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Chron •

Tee up: Houston is getting a vintage-inspired mini golf course

A quirky new mini golf course and karaoke bar is set to open in Houston's Greenway district in April.

Called Holey Moley, the venue is the brainchild of Australian company Funlab, which operates bowling alleys, dart bars, escape rooms and arcades throughout Australia. Houston's Holey Moley will be the third expansion into America, following a location that opened in Denver in late 2023 and an Austin outpost that opened last week.

The putt putt experience will include three themed nine-hole gol
Chron •

Pro tip: Use this freeze in Houston to season your cast-iron skillet

You may have heard Texas will be getting a hard freeze this weekend, with Sunday temps in the 30s and a chance for freezing rain overnight. Houston rarely gets this kind of weather, so let me turn you on to a little tip: Use this cold front as an opportunity to season your cast-iron pan and warm your home at the same time.

When talking about cast iron cookware, "seasoning" simply refers to the polymerization of oil, which becomes bonded to the metal thanks to high temperatures. The result is a
Chron •

Smart factory for growing mushrooms indoors coming to Houston

Good news for mycology fans: Two Asia-based companies are teaming up to build a massive fungi-growing warehouse in Houston that will specialize in enoki, a popular but rare type of edible mushroom.

The facility, a joint project between Singapore Finc and China’s Huayuan Food Group, will be the first "smart factory" for edible mushrooms in the United States, according to Vegconomist, a vegan business magazine.

Construction on the 258,000-square-foot factory located at 11155 Westpark Drive is ex
Chron •

Latin Restaurant Weeks returns to Houston this July

The event, which runs from July 7-21, is meant to showcase the city's extensive variety of Latin cuisine. Participating restaurants typically offer a special prix-fixe menu during the event, showcasing the dishes that make each restaurant unique. The event has made huge strides since its founding in 2019, especially considering a good chunk of that time took place during the covid-19 pandemic. This year, LRW has nearly doubled the number of participants from last year, going from about 60 restau
Chron •

Houston nightclub hit with 2nd lawsuit over shooting

Tabu, the embattled Galleria-area nightclub that was shut down by the city last week after a series of violent incidents, is being sued again, this time by a victim in the most recent shooting.

Simeon Harvey, one of six victims in the shooting that took place on June 11 at the nightclub, filed suit yesterday against Tabu's operators and landowners, alleging that the club should have ramped up security and other measures following a series of violent incidents stretching back to January 2022.

T
Chron •

Houston cafe nominated for 'Best Breakfast' in America

Dandelion Cafe, the Bellaire breakfast spot known for its locally-sourced, made-from-scratch dishes, is headed to New York City to compete for the title of "Best Breakfast in America."

During a segment that aired on ABC's Good Morning America this morning, Dandelion Cafe beat out fellow Houston stalwart Breakfast Klub to make it to the next round of competition in GMA's “United States of Breakfast” series. The segment, which was filmed at Saint Arnold Brewery, featured Food Network star Eddie J
Chron •

City of Houston sues Galleria nightclub after series of shootings, assaults

The city of Houston has sued a Galleria-area nightclub that has been the location of several violent incidents recently, including a shooting last week that injured six people.

The suit comes after the city has made several attempts to tamp down on violence at late-night drinking spots. The lawsuit alleges that Tabu, at 6002 Richmond Avenue, has been operating without fire or occupancy inspections, has refused to take reasonable measures to abate criminal activity including multiple aggravated
Chron •

Houston's Benchawan Jabthong Painter named Texas' Best Chef

Benchawan Jabthong Painter, who opened her Thai restaurant Street to Kitchen in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, was named the Best Chef in Texas by the James Beard Foundation Monday night during a live event at Chicago's Lyric Opera.

Painter, who previously worked at Houston spots including SaltAir and Theodore Rex, was named a finalist for the award in March alongside chefs from Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio and Seguin. The James Beard Awards, which were first presented in 1991 and are
Chron •

Houston's EZ's Liquor Lounge named among Best Bars in America

One of the best bars in the country is in Houston's Heights, according to Esquire Magazine.

EZ’s Liquor Lounge, which opened in October 2022, is the only bar in Texas to make the publication's much-anticipated annual list, which was released Friday. EZ's joins bars in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and a dozen other cities, with winners ranging from upscale wine bars to laid-back hangouts.

EZ's falls into the second category. Meant to pay homage to vintage dive bars, EZ's in
Chron •

For one night only, America's most iconic gay bar comes to Houston

When Adriana Maldonado was a young chef, freshly relocated to New York City, one of the first places she went was the Stonewall Inn. She'd never been to New York before at all, but she suspected she'd find community at the legendary gay bar where, in 1969, the Pride movement was born. And she was right. Sitting at the bar, Maldonado, who is queer, asked for recommendations for a lesbian hangout. "There's one right down the block," bartender Mel Albaladejo told her, directing her to the nearby Cu
Chron •

One of Houston's oldest Black-owned restaurants closes its doors

Meat lovers take note: One of Houston's longest-running Black-owned restaurants recently shuttered after more than four decades. Blake's BBQ and Burgers, located in West Houston, served its last customers on May 20. Pitmaster Don Blake said he's retiring from the restaurant business to pursue other projects, he told the Houston Chronicle.

Blake's, which opened in 1982, has frequently landed on lists of the best burgers in Houston, and in 2013 was featured on the Travel Channel series Burger Lan
Chron •

'A sh-tshow': Inside the final mad days of Pappas at Houston's Hobby Airport

We open at 9, a sign by the hostess stand read. "We might as well eat here, since it's their last day," a woman said to her male companion as they waited outside.

