Ever since Houstonist heard that BB's Cajun Cafe -- a little bayou outpost right in the middle of Montrose -- was serving the traditional grillades and grits, we knew we had to get over there. Not that we hadn't wanted to try BB's prior to this -- after all, our friends were all raving about their roast beef po-boys, hurricanes, catfish and late hours -- but the grillades and grits sealed the deal for......

Houstonist loves sushi. Actually, that might be an understatement. If Houstonist could marry sushi (or make it our domestic partner), we would. And we'd have adorable little sushi babies and live wasabily ever after. So when a new sushi restaurant opened up just down the street from our office, we were ecstatic. There is a troubling dearth of good sushi restaurants on the west side of town, with the sole exception of Sushi Jin,......

Houstonist took our sweet time finally getting down to The Lake House in downtown's Discovery Green, and do we ever wish we'd discovered (heh...get it?) this little gem sooner. Aside from its beautiful, modern-yet-relaxed architecture and location in the middle of Discovery Green, The Lake House is an unassuming little restaurant. It's made to fit seamlessly with the rest of the park, classic wood-paneling appropriately reminscent of a lake-side cabin and soaring glass walls showcasing......

Bluegrass music is an acquired taste. But mix some Grateful Dead and Phish styling to it, you have something that’s a little bit more digestible: Jamgrass. That’s the best description of the band Yonder Mountain String Band. The band was formed ten years ago in Colorado, out of the ashes of founders Dave Johnston and Jeff Austin’s band Bluegrassholes (which is a great name, by the way – mass appeal all over it). Since then,......

What would be the obvious career path for someone who went to Harvard for undergrad and Yale for law school? Well, write and publish restaurant guides, of course. Duh. Houstonist had the opportunity to sit with author/entrepreneur/foodie/publisher/world-traveller Robin Goldstein and his managing editor/foodie/marketer/public-relations-exec/S.O. Alexis Herschkowitsch. Robin has just released his Houston restaurant guide – Fearless Critic, Houston Restaurant Guide (one of the very first complete printed guides in Houston - and no, Zagat doesn't count).......

Houstonist doesn't get it. What's with all the hype surrounding Arcodoro? Why is this place getting such rave reviews from foodies we usually respect? Are we missing something here? Perhaps Houstonist readers can shed some light on our very dark Arcodoro experience. Houston's recent annual Restaurant Week was a great opportunity to sample a three course dinner from a variety of notable restaurants. After careful scrutiny, we chose Arcodoro, a restaurant we've heard a lot......

The day was sunny with very few clouds overhead. The music was local and there was lots of it. Over fifty bands were scheduled to perform in the span of about nine hours at three locations with five stages and the block party fans came out in force to soak up the sun and music. There were artists, creating and selling art, there were art installations, a smattering of food and merchandise vendors. There was......

Check this, yo. Do you love you some literary salon each month? Well here it is a again, and an excellent pair of peeps for tonight's reading. Join Houston Arts Alliance tonight, from 7PM -8PM at space125gallery for an evening of poetry, scenes and literature. "Meet the Authors" reception begins at 6:30PM. Featured Authors: >>John Pluecker, samplings from his poetry and short stories: John has worked with various community organizations, popular campaigns, and artistic......

Monday? Really? AGAIN? Not buying it. Ugh. Let us help you though it with a little spoken word for a rainy day. Join the Rice University English Department as they welcome Steve Gehrke and Nadine Meyer, husband and wife and both winners of the 2005 National Poetry Series, as part of the Cherry Reading Series. Both Gehrke and Meyer have been widely published and recognized for their poetic work. Gehrke is an assistant professor of......

Houstonist first went to Ra for what we hoped would be a nice sushi dinner. We ordered a meal of nigiri, sashimi, sushi rolls and nabeyaki udon. For all the hype and fanfare, we were not only disappointed, we were actually angry. The fish was flavorless and overpriced. The Udon? More like U-don't. Since when did noodles and vegetables in boiling water cost $12.75? We've never had hot green tea taste like they used the......

::Maurice Manning and Emily Fox Gordon Poetry Reading at Diverseworks:: Giving Houstonians a chance to hear tomorrow’s great writers today. The Inprint Studio Series, presented by Inprint in association with the University of Houston Creative Writing Program and Diverseworks, features some of the best young writers in the country, as well as alumni from the University of Houston Creative Writing Program and leading local authors. Now in its second season, the 2007-2008 Inprint Studio Series,......

Yea yea, so there are plenty of websites out there that offer reviews, rankings and information on Houston restaurants. But the problem for Houstonist is that we have to go to more than one to get the information we want. We've finally discovered a website that we actually like. Check out Urbanspoon, a new website covering Houston area restaurants. Like the –ists, Urbanspoon covers many cities around the world. As one of the best food......

Next time you are in the mood for an extraordinary lunch that does not involve valet parking you should hop on over to Yo Mama's Soul Food Restaurant on Antoine between 43rd and Tidwell. Yo Mama's (tee hee) has been slanging the groceries for 13 years now will not be closing any time soon judging by the lunch crowd. Folks from neighborhoods near (Oak Forest) and far (Sugarland) were waiting patiently in line to pick......

Sometimes nothing satisfies a hunger pain like a big helping of fried chicken and fixin’s. But not just any fried chicken. We wanted the kind that didn’t come off a conveyor belt; chicken that’s been soaked, seasoned and fried with love. Perhaps a place where Rockets players can be found after practice. Frenchy’s more than fit the bill. The original store on Scott Street almost always has a line of hungry patrons waiting to place......

A legendary musical enigma was born in Houston nearly 30 years ago when The Units' Ready for the House was released in 1978. The album featured a lone vocalist and his guitar creating austere sounds that were out of reach for most rock and roll fans. Those who were interested searched in vain for information about the reclusive artist who became known as Jandek for his second release. Jandek on Corwood is the documentary tale......

