21 July 2006
Food and drink roundup (07-21-2006 edition)
The weekend is upon us. Time for a food and drink roundup.
Alison Cook loves the Middle-Eastern fare, which she deems is lovingly prepared, at Zabak's Mediterranean Cafe. She gives Joyce's Ocean Grill kudos for their fried foods.
Robb Walsh continues on his Greek binge with a stop at Alexander the Great Greek. He also continues his obsession with Szechuan peppercorns. Gaido's in Galveston gets a visit or two from him as well. And he sadly reports what most of us already knew about the place.
Peggy Grodinsky goes in search of the perfect baguette.
Mary Vuong checks out but a few of the ethnic bakeries in town.
Louis B. Parks spends a few evenings checking out the cinema grills in town and lets us know what to expect food-wise.
Ken Hoffman goes to Denny's to try their new Crispy Onion burger and gets almost a full day's allotment of calories in one meal! My goodness.
And Lance Scott Walker checks out The Corridor in Midtown.
World class, all of it. Enjoy!!
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 07/21/06 10:48 AM |
16 July 2006
Chron neighborhood section looks at Hillcroft "microcosm"
The Chronicle's Tara Dooley has an interesting article on the Hillcroft area of southwest Houston. Local bicyclist Bob Stein even makes an appearance:
Hillcroft Avenue is pure Houston, created with dedication to the automobile and an aversion to zoning.
A string of strip centers broken by blocks of single-family homes, it connects cacophonous enterprises: the tires of an auto repair shop stacked near a florist's roses; a women in hijab at Jerusalem Halal Meat Market two parking lots away from the "adult novelties" at Bizarre Bazaar; manicured lawns and Dumpster-decorated parking lots.
It provides spiritual sanctuary under steeples and in tucked-away storefront temples and mosques. Just as it offers nighttime revelers refuge under twirling lights and Norteño music.
It's an avenue where a staple of life and culture is found under different headings: bagels, pita, naan, pan, bread.
"Hillcroft is disorganized but not necessarily unorganized development," said Bob Stein, dean of Rice University's school of social sciences. "It is what Houston is all about.
"When you go from one end of Hillcroft to the other end, you cross every ethnic and racial group in our city. As a result, I want to say it is a microcosm."
The full story is available here. It is an interesting read.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/16/06 03:56 PM |
30 June 2006
Food and drink roundup (06-30-2006 edition)
It's time for a quick and easy food and drink roundup.
Alison Cook has found the newest foodie hit in Glass Wall.
Robb Walsh calls the Pappas family's Yia Yia Mary's the Parthenon of pita sandwiches. He's right about their taramousalata. It's amazing. He's also right about the other Greek restaurant up the street. Their moussaka is much better than Yia Yia Mary's, and their quirkiness does flow over.
Peggy Grodinsky tries all manners of ice cream flavors. I don't know. Simple vanilla with some sliced strawberries or fresh blueberries seems to float my boat.
Ken Hoffman feels the heat too and heads to Baskin Robbins for a Triple Play double-dip cone. Ok. Popcorn in ice cream? Darn that Ken Hoffman! I'm going to have to try this now. Maybe I can get them to hold the chocolate-covered peanuts.
And Lance Scott Walker recommends the Richmond Arms.
World Class, all of it. Enjoy!!
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 06/30/06 10:22 AM |
25 June 2006
New bayou park's plants handle rains with no trouble
We've wondered several times on the little blog how Houston's newest (better than the River Walk!) bayou park fared after the heavy rains of the last week. According to the park's stewards, everything turned out great:
Dazzled by fireworks, a high-tech lighting system and movies floating by along Buffalo Bayou, thousands of Houstonians enjoyed the June 10 opening celebration of the Sabine to Bagby Promenade.
Nine days later, the new park's broad, winding trails and lovingly tended vegetation were under water, submerged in a rapidly rising bayou swelled by Monday's torrential rainfall.
It was an important test of the long-planned, $15 million park. It is the first major project to be completed under a 20-year plan for publicly and privately funded bayou improvements from Shepherd to the Ship Channel turning basin.
The park, designed to withstand periodic flooding, appears to have passed the test convincingly.
"We didn't lose a single plant," said Scott Barnes, the conservation director for the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, the nonprofit group overseeing the bayou improvements.
However, heavy rains can cause the new park to be somewhat less beautiful than the River Walk:
After Monday's flooding, water covered the trails and landscaping, making a damage assessment impossible until the water subsided over the next two days.
