cool for a stinking pawnshop? Maybe a drill, a gun, an obsolete stereo and a copy of Predator 2 on Beta aren’t…
Best Local Boy Gone Bad
Jeff Skilling Hey, Jeff: Nobody’s dissin’ you for that little mess known as Enron. Hell, you jumped in as CEO and jacked ’em up — shareholders, small-fry workers and anybody else you could boost — for a few hundred million. But so did the rest of the gang. That act,…
Best Vintage Clothing
Retropolis From the sidewalk, Retropolis looks like a sliver among the boutiques and antique shops on the Heights’ main drag — a skinny little closet of a boutique worth a quick peek on your way to the nearby gelato parlor. But step inside, walk up the wood-plank stairs at the…
Best Local Designer
Tina Knowles Destiny’s Child has an image and a style that’s recognized worldwide. In her new book, Destiny’s Style, Tina Knowles, the creator of the world-famous Destiny’s Child look, shares her (and the group’s) shopping, sewing and lifestyle secrets. Her designs have graced the covers of such magazines as In…
Best Flea Market
Flea Market Row Driving up Airline past I-45 and 610 on a Sunday afternoon, you might think you’re approaching a Rolling Stones concert or a sold-out Houston Texans game. But nope. You would have known if the Stones were coming to town, and the Texans play in that building down…
Playbill
Charlie Robison, at the Ziegenbock Festival Not that long ago it seemed like Charlie Robison was going to single-handedly change Nashville and country music. Instead of playing the it’s-all-good, speak-no-evil, how’s-my-wardrobe-look game, Robison was great copy. He once called Brad Paisley “that little moron” and started a huge brouhaha by…
Meatball Politics
Frank Mancuso demonstrates his bib technique as we shuffle along with all the other people in line for lunch at Whitney Oaks Hall. The giant building just off Crosstimbers near the junction of I-45 and Loop 610 is the home of the Sacred Heart Society’s Thursday spaghetti lunch. Frank ties…
Best New Club
The Meridian Sure, this pagoda-studded hulk may look like the Chinese seafood warehouse that it once was, and yeah, it might be pretty hard to find the door to the place, but the Meridian is bringing in a lot of acts, from the remnants of the MC5 to Gavin DeGraw…
Best Radio News
KPFT/90.1 FM Car crashes and warehouse fires are dramatic on TV, but they’re way boring to listen to on the radio. So why do so many of the conservative news affiliates on the AM dial waste their time on them? They’re scared to tackle issues that might offend those who…
Best Sunday-Night Party
Sundown at The Social “And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day.” So reads the second chapter of King James’s Genesis, though the Sabbath crowd at The Social in the Heights apparently didn’t get the memo. Criminally sexed-up…
Best Midtown Lounge
The Red Door Lounges seem to be popping up all over Midtown, but the Red Door has managed to stand firm in the capricious scene. Once you pass the eponymous port of entry, you find yourself surrounded by attractive twentysomethings who are dressed to impress and sloshed to excess. They…
Our thanks go out to the urban survivalists who endured the construction and found these Categories We Forgot
Best Bar Atmosphere Red Lion Pub, 2316 S. Shepherd, 713-782-3030 Best Bloody Mary Mary’s, 1022 Westheimer, 713-527-9669 Best Dance Event Barnevelder Movement/Art Center’s Big Range Dance Festival Best French Fries Barnaby’s Cafe, 604 Fairview, 713-522-0106; and other locations Best Irish Pub Brian O’Neill’s, 5555 Morningside, 713-522-2603, www.brianoneills.com Best Karaoke Karaoke…
Best Bar Name
Hard Times and Misery Saloon A couple of blocks west of Jack Johnson Boulevard squats this neighborhood bar, which rivals a Mexican cantina called El Higado No Existe (“The Liver Doesn’t Exist”) and a rough pub in Lancashire called Dr. Syntax as the very best bar name we’ve ever come…
Best Benefit to Living Downtown
Main Street Until recently, Main Street was more Mange Street, with whole blocks of poor wandering souls, piss and construction rubble. It didn’t matter that most of downtown was roaring ahead during the last decade. Without a focus, downtown’s streets were merely loose threads leading to theaters, stadiums, clubs, new…
Best Brain
William Martin With the presidential campaign season upon us, there’s much talk of reds and blues, hawks and doves, and right and wrong. And while it’s been nearly a decade since With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America was first published, the cultural tome…
Best Democrat
State Representative-elect Alma Allen Democratic State Representative Ron Wilson reeked of political arrogance long before he joined the Tom DeLay-led redistricting drive, which will further reroute much-needed state help from the inner-city District 131. Wilson thumbed his nose at the people who needed him most; he even hurled savage taunts…
Best Identity Crisis
Bill White He’s a lawyer-turned-businessman and Bill Clinton’s former deputy secretary of energy. He was able to attract prominent Republicans to his campaign for mayor, and he won 62 percent of the vote in the runoff that got him elected. But who is Bill White? Is he the liberal Clinton…
Best Popsicles
La Paletera Picture a Dreamsicle made with fresh fruit and real cream, and you can begin to imagine what La Paletera’s Mexican popsicles taste like. Except they call them paletas, and they only have one stick. Unlike American popsicle makers, La Paletera never uses artificial flavorings or frozen fruit pulp…
Best Onion Rings
Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar These ain’t your Jack in the Box fried rings. Fleming’s stacks a towering plate about six inches high with fresh, thick slices of white onions fried lightly so they’re crispy on the outside and juicy inside. The golden batter — made from Japanese bread…
Best Window-Shopping
The Galleria While the fashionistas burn up Daddy’s credit card and waddle under the weight of their bagged purchases, you’ll be the practical one. There’s no guilt when it comes to window-shopping, and the Galleria is the hottest spot for it. All the names are here: Betsey Johnson, Kenneth Cole,…
Best Kids’ Clothes
Andree’s Corner This consignment store is no secret to thrifty Inner Loop ‘rents. Located at the busy corner of Kirby and Sunset, it has trendy items for every stage of a kid’s life. Andree’s knows every mommy (and daddy) needs more time, so the old house is divided into different…
Best Brunch
Backstreet Cafe The recipe for a successful brunch should include the following: excellent food (particularly egg dishes), great drinks, great atmosphere, live jazz and stellar service. Backstreet Cafe delivers on all of these. Plus, you have a choice of where you’d like to enjoy the best meal of the week:…
Best Neighborhood Spot in the Village
El Meson Assuming you can find a parking spot in the Rice Village, you’ll find the air-conditioned cave that is El Meson a most relaxing treat. Always start with a tangy margarita (they go like gangbusters at cocktail hour). Then decide what you’re in the mood for: Cuban? Spanish? Mexican?…
Best Expense-Account Restaurant
O’Rourke’s Steak House Owners John O’Rourke and Sam Hernandez grill a mean steak, but this Museum District eatery also sports some fabulous stuffed potatoes, divine salads and hearty seafood, like Chilean sea bass and Australian rock lobster tails. A fairly extensive wine list, a piano player, superb service and a…
Best Delivery
Takeout Taxi For those times when getting dressed to go out takes too much effort and yet you’re tired of zapping your food, you may think your only option is Domino’s or Chinese. But you don’t have to settle for oversalty kung pao chicken or limp pizza ever again, since…
Best Public Tennis Courts
Wier Park Nothing sucks more than diving for that ace and getting your foot caught in some crevice or unevenly paved portion of the tennis court. You need a good, level playing field if you’re gonna do your opponent like Andy Roddick, right? Well, you can’t go wrong with Wier…
Best Texan
Seth Payne You gotta love a defensive lineman with a name like Payne, and the Texans’ Seth Payne lives up to the moniker. At least when he’s on the field. Unfortunately for Houston fans, the defensive tackle has suffered as much pain as he’s inflicted, spending most of the 2003…
Best Place for an After-Work Jog
Rice University The obvious choice would be Memorial Park, but there’s something alternately peaceful and invigorating about doing a lap around Rice University. For starters, you’ve got that lovely canopy of trees providing shade along the dirt path. And peeking out through the foliage, you’ll occasionally catch sight of downtown…
Best Band Name
Toaster Oven Nightmare Squad We like names that give us some kind of picture. That’s why we like Toaster Oven Nightmare Squad. Toaster ovens are, by their very nature, nightmarish contraptions. It seems like every time we use one, we burn our food or start a fire. And that’s why…
Best Place to Pretend You’re in the Hill Country
Blanco’s Living inside the Loop, it’s easy to forget you’re in Texas. In parts of Midtown, it’s easier to trick yourself into thinking you’re in Saigon; in parts of the Second and Sixth wards it’s easy to believe you’re in Puebla or Matamoros. But what about Texas? For that, you’ll…
Best Zoo Animal
Babirusa What if you found a stud with tusks growing vertically upward through his upper jaw, piercing the flesh on his snout and arching backward to a length of up to 12 inches? And what if he was a vegetarian? From Indonesia? Wouldn’t he be the perfect bad boy to…
Best Oysters
Gilhooley’s Raw Bar Gilhooley’s, which has been described by its detractors as a biker bar, has an admittedly rough-hewn ambience. Signs on the wall that prohibit the admittance of children and encourage patrons to “show us your tits” probably don’t impress the Mobil Travel Guide folks much. But Gilhooley’s has…
Best Wings
Wing Stop Chicken wings fly out of this Dallas-based franchise. After placing your order at the counter, be prepared to wait precisely 14 minutes, since everything is cooked fresh. Their original wings are similar to those at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York (which purportedly invented buffalo wings in…
Best Cajun Restaurant
Ragin’ Cajun It’s only right that our best Cajun restaurant has a giant fiberglass crawdad on its roof. The Ragin’ Cajun revels in its Southern shtick — from the newspaper place mats, to the heaping buckets of spicy mudbugs, to the just-crispy hush puppies and corn bread in red plastic…
Best Local TV News
