crunchtastic

The story as I heard it... Wiengarten raised the rent again and Mandola decided he'd gather some investors (some long-time employess have some skin in it) and build instead, and the guys that own Ibiza/Catalan will open in the vacant RO center space.

Tony Mandola is building a new Gulf Coast Kitchen and will relocate from the River Oaks Center location. Will post details if I get some. My admin asst. knows the family from way back and seems to have the inside scoop.

Well sure, but that's not my point. My fault as I should have used the word brewer, not purist. From the brewer's perpective, it's extremely difficult to establish a name for oneself. Attempting to run a successful restuarant at the same time is damn near impossible, so I can see why a committed brewer would typically not tie up his money (or his partner's) in a secondary venture that risks success of the brewery. I'm trying to think of all the brewpubs I've been too, but with the exception of that one in Fredericksburg, (can't remember the name but it was known as the Brew n Screw due to the upstairs rooms for rent) all I remember are chains where both the food and the beer were bleh to good, but never great.

Heh. Carpet in bars. Houston Brewery was that failed mid-90s experiment from the the Ale House/Richmond Arms guy, right? I was a heavy regular at the Richmond back then and other than a couple of initial visits to show some support, we never went in the place. Seemed silly to bother when there were 70 some odd beers and the crowd down the road at the pub. From the beer purist's perspective: a friend of mine has just licensed the South Austin Brewing Company (brand new FB page as of yesterday,everyone please go like) after working for a number of other central Texas outfits, and his mindset is: if my goal is make and sell great beer, why would I want to muck it up with trying to run a profitable restaurant simultaneously?

You're right that Eastwood doesn't have the uniformly 'good' blocks like the Heights, of course prices in the east end reflect that. I've noticed more people doing improvements lately and it seems like more of the eyesores are being addressed. The only impassable street floodding I've noticed is around Leeland and Ernestine by Cage elementary. I'm sure there are a few other trouble spots. Like anywhere, the nuisance factor just sort of depends on your individual neighbors. We have a 10-unit apt complex across the street and have only had to call the cops once in the past few months because of noise late at night. A new owner bought the 4 plex behind us (he lives in it)and has already helpd to clean up the hood by getting rid of the teenage baby mama tenent and her drug dealer boyfriend. Precinct 6 constables are generally very good about responding to nuisance calls, and HPD is visible about patrols. I drive past Cage elementary to get on 45 at 7 each morning with no issues. There tend to be a lot of accidents betweeen Cullen and 45/59 interchange due to lane changers and highly variable speeds. You'll have to learn how to maneuver around the train crossings but it can be done primarily by using Scott St as your 1-45 access point into and out of area. Beware the Telephone rd crossing, especially on weekends, as they often come ot a full stop and just sit for a half hour or more. Grrr. Are you looking at any places in particular? I live on Walker at Eddington and am most familiar with the area bounded by Polk, Eastwood, Rusk and Dumble. We've got a really big stray cat population but are putting a dent in it by organizing frequent free trap/neuter/release days with SNAP and the city. Unlike some parts of town, we have the large recylce bins, and have heavy trash pick up every month, which is nice.

Interesting. I believe the Patriot Act is worded in such a way that the FBI could classify Pastor Cracker an enemy combatant and make it go away. I'm frankly surprised the DoD isn't pressing the issue harder to shut this guy up. Between the mosque protests and this guy, our troops in Afghanistan have even bigger targets painted on their helmets, and the Pakistanis don't exactly provide trustworthy cover. Point being, I can imagine a number of scenarios where if the pastor were not a white Christian in an election year, he might well already be detained 'for questioning.'

Speaking as Friend of Porchman who has been twice now with him and Mrs P., I will chime in. The food is perfectly cooked and sauced, and remarkable at the price. I suspect a very short French menu served in an odd place is not everyone's cup o tea, but to have both rabbit and duck on a 6-entree menu, wow. Don't go there for a wine paring, but the few they have are familiar, inexpensive and perfectly good with the menu. The chef is a freak, in a good way. He serves his salmon mousse (so good I could eat a cereal bowl full of it) with the appropriate Python "Meaning of Life" reference. I hope they stay afloat. We'll be going back soon. He was out of the rabbit, and I really want some. PS Porchman, plus one for the 'hard on the BRC' remark. yuk yuk yuk

it means thanks/later/see ya

I got a 100cc Suzuki dirt bike for my 11th birthday. In 2 months I was riding enduro trails with my dad. To this day my little brother resents the fact that I got a motorcycle and he didn't. Sucka! Since I could clutch, a car was easy except for learning the sight lines. I learned to drive a car on a '76 Fiat. No power steering, no power brakes. The crappiest car ever, excepting maybe a Yugo.