Once the park became accessible, Barnes said, it was clear that the main impact was silt and mud covering trails and trash that floated on the water or became tangled in the vegetation.
Plants were flattened by the water's weight but quickly sprang back, Barnes said. Once crews finish hosing off the silt and collecting trash, all visible evidence of the flood will be gone, he said.
That doesn't sound as nice as the River Walk to me, but I guess that's why I contribute to a little blog, and not to the editorial pages of the mighty Hearst daily.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/25/06 04:20 PM |
23 June 2006
Now it's SplashTown's future that's uncertain
Six Flags has announced that SplashTown is one of six properties it is considering either selling or shutting down:
Theme park owner Six Flags says it it could sell or even close six of its 30 properties across North America. The revelation was among several made overnight that sent shares plunging 19 percent.
The company said it may fail to meet certain bank credit agreements. Six Flags says reaching its previous financial forecast will be extremely difficult.
[snip]
The six properties being examined for possible changes include Six Flags Darien Lake outside Buffalo, New York, Six Flags Waterworld in Concord, California, Six Flags Elitch Gardens in Denver, Wild Waves and Enchanted Village outside Seattle, Six Flags Splashtown in Houston and Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor near Los Angeles.
The company says it can't predict for certain whether any transactions will occur. It could sell the properties outright or dismantle the parks and sell the land for its real estate value.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/23/06 07:46 AM |
22 June 2006
Food and drink roundup (06-22-2006 edition)
The time has come for a food and drink roundup. Let's get started, shall we?
Alison Cook starts off this week's food and drink roundup with an essay on home-grown tomatoes. Having eaten several tomatoes from two wild plants that sprang out of our grass this spring, this interested me. She also tried Tart Cafe in Montrose and makes the PMS sandwich sound yummy, if that's possible. She also mentions the closing of Aries.
Robb Walsh was not too impressed with most of Black Walnut Cafe's offerings, save their gelato. He seemed to like Nelore Churrascaria though. Some of the bH crew tried Nelore recently and found it so so. The price is certainly right, but some of us must have had another local churrascaria on the brain. He also reports on the closing of Aries.
Renee Kientz makes my mouth water with her description of limoncello. The recipe though lists TWO POUNDS of sugar! NOT low-carb friendly.
Peggy Grodinsky doesn't have much up this week, but she does have a small blurb about the waning supplies of Creamy Creations Poteet Strawberry Ice Cream at H-E-B stores and Central Market. This isn't low-carb friendly either, but I'm beginning not to care.
Mary Vuong drives up for some curbside delivery, offered more and more at local eateries.
Ken Hoffman tries Long John Silver's Parmesan Crusted Fish Bites. If someone other than Ken were to tell me about some of the "items" he tries, I'd probably pass. For some reason, he always makes me want to try them. I was THIS close to trying a KFC Famous Bowl a few weeks ago. Scary.
And Lance Scott Walker likes the roominess of the Time Out Ale House.
World Class, all of it!! Enjoy!!
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 06/22/06 10:36 PM |
12 June 2006
Astrodome to host indoor amusement park
KTRK-13 reports that the Astrodome will be hosting a temporary amusement park later this month:
A new indoor amusement park will soon be open inside the Astrodome.
It's the first summer without AstroWorld, but families can still find fun in Reliant Park. The World's Largest Indoor Amusement Park will be at Reliant Astrodome from June 22-July 4.
Organizers promise nearly 30 heart-pumping, adrenaline-rushing rides in the magnificent "Eighth Wonder of the World." In addition to rides, there are games, bumper cars, tug boats and more. Families can enjoy food and fun in air conditioned comfort.
The whole thing sounds kind of cheesy to me.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 06/12/06 10:20 PM |
09 June 2006
Houston's not rolling out the welcome mat for the Dixie Chicks
The Toyota Center has suspended ticket sales for an upcoming Dixie Chicks concert:
The Toyota Center has seen its share of concerts, but as the sign out front says, there is a problem with the Dixie Chicks show. Even though the group has the number one CD on the Billboard charts, ticket sales have been suspended here in Houston and in two other cities. In Memphis, the Chicks concert has been canceled altogether. The culprit is lagging early ticket sales.
Is it because of Natalie Maines' less-than-complimentary remarks about President Bush (made in 2003), or could it be something else?