KHOU-TV/Channel 11 In Houston, there’s local TV news, and then there’s KHOU-TV. Other stations fall into the stygian depths of endless, mindless crime stories (Channel 2) or have good intentions but lack the financial resources (Channel 39). KHOU has varied its formula very little over the years — solid beat…
Best Weathercaster
David Tillman Yo! Dude! What’s doin’ out yonder? Count on David Tillman to tell you, straight up. Houston has its multitudes of manic meteorologists — from the pretty-haired, fashion-plate “personalities” to the stern high school principal types — all dividing those dew-point decimals and spewing that nonsensical nomenclature about upper-level…
Best Cuban Restaurant
Cafe Piquet The local Cuban community may have been the first to discover Cafe Piquet when it opened in 1996, but today the secret’s out about this small, cozy eatery. The menu’s not long or extensive — Piquet specializes in a few traditional dishes that have won the hearts of…
Best Popsicles
La Paletera Picture a Dreamsicle made with fresh fruit and real cream, and you can begin to imagine what La Paletera’s Mexican popsicles taste like. Except they call them paletas, and they only have one stick. Unlike American popsicle makers, La Paletera never uses artificial flavorings or frozen fruit pulp…
Best Pool Hall
The Tavern on Gray Cutthroat, eight-ball, nine-ball — it doesn’t matter what game you play, or even if you’re any good. As long as you’ve got a buddy and a beverage, you’re gonna have fun playing pool at the Tavern, where happy hour is 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. every…
Best Art Gallery
Sicardi Gallery María Inés Sicardi started her gallery ten years ago, focusing on Latin American artists. The always carefully curated space has a history of introducing intriguing contemporary work and thoughtfully presenting lesser-known works by 20th-century masters (such as the elegantly awkward late sculptures of the Venezuelan artist Gego). On…
Best Latin Club
Club Tropicana You can hear the salsa pumping from almost a block away. Inside, Club Tropicana is chock-full of attractive patrons. The salsa, merengue and bachata (the spicy music from the Dominican Republic) throb compliments of perennial local stars Mi Rumba. DJ Salserin, who’s getting props around town for his…
Best Reading Series
Gulf Coast Reading Series Born from the Creative Writing Program at the University of Houston, the Gulf Coast Reading Series offers any hungry bibliophile a can’t-miss opportunity to witness up-and-coming literati before they hit the big time. Organized by (and featuring) graduate students from the UH program, the Gulf Coast…
Best Greek Restaurant
Mykonos Island Restaurant Forget the freezer. At Mykonos, every day is a shopping day for fish, shrimp and snapper, so the seafood is never more than 24 hours old. The baklava and custard are made every morning, too. The Greek sampler plate comes so heavily laden with Mediterranean favorites like…
Best Thai Restaurant
Kanomwan It’s like stumbling across a great noodle shop in the middle of Mexico. This East End legend offers no finery (plastic tablecloths, bare-bones walls) and barely there service, but the gai pad prig phao is some of the spiciest chicken and rice you’ll find anywhere. Stir-fried chicken breast slices…
Best Local Girl Gone Bad
Sharon Bush Sit down, Anna Nicole, there’s a new bad broad in town. Sharon Bush gives exes everywhere a bad name while elevating the whining-victim game to a new high (or low). Neil may not be the brightest Bush in the bunch, but even he couldn’t put up with her…
Best Art Supply Store
Texas Art Supply Longtime Houston staple Texas Art Supply wins by sheer volume. And since its only real competition — Montrose’s other locale for all things arty, Utrecht — shut its doors earlier this year, Texas Art reigns supreme in anything an artist needs: rubber stamps, canvases, paints, stencils, clay,…
Best Mechanic
Tracy Writers know their mechanics. Driving around this city in search of hot stories puts a lot of strain on our old jalopies. And most of us certainly aren’t getting rich, so we need a mechanic who’s honest and affordable. According to statistics, there are only about ten such folks…
Best Dog Trainer
Jim Burwell Rover Oaks Pet Resort offers boarding, grooming, classes and all the other amenities available at today’s high-end pet facilities. But more important than the expensive clippers and gourmet dog food is owner-founder Jim Burwell, who has an uncanny ability to communicate with dogs. Not some weird “dog guy,”…
Dead Good
“Ash is feeling a little bit under the weather, so I’ll be taking charge.” So says Shaun (Simon Pegg) to his valiant crew of appliance salespeople, but if you don’t get the real meaning, you’re probably not part of the target audience for Shaun of the Dead. Ash, for the…
Cottage Industry
The cottage pie ($7.95) at the Stag’s Head Pub (2128 Portsmouth, 713-533-1199) comes in its own oval serving dish. Finely minced beef sautéed with onions, carrots and seasonings is layered at the bottom of the dish, followed by a smooth layer of mashed potatoes, and then the whole thing is…
Best Band
The John Sparrow Mod rockers the John Sparrow have the sort of appeal that spans generations. If you’re a teenager or a twentysomething, they sound superhip. If you’re in your thirties or forties, they remind you of the Jam, and singer Kevin Richardson is fast becoming the American Paul Weller…
Best Microcinema
Aurora Picture Show The Aurora Picture Show is a holy trinity of art, media and fun. Located in a former church (the audience still sits in pews), the tiny Aurora Picture Show has presented film, video and installations by locally and nationally known artists since 1998. A desperately needed alternative…
Best Place to Be Glad You’re Alive
Houston Zoo Lions, tigers and bears, oh, my! Komodos, leopards and white alligators — even better! It’s hard not to feel giddy while roaming the Houston Zoo on a sunny day. After all, for $7 you can be instantly transported to the Serengeti, the Andes or the Australian Outback, gazing…
Best New Effort to Inject Culture into Houston
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Okay, maybe it’s not high culture that the Alamo Drafthouse is injecting into Houston, but they’re catering to film buffs who like their brew. The Alamo features independent films alongside Hollywood smash hits, underground classics like the Toxic Avenger series and plenty of Japanese anime. They serve…
Best New Construction
Downtown lofts “Adaptive reuse” is the fancy phrase used by builders to describe the process of renovating old buildings for new uses. It’s a simple idea that’s finally taking hold downtown, where old shells of former banks and office buildings are gutted and reconstructed for the adventurous urban dweller. We’re…
Best Place to Pretend You’re in the Hill Country
Blanco’s Living inside the Loop, it’s easy to forget you’re in Texas. In parts of Midtown, it’s easier to trick yourself into thinking you’re in Saigon; in parts of the Second and Sixth wards it’s easy to believe you’re in Puebla or Matamoros. But what about Texas? For that, you’ll…
Best Zoo Animal
Babirusa What if you found a stud with tusks growing vertically upward through his upper jaw, piercing the flesh on his snout and arching backward to a length of up to 12 inches? And what if he was a vegetarian? From Indonesia? Wouldn’t he be the perfect bad boy to…
Best Buddhist Temple
Jade Buddha Temple Buddhism does not begin with the most hopeful of premises — that all life is suffering — but if you’ve ever battled evening rush hour on the Southwest Freeway, you realize Siddhartha Gautama knew what he was talking about. Do yourself a favor and jump off at…
Best Place to Pretend You’re Famous
The LounGe on Montrose Here, Trent Steele got everything he needed — when he needed it (see “How to Be Famous,” April 29). VIP table with a view of the crowd? Check. Cup of cherries? Check. Confused admiration? Check. Witty insult from a woman who thought he was an asshole?…
Best Park
Cherryhurst Park Great parks don’t always come in big packages. In fact, some of the best neighborhoods wrap around intimate spaces where people meet over a picnic blanket, under an arching bough or across a newspaper and a park bench. Stroll down Missouri Street in the heart of the Montrose…
Best Bread
Central Market’s Irish soda bread Weighing in at well over a pound, the Irish soda bread at Central Market ($2.49) is an extremely dense, hearty and heavy loaf, especially since it’s compact in size — about that of a deflated volleyball. It’s leavened with baking soda (hence its name) and…
Best Bartender
Jen Eberhardt It’s all about attitude. And we’re talking about lack thereof. Jen has been serving up drinks at this Midtown watering hole for a couple of years now — without a trace of the I’m-hot-you’re-not poutiness that plagues other bars. Some drink-slingers around town will act all frazzled and…
Best Used CDs
Soundwaves So, yeah, the commercials are horrible and the Hummers a bit gauche, but when it comes to selling used CDs, Soundwaves reigns supreme. They offer as much as $5 for newer CDs, so it’s a good place to get the albums you never listen to off your hands –…
Best Bookstore
Half Price Books Half Price Books rules this town when it comes to getting quality reads on the cheap, and the Rice Village store is the chain’s monarch. Here you’ll find volumes on just about any subject imaginable — thanks to the area’s college students, who consistently trade in their…
Best Pizzeria
Star Pizza Star Pizza has been turning out perfect pies since 1976, and they do it every way possible: Chicago-style thick crust or New York-style thin crust; whole wheat or regular; vegetarian or meat lover’s; single topping or the kitchen sink. Because they sell so much of the stuff, the…
Best Downtown Restaurant
Bank Jean-Georges Hip, Manhattan-based Jean-Georges Vongerichten is to eateries what Carrie Bradshaw is to shoes. Both are on the cutting edge. We had high expectations when he brought his culinary charms to Houston with Bank at the Hotel Icon, and Jean-Georges has delivered with his artful combinations of fine ingredients…
Best Indian Restaurant
Restaurant Indika Indian fine dining reaches new heights at this enchanted cottage out on Memorial across from Town & Country Mall. Owner and head chef Anita Jaisinghani, who once worked at Cafe Annie, changes the meaning of samosas with a crab-stuffed version served with papaya-ginger chutney. Her answer to chicken…
Best Place to Buy Fish
Village Tropical Fish Don’t tell these guys you accidentally killed your kid’s pet goldfish — you’re not likely to get a laugh. The staffers at Village Tropical Fish think fish are people too and treat them like best friends. They can tell you what type of fish would be happiest…
Best Driving Range
