Results tagged “newyears”

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).

Houstonist still likes its classics, though. From the 90's, we have southern-flavored rock from Southern Culture On the Skids and a favorite from Ben Folds Five's album Whatever and Ever, Amen. Our sole 80's entry comes from L.A. new wave band The Sparks. Finally, one of our contributors has spent a little too much time in his 1975 Camaro: he suggested Led Zeppelin and Foreigner.

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.

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.

The Missed Connections Poets Society is at it again. Houstonist is just a caveman...er caveperson, and we're baffled by your rambling stanzas of superfluous prose. Get it on with it already.

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.

The shot from flickr user and Houstonist photo contributor The Bald Heretic.

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...

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...

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...

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.

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....

Looking for something different to do on New Year's Eve? Houstonist will bring you some ideas over the next couple of days - starting with Keith & Margo's Murder Mystery - New Year's Eve Celebration - at the Doubletree Hotel Downtown. There are two packages available for the evening - the Basic and the Deluxe. The Basic Package - priced at $279/couple includes an Hors D'Oeuvres Reception, one glas of wine, two glasses of champagne...

Well, it's that time of year again — having finally reached the end of December, we get to leave Houstonist headquarters early and start enjoying a long weekend! Oh, wait, it's 5 p.m. already? Dang. We hope all of you got to take off early, at least.

Houston Texans Wide Receiver Andre Johnson is heading to the Pro Bowl for the second time in his four year career. This time around he has earned a starting spot with his stellar performance. Amazingly, #80 has shown brilliance on the field as the offense continues to struggle as a unit. Johnson currently leads the league with 97 receptions - a personal best. He's also in sixth place overall in receiving yards and is on...

It was a bad, bad week in Missed Connections with Houstonians being hit left and right by inconsiderate (and sometimes thieving) passersby. What's with the bad karma? Are we beginning to take out our stress and aggression over the busy holidays on each other? What's with the hate? Let's try to make it through New Year's, shall we? I am really sad I missed you... when you decided to tip over my scooter. Yeah,...

That building going up next to Bayou Place — Phase II — is that going to be more Bayou Place-like things (restaurants, clubs, destinations)? For some reason, I get a non-fun vibe off that building. You're right about the non-fun vibe: Bayou Place II, which was actually built out in the part of the former Albert Thomas Convention Center west of Bagby Street, will house "loft office space" (which, we assume, means large windows, exposed...

2006 AIDS Walk Houston is here, which means you can finally use those running shoes you bought as part of your New Year's resolution. Here's the skinny:

So you've been making New Year's resolutions, right? Exercising more, drinking less, being nice to kids. But after you've broken all those (for Houstonist, it just took a few hours), what do you have left to look forward to in 2006? May we suggest that you turn over a new leaf by writing for Houstonist?

At first, Houstonist was kind of freaked out by our recent heat wave — after all, Christmas and New Year's are supposed to be cold, aren't they? But now we've gotten into the swing of things, breaking out the shorts and flip-flops. Which means, of course, that it's about to get cooler again. Forecasts call for things to cool down Thursday and remain seasonable through the weekend, with highs in the 60s during the...

Houstonist knows how hard it can be to keep some of those well-meaning, but slightly impossible, New Year's resolutions (like losing 35 pounds or reading War and Peace), so we've drafted some ways our fair city can help you reach your goals. Lose weight: So we were the fattest city in 2005. That doesn't mean you can't take advantage of our unseasonably warm weather and hit the parks to walk off your waistline. Eat healthier:...

In case you haven't heard, 2005 is going to last one second longer than usual — that's because the world's timekeepers (they're the ones who run the atomic clock) are adding a "leap second" to make up for the Earth's deceleration. Houstonist had a pretty good year, so we're glad we'll get to enjoy it one second longer. We were especially excited when we thought it would mean one second more of partying at midnight...

One of the good things about living in the Central Time Zone is that, on New Year's Eve, we can watch the ball drop in Times Square at 11 p.m. and still have time to watch Houston's — how do we put it nicely? — typically less-than-spectacular midnight celebration downtown. But this year might be a turning point for our local NYE party: Houston finally has something to drop at midnight. Except it will rise,...

The next time you're cruising around the county throwing lighted cigarette butts out your car window — well, don't. Recent dry conditions and high winds led to 110 brush fires in Harris County between Saturday and Tuesday — up from the usual average of five a day. Though it's nowhere near as bad locally as it has been in North Texas and Oklahoma, officials say New Year's fireworks aren't necessarily the best idea here. "The...