Houston Press Music Editor John Nova Lomax said, "I think that a lot of the people who are buying the record are buying it as a political statement and possibly just throwing it on the shelf. But they are not prepared to pay the high ticket price to come to the show."
Aha. High ticket prices.
Or maybe it's a combination of both: the remarks and ticket prices. How about unenthusiastic Houston fans?
Many music industry experts now say the controversy surrounding the band has lead to slow ticket sales at the box office and a suspension of the show here in Houston.
UPDATE: Michael Berry emails that he'll be talking about this topic on his KPRC-950 show today (from 9-11).
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/09/06 06:14 AM |
07 June 2006
Graffiti-proofing products would put the city on offense
Slampo read a Chron This Week story last week (got that?) about graffiti eradication efforts in southwest Houston, and he points out that things aren't looking up:
The bad news is the Sisyphusean futility of this endeavor: What amounts to success, at least as the Chronicle story suggests, is the apparently never-ending painting, repainting and re-repainting over of the same walls that get tagged (as they say) and retagged by two collections of unsupervised youth who skulk under the names La Primera and Sureños.
[snip]
As you might expect this boulder-rolling can be costly, in both dollars and elbow grease. The management district has contracted with a clean-up crew
My question is this: Has the management district or HPD looked into graffiti-proofing products? It might be more expensive initially, but in the long run it could prove to be a good financial move. It would also put the city on offense instead of defense.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 06/07/06 08:49 AM |
06 June 2006
Slime in the ice machine as fight song
Mike McGuff brings to our attention the huge write-up KTRK-13's Marvin Zindler got in the Chron yesterday. It isn't easy explaining to out-of-towners or the newly arrived who or what Marvin Zindler is, or why we love him.
At 84, he still walks with a bounce. It's a cocky little stride, which is what you would expect from a man who looks the way Zindler does. Not that many men do. With his jutting (man-made) jaw, dark glasses, platinum hairpieces and dandified suits (adorned, always, with a color-coordinated sprouting kerchief), Zindler -- who admits to having had 15 cosmetic procedures -- is as singular a figure as Houston has produced in our time.
As he makes his rounds through the city -- his city -- chances are the people who rubberneck to catch a glimpse have on their minds neither the Chicken Ranch nor the story Zindler considers his most important -- his 1985 reports on financial mismanagement by the Hermann Hospital board of trustees. And it's a sure bet they aren't thinking about the Agris-Zindler Children's Foundation, which has helped children all over the world.
No, they're thinking of his weekly reports on restaurant health inspections, with their frequent finding of "SLIIIIME in the ice machine." He shouts it like a battle cry. Or they're thinking of his latest piece -- he's done thousands -- about ordinary people who got a bum deal.
Five days a week, at 6 p.m. and sometimes at 10, Zindler -- impeccably dressed in suits that often are louder than his bray -- plays the starring role in 90-second morality plays in which working-class people face forces against which they are no match. Almost always, the "little guy" wins.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS: It's worth noting that a few weekends ago, the KTRK-13 crew added an RSS feed for Marvin in something like an HOUR after I requested it. On a weekend! Previously, I was impressed with the Dallas Morning News in responding to a request for a new RSS feed. KTRK blew them away! The Chronicle, on the other hand, seems not to care.
KEVIN WHITED ADDS MORE: Today, Chron.com unveiled scores of RSS feeds. They didn't come as quickly as I wanted, but the sheer quantity helps make up for it. Nicely done.
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 06/06/06 09:24 AM |
05 June 2006
Food and drink roundup (06-05-2006 edition)
Lunchtime is a good time to read about local food and restaurants. Let's get started on another food and drink roundup.
Alison Cook likes the vibe and sometimes likes the food at Kirby eatery Turquoise Grill. She mostly raves about Sylvia's Enchilada Kitchen, located out in far west Houston.
Robb Walsh likes the newest version of Rico's Triangle Restaurant. He also follows a reader's recommendation and tries Jazzie Cafe, recently opened by a Katrina evacuee.
Dai Huynh covers the opening of the new "digs" for Phoenicia Specialty Foods. Now THIS sounds world class.
Mary Vuong reports that wi-fi isn't just for coffee shops anymore.
Ken Hoffman really likes the comfort food-ish Famous Bowl, now offered at KFC.
My Table announces the local eateries that made its Top 10 Wine Lists.