Memorial Park If you’re going to spend your afternoon hitting dozens of little white balls over and over again, you might as well do it in a nice setting, right? As far as driving ranges go, the one at Memorial Park is so swank, you’ll be feeling like Tiger Woods…
Best Place to Walk Your Dog
Corner of Montrose and Allen Parkway Is your dog tired of walking around the same old block? Peeing on the same phone pole might be cool during the week, but when Saturday rolls around, your pooch wants some excitement. The park off the Eleanor Tinsley trail at the corner of…
Best Hidden Neighborhood
Japhet Say the words “Fifth Ward” to most Houstonians, and they’ll think crime, poverty and desperation. The neighborhood is infamous in song — everyone from bluesmen like Juke Boy Bonner to rappers like the Geto Boys has made music about the Bloody Fifth and its perils. The tiny pocket called…
Best Play-by-Play Announcer
Marc Vandermeer When the search began for a voice to call Texans games, folks round these parts figured we’d go local. Veteran sports TV/radio names like Russ Small and even Craig Roberts were brought up on talk radio and around water coolers. So it was near-blasphemy when Marc Vandermeer, a…
Best Garage Apartment
The Boulder For a garage apartment that really rocks, look no further than this one in a Southampton alley. It is, simply put, a giant gray boulder with windows. And it’s on Wrox-ton Street, so we suspect a pun. In a city with no zoning, all too often we end…
Best Place to Act Like a Japanese Schoolgirl
Super Happy Fun Land Tucked into a low-slung, lime-green bungalow in the Heights, a half-block down from a perpetually whirring metal-fence factory, Super Happy Fun Land is a Shangri-la of cute, zany dorkdom. Only here can you sit on a futon, snuggle with an array of custom sock monkeys and…
Best Margarita
Mi Cocina These folks are pushing the national frozen drink of Texas to dizzying new heights. The frozen mango margarita is quite good, with lots of rich tropical-fruit flavor and not too much sugar. The “mambo taxi,” made by alternating layers of frozen margarita and sangria, is excellent as well…
Best Veggie Burger
Rudyard’s A few years back Rudyard’s Pub was given Best Burger honors. This year we salute their burger sans viande. The generous, tasty and never-dry patty made from nature’s goodness sits on a perfectly toasted bun alongside crisp lettuce, ripe tomatoes and thin slivers of red onion. You call the…
Best Retro-Mex Restaurant
Felix An easel and a poster board have been set up in the lobby of Felix Mexican Restaurant at Westheimer and Montrose. Polaroids of loyal customers and their families are tacked up on the board, and each is accompanied by a caption that tells how many years they have been…
Best Suburban Mall
The Fountains in Stafford Malls all over Houston try to distinguish themselves in some way, but not many succeed. The Fountains, just past Beltway 8 on the Southwest Freeway, does better than most. There are the eponymous waterspouts, of course, but there’s also a semi-boardwalk along a small lake that…
Best Criminal Court Judge
Michael McSpadden, 209th District Court In an era of turnover on the benches, Judge Michael McSpadden provides a blessed balance for beleaguered citizens. He drew criticism in his early years for being an outspoken advocate on nearly every front — from voluntary castration options for sex offenders to depoliticizing the…
Best Mexican Restaurant
Hugo’s Don’t ask for chips and salsa, fajitas, nachos or any other of those familiar standards here. Chef and co-owner Hugo Ortega is a Mexican national who worked his way up from a busboy at Backstreet Cafe, and he doesn’t do Tex-Mex. At the upscale Mexican restaurant that bears his…
Best Bread
Central Market’s Irish soda bread Weighing in at well over a pound, the Irish soda bread at Central Market ($2.49) is an extremely dense, hearty and heavy loaf, especially since it’s compact in size — about that of a deflated volleyball. It’s leavened with baking soda (hence its name) and…
Best Comet
Sheryl Swoopes The Comets’ Sheryl Swoopes has jumped to a level of success guys like Yao Ming and Steve Francis can’t touch. She’s the first woman to have a Nike shoe named after her, and the WNBA’s first marketing campaign was built around her. She’s a two-time WNBA MVP and…
Best Bathroom Graffiti
Late Nite Pie Complete with bulging veins and a ribbon tied around the shaft, the penis drawn on the wall of the women’s restroom is accompanied by a message: “For those who pass through here this is a present for you.” It shares the wall with the usual political fare,…
Best Bar Games
Brian O’Neill’s So you’re at an Irish pub knocking back a pint of Guinness, checking out the beautiful people of Rice Village, when all of a sudden you look at your buddy and say, “I’m gonna sink your battleship!” Well, you can at Brian O’Neill’s, where they match great food…
Best Theater Season
Alley Theatre Most regional theaters would be delirious with a season that included just one recent Pulitzer Prize-winning play. But the Alley Theatre’s artistic director, Gregory Boyd, is not your typical AD. Last season he proved it by filling up his stages with some wonderfully controversial shows, including two Pulitzer-winners…
Best Place to Buy Coffee Beans
Central Market At Howard E. Butt’s megamart, Central Market, there are enough varieties of coffee beans to make Starbucks and Juan Valdez very jealous. The coffee buyers at Houston’s gourmet paradise scour the globe to bring you the finest in roasted bulk beans. Blends from Zimbabwe, Kenya and Ethiopia sit…
Best Jamaican Restaurant
Caribbean Cuisine When the kitchen door swings open and a cook carts out another tray of patties, all eyes are on the pies. The golden-brown pastries with pungent meat-and-vegetable fillings are as much a staple of the island nation as is reggae music. Patties come with every dish at Caribbean…
Best Local Boys Made Good
Eric Quill, Davey Arnaud (Kansas City Wizards), Chris Gbandi (Dallas Burn), Josh Gardner, Ricky Lewis (Los Angeles Galaxy), Rusty Pierce (New England Revolution), Nelson Akwari (Columbus Crew) and Arturo Alvarez (San Jose Earthquakes) Houston needs a Major League Soccer team. Just check the names above. All of these young men…
Best Barber
Salon Essie It’s been almost 20 years since Essie set off for a three-month vacation from Iran. She decided to stay here, and seven years ago, she opened her salon on Richmond. You’ll still catch the enchanting lilt of Farsi fluttering through the store in between casual banter with her…
Best Bar Food
Kenneally’s Irish Pub This authentic pub has a standard ol’-sod charm: Guinness pints and whiskey along the bar, dartists playing their game. And then there are the bright silver pizza trays atop their racks — scores of them. Of course, many bars offer complete menus, but Kenneally’s makes no pretensions:…
Best State Park
Brazos Bend State Park You’ll want to visit this park on a sunny day in February, and not just because the weather’s more palatable then. Winter’s the best time to catch the park’s main attraction: alligators. When the sun comes out, the gators rise to the top of the water…
Empty Sex
The best thing about A Dirty Shame, a giddy sex farce from John Waters, is the credits. What’s not to love about a list of characters that includes “Sylvia Stickles,” “Marge the Neuter,” “Fat Fuck Frank,” “Cow Patty” and “Tire Lick Boy”? The soundtrack, too, bears comic fruit, with songs…
BEST OF HOUSTON® 2004:
The rest of the country can nip and tuck, but Houston is getting a full-body overhaul. In the past year, light rail finally got up to speed, Mayor Bill White began reconstruction on his newly adopted city government, downtown’s heart and soul got its groove back, and our very own…
Best Jukebox
The Next Door The jukebox at Rudyard’s — next door to the Next Door, as it were — is no slouch, with its selection of alt-country, cool local tunes, classic jazz and rock and blues, but the one at this art gallery/bar has it beat. Though the art on the…
Best Museum
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston When the original Museum of Fine Arts in Houston opened its doors in 1924, it was the first art-museum building in Texas. Eighty years later, the MFAH is the grande dame of the local scene, holding court over a burgeoning contemporary shift in the…
Best CD by Local Musicians
Free Radicals’ Aerial Bombardment This jazzy, funky, hip-hoppity, experimental and dub-centric Houston collective never stays within the boundaries of a particular genre, and that’s only one of the things that make them so special. Their third CD, Aerial Bombardment, is a unique masterwork helmed by percussionist Nick Cooper and featuring…
Best Ballet
Divergence Houston Ballet is under construction while it morphs from longtime director Ben Stevenson’s baby into a balletic butterfly, compliments of new artistic director Stanton Welch. His restaging of an earlier work, 1994’s Divergence, blew the doors off the Wortham Theater Center and had balletomanes howling for weeks. Sandwiched into…
Best Contribution to Downtown Redevelopment
Metro light rail Okay, there are the accidents (mostly the fault of Houston drivers) and the occasionally backed-up traffic, but any new addition to the city that can increase mobility, cut pollution and get people back downtown is a winner to us. And with plans in the works to bring…
Best Garage Apartment
The Boulder For a garage apartment that really rocks, look no further than this one in a Southampton alley. It is, simply put, a giant gray boulder with windows. And it’s on Wrox-ton Street, so we suspect a pun. In a city with no zoning, all too often we end…
Best Place to Act Like a Japanese Schoolgirl
Super Happy Fun Land Tucked into a low-slung, lime-green bungalow in the Heights, a half-block down from a perpetually whirring metal-fence factory, Super Happy Fun Land is a Shangri-la of cute, zany dorkdom. Only here can you sit on a futon, snuggle with an array of custom sock monkeys and…
Best Local TV News
KHOU-TV/Channel 11 In Houston, there’s local TV news, and then there’s KHOU-TV. Other stations fall into the stygian depths of endless, mindless crime stories (Channel 2) or have good intentions but lack the financial resources (Channel 39). KHOU has varied its formula very little over the years — solid beat…
Best Weathercaster
David Tillman Yo! Dude! What’s doin’ out yonder? Count on David Tillman to tell you, straight up. Houston has its multitudes of manic meteorologists — from the pretty-haired, fashion-plate “personalities” to the stern high school principal types — all dividing those dew-point decimals and spewing that nonsensical nomenclature about upper-level…
Best Graffiti Artists
