Results tagged “newyear”

Yeah, yeah, we know — Shelterporn has slacked off, and in recent weeks you've had to look for your own dream real estate listings. We're awfully sorry to have put such a burden on you and are making a Chinese New Year's resolution to be more regular. We'll do better at keeping up with Shelterporn, too.

Though Open City has only been open a few months, we've been hearing nothing but rave reviews and felt the need to check it out ourselves. Best decision we've made in 2008 (well, besides deciding to ignore our New Year's diet resolution).

The Houston Rockets are seemingly transitioning into the New York Giants of the National Basketball Association. No, they haven't just won a championship. No, they haven't defeated arguably the best team in league history. No, they haven't snapped an opponent's 18-game winning streak. OK, so maybe they're nothing like the NFL's Super Bowl winner.

Houstonist is at it again, we are rebelling hard against our very own New Year's Resolution to be healthier and perhaps a touch on the thinner side. We are going to turn into a cartoon tire spokesperson, but, hey, the sooner we hammer out a top ten list of burgers, the sooner we can, oh hell - move on to the fried chicken and chicken fried steaks. Who are we really kidding? We just have tiny, miniscule fits and starts of nutritional goodness, which are merely pawns in our chicken-fried game of food rationalization (admission is the first step, ya'll!). We found the break in the weather Saturday so invigorating that we hauled ourselves off to Lankford's for one of our beloved bacon cheeseburgers. As you can see by the photo, they make a dainty, almost delicate burger! We had to compact it with our little grubhooks before taking that first mind boggling bite. Oh yes, burger love has been elevated to a whole new level - burger lust. We have been paying the fine folks at Langford a visit for several years - so our burger lust is in full force and effect. In fact, we howled with outrage when the local news highlighted them - I mean really, now it's just more crowded! We do lust for the Lankford's - it's an itch that has to be immediately scratched, or we will just eat burgers all over town (you don't see right through our flimsy logic, do you?) in a brave attempt to quell the burger beast within.

Ahh, three weeks into the New Year. The gyms are still over-flowing with well-intentioned resolution-focused dieters and salads are no longer the pre-game show to the entree but the actual entree. We poo-poo this annual habit! Especially when we heard that Raindrop Chocolate just got their shiny new hot chocolate machine. On a cold rainy day, a little real European hot chocolate is exactly what our resolution-less soul needed. True to the rumors, the hot chocolate machine was whirling it's magic, but alas and alack, it wasn't ready yet! Not ready yet?! What's not to be ready with hot chocolate? Don't you just heat up the chocolate, add some milk, plop in some marshmallows and sip your worries away? No, not at all, says owner and chocolate connoisseur Don. Don was put on a year-and-a-half waiting list to get this hot chocolate machine from a little company in Italy. We're not really sure what makes this particular machine so special, but we do know that it costs $2000 and takes a few hours of whirling a batch of real chocolate to get it just right. We predict that a $2000 machine will probably trump our Swiss Miss microwave variety and we plan to come back when our craving for hot chocolate strikes again.

The first week of the new year is a light one for concerts. Still, there are some gems on the calendar, especially if you like local or country music.

Happy New Year’s/In Rainbows Day! As you may well know, Radiohead’s In Rainbows was one of our favorite records of 2007. The album is out in stores today after being available for digital “pay what you want” download online last fall. If you've grown a bit tired of your mp3 download’s low 162kbps bit-rate quality, purchasing a copy of the CD might be a good idea. And if you haven’t purchased In Rainbows in any form yet, whatcha waitin' for?

Staying in for New Year’s Eve? Log on to the internets at 11pm to watch Radiohead perform their new album, In Rainbows, on Current TV. The webcast will air three more times on Tuesday for those of you who spend the night out on the town.

French restaurants have been very kind to Houstonist. They reside in quaint little locales, offer crusty bread and real butter, and cook up delectable and delicate fares. We were delighted to learn that a new french restaurant opened on Colquitt just two weeks ago. The owners and chefs of Au Petit Paris, Eric Legros & Dominique Bocquier, have created a 'casual' neighborhood restaurant with a distinct Parisian feel. Though the restaurant lacks the pretentiousness of most upscale restaurants and the decor is charming and comforting, the food is decidedly upscale as are the prices. We arrived at Au Petit on a brisk Houston winter night (no, seriously - we had to wear a coat and everything) and were delighted to find a cozy cottage restaurant instead of a lackluster stripmall dive. Eric and Dominique took an old Montrose house and created an adorable dining venue that is intimate and comfortable. The only gripe we had with the ambiance was their choice in music - a bit too techno bistro for the setting. The menu options were enticing, but we experienced sticker shock at the prices - nothing casual about that! Appetizers start at $12 and go up to $19. Entrees range from $23-$33. Dessert was $9 a pop. A full three course meal would run you well over fifty bucks. Perhaps these prices are the Euro conversion rate?

So, if Thanksgiving is all about pie, pie and more pie, Christmas is all about cookies, for us, for Santa, for everyone we can pawn them off on give them to. Here at Houstonist, we love food, cooking it, eating it, telling you how to make it and where to find it. We'll even let you know if it's all "meh" not so much. Holiday desserts are the best and the calories do not count...

Sure, some people celebrate Christmas in July, but does this translate to also putting on the holiday lbs., too? We're kinda feeling that way. So, in honor of the halfway celebrations (also rumored that the Tipsy Clover will be holding a halfway to St. Patty's Day event), we have decided to take a much need halfway to New Year's Resolutions and begin our resolutions to get in shape early, er, late. Oh, whatever.

Need to know just a little bit about something? Ask a dilettante. Last night, I went out with some friends for a few drinks. Since when has Cinco de Mayo become such a big drinking event? It’s not even a major holiday in Mexico. As long as Dilettante has been aware of Cinco de Mayo, it has been a drinking holiday. But it does seem to be turning into more and more of an excuse...