And Gracie Ochoa reports on newcomer 6th Street Bar and Grill, located across the street from Fitzgerald's
Okay, maybe it's all World Class. Enjoy!!
UPDATE: Mattsapundit goes the extra mile and reviews a lunch from HISD's Summer Feeding Program for his readers. I don't know. The man's got guts...iron ones.
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 06/05/06 12:31 PM |
31 May 2006
Dynamo security disregards team policy on water bottles
Richard Connelly reports on the latest gaffe from the Houston Dynamo:
Team president Oliver Luck has worked hard to make Dynamo games a family-friendly, somewhat cheap outing. Knowing that Houston can get slightly warm at times, he publicly announced that the Dynamo would allow fans to bring in bottled water -- unlike those mean old teams like the Astros and Texans.
Such a policy is great for games like the one May 20, when the Dynamo, in order to get on ESPN, played a day game. In Houston. With no dome. And a stadium full of sunshiney aluminum bleachers.
So why were security guards confiscating all the water bottles people tried to bring in? Because severely dehydrated soccer fans will pay anything once they're trapped in their seats!
Actually, Luck says, it was all just a mistake.
"It was just an old-fashioned miscommunication on the security staff's side," he says. "We had our follow-up meeting after the game like we always do and told them, 'Folks, everyone can bring in a bottle of water. It's hot.' "
If it's the same crack security operation that works UH athletics events, the "miscommunication" wasn't the first and probably won't be the last.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/31/06 09:30 PM |
30 May 2006
HPD's mounted patrol -- cuddly and intimidating
The Chron's Allan Turner has an awesome story today on HPD's mounted patrol division, where the point is made that the horses serve a dual purpose:
"When you put an officer on horseback," said mounted patrol Lt. Randall Wallace, "the good guys can see him and the bad guys can see him." Weighing up to 1,200 pounds, the horses, which include purchased and donated animals of all pedigrees, are both cuddly and intimidating.
[snip]
Wills is no stranger to the passion of her horse-based job.
"It's hard to pick out one single incident," she said, "but I recall being on patrol at the zoo. There was one child who was in a wheelchair. You could tell he was disabled. He couldn't move his arms. Then he saw the horse, and the horse put its head in his lap and the boy reacted.
"It was so cool."
Hopefully, reports like this and this are rare exceptions.
Way up north here, The Woodlands uses mounted security patrols in all the areas surrounding The Woodlands Mall, including Market Street. In my own family's case, we have been known to park wherever we see a horse so we can stop and visit. The riders are great, taking the time to let the kids pet the horse and chit chat about the horse. We like the cuddly part of security!
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/30/06 07:49 AM |
24 May 2006
Houston goes head-to-head with Medillin, Colombia
Did you know that Houston is participating in a one-day competition?
Mayor Bill White is asking citizens to exercise as part of a world-wide contest.
The "Challenge Day" competition has Houston going head to head against Medellin, Columbia to see who can do the most exercise.
This is not a joke:
Challenge Day 2006 is a fitness contest between Houston and the rest of the world. Its purpose is to encourage individuals and groups to "Get Moving" by exercising for 15 consecutive minutes on this one day ... all in the name of health.
This year Houston is in competition with Medellín, Colombia to see which city is the most physically active on this one day.
[snip]
Ready to accept the challenge? Here's what you need to do:
* Step 1: On May 24 participating in your favorite fitness activity by yourself, as a group, or with your company.
* Step 2: Report your / your group's involvement by phone at 713-437-6500 or by email at [email protected]
* Step 3: Leave message to let us know the number of people who accepted the challenge, the type of activity you participated in, and how long you exercised.
I think Sedosi will be sitting this one out.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/24/06 12:21 PM |
If you watch your step and don't breathe, Houston is cleanest city
Proving that there is an award for just about anything, Houston has been named the cleanest city, excluding dog poop and air quality apparently:
Houston has been ranked as the nation's "cleanest city" according to a recent survey conducted by Verizon Information Services.
The survey ranked cities based on the number of vendors in the area selling cleaning services via Verizon's SuperPages.com site, an online information directory.
What award will Houston win next?
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/24/06 11:41 AM |
22 May 2006
Is a new trash-collection revenue stream in the works?
The Chronicle's Matt Stiles reports that some residents of Houston's new, dense townhouse developments are in a sort of limbo when it comes to municipal trash collections:
WHEN lawyer Mark Kressenberg bought a loft-style townhouse in the Third Ward last year, he assumed the city would pick up his trash, as it does for about 300,000 other Houston homes.
