By Jim Ayres  So many people have told me how much they love Postino, a new wine café in the Heights Mercantile development on Yale, just north of 6th Street. They appreciate the light menu of antipasto, panini and bruschetta. They applaud the convenient location (my well cultured friend Brian found it perfect for “a

By Jim Ayres | Happy Pride everyone, and if you’re visiting Houston, welcome! Let’s jump right in to see what’s new in Houston’s dining world. After all, while we’re celebrating, we must eat! It seems like something new is opening downtown — site of the Houston Pride Festival® — every day. And the crop of

By Mikey Rox Here’s the good news, new grads: You’re not as financially inept as the media por-trays you. Stash Invest asked grads like you what they plan to do with their graduation mon-ey, and the results are comforting. The largest percentage – 23.8 percent of those polled – plan to put the haul directly

By Jim Ayres Though the weather has been unseasonably warm, with rainclouds in the distance, I enjoyed my drive down Leeland that day in May. GPS set to avoid freeways, I passed several warehouse-y blocks that seemed ripe for development before breezing into a neighborhood of stately 1920s homes (hi, Paul!). Then, just as Leeland

By Jim Ayres |  Theodore Rex is no dinosaur. No fossils here. The cooking is of-the-moment, even forward thinking. Here I see the future of dining — gathering with friends, sharing unfussy dishes that are so good, so uplifting that no one frets over ingredients or how they’re prepared. This is post-foodie comfort fare, bolstering

By Jim Ayres – BuffBurger. The name had me scratching my head. Does it have buffalo burgers? The giant steer on the rear wall kind of looks like one. But there’s no bison on this menu. Are these the trendy “healthy hi-protein” burgers like the ones in Chelsea and WeHo, marketed to buff Boomer gym

By Jim Ayres But what about the food? I’ll tell you about it. In a bit. I must tell you first, however — my lord, Emmaline’s a beauty. Open and serene, the restaurant is one of the most stunning in the city. Light fills the dining room, giving the rattan café chairs, and barstools and

By Jim Ayres I still remember four years ago when I wrote these words, intended humorously, for the Montrose Star: “I’m breathless about Cleburne Cafeteria’s million-dollar makeover. New ambient lighting, tables and terrazzo from Italy, all to spotlight the nouveaux creations of Chef… Oh, wait a minute. I must have drifted to another universe! Cleburne

By Jim Ayres When I visited Doris Metropolitan recently, I was reminded that the space used to house Triniti, an haute cuisine favorite for several years. I became curious about chef Ryan Hildebrand’s next venture. It’s called FM Kitchen and Bar, it’s located just north of Washington off Shepherd, and it is glorious. Not in

By Jim Ayres When I learned I’d be dining at Doris, I immediately popped in my Pillow Talk DVD. I saw myself as Rock Hudson in a killer black suit/skinny tie/crisp white shirt ensemble. I shook a martini to bossa nova and imagined driving up in my Imperial convertible, there to meet Doris Day in