There's nothing quite like a story about a bizarre, vaguely stupid crime to round out the week. So, in that spirit, we bring you the tale of the guy who wanted to sell a $15,000 Rolex watch, met the seller, let him try the watch on — and now has no watch and no $15,000. Life can be harsh like that sometimes.

Chinese New Year Spectacular

Good morning, Houston. Did you feel particularly down in the dumps yesterday? There's a good reason for it, according to Dr. Cliff Arnal, a psychologist at Cardiff University: Arnal has named Jan. 22 the most depressing day of the year, what with the gloomy weather, post-holiday bills and failed new year's resolutions. But here's a reason to cheer back up: Today is National Pie Day! If anyone needs us, you know where we'll be...

Mosaic Grand Opening So, admit it. You have nothing to do tonight. Tivo-ing your favorite shows during the week and watching them on the weekend doesn't count as "plans." Get your -ist off the couch, throw on your tightest European cut shirt, and head downtown to see how the other half lives. Tonight officially opens Houston's newest rock lounge, Mosaic. (And, yes, we have more than one). Located in Downtown's Bayou Place, Mosaic sits next...

Talk about an ambitious new year's resolution! This week, Houstonist is reeling with admiration for Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks. In 2002, Parks set out to write one play every day for a year. And here we thought getting 7 more readers was steep.

We don't know about you, but it's friggin cold out there. Well, not for some of you. It seems as though places that are supposed to be cold are warm and places that are supposed to be warm are cold. Or maybe that's just us. Either way, we're freezing. Austinist said goodbye to their co-editor (sell-out) and played rumor monger on the SXSW lineup. And when dozens of dead birds littered downtown Austin, it's...

Houstonist's new year's resolution: More shelterporn in 2007! To kick things off, we take you to this ultra-cool house in Glenbrook Valley, the jet-era neighborhood along Broadway just north of Hobby Airport. Because we have a soft spot for mid-century modern homes, Glenbrook is one of our favorite neighborhoods in Houston (and we've shelterporned there before, in case you've forgotten). The house — which has only had two owners since it was built in...

So far as we can tell, everyone survived the holidays and are settling back into their new year groove. Some of us may have pushed the limits of sanity further than others, but for the most part, we’re alive and kicking. Somehow Houstonist managed to pull a fast one on jolly St. Nick this Christmas, ‘cause the tree sure was stocked full of goodies. Santa must have overlooked that one thing that one night. Wheeew! Close one.

Our New Year's resolution is to stop harping on Craigslist posters for neglecting to, you know, do the decent thing and speak up when they are struck with love, lust or a bad case of VD after an encounter with someone. So go on, keep missing each other. And let the rest of us laugh at your expense.

Sunday. Usually, a quiet, contemplative day in the Blogosphere. But not here in the Ist-a-Verse. Nonono! Just look below and see all of the wild and crazy stuff our staffs are up to. In Austin, bands are beginning to confirm for SXSW and the rumor mill is up and running. Good thing, too, because we all know how much Austinites love live performances. Austin also found itself in the national spotlight, with Longhorn Legend...

One week into the new year and you still haven't made any resolutions? Let us help. Thinking of resolving to exercise more but searching for a not so cliche term? Combine your health goals with a mission to learn more about your city, and join the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance's Monthly Walking Tours. See the city while shedding some pounds. You overchiever, you! This month's walk will take place this Sunday in one of Houston's...

Houstonist recently lunched at Christian's Totem on Washington Avenue, near I-10. In the spirit of passing along "burger-love" to Houstonians, we had to tell you about this little joint. It has undergone some remodeling of late, but, the burgers are just the same! Huge, juicy fully-loaded burgers with nice crispy onion rings or fries. We've had both the fries and the rings, they are fantastic - it just depends on your personal preference - we...

Well, you Houstonians were really disappointing this New Years. A quick browse of this week's Missed Connections proves you aren't following our advice and speaking up to potential lovers. A whole slew of posts were from New Year's Eve parties, and most of you blamed too much alcohol for your passivity. What's the worst that could come from your candor? Your love interest could slur a messy, "Nooo," and drunkenly stumble away. You'll never learn.

On Sundays, Houstonist runs opinion pieces relevant to life in Houston. The opinions expressed below are entirely those of the author. Happy December 31st! Since our resolutions pretty much stay the same from one year to the next (lose weight, get a better job, spend more time with the kids, get the drinking under control, stand up to that troll under the bridge), we need another way to note the passage of time. People in...

As 2006 ends and 2007 begins, the -ists look back not at the past week, but at the past year. So here it is, your Best of 2006 Spectacular. And from all of us at the -ists, happy New Year! Austinist was all about controversy as new construction to increase urban density ran rampant in 2006, as did threats to the city's image from gigantic corporations looking to set up shop in town, leading...

No Murder Mystery? No Bach? It's New Year's Eve - like you are going to sit at home, swilling egg nog and watching Dick Clark? The Main Street Theater-Chelsea Market presents Urinetown!, the musical, on New Year's Eve - beginning at 8:30 p.m. and the fun includes champagne, dancing and gourmet desserts from the Dessert Gallery. For your enjoyment, silly hats and noisemakers will be provided to assist you as you ring in 2007! Houstonist...

Murder Myster dinner not your style? You can still celebrate the end of the Gregorian year in grand style. Get your party on (don't forget the party attire - bling your way to midnight) to the works of the serious-looking guy on the left - the serious ones are the real party animals! Ars Lyrica is hosting "Biber, Bach & Bubbly" at Zilkha Hall in the Hobby Center, beginning at 9 p.m., New Year's Eve....