After two decades as the main concessionaire at Hobby, Pappas Restaurants, operating under the umbrella group 4 Families of Hobby, lost a contract on March 8 to continue operating restaurants at the airport. Following a contentious and prolonged bidding process that was delayed in part due to COVID-19, Houston City Council opted to aw
Chron •

Houston man feels 'ripped off' by high cost of fajitas

Fed up with the rising cost of dining out, a Heights-area man posted a spreadsheet to Twitter this weekend that compared the cost of an order of fajitas at several different central Houston restaurants.

"Houston, thank me later," wrote the Twitter user, who goes by the handle @WestTxGeo. "Attached below is the fajita prices for every restaurant I could think of near the Heights. After feeling continuously ripped off, I’ve reached peak dad life of spreadsheeting this thing out."

He then attache
Chron •

Pappas Restaurants denied stay of Hobby Airport eviction for 2nd time

For a second time, a Harris County judge has declined a request to postpone enforcement of a newly-awarded contract that will change which restaurant groups manage concessions at Hobby Airport.

The decision is the latest in an ongoing legal battle between Pappas Restaurants and the City of Houston over what Pappas' representatives say has been a flawed contract bidding process. Pappas, under the umbrella company 4 Families of Hobby, sued the city in April after losing a bid to Spain-based compa
Chron •

Pappas lawsuit against Houston over Hobby contract on pause—for now

Correction April 27, 2023: Attorneys for 4 Families withdrew on Wednesday their request for a temporary injunction that would have paused the new Hobby Airport contract. A previous version of the story stated that attorneys for 4 Families withdrew their lawsuit. This story has been updated throughout to reflect this change.

The legal back and forth between Pappas Restaurants and the city of Houston over a concessions contract for Hobby Airport is on pause—for now at least. During a brief but at
Chron •

Pappas sues city of Houston over Hobby Airport contract

In a bombshell lawsuit filed against the city of Houston Monday, Pappas Restaurants alleges that a disgraced former aide to Mayor Sylvester Turner reached out to the restaurant group's CEO during a bidding process for a contract at Hobby Airport that Pappas ultimately lost.

The lawsuit is the latest in the battle between city officials and Pappas, operating under the umbrella company 4 Families of Houston, over a contract to run the concessions at the airport. City Council voted on March 8 to a
Chron •

Pedro Pascal sets the record straight on good Tex-Mex, Mexican food

Beloved actor and TikTok heartthrob Pedro Pascal made a stop on the YouTube series Hot Ones this week, where he set the record straight on which states have the best Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine.

For the uninitiated, Hot Ones is a talk show produced by First We Feast and Complex Media, where celebrities eat progressively spicier hot sauce-drenched chicken wings while answering questions from host Sean Evans. Previous guests have included actress Maya Rudolph, rapper Post Malone, and Top Chef hos
Chron •

Sorry, Pappas won't be an option at Hobby Airport much longer

A years-long process to decide the future of concessions at Hobby Airport has finally ended, and Pappas Restaurant group is out.

Houston City Council today voted 11-6 to accept a bid from Areas SUA to run concessions at the airport for the next 10 years. That means the locally based, family-owned Pappas Restaurants, doing business under the umbrella of a company called 4 Families, will no longer have restaurants inside the airport's terminals. Pappas has operated concessions at Hobby since 2002
Chron •

Houston leaders delay vote on Pappas Hobby Airport contract

UPDATE: March 1, 10:09 a.m. CT

On Wednesday morning Houston City Council members once again delayed a scheduled vote on a concessions contract at Hobby Airport, putting off a final decision on the matter until next week at the soonest.

Houston City Council is set to vote March 1 on a concessions contract for Hobby Airport that will determine whether a long-standing Houston restaurant chain--or a newcomer from Spain--will be allowed to operate restaurants in the airport.

The vote comes afte
Chron •

George H.W. Bush's favorite 'Presidential bacon' is still on the menu at this Houston barbecue joint

Dozier's BBQ in Fulshear makes a style of bacon so special that former President George H.W. Bush once had it personally delivered to the White House on Air Force One.

In fact, it was so beloved by the elder Bush that Dozier's now markets it under the moniker "Presidential bacon."

Dozier's bacon is smoked and sliced in-house, and prepared with pecan wood instead of the hickory used for most commercially available bacon, says pitmaster Jim Buchanan. A whole slab of pork belly, about 30 inches l
Chron •

Bun B's Trill Burgers restaurant is on hold, but you can get his smashburgers at the Houston Rodeo

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Trill Burgers, the wildly popular smashburger concept backed by Houston rapper Bun B, is one of a handful of new food vendors at the 2022 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

The food stand will serve items like grilled onion "OG" burgers and seasoned crinkle-cut fries for the duration of the rodeo, which runs from Feb. 28 through March 20.

This year's rodeo marks the return of the event after it was abruptly shut down at the start of
Chron •

Montrose bar offers Euphoria-themed cocktails ahead of the HBO show's season finale

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Present Company, the Montrose bar with a neon patio and kitschy tropical drinks, has launched a new cocktail menu inspired by the HBO show "Euphoria."

The show, which follows a group of troubled high school students as they navigate trauma, love, sex and drug addiction, recently entered its second season, and has become a buzzy hit on social media.

Starring Zendaya as narrator Rue Bennett, "Euphoria" is especially known for its cin
Eater Houston •

Houston Restaurants and Bars Are Closing Temporarily Due to Concerns Over the COVID-19 Omicron Variant

A number of Houston bars and restaurants have opted to close temporarily this week due to concerns over the new COVID-19 variant, omicron, which has begun to rapidly spread throughout Houston and the rest of the United States.

Omicron was first detected in Houston on December 6, in a Harris County woman who was fully vaccinated. Since then, Houston Methodist Hospital has reported that the variant is responsible for about 82 percent of new cases in Houston.

Of particular concern is that omicron
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