By Jim Ayres   It’s been an oddly rainy summer so far, but that hasn’t stopped me from getting out and about — slowly but surely. And getting delivery when work gets overwhelming.   I’ve found a new bungalow  It’s a simple design with room for hundreds! And all it costs me is the price of a

Acme Oyster House opens in Montrose By Jim Ayres We finally got a table on Wednesday, May 12, a month and two days after Acme Oyster House opened in Montrose. We’d tried twice before, but massive crowds meant three- and two-hour waits, respectively. In fact, according to Eater.com, “Acme Oyster House… was so overrun with

By Jim Ayres  When my friend Bill suggested we have dinner at Maison Pucha, I jumped at the chance. Even though I wasn’t sure what Maison Pucha was.  I learned that Maison Pucha is the house of the three brothers Pucha, who began their culinary adventure in Deleg, Ecuador. At Maison Pucha, classic French dishes

By Jim Ayres Once upon a time in Shady Acres, where 18th and 19th streets fork away, there sat a forlorn, decaying Chinese restaurant. Who knows if the food was any good? Who remembers what it was named? I never tried it and no one I know had either. After the restaurant sat closed for

By Jim Ayres Want a steak dinner tonight? Without spending a fortune? Breakaway from the Outback/Saltgrass rut and try two higher-quality alternatives without big spending Mastro’s-level cash. Jacket and tie not required! I’ve written about Perry’s on these pages before. But that was a dine-in experience focused on their famous Pork Chop. And the newest

By Jim Ayres Last year, Dak & Bop brought Korean fried chicken (dak) and rice (bop) to Timbergrove. Driving by recently, in the mood for something different, I thought I’d give it a whirl. It’s in an old pizza parlor, Hut or Inn, not sure which. So, anything could have been inside those tinted windows.

By Jim Ayres It seems Tilman Fertitta has his hand in everything these days. But I’m particularly happy about his latest project. A collaboration between King Ranch and the Fertitta family, King Ranch Texas Kitchen opened in November 2020 in the space formerly occupied by Willie G’s (which has gone uptown to the Post Oak

By Jim Ayres Happy Holidays, MONTROSE STAR readers! I hope you all had a filling Thanksgiving and are looking forward to the year-end observances. We’ll be staying in and away from each other, so don’t underestimate the value of a phone call to someone you might not have talked with for a while. Normally, I’d

By Jim Ayres Happy Thanksgiving, MONTROSE STAR readers! I’m writing this at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3. That means shortly afterward, we’ll either still have much to be thankful for, or a whole bursting-at-the-seams horn o’plenty to rejoice and be thankful for. Just a few notes about dining around town as I gear up

By Jim Ayres I was so hoping it would be over with. This summer, as you may know, I was stuck in the hospital for a month recuperating from a nasty foot infection. Twice-daily IV doses of Vancomycin would surely erase everything. Perhaps it did, but another toe became infected recently. As I write this,