Meat and Verb Houston is not the best place in the world to go graffiti hunting. Most of the cats out here are merely taggers with limited skill, or have no regard for art whatsoever. But we do have a couple of superstars who take their work seriously — and…
Best Kabobs
Bijan You order at a walk-up counter, but the high ceilings and polished marble floors at this Persian kebaberie give the place an upscale feel. Tops on the menu is the chelo kebab barg, consisting of garlicky lamb chunks grilled on a skewer until they have a little char on…
Best Bakery
French Gourmet Bakery French Gourmet Bakery serves up a bounty of goodies: warm loaves of cinnamon-apple bread, strudels, decadent chocolate cakes (great for parties) and box lunches containing buttery croissants with chicken salad. Need treats for the office or classroom? You can’t beat the fresh cupcakes slathered in homemade frosting…
Best Clothes for Your Dog
Haute 2 Trot If your pooch is tired of being in the doghouse of fashion, browse the Web site of local canine couture outfit Haute 2 Trot. Founded four years ago by interior designer Elise Winslow Kelly after she couldn’t find any decent clothes for her pampered Chinese crested, Haute…
Best Vegetarian Restaurant
Shiva Indian Restaurant From the saag paneer to the rice pudding, this Rice Village spot and its Sugar Land cousin serve up some of the best vegetarian Indian food around. Fun Indian decor and soothing music, along with good spinach pakora, creamy curry with rice and fresh-baked nan add to…
Best Comfort Food
Avalon Diner “Justly famous since 1938” isn’t just a marketing phrase for this classic River Oaks joint, which has spawned two offspring. The food here is just like Mom’s, and it will fill your tummy. Old-style drugstore hot dogs and hamburgers (the drippy kind) crowd the menu, along with thick…
Best Korean Restaurant
Green Pine Tree Bar & Grill This friendly Korean sushi bar and barbecue joint gives you your choice of sitting out in the middle of the action at one of the barbecue grill tables, or hiding away in a private dining nook. The barbecue table has a gas grill recessed…
Best Mexican Bakery
Arandas Bakery Sure, the breads are delish, but it’s the sweets that get us salivating every time we walk in the door of an Arandas Bakery. The place is truly Tex-Mex, featuring a variety of desserts from Mexico and the States — although, when it comes down to it, most…
Best Sports Hairdo
Jeff Van Gundy, Houston Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy must be getting a lot more sleep now that all-star baller Tracy McGrady has joined the Rockets. Gone are his signature darkened eyes, which made him look like he hadn’t slept since Houston won its last title in ’95. Also…
Best Place for a Pickup Game
Fonde Community Center We give this place props for being a decent recreation center and an amazingly good spot to watch or play a little afternoon ball. Here’s the draw: With the cost of NBA tickets going from obscene to laughable, there may be no better spot in the state…
Best Light Rail Station
Ensemble/HCC Keep your fancy downtown fountains. Forget about the convenience of the Medical Center stops, which allow you to forgo the horror of trying to park there. The best station along Metro’s light rail line is, hands down, the Ensemble/HCC stop. The “HCC” stands for Houston Community College, an often-overlooked…
Best Putt-Putt
The Putting Edge Where have you gone, Malibu Mini Golf? Our city turns its lonely eyes to you. What’s that, you say? Mountasia Golf has left and gone away? Of Houston’s once-glorious mini-golf trifecta of Mountasia, Malibu and Celebration Station, only Celebration Station remains. Thankfully, locals wanting some pizzazz in…
Best Apartment
The Norman Now here’s a place we can see Mr. Ralph Furley holding court. It’s the perfect backdrop for Jack tripping, Chrissy bouncing and Janet, well, doing whatever the hell it is Janet does. With its palm trees and mustard-yellow detailing, the Norman looks like it’s been transported through a…
Best Place to Hang Out with Local Rock Stars
Poison Girl Little more than a hole-in-the-hot-pink-wall of a lower Westheimer strip center — and a brand-new hole at that — Poison Girl has quickly become the it spot for Houston’s Inner Loop punk, indie and hard rock crowd. Not as downright scary as Lola’s, nor as off-puttingly hipsterish as…
Best Cabrito
El Hidalguense Baby goat is incredibly tasty and tender. Old goat is not. At El Hidalguense, it’s not hard to guess which they serve. Their cabrito is offered in one of two ways: naked or dressed. The naked version, cabrito asado al pastor ($17.99) is simply skewered and grilled, infused…
Best Burger
Christian’s Tailgate Bar & Grill Swaddled in tissue paper and laid in a plastic cradle full of french fries, this burger seems to glow. Maybe it’s just the grease sheen on the upper bun reflecting the fluorescent lights. Or maybe there really is an aura surrounding the burgers at the…
Best Late-Night Restaurant
Mai’s The bars have closed, and the munchies have your stomach growling — roaring — for something more than just a burger from a drive-thru window. Although late-night dining used to be an oxymoron in Houston, now there are a bunch of spots in the downtown area. Judging by its…
Best Houston Info on the Web
www.cityofhouston.gov Just enter your zip code, and www.cityofhouston.gov will list your nearest libraries, parks and police stations. But what’s really entertaining about this site is the Super Neighborhoods section. Its demographics breakdown is a trivia buff’s dream, with census information split into fascinating tidbits. Want to know how many Asians…
Best Place to Meet People with Large Discretionary Incomes
The Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa Need some funding for your new nonprofit group? Common sense dictates that you not hit up your would-be benefactor during the week. But don’t bug him at the office either; that’s what everyone does. Better to chat him up during a leisurely game of…
Best Restaurant
Aries When the editors of Food & Wine chose Aries chef Scott Tycer as one of the top ten new chefs in the country last year, they pegged Aries as part of a national movement. Highly trained chefs such as Tycer who run their own small restaurants are bringing kitchen…
Best Musical
TUTS’s Thoroughly Modern Millie Richard Morris and Dick Scanlan’s Tony Award-winning Thoroughly Modern Millie is the sort of charming musical that comes along too rarely. And Theatre Under the Stars’ summer production at the Hobby Center offered Houston audiences an especially electrifying theater experience. Combining romance, intrigue and some unexpected…
Best Stadium Announcer
Bob Ford It’s a summer Sunday in Houston, early in the afternoon. Translation: The air’s sweltering, and the sunlight’s blinding. There’s a vast expanse of green grass surrounded by steel and concrete, and a sweating mass of human bodies waiting. A voice comes booming out over the latest Britney Spears…
Best Mural
Paul Mewis Law Office Houston is home to many beautifully painted murals, some by noted artists. The backside of Paul Mewis’s small building isn’t one of them — but this crude hodgepodge depicting the horrors — and humor — of the justice system is precisely the kind of soulful native…
Best Summer Respite
The Light Inside Oppressive, unceasing brightness got you down? The depths of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will lift you up with the shadiest spot in the state of Texas this side of a Tom DeLay PAC. Burrowed beneath Main Street, this James Turrell installation is our choice when…
Best Patio
La Strada Perched above one of the noisiest areas of Westheimer, the second-floor patio at the newly remodeled La Strada is classy, casual and deliciously above it all. It offers a roof to shield patrons from the sun, track lighting to cut the darkness, and piped-in air conditioning and ceiling…
Best Steak House
Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse Nearly two inches thick, the USDA Prime New York strips here strike a perfect balance between flavor and tenderness. The three-pound Maine lobster, which comes split and shelled with a bowl of drawn butter sitting atop a candle-heated warmer, is spectacular. The salads are huge and…
Best Middle Eastern Restaurant
Cafe Lili Lebanese Grill One reason we like Cafe Lili better than the strictly halal Middle Eastern restaurants over on Hillcroft is that you can get a Heineken or a glass of wine with dinner. But that doesn’t mean that the food is any less delicious. In fact, there is…
Best Spectacle
Wish’s Club It’s amazing what people will do inside a shadow box. Hidden by frosted glass with a red light behind them, otherwise distinguished women will take it all off for the sake of a little harmless exhibitionism. Elsewhere in the bar, couples embrace tenderly and not so tenderly –…
Best Music Store
Cactus Music and Video Regulars stop by Cactus to browse used vinyl and check out the magazines, clothing and rock-music action figurines. They also show up when local or touring musicians drop by to perform. Oh, yeah, and they go to Cactus to buy CDs. During the past 12 months,…
Best Gamble for Junk
The Guild Shop Walking through the doors of the Guild Shop is like being on stage with Monte Hall. On the price tags you’ll find three prices. Next to each price is a date. The price goes down as the dates progress. So if you think you can hold out…
Best Wine Store
Christopher’s Fine Wines The former Christopher’s Wine Warehouse may have a new name and location, but the selection, ambience and staff expertise carry on in the tradition of excellence that longtime customers appreciate. Christopher Massie has been in the business for 20 years, so he knows his stuff. And if…
Shallow Pop
Mr. 3000 has low aspirations, which suits it well. It’s about a 47-year-old baseball player trying to get three meager hits and the team for which he plays trying to climb out of fifth place and into third by the season’s rapidly approaching end. Not much to root for, is…
Best Bar Decor
Under the Volcano Taking its cue from the Malcolm Lowry novel of the same name, Under the Volcano is a colorfully riotous celebration of El Día de los Muertos — the Day of the Dead — all year round. As you walk in, there’s a glassed-in shrine to recent notables…
Best Dancers
Barbara Bears and Andrew Murphy What a way to bounce back after a baby. Barbara Bears returned to Houston Ballet’s stage this season after a two-year hiatus, and she’s looking stronger than ever, and her dancing is consequently more expressive. For fans who thought they had seen the last of…
Best Artist
Robert Pruitt The man is ubiquitous. The Contemporary Arts Museum, DiverseWorks, Lawndale Art Center, Project Row Houses, OneTen Studios, you name it — Pruitt has shown his work just about everywhere in town that has an available wall. His series of “Black Stuntman” cartoons chronicles the life of a hapless…