He was wrong.
City solid waste officials told Kressenberg and his neighbors in the Calumet Street Lofts that they weren't covered by the city's garbage pickup ordinance because their new development had narrow, private driveways. They made that ruling even though many of the townhouses are bordered by public streets, or aren't far from them, and despite the fact that the city collects from some similar properties elsewhere.
"The interior units are probably no more than 60 yards away from a curbside," Kressenberg told the City Council recently, arguing that he and his neighbors are eligible for service. "To use that as the basis for denying us trash collection is ludicrous."
Obviously, city garbage trucks can't be expected to go down narrow private driveways for trash collection. Then again, these people are paying taxes, and it's not unreasonable for them to expect trash collection. Surely some of the brighter minds of our city can come up with a compromise solution.
Of course, it wouldn't be the White Administration if the possibility of a new fee weren't lurking:
White said his task force will explore the private collection issue and the possibility of creating a garbage enterprise fund, separate from the tax-supported general fund that now pays for solid waste management. Such a fund, like those used by other cities, would need revenue — perhaps from a new trash-collection fee.
It's not as if these dense, expensive townhouse developments aren't boosting the property tax rolls. Indeed, as the story points out, some of these townhouses were built on previously vacant lots, significantly boosting property tax revenues. The city doesn't need to use this relatively simple problem as an excuse to create a trash-collection revenue stream.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/22/06 10:12 PM |
19 May 2006
Mary Cutrufello returns to Rudz
Former Houstonian Mary Cutrufello returns to town with a gig at Rudyard's tonight.
On this latest swing through Texas, she's put the old "honky tonk" band back together, and is promising to do lots of old material from the "Who to Love and When to Leave" CD and the "Mary Cutrufello and the Havoline Supremes" cassette (remember those?). Her email says she'll have a reissue CD of that great old material available, and she'll be playing with her old bandmates Roland Denny and Terry Kirkendall.
The email says the show starts at 9:30, but that start time may well get pushed back to the end of the Astros game (like the old days).
We don't plug live music very often here, but this one should be pretty good. Feel free to buy me an adult beverage should you make it out tonight. :)
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/19/06 07:10 PM |
18 May 2006
Houston's best moms
I was sitting in the doctor's office waiting room this afternoon (dealing with the rocking chair incident) and saw a magazine I had not seen before: H Texas. In it was a story about Houston's best moms.
And who are Houston's best moms? According to H Texas they are Elyse Lanier, Melissa Mithoff, Dodie Osteen, Page Parkes Eveleth, and Laura Pettitte.
Now you know.
Posted by Anne Linehan @ 05/18/06 03:37 PM |
14 May 2006
Welcome to Houston, Barry
The San Francisco Giants come to town tomorrow for a three-game set with the Astros.
The big news is Giants' slugger Barry Bonds and his pursuit of Babe Ruth's home run tally.
One local blogger has instructions for any Astros fan who might be on the receiving end of a Bonds home run over the next few days:
1. Go to the game.
2. Catch Number 714 or 715.
3. Get out your sharpie.
4. Write the word "Cheater" on the ball.
5. Throw it back Houston.
More details are available at Throw It Back Houston.
BLOGVERSATION: TBIFOC.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 05/14/06 11:20 PM |
10 May 2006
Food and drink roundup (05-10-2006 edition)
Shall we do another Food and Drink Roundup? Let's.
Alison Cook wants to like the avant-garde approach of laidback manor and the Italian fare at Bice but doesn't quite get there with either.
Robb Walsh tries Korean barbecue at Arirang Korean Restaurant. He also favors the lunch board at downtown's Perbacco.
Peggy Grodinsky interviews the Kitchen Sisters, who have just finished a culinary tour of Texas to be featured on their radio show. She also interviews Houston dietitian Linda McDonald, publisher of Supermarket Savvy.
Brian McManus entertains with his tour of local "Nazis."
In honor of my late grandfather, who was a cheesemaker and would probably get a kick out of this news, feta is officially Greek.
And Luther's Bar-b-q is now Pappas Bar-b-q.
Finally, Lance Scott Walker goes back to downtown's hip Grasshopper.
World Class, all of it. Enjoy!!
Posted by Callie Markantonis @ 05/10/06 09:24 AM |
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