By Jim Ayres I had a most triumphant Sunday “brunch” recently at a place called Hungry Like the Wolf. If you suddenly hear Duran Duran playing their biggest hit from their biggest album, Rio, it’s no coincidence. Hungry Like the Wolf is Houston’s only 1980s-themed diner and bar. It serves deadly legit breakfast (and lunch

By Jim Ayres The night I visited Hamsa was the night I fell in love.  Not with my dining companion (it wasn’t a date.) And not with anyone else. It was with this jewel of an Israeli restaurant, its ambiance and charming service, and amazingly good food.  You’ll find Hamsa on that storied block of

By Jim Ayres Did you miss me? I certainly missed you, STAR readers.   Mobility issues have kept me homebound for a few months, but miracles happen and I’m on the prowl again for restaurants I think you’ll want to know about.  This month, I’m easing into it. Do you, like me, have days when you’ve

By Jim Ayres  If you work from home (as I do), you may only have a fleeting knowledge that the height of summer is upon us. It’s hot and humid out there, so it’s time to dive into crisp, refreshing salads. Here are four of my favorite salads in the Houston area.  Italian Family Salad

By Jim Ayres  Indian cuisine is so fragrantly comforting. To find it so fresh, so full of spice and care and love, in a quiet inner-loop spot is a joyful discovery.  This was a dinner I’d been looking forward to for ages. My friend Bill raves about Surya and has taken several friends there. This

By Jim Ayres  Marmo, in the new Montrose Collective mixed-use development on Lower Westheimer at Grant, is quite a pleasant, sunny L.A.-style restaurant. Once they tighten a few screws, it will become a great one.  Marmo’s website calls it an “…Italian chophouse concept. Marmo, meaning ‘marble’ in Italian, features fresh hand-rolled pastas, house-made charcuterie, and

By Jim Ayres  After a particularly dull (if I’m being nice) meal at a Houston institution, I’m warming like the weather to one of Houston’s newer, healthier dining options.   Let me get the bad out of the way. Before trying to curate three different health-related diets into one I can manage, I decided to splurge

By Jim Ayres  I am not the demographic imagined by the creators of the JOEY Uptown chain when its first Texas location recently opened at The Galleria. No, that demographic would be the young, beautiful, well-dressed, and well-heeled — both patrons and staff.   Still, when looking for a new restaurant to try, I landed here

By Jim Ayres  I met a friend recently for dinner at Traveler’s Table on lower Westheimer. It’s a restaurant that may not have the PR pull of Houston’s big players, but still, it has found an audience. The place was jam-packed on this Thursday night.  Traveler’s Table’s website tells us “We seek to modernize and

By Jim Ayres  Trendy Tennessee-style hot chicken shows no sign of cooling down in 2022. So, in the past month, I’ve had a hot chicken adventure, visiting five inner loop spots to see who’s serious and who’s silly. My ranking follows.  Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken1815 Washington AveHouston, TX 77007832-740-4022GusFriedChicken.com  Each of my visits to