After much anticipation, Sugarbaby’s finally opened its doors this past summer. As a rule of thumb, Houstonist always likes to give these big openings a bit of time to iron out wrinkles before we come in. In the meantime, we had images of a Houston version of Magnolia Bakery in NYC and Sprinkles in LA. And when we finally walked in, it took us a bit to take in the interior - all black, white......

Tossed is a New York based fast casual rabbit food salad eatery on the west side of town. Having only been open in Houston for a couple of weeks, and despite the awkward name, there was quite a big crowd at Tossed when we tried it out for lunch recently. Located in an odd shaped shopping center at Briar Forest and Eldridge Parkway, we couldn’t help but wonder if this location would have any resemblance,......

Last night, Warehouse Live played host to the annual Houston Press Music Awards. Houstonist was there to absorb all of the entertainment and was treated to some of the best local music around. The Dimes (pictured above) walked away as big winners, with three awards – Best New Act, Best Indie Rock, and Song of the Year, for “Delilah,” which they performed on stage midway through the night. Other performers included Million Year Dance......

A recent Houstonist article about beignets sparked a little debate about donuts. Curious about where the best donut in Houston resides, we decided to hold a taste test.* A quick google search revealed a number of donut shops in Houston. We chose four locations for their proximity and reputation. So, at six a.m. on a weekday morning, we set off to Christy’s Donuts, Shipleys, Duncan Donuts and Fresh-n-Best Donuts. To keep the test as scientifically......

There are some restaurants we go to because we love the food and others because we like the décor and atmosphere. Jenni’s Noodle House is neither but we love going here because we like how it makes us feel. This popular downtown lunch hot spot is quirky and personable. Devoted patrons almost seem to carry a badge of honor after a meal at Jenni’s. Owners Scott and Jenni imprint their personality throughout their humble restaurant.......

After Krispy Kreme donuts left the Houston market early last year, finding a satisfying piece of fried dough got a little harder. Enter the beignet. Now, we’re not saying that the beignet is a substitute for the Krispy Kreme. Nor is the Krispy Kreme a replacement for the beignet. But if you happen to crave something sweet, doughy and fried, the beignet fulfills all three requirements. In a perfect world Café Du Monde would expand......

Remember that one time in France when you spent hours sitting at a quaint candlelit corner table with a great meal and a bottle of wine? Yea. That was awesome. Too bad France is so far away. But wait. That meal last night wasn’t in France? It was in a strip mall in Houston? Get out. Seriously, Café Rabelais, camouflaged in a very humble strip section of Rice Village, is a departure from the ordinary.......

Houstonist is always on the lookout for great lunch deals, especially when it comes to the red meat variety. Upon the recommendation of a snootie foodie, we headed to Texas Land & Cattle Steak House for their smoked sirloin lunch special for $9.99. Of the premium steaks, sirloin is considered the cheapest because it tends to be a bit tougher. But for $9.99 for an 8 ounce portion? A little extra chewing never hurts. The......

And now for something completely.. the same. Well, not exactly. It's no secret that Spamalot is "lovingly ripped-off" from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, but who can blame Eric Idle? The movie is extremely popular with everyone from British humor fans to nerdy teenage boys, and Spamalot tweaks the story just enough to keep the audience riveted, and also in stitches. We wouldn't say that the musical is exactly riding the coattails of......

If you don’t look carefully, you just might miss it. There are no big signs, no front door fanfare, no huge welcoming committee to seat you…just a perfect little space in the Anya Tish Art Gallery off of Montrose. On a hot Houston day, a trip to Tart Café will chill you off instantly. The space is minimal, cool and clean with one huge floor-to-ceiling window that looks out to Montrose. Concrete tabletops mimic the......

Tomorrow's special election to fill the vacant at-large city council seat has been in the local news often enough lately. But there's something else on the ballot that hasn't been given as much long-term publicity: a proposed Constitutional amendment. In the state of Texas, amendments to the Constitution must be ratified by a majority of voters - even if those voters only make up about eight percent of the total voter pool, which is the......

Most people know that sushi and seafood are never fresh on Mondays. Many restaurants don’t get their shipments in until Tuesday and/or Thursday so the seafood you eat on Monday is likely to be the weekend’s leftovers. Against our moral fiber, we headed to Sushi King (3401 Kirby Dr) on Monday with every intention of ordering their delicious Nabeyaki Udon soup. Then we broke down and ordered some sushi. Our server informed us that they......

With a Mexican food restaurant on nearly every corner of our fair city, it can be difficult to find any standouts among the crowd. Houstonist recently visited Sylvia’s enchilada kitchen for lunch and can safely say this is a hidden gem for Mexican food. Located at 12637 Westheimer (between Eldridge and Dairy Ashford) the lunch rush comes from the Westchase District and Energy Corridor crowds (think liquid lunch meets power lunch). As the name suggests......

We heard. We went. We saw. We loved. Inversion Coffee House (1953 Montrose Blvd ), a relatively new installment to the Montrose art scene, is an independent, locally owned coffee joint. And we heart independent coffee joints. Located on the former site of the mind-boggling Inversion House created by artists Dan Havel and Dean Ruck, this java dwelling resides in the new home of the Art League of Houston. Art lovers and independent thinkers are......

Yeah, we know the headline isn't eloquent. So what? Rainbow Lodge's brunch offering will leave your head spinning and your tummy smiling. Houstonist was excited to try Rainbow Lodge for the first time. Although Rainbow Lodge has been serving an eclectic menu for 30 years, we had not experienced it for ourselves. Fortunately, their recent move to Ella & TC Jester placed it in our backyard. The sign out front says "Casual Sunday Brunch,"......