Next time you talk to your English co-workers, when you're done just say "ta". (as in ta-tas). The snooty Londoners will wonder who you've been talking to behind their backs.

Yawn. Red, wasn't it you who posted earlier on anticipated percentages for the mid term? When we get to 70 or 80% actually bothering to vote, talk to me about election fraud. We've turned representative democracy into a sad joke. Citizens v. FEC didn't really help matters.

Arancini are not fried risotto balls! Risotto is from the north. So far north it's practically Switzerland. Sorry--I am duty bound to defend Sicilian food. You want rice balls, you come see us down South. Haven't had the Reef dish; it does sound borg-ish for a fish restaurant. I like 20th St Dad's mac and cracklins idea, a lot.

Times Square is packed with people because it's adjacent to the live performing arts and financial centers of the country, and is located in the (almost) middle of Manhattan, which is the (not quite) middle of one of the densest cities on this side of the world. There are many things at work that result in downtown Houston rolling up the sidewalks after dark. Stop being simple.

Lamenting the loss of a foreign film venue is not exactly backwoods, cowtownish behavior. And a TGI Fridays in downtown is not what most people would generally associate with an exciting leap into the future. Your rant is unfocused.

as long as it's not this Saturday, or Oct 15/16, you know me....I'm in! I hereby nominate Rsb our fall party planner.

If I have to hear 'chef-driven restaurant' again in this context I'm going to have a seizure. Christ on a cracker! How much gastropubbin' and slow food cocktails do the Good People of The Heights need in a 5 mile area? Clearly not that many, because it's easier to use the prescribed anti-walmart talking points rather than keep the 'chef-driven restaurants' like Bedford and Textile viable in one's own neighborhood. Curious how no one wants crappy chains, but yet the Heights manages to keep the Creeks (aka the home of the dry, overpriced burger) hopping. Style over substance, apparently. I second 20th st Dad's Chacho's motion.

Easy choice! C'mon, it's not like Flying Saucer is unique to Houston.

Marmer, you're correct. KUHF gave the jazz library to KTSU; I believe in 1988. Maybe 87. Back to KTRU...Blues in HiFi is having a going away party at Cactus this Sunday 2-5.

Just be sure Wayne doesn't lean too far toward you. If he fell, we'd have to call in the jaws of life to get you out. Kidding, I love Wayne. Hasn't he trimmed down some lately?

I was having a discussion about hottest news guy with the young gay intern in my office, and I was surpised he picked Erik Barajas over Andy Cerota. I vote for Andy. Is there some even smoother and better groomed I'm missing?

You can build attractions, resorts, shopping malls, casinos, and any combination thereof, you can create a hip music scene, give away incentives like mad to bring convention and cruise business, but creating 'Tourism' doesn't define a place in any sense other than dollars. Most people visit places to relax and consume (art, music, food, booze, young Thai boys, etc). But it's the seekers who latch onto something beyond the buildings or the landscape. I think it's only when people have something missing in their lives and find it in a destination, who collectivley, over time, turn a place into something special. And in that regard, no, Houston doesn't and will never offer that special something for visitors. Doesn't mean we can't build a succesful tourist destination for travel consumers, but it does mean we can't be Paris or Manhattan or whatever. 'Quirky', 'hip', 'irreverant' 'off-beat' 'soul', are all marketing words (some co-opted more recently than others) meant to separate someone from their money regarldess of whether you're buying an evening's entertainment or a place to live. They're not measures of actual human value. More people should put on their critical thinking hats and not conflate the two. (not a reference to Niche above, btw)

A 'Tier 1' university with graduate degrees in comm, RTF and fine/dramatic arts should have student-run media first, and external programming and management second. The worst part of this is, with 2 stations to fund, the beg-a-thons are going to be twice as insufferable. Is that even possible?

Hmmm, not liking this move. My own selfish reason is because I'm a big fan of a couple KTRU shows. Luckily they'll still maintain an online format. I like that Rice radio's content is created and managed largely by students. On the one hand, I wouldn't begrudge UH adding more classical programming. I listen to the drive time NPR news shows and enjoy them, but I'm not at all interested in seeing them expand only to buy more NPR content. Dollars to donuts they end up having to fill time with multiple airings of Prairie Home Companion. Bleh. The lack of student-created content and student management on both their TV and radio station is unfortunate for a University with communications and fine arts schools. Especially for public stations in a city the size of Houston where sources of local arts and cultural programming are virtually limitless. Maybe we'll be pleasantly surpised and UH will do something interesting rather than fill the time with off-the-shelf stuff. NPR (and Pacifica) produces some good shows, but I want more local presence in my public radio, not less.

Exactly. Fiesta provides an actual pedestrian-friendly experience, as opposed to empty new-urbanist jargon. Viva Fiesta.