Best Modern Dance Company
Dominic Walsh Dance Theater The adorable and talented Nicky Walsh bids ballet adieu as he bows out of Houston Ballet after a 15-year career. But that’s great news for his two-year-old company, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, which was named one of the top 25 companies to watch in Dance Magazine…
Best Piano Bar
Leon’s Lounge Piano bars should be divey, but also have a touch of class. There should be history and mystery in the air. You should be able to envision yourself as Humphrey Bogart, and that shapely woman at the bar as Ingrid Bergman. They should inspire you to think up…
Best Parade
Art Car Parade This year’s parade, the 17th, featured a dragon, a cadre of Elvises and a giant George W. Bush thrusting his pelvis into a big globe. Whether you like the downright wacky entries or the ones with a little more edge, you can’t help but admire the art…
Best Apartment
The Norman Now here’s a place we can see Mr. Ralph Furley holding court. It’s the perfect backdrop for Jack tripping, Chrissy bouncing and Janet, well, doing whatever the hell it is Janet does. With its palm trees and mustard-yellow detailing, the Norman looks like it’s been transported through a…
Best Place to Hang Out with Local Rock Stars
Poison Girl Little more than a hole-in-the-hot-pink-wall of a lower Westheimer strip center — and a brand-new hole at that — Poison Girl has quickly become the it spot for Houston’s Inner Loop punk, indie and hard rock crowd. Not as downright scary as Lola’s, nor as off-puttingly hipsterish as…
Best Suburban Mall
The Fountains in Stafford Malls all over Houston try to distinguish themselves in some way, but not many succeed. The Fountains, just past Beltway 8 on the Southwest Freeway, does better than most. There are the eponymous waterspouts, of course, but there’s also a semi-boardwalk along a small lake that…
Best Criminal Court Judge
Michael McSpadden, 209th District Court In an era of turnover on the benches, Judge Michael McSpadden provides a blessed balance for beleaguered citizens. He drew criticism in his early years for being an outspoken advocate on nearly every front — from voluntary castration options for sex offenders to depoliticizing the…
Best Mussels
Farrago For a complete Farrago mussel experience, lean over the large bowl of steaming shells and inhale the broth when the dish comes to your table. If you close your eyes, you’ll be transported to an exotic locale. Open them, and you’ll find yourself at the bright little spot in…
Best Martini
Mo Mong When it comes to martinis, all it takes is gin, vermouth and an olive or three. But if you’re looking for something special, you won’t find a better twist on the classic than the infusion martinis at this Montrose-area Vietnamese hot spot. Mo Mong’s martinis are dry and…
Best Place to Get a Tint Job and a Taco
Adas Window Tint Pimpin’ ain’t easy, least of all when it comes to your ride. If you’ve got to score your ground effects in Pasadena, your alloys in Tomball and your LEDs and hydraulics in Katy, you might not have time to brake for lunch. That’s why today’s busy gangstas…
Best Tobacco Shop
My Cigar Shop: Cigar Factory Sure, there are a lot of tobacconists around town who have nicer stores and more selection than Reno Bayo, but the man wins out because of the little things. His shop is nestled in a strip center between a pedicure place and a tattoo shop,…
Best New Restaurant
T’afia T’afia, the starkly minimalist Midtown restaurant run by star chef Monica Pope, is named after a Mediterranean beverage that’s made by marinating fruit in a mixture of wine and spirits. The bar offers several varieties of these innovative cocktails, and they’re incredibly refreshing. So are Pope’s high ideals. Her…
Best Long Lunch
La Griglia No longer a Vallone enterprise (it’s now part of Fertitta Land), La Griglia is still the extended-power-luncheon hot spot. Its funky decor never distracts from the patrons — this is, after all, Houston’s prime see-and-be-seen locale — but the food ain’t half bad, either. The bread basket, with…
Best Meat-and-Three Restaurant
Avenue Grill Cops, firefighters and EMS types flock to this time-honored cafeteria across the street from Central Police Supply. The cranberry carpet is well worn, and the wood paneling and tile ceiling have seen better days. But the Avenue Grill prides itself on its “greasy spoon” reputation. The television is…
Best Liquor Store
Spec’s Liquor Where else in Houston can you get a case of Guatemalan lager, a bottle of Italian Pinot Grigio, a towering pastrami sandwich and a big, stinky Arturo Fuente Churchill cigar for the ride home? Nowhere, that’s where. In fact, calling Spec’s a “liquor store” is like calling the…
Best Bowling Alley
Palace Lanes It was the great Walter Sobchak who said, “Smokey, this is not Nam. This is bowling. There are rules.” At Palace Lanes, the only rule is this: Have fun. And with 44 lanes and cool-colored balls, it’s impossible not to. You won’t pay an arm and a leg…
Best Sports Bar
PJ’s Too many sports bars make us feel like we’re in some kind of sports kaleidoscope. You can’t look to either side of the screen immediately in front of you, because there’s yet another TV with yet another distracting game. It’s almost enough to make you puke. Not so at…
Best Landmark
The Astrodome The cavernous old stadium once billed as the “Eighth Wonder of the World” is still embedded in the heads of out-of-towners as a symbol of Houston. So what if it’s mostly used for monster-truck demos and high school football games? It’s 5,000 metric tons of history in a…
Best Gay Bar
JR.’s JR.’s is a standby in the Houston gay community — for more than a decade, it’s been the place to go for a good buzz and the hook-up that often follows. With its sexy ranch-house atmosphere, $2.50 domestics and other notoriously cheap drinks, beefcake dick dancers in tight shorts,…
Best Community Newspaper
Examiner Newspaper Group Publishing a local paper in tony River Oaks and West University presents special challenges. How do you entice readers who have The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal delivered to their doorsteps? Such was the challenge publisher George Boehme and editor Edwin Henry faced in…
Best Architect
Rives Taylor Complete with round spectacles, bow tie, close-cropped beard and hard hat, Rives Taylor looks the part of a master builder. Taylor studied at Rice University, where he now teaches sustainability and eco-friendly architecture classes (he also teaches at the University of Houston). As the head architect for the…
Best Mariscos
Tampico Seafood & Cocina Mexicana There are a lot of Mexican seafood restaurants in Houston, but none is as consistent as Tampico. Named after the seaside city on the Mexican Gulf Coast, this little oyster bar and grill has brought the best of our neighbor’s seafood traditions to the north…
Best Dim Sum
Kim Son When you crave steamed pockets of Asian goodness, a drive to Kim Son’s Stafford location is more reasonable than a 14-hour flight to the Orient. Truth is, once seated and eating at Kim Son, you might start believing you’ve left the United States. The palatial neo-Chinese-style restaurant and…
Best Barbecue Restaurant
Reid’s Bar-B-Que Eddie Reid opened this place with her husband, James Reid, in 1968. James passed away nine years ago, and now Eddie runs the establishment with her son, James, who learned to cook at his father’s side. The brisket and ribs are smoked in the classic East Texas African-American…
Best Place for a First Date
Uptown Sushi The point of a first date is to ascertain whether to have a second one. You’re too nervous to relax. Your chances of scoring are slim. And don’t even think about bringing your A material — for all you know, your date has a Catholic-priest uncle and wouldn’t…
Best Civil Court Judge
James D. Squier, 312th District Court Family courtroom legal brawls can be especially vicious. But Judge James Squier, who got his start coaching in Pasadena’s school district, has seen it all. He’s paid his dues during a solid decade on the bench, along with 20 years of practice as an…
Best Mussels
Farrago For a complete Farrago mussel experience, lean over the large bowl of steaming shells and inhale the broth when the dish comes to your table. If you close your eyes, you’ll be transported to an exotic locale. Open them, and you’ll find yourself at the bright little spot in…
Best Driving Range
Memorial Park If you’re going to spend your afternoon hitting dozens of little white balls over and over again, you might as well do it in a nice setting, right? As far as driving ranges go, the one at Memorial Park is so swank, you’ll be feeling like Tiger Woods…
Best Texan
Seth Payne You gotta love a defensive lineman with a name like Payne, and the Texans’ Seth Payne lives up to the moniker. At least when he’s on the field. Unfortunately for Houston fans, the defensive tackle has suffered as much pain as he’s inflicted, spending most of the 2003…
Best Talk Radio Host
Jim Rome “Pimp in the box, what is up? Thanks for the vine, Rome, Houston Press here — first time, long time. Way back, in fact, from the early days on the Mighty 690 with Smacksaw Hamilton. ‘Show us your lightning bolt!’ Anyway, V-Smack, it’s been an epic run of…
Best Place for Cocktails
The Lounge at benjy’s The upstairs lounge at this Rice Village restaurant offers eight specialty martinis, strawberry-infused vodka and great chilled sake. But more than fantastic drinks, it has the perfect cocktail-lounge atmosphere: swank, sexy and fun. From the low-slung leather couches to the mod pale blue barstools to the…
Best New Club
The Meridian Sure, this pagoda-studded hulk may look like the Chinese seafood warehouse that it once was, and yeah, it might be pretty hard to find the door to the place, but the Meridian is bringing in a lot of acts, from the remnants of the MC5 to Gavin DeGraw…
Best Delivery
Takeout Taxi For those times when getting dressed to go out takes too much effort and yet you’re tired of zapping your food, you may think your only option is Domino’s or Chinese. But you don’t have to settle for oversalty kung pao chicken or limp pizza ever again, since…
Best Bistro
Mockingbird Bistro and Wine Bar Fresh Texas ingredients meet French Provence recipes at John Sheely’s neighborhood eatery. Inside the eclectic yet comfy confines of this restaurant, you’ll find some of the heartiest and tastiest choices around. “Bistro” generally implies a small cafe serving down-home food, but these eats aren’t Mom…
Best Local Girl Made Good
