- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Houston and help keep the future of Houston Press free.
I randomly stumbled onto the YouTube channel belonging to "TexasFoodGuru" while searching for an old restaurant commercial. The guru, also known as Rourke, has begun earnestly compiling restaurant reviews in video form for the last week and has three videos up on the site so far.
As far as production values go, they're terrifically low-budget and fun. Think Wayne's World for food, without the basement and with a cheerful, middle-aged man in place of the perpetually 20-something Wayne and Garth. Pictures of spaghetti and salads spin wildly out of control and fade into bizarre Technicolor fever dreams as Rourke fiddles with all the settings in iMovie, but it's always a trip to watch.
And although I might not enjoy or recommend the first three restaurants he's spotlighted, there's no mistaking Rourke's passion for the subject matter, which makes each video enjoyable on its own merits.
Is this the way of the future? Food blogs replaced by food video channels on YouTube? It's unlikely, but I'll keep looking for more of Rourke's videos as he makes them.
Keep the Houston Press Free... Since we started the Houston Press, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Houston, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Houston with no paywalls.