By Jim Ayres Bread service in American restaurants is different than elsewhere in the world. Here, the bread basket entices famished diners to butter up and chow down before ordering anything else. But in Paris, your server will cut a few slices from a baguette and bring them, unadorned, with your meal. The premise is

By Jim Ayres I’ve been avoiding Poke, Houston’s biggest food trend this year. I’d been turned off by memories of a ghastly “Sushi Salad†at the late Bowl on lower Richmond. The fish was a little past fresh, the salad elements didn’t quite gel and the miso dressing might as well have been syrup of

By Jim Ayres Is there really that much to say about The Burger Joint? It serves burgers, it’s very popular and parking is next to impossible. Yet here I am, days after my last visit (oh, there have been several), fondly remembering a magnificent off-menu Bacon Truffle Burger. This special of the day combined 100

By Jim Ayres Heights denizens are thrilled that authentic, New York style bagels are now being served on White Oak. I am, too, as Golden Bagels & Coffee is right across the street from my cat Daisy’s vet.  But the story I want to tell now is my history with bagels, the ultimate carb.  During

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