Solange Knowles With her debut record, Solo Star, and a role in the major motion picture Johnson Family Vacation, Houston’s other Knowles — Solange — is busy punching her way out from big sis Beyoncé’s shadow. Her recent appearances on Today and Sharon Osbourne, along with her performances on Soul…
Best Window-Shopping
The Galleria While the fashionistas burn up Daddy’s credit card and waddle under the weight of their bagged purchases, you’ll be the practical one. There’s no guilt when it comes to window-shopping, and the Galleria is the hottest spot for it. All the names are here: Betsey Johnson, Kenneth Cole,…
Best Installation
Chapel at Live Oaks Friends Meeting House If you think James Turrell’s tunnel of colored light under the MFAH is cool, check out his chapel at Houston’s local Quaker meeting house in the Heights. Every Friday night, if the weather obliges, folks gather to see the “celestial vaulting,” as Turrell…
Best Sculpture Garden
The Artery Visit the Artery during the day, and it looks at first glance like an enclave for a neighborhood crack dealer. Surrounded by a dense thicket of hackberry trees and a rusting chain-link fence, the lot in the Museum District’s residential area is full of rubble. Indeed, works by…
Brothers in Arms
Already a monster hit in its native South Korea, Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War finally has come to America, and chances are everyone of Korean descent is already lining up to buy tickets. You should join them: Tae Guk Gi is not only one of the best films…
Best Jazz Club
Cezanne Sure, there are more glamorous spots to catch jazz in this town. You can delight in the sights of open-backed, little black dresses and power players at spots like Scott Gertner’s Skybar or Sambuca. But jazz has always been about the music. And traditional, straight-ahead fans have always flocked…
Best Dive
Ruthie’s Place Don’t let the modernist tin exterior fool you — inside the red door of this funky joint there beats the heart of a real dive. Amusements are minimal — sure, there’s a large-screen TV, a well-stocked jukebox and a pool table, but the main attraction is the unpretentious…
Best After-Hours Hangout
Late Nite Pie Sometimes the party just has to keep going, even after last call. And it’s always a good idea to drop something solid down your gullet before passing out. Late Nite Pie has one thing few other after-hours joints can offer: good food in the form of truly…
Best Movie Theater
Landmark River Oaks If you want stadium-style seating, 24 screens and convenient parking, this is not your movie theater. But if you care about the movies — if you actually go to watch the show, not to swivel back in your seat while the special effects whiz by — then…
Best Latin Club
Club Tropicana You can hear the salsa pumping from almost a block away. Inside, Club Tropicana is chock-full of attractive patrons. The salsa, merengue and bachata (the spicy music from the Dominican Republic) throb compliments of perennial local stars Mi Rumba. DJ Salserin, who’s getting props around town for his…
Best Green Building
Delaney Hall The “What would Jesus drive?” bumper stickers aren’t likely to be succeeded by “Where would Jesus hang?” varietals, but the question is nonetheless worth asking. If the Lord were to pick His favorite Houston building, He might choose Delaney Hall, the new earth-friendly addition to the Emerson Unitarian…
Best Community Newspaper
Examiner Newspaper Group Publishing a local paper in tony River Oaks and West University presents special challenges. How do you entice readers who have The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal delivered to their doorsteps? Such was the challenge publisher George Boehme and editor Edwin Henry faced in…
Best Architect
Rives Taylor Complete with round spectacles, bow tie, close-cropped beard and hard hat, Rives Taylor looks the part of a master builder. Taylor studied at Rice University, where he now teaches sustainability and eco-friendly architecture classes (he also teaches at the University of Houston). As the head architect for the…
Best Houston Info on the Web
www.cityofhouston.gov Just enter your zip code, and www.cityofhouston.gov will list your nearest libraries, parks and police stations. But what’s really entertaining about this site is the Super Neighborhoods section. Its demographics breakdown is a trivia buff’s dream, with census information split into fascinating tidbits. Want to know how many Asians…
Best Place to Meet People with Large Discretionary Incomes
The Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa Need some funding for your new nonprofit group? Common sense dictates that you not hit up your would-be benefactor during the week. But don’t bug him at the office either; that’s what everyone does. Better to chat him up during a leisurely game of…
Best Pho
Pho Nguyen There’s a whole lot of slurping going on at Pho Nguyen, where $4.50 gets you a regular-sized bowl of the heartwarming Vietnamese beef noodle soup known as pho. Don’t be put off by the ingredients of the 16 or so different kinds of soup available. Tripe, soft tendon…
Best Oysters
Gilhooley’s Raw Bar Gilhooley’s, which has been described by its detractors as a biker bar, has an admittedly rough-hewn ambience. Signs on the wall that prohibit the admittance of children and encourage patrons to “show us your tits” probably don’t impress the Mobil Travel Guide folks much. But Gilhooley’s has…
Best Head Shop
Smoke N’ Toke This place is the epitome of stoner chic. Spread out in five rooms of a converted house, the joint has an ample selection of pipes, bongs, hookahs, nargiles, dugouts, smoke stones, papers…hell, just about anything you could ever need to smoke your, um, stuff. The staff is…
Best Costume Shop
Arne’s Located in a spooky, red brick factory building in the industrial strip between Montrose and the Heights, Arne’s is the perfect department store for all of your ghoulish needs. Hike up the stairs and past the still-operating conveyor belt and you’ll find enough freakish fashion options to outfit an…
Best Ethiopian Restaurant
Blue Nile Ethiopian Restaurant Once the only Ethiopian eatery in town, Blue Nile now has some stiff competition. The new guys in town, Addisaba on De Moss Drive, are serving up some awesome yedoro wot. They also have a bar and a big-screen television set. But Blue Nile holds on…
Best ValueBest Value
Bombay Sweets & Pure Vegetarian Restaurant The $4.50 all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet here also includes crispy papadum and bubbly hot nan bread. You can use the straight-out-of-the-oven nan to shovel the luxuriously buttery saag paneer straight into your mouth. The lentil stews called dahls on the buffet line are extraordinary; there’s…
Best Chicken-Fried Steak
Barbecue Inn The batter-fried steak at this fabulous old Houston dining institution features the crunchiest crust and juiciest meat combination imaginable. The bright white cream gravy might be a tad sweet for some. It’s that old-fashioned variety that tastes like it was made with evaporated milk. The standard order comes…
Best High-End Resale Shop
Mid-Century Pavilion At a time when most hip furniture is inspired by the modernism of the ’50s and ’60s or by the clean lines of old-school Danish designers, why not head to Mid-Century Pavilion for the originals? Instead of dropping $2,000 for a Sam Cocker chair out of the pages…
Best Cheerleading Squad
Houston Texans cheerleaders When it was announced that Houston would finally get another franchise in 2001, we were ready. We were ready for dominant defense to punish quarterbacks and intimidate opposing teams. We were ready to take it to the Dallas Cowboys. And we were ready for new cheerleaders. The…
Best Astro
Adam Everett Back in the days before A-Rod and Carlos Guillen, shortstops were scrawny whippets who vacuumed up grounders but couldn’t break a lamp taking batting practice in a hotel lobby. Think Mark Belanger or Buddy Harrelson. The Astros’ Adam Everett is a throwback to those classic days, from the…
Best Place to People-Watch
The Galleria At last count, there were approximately 1.8 million stores in this sprawling monument to consumerism. The Galleria is an economic magnet that sucks folks from all kinds of places into its grip. This, combined with the sheer volume of retail outlets, makes the Galleria the prime spot in…
Best Place to Watch Wildlife in the Urban Jungle
Hermann Park For a great wildlife expedition that’ll fit into your lunch break, hop on the light rail and get off at Hermann Park. In addition to paddle boats and balloon vendors, the park’s pond and woody trails provide a habitat for more than 30 species of birds — and…
Best Window Display
Bailey Moore’s State Farm Insurance Office The fab window displays at this insurance office often go unnoticed. The unassuming building under U.S. 59 on Montrose might not grab your attention unless you were walking past it or stuck next to it in traffic due to all the construction. And the…
Best Neighborhood Association
Washington Terrace Civic Association Bordered by Alabama, Blodgett, Ennis, Cleburne and Almeda streets, the neighborhood of Washington Terrace, which surrounds Texas Southern University, is right smack in the middle of the redevelopment maelstrom gripping the Third Ward. Goal No. 1 is to preserve the fabric of the community (WTCA wants…
Best Mac ‘n’ Cheese
Cleburne Cafeteria Many of the faithful who line up at West U’s Cleburne Cafeteria can afford to eat at fine restaurants where the food isn’t served on gray plastic trays. But Cleburne owner George Mickelis seems to have tapped into their inner eight-year-old with his macaroni and cheese. The macaroni…
Our thanks go out to the urban survivalists who endured the construction and found these Categories We Forgot
Out on the road, everyone has his own route around the potholes and work crews, so we’re betting you’ve discovered some Houston bests that we missed along the way. Our thanks go out to the urban survivalists who endured the construction and found these Categories We Forgot. Best Bar Atmosphere…
Best Deli
Kahn’s Deli Don’t plan to get a table — there are only a couple, and they’re always full. But Kahn’s Deli is a tiny sandwich counter with a whole lot of history. Here, Michael Kahn carries on the New York deli tradition that his father, Alfred Kahn, first introduced to…
Best Place for a Last Date
Mark’s American Cuisine You’re getting the brush-off, but you’re getting it in style. Mark’s has the proper solemnity for the most bittersweet of partings: It used to be a church, for God’s sake. Mark’s has tables perched high in the choir loft, vaulted ceilings and a communion rail-turned-bar. Confessions come…
Best 15 Minutes of Fame
Kimberly Caldwell Kimberly Caldwell sure looked like a winner in the ad campaign for American Idol II, as she fetchingly waved an arm in the air and effortlessly belted out Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Superstition.” And she did go quite far, making it all the way to the final 12 and…
Best Pho
Pho Nguyen There’s a whole lot of slurping going on at Pho Nguyen, where $4.50 gets you a regular-sized bowl of the heartwarming Vietnamese beef noodle soup known as pho. Don’t be put off by the ingredients of the 16 or so different kinds of soup available. Tripe, soft tendon…
Best Bar Dad
Harry Bishop Bars invariably take on the personalities of their owners, and Noche Cocina is blessed to have Harry Bishop at the helm. Bishop arrived late in the restaurant-and-bar trade; he’s a veteran of the oil business who took over Noche a few years ago. Quiet, competent and always ready…
Best Museum
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston When the original Museum of Fine Arts in Houston opened its doors in 1924, it was the first art-museum building in Texas. Eighty years later, the MFAH is the grande dame of the local scene, holding court over a burgeoning contemporary shift in the…
Best Director
James Black “What kinda fuckin’ world is this?!” wailed the man on the stage, wearing only a shirt and underwear. From this opening line, we knew life wasn’t easy for the folks in Stephen Adly Guigis’s Our Lady of 121st Street. In the play, the pants-less character, Victor (James Belcher),…
Best Bathroom Art
Cahill’s on Durham It’s all about the juxtaposition. In one stall of the men’s bathroom you’ve got a Budweiser poster featuring supermodel Elsa Benitez — typical fare for a sports bar. Over the urinal hangs a poster of a Harley-Davidson chick in a black leather jacket. This one looks like…
Best Downtown Bar
Shay McElroy’s Irish Pub Consumption of spirits in a relaxing downtown locale always comes easy, thanks to the McElroy clan. They started with the comfortable beachhead pub in Shepherd Plaza, stepped up to the stylish setting of the State Bar & Lounge at the Rice Lofts, and have balanced that…
Best Tex-Mex Restaurant
Larry’s Original Mexican Restaurant Larry’s cheese enchiladas actually have a lot in common with their spaghetti mexicano. They’re both relics. The difference is, Larry’s cheese enchiladas taste as good, or better, than modern Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas. The viscous yellow cheese swirls around the dark brown chili gravy, creating an abstract…
Best Mom-and-Pop Restaurant
Express Grocery and Deli Don’t look for red-checkered tablecloths or “Mom’s Home Cooking” signs at the Express Grocery and Deli — the family feeling runs far deeper than that at this delightful quick-order grill and convenience store in a corner of the Houston House apartments. Mike Baba set up shop…
Best Book About Houston
Sig Byrd’s Houston In the ’50s and ’60s, Sig Byrd was a columnist for the old daily Houston Press and later the Houston Chronicle, and his beat was the human tragicomedy. Byrd was irresistibly drawn to the city’s lowlife; in his words, the “curious assortment of hard-bitten merchants, working men…
Best Used CDs
Soundwaves So, yeah, the commercials are horrible and the Hummers a bit gauche, but when it comes to selling used CDs, Soundwaves reigns supreme. They offer as much as $5 for newer CDs, so it’s a good place to get the albums you never listen to off your hands –…
Best Place to Buy a Gun
Academy Sporting Goods Whether you’re looking for a Mossberg Maverick 12-gauge 28-inch synthetic shotgun or a Beretta U22 Neos 4.5 handgun, Academy is your place. With low daily prices on all hunting and protective firearms ($219 for a Smith & Wesson 22A; Rimfire is practically unheard of), they’ve got specialty…
Best Public Tennis Courts
Wier Park Nothing sucks more than diving for that ace and getting your foot caught in some crevice or unevenly paved portion of the tennis court. You need a good, level playing field if you’re gonna do your opponent like Andy Roddick, right? Well, you can’t go wrong with Wier…
Indecent Disposal
Here’s a message for all you single, horny, hot-blooded, heterosexual males out there: It’s time to break out the champagne. Wait, scratch that, make it Jack Daniel’s — lonely single guys seldom have use for champagne. There’s big news to tell, fellas: With When Will I Be Loved, Neve Campbell…
Best Set Design
Infernal Bridegroom Productions’ Symphony of Rats Stepping into the Axiom theater for Symphony of Rats was like entering an attic from another world. In a place where presidents receive messages from robots — who make bubbles and smoke cigarettes as they discuss philosophical constructs — Infernal Bridegroom’s production of Richard…
Best Band Stage Show
The Medicine Show This category is somewhat misnamed, for when the Medicine Show performs, the group is seldom constrained by the stage. The madcap bluegrass/old-time ensemble generally uses the stage as a mere launching point. One minute you’ll see guitarist Craig Kinsey picking from atop the bar, the next you’ll…
Best Club for Local Artists
Helios Hands down, Helios is the best club for local artists, and by “artists” here we mean every kind: musicians, painters, poets, dancers, DJs, rappers and comedians, to name a few. Helios is home to them all, with various permutations of the above often performing simultaneously, whether on one of…
Best Blues Club
The Big Easy Social & Pleasure Club We tip our feathered felt hats to the dearly departed Miss Ann’s Playpen, which closed last summer. The sweaty Third Ward mecca of all things blues was the kind of eternally legit joint that a real blues town like ours needs. But there’s…
Best Summer Respite
The Light Inside Oppressive, unceasing brightness got you down? The depths of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston will lift you up with the shadiest spot in the state of Texas this side of a Tom DeLay PAC. Burrowed beneath Main Street, this James Turrell installation is our choice when…
Best Road Trip
Marfa Call it a triple threat. For more than a hundred years, folks have seen unexplained lights near Marfa, putting the small West Texas town on the map of Agent Mulder types. Just under 50 years ago, director George Stevens filmed Giant there, forever cementing the place as a shrine…
Best Window Display
Bailey Moore’s State Farm Insurance Office The fab window displays at this insurance office often go unnoticed. The unassuming building under U.S. 59 on Montrose might not grab your attention unless you were walking past it or stuck next to it in traffic due to all the construction. And the…
Best Neighborhood Association
Washington Terrace Civic Association Bordered by Alabama, Blodgett, Ennis, Cleburne and Almeda streets, the neighborhood of Washington Terrace, which surrounds Texas Southern University, is right smack in the middle of the redevelopment maelstrom gripping the Third Ward. Goal No. 1 is to preserve the fabric of the community (WTCA wants…
Best Place for a First Date
Uptown Sushi The point of a first date is to ascertain whether to have a second one. You’re too nervous to relax. Your chances of scoring are slim. And don’t even think about bringing your A material — for all you know, your date has a Catholic-priest uncle and wouldn’t…
Best Civil Court Judge
James D. Squier, 312th District Court Family courtroom legal brawls can be especially vicious. But Judge James Squier, who got his start coaching in Pasadena’s school district, has seen it all. He’s paid his dues during a solid decade on the bench, along with 20 years of practice as an…
Best Sushi
Kubo’s Japanese Restaurant Chef Kubo was the best sushi man in Houston. Unfortunately, he left town several years ago, but he trained his replacement, chef Hori, very well. The new sushi master is doing an admirable job of filling Kubo’s sandals. There’s always something interesting on the specials board at…
Best Margarita
Mi Cocina These folks are pushing the national frozen drink of Texas to dizzying new heights. The frozen mango margarita is quite good, with lots of rich tropical-fruit flavor and not too much sugar. The “mambo taxi,” made by alternating layers of frozen margarita and sangria, is excellent as well…
Best Asian Grocery
Viet Hoa Here in Houston you can find Asian foods in most any mainstream grocery store. But if you’re hankering for fish sauce, Peking duck or some restaurant-style bowls for serving pho, you’re best served traveling to Viet Hoa in southwest Houston. A massive warehouse-sized temple of Chinese and Vietnamese…
Best Flea Market
Flea Market Row Driving up Airline past I-45 and 610 on a Sunday afternoon, you might think you’re approaching a Rolling Stones concert or a sold-out Houston Texans game. But nope. You would have known if the Stones were coming to town, and the Texans play in that building down…
Best Thai Restaurant
Kanomwan It’s like stumbling across a great noodle shop in the middle of Mexico. This East End legend offers no finery (plastic tablecloths, bare-bones walls) and barely there service, but the gai pad prig phao is some of the spiciest chicken and rice you’ll find anywhere. Stir-fried chicken breast slices…
Best Seafood Restaurant
Denis’ Seafood House There are lots of seafood restaurants in Houston, but most are part of some chain or another. Hence we are served the same salmon, mahimahi and tilapia here on the Gulf Coast that they get in Sheboygan. But Denis’ Seafood House is different. Like some of our…
Best Gelato
Nundini Food Store At Nundini Food Store, $1.50 will get you a scoop of real Italian gelato. Gelato has less air churned into it than ice cream, so it’s creamier and a whole lot denser. It also stays cold longer and doesn’t melt as quickly as its U.S. cousin. At…
Best Watch Repair
The Little Watch Shop How many businesses can you think of in this town that have been around for more than ten years? How about 25? And you can forget about 50, right? Well, since 1947, the dedicated specialists at the aptly named Little Watch Shop have been hunched over…
Best Coach
Jeff Van Gundy In these, basketball’s showbiz days, Jeff Van Gundy doesn’t look like a typical NBA coach — he’s a schlumpy bald guy with a permanent hangdog look whose idea of glamour is probably going for Wish-Bone salad dressing instead of the store brand. But looks are deceiving. Not…
Best Sports Role Model
David Carr How’s this for guts? Week four of the season. Texans down by three at home against Jacksonville. Two seconds on the clock, and our guys are just inches from the goal line. If David Carr hadn’t made you a believer before — what with his glitterati good looks…
Best Place to Pretend You’re in Blade Runner
Reliant Energy Plaza Houston might not look as futuristic as Tokyo, but that’s why we get goose bumps when we wander down to the corner of Lamar and Main. This 783,000-square-foot skyscraper provides a peephole into the future — a sleek, chic architectural tomorrow, well worth the reported $150 million…
Best Area Team
Houston Astros This one is as close as it gets to a no-brainer. The combination of Stevie Franchise whining to his coaches and Yao disappearing in April eliminates the Rockets. The Texans are still an expansion team, and the Aeros — yeah, well, come on. When Andy Pettitte and Roger…
Best Secret
The Waterway at Woodlands Mall Only in the Houston area could you discover a pristine 1.25-mile water route steps away from a P.F. Chang’s. But there it is, winding through the Woodlands Mall, featuring a water wall, fountains, pedestrian bridges and even water taxis. The taxis run every ten to…
Best Use of Taxpayer Dollars
Houston Public Library Maybe it’s not as glamorous as one or two brand-spanking-new sporting arenas. And maybe it doesn’t have the sexy, futuristic cachet of the automobile-hunting light rail. But the Houston library system offers something those other budget-gobblers can’t: free knowledge. Sure, there’s the occasional overdue-book penalty, but it’s…
Best Chocolate-Covered Anything
The Chocolate Bar The Chocolate Bar has chocolate-covered ice cream, chocolate-covered fruits (the bananas are to die for), chocolate-covered potato chips, popcorn, fortune cookies and nuts. There’s even chocolate-covered chocolate — but let’s not get greedy. This Montrose-area sweetery has doubled in size since opening four years ago. No longer…
Best Taqueria
Laredo Taqueria The interior of this popular taco joint at the corner of Fulton and Patton is cheerfully decorated with ceramic roosters and Mexican crockery, and it’s always spotlessly clean. Sit down for table service, or stand in line for tacos to go. While you go down the cafeteria line,…
Best Place for an After-Work Jog
Rice University The obvious choice would be Memorial Park, but there’s something alternately peaceful and invigorating about doing a lap around Rice University. For starters, you’ve got that lovely canopy of trees providing shade along the dirt path. And peeking out through the foliage, you’ll occasionally catch sight of downtown…
Best Regional Cemetery
Wyatt Chapel Community Cemetery Motorists along U.S. 290 might never realize the rich heritage hidden in the woods-shrouded lowlands about 30 miles northwest of Houston. University Drive, near the edge of the Prairie View A&M campus, has displayed a historical marker for the Wyatt Chapel graveyard for the past decade,…
Best Atmosphere
Rainbow Lodge Tucked away on Buffalo Bayou, this once-private home with a pond, meandering gardens and sunroom overlooking a quaint gazebo has a way of making you think you’re nowhere near the city. Pick a shady spot on the terrace and lose yourself in the trickling of the bayou below…
Best Sushi
Kubo’s Japanese Restaurant Chef Kubo was the best sushi man in Houston. Unfortunately, he left town several years ago, but he trained his replacement, chef Hori, very well. The new sushi master is doing an admirable job of filling Kubo’s sandals. There’s always something interesting on the specials board at…
Best Radio News
KPFT/90.1 FM Car crashes and warehouse fires are dramatic on TV, but they’re way boring to listen to on the radio. So why do so many of the conservative news affiliates on the AM dial waste their time on them? They’re scared to tackle issues that might offend those who…
Best Place to Walk Your Dog
Corner of Montrose and Allen Parkway Is your dog tired of walking around the same old block? Peeing on the same phone pole might be cool during the week, but when Saturday rolls around, your pooch wants some excitement. The park off the Eleanor Tinsley trail at the corner of…
Best Identity Crisis
Bill White He’s a lawyer-turned-businessman and Bill Clinton’s former deputy secretary of energy. He was able to attract prominent Republicans to his campaign for mayor, and he won 62 percent of the vote in the runoff that got him elected. But who is Bill White? Is he the liberal Clinton…
Best Radio Talk Show (FM)
Cultural Baggage Like many of us, Dean Becker has a problem with the current war against the livelier substances available on our streets — particularly marijuana. With “Project Housterdam,” he’s knocking on the doors of every politician in town, spearheading an initiative smokier than a hole in Afghanistan after Dubya…
Best Band
The John Sparrow Mod rockers the John Sparrow have the sort of appeal that spans generations. If you’re a teenager or a twentysomething, they sound superhip. If you’re in your thirties or forties, they remind you of the Jam, and singer Kevin Richardson is fast becoming the American Paul Weller…
Best Place to Buy Fish
Village Tropical Fish Don’t tell these guys you accidentally killed your kid’s pet goldfish — you’re not likely to get a laugh. The staffers at Village Tropical Fish think fish are people too and treat them like best friends. They can tell you what type of fish would be happiest…
Best Chinese Restaurant
Fung’s Kitchen Canton Seafood on Richmond, Ocean Palace in the Hong Kong City Mall and Peking Cuisine just down the Southwest Freeway from Fung’s Kitchen are all rapidly gaining on the grandfather of Houston Cantonese restaurants. But Fung’s remains at the top of the heap, primarily for its 400-item menu…
Best Video Store
Audio Video Plus Places like Hollywood and Blockbuster do a great job of making sure you get your copy of Terminator 3 if you want it. But when you’re looking for a tougher find — like, say, Schwarzenegger’s American film debut as Hercules living in NYC — you have to…
Best Bakery
French Gourmet Bakery French Gourmet Bakery serves up a bounty of goodies: warm loaves of cinnamon-apple bread, strudels, decadent chocolate cakes (great for parties) and box lunches containing buttery croissants with chicken salad. Need treats for the office or classroom? You can’t beat the fresh cupcakes slathered in homemade frosting…
Best Art Show
“Inverted Utopias: Avant-Garde Art in Latin America” In 1965, Venezuelan artist Carlos Cruz-Diez constructed an amazing light-based installation — pre-James Turrell and Dan Flavin. And in the late ’60s, Brazilian Lygia Clark created interactive works that employed brightly colored hoods to control participants’ senses: Vision was obscured, sachets of spices…
Best Actor
David Rainey in Topdog/Underdog Suzan-Lori Parks’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Topdog/Underdog revolves around two brothers who bear the unlikely names of Lincoln and Booth: their father’s “idea of a joke.” But the names carry hefty metaphorical weight in this play about violent sibling rivalry. And the play’s interfamily feud burned especially bright…
Vile with a Smile
Essayist. Playwright. Radio personality. Librettist. Actor. Novelist. Now, with Bright Young Things, the inimitable British wit Stephen Fry debuts as feature screenwriter and director. Best known here in the colonies either as Jeeves (opposite Hugh Laurie) in Jeeves and Wooster, or as Peter in Peter’s Friends, or possibly as Oscar…
Best Bar Games
Brian O’Neill’s So you’re at an Irish pub knocking back a pint of Guinness, checking out the beautiful people of Rice Village, when all of a sudden you look at your buddy and say, “I’m gonna sink your battleship!” Well, you can at Brian O’Neill’s, where they match great food…
Best Bar Food
Kenneally’s Irish Pub This authentic pub has a standard ol’-sod charm: Guinness pints and whiskey along the bar, dartists playing their game. And then there are the bright silver pizza trays atop their racks — scores of them. Of course, many bars offer complete menus, but Kenneally’s makes no pretensions:…
Best New Bar
Shoeshine Charlie’s Big Top Lounge As much as we’ve always loved the Continental, it’s long needed a chill-out room, and this vintage circus-themed bar two doors down fills that bill just right. Though there are occasional live performances here, the usual routine is quiet conversation amid vintage furniture over stiff…
Best Dance Club
South Beach Call it “DJs’ choice,” because this Montrose hot spot garners rave reviews from the high priests of Houston clubbing. Now in its third year of existence, the venue (known in its previous life as Heaven) has more than 10,000 square feet of room to work with — and…
Best Bathroom Art
Cahill’s on Durham It’s all about the juxtaposition. In one stall of the men’s bathroom you’ve got a Budweiser poster featuring supermodel Elsa Benitez — typical fare for a sports bar. Over the urinal hangs a poster of a Harley-Davidson chick in a black leather jacket. This one looks like…
Best Drag Queen
Kofi Drag queens come in all shapes and sizes, but it seems like the ones who take the stage at most gay bars around town try to emulate the skinny, big-breasted model of feminine beauty. Maybe it’s the result of our society’s love affair with Britney and Jessica, or maybe…
Best Secret
The Waterway at Woodlands Mall Only in the Houston area could you discover a pristine 1.25-mile water route steps away from a P.F. Chang’s. But there it is, winding through the Woodlands Mall, featuring a water wall, fountains, pedestrian bridges and even water taxis. The taxis run every ten to…
Best Use of Taxpayer Dollars
Houston Public Library Maybe it’s not as glamorous as one or two brand-spanking-new sporting arenas. And maybe it doesn’t have the sexy, futuristic cachet of the automobile-hunting light rail. But the Houston library system offers something those other budget-gobblers can’t: free knowledge. Sure, there’s the occasional overdue-book penalty, but it’s…
Best Place for a Last Date
Mark’s American Cuisine You’re getting the brush-off, but you’re getting it in style. Mark’s has the proper solemnity for the most bittersweet of partings: It used to be a church, for God’s sake. Mark’s has tables perched high in the choir loft, vaulted ceilings and a communion rail-turned-bar. Confessions come…
Best 15 Minutes of Fame
Kimberly Caldwell Kimberly Caldwell sure looked like a winner in the ad campaign for American Idol II, as she fetchingly waved an arm in the air and effortlessly belted out Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Superstition.” And she did go quite far, making it all the way to the final 12 and…
Best Salsa
Jarro Cafe Houston hot sauce has been in a slump lately. Maybe they toned down the heat level for visiting All-Star Game fans and forgot to zip it back up again. If you’ve gotten used to insipid picante sauce, Jarro Cafe’s salsas will open your eyes — wide. At this…
Best Cabrito
El Hidalguense Baby goat is incredibly tasty and tender. Old goat is not. At El Hidalguense, it’s not hard to guess which they serve. Their cabrito is offered in one of two ways: naked or dressed. The naked version, cabrito asado al pastor ($17.99) is simply skewered and grilled, infused…
