Category Archives: Food, glorious food

Printed menus are back

Those QR code menus that we all either got to experience or had to put up with (as one sees it) from the pandemic are on their way out. Like many ambitious restaurants around town, the newly opened Pastore leaves … Continue reading

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On recycling cooking oil

I’m always intrigued by stories like this. NRG Stadium is no stranger to fried food — like the booths upon booths of deep-fried desserts that line NRG Park during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, or the churros and corn … Continue reading

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“More Space: Main Street” permanently extended

A good outcome for a good idea. Houston will close down traffic on seven blocks of Main Street permanently to allow businesses to maintain outdoor seating spaces initially established during the COVID-19 pandemic, with plans to expand the concept to other commercial strips in … Continue reading

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Vertical farming

Very interesting. Scaling scissor lifts are a daily duty for a vertical farmer overseeing the growth of about 10 million heads of lettuce annually from Kalera’s 4.5-acre indoor farm located in the Parc-59 industrial park in North Houston. Kalera, an Orlando-based vertical … Continue reading

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Microbreweries are getting back on track

A bit of good news. Texas craft breweries rebounded in 2021, a promising sign after the pandemic staggered the industry. The state of beer: Of the state’s 10 largest breweries, seven increased production in 2021 compared with 2020, according to an Axios analysis … Continue reading

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Somehow, there is a national carbon dioxide shortage

And it is affecting breweries. Carbon dioxide has no taste, no odor, and no color — but it’s a vital ingredient in the beer business, from putting frothy bubbles in brews to blocking oxidization that makes beer taste stale. But … Continue reading

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Nuro keeps on expanding in Houston

Someone must be using these services. I’m not, but someone must be. Houstonians will soon be able to get completely autonomous delivery of their dinners, groceries, and more thanks to a new 10-year partnership. Uber Technologies, Inc. and Nuro have … Continue reading

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Multiple restaurants hit by “bad Google review” scam

This is on Google to fix. Multiple Houston restaurants are being targeted by a scam involving one-star Google reviews and a demand for digital gift cards to remove the negative post. The number of restaurants being extorted has grown in … Continue reading

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Stalking Coco, the food delivery robot

A delightful tale by Chron food editor Emma Balter, who was determined to prove to herself that Coco the food delivery robot actually worked as advertised, even on Houston’s notoriously un-pedestrian (and presumably food-delivery-robot) streets. It took a couple of … Continue reading

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Who wants to have their dinner delivered by a robot?

Here’s your chance. Heads up, Houston: the robots are coming. Coco, the Los Angeles-based business that offers a remotely piloted delivery service, has hit the streets of Houston with its food-delivery bots as part of its expansion to targeted markets. … Continue reading

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More eating outdoors downtown

This is a good idea, and I’m glad it’s being continued. DINING IN DOWNTOWN HOUSTON CAN be a hassle, what with the limited parking and COVD-19 restrictions affecting seating space at so many eateries. Fortunately, the city of Houston is … Continue reading

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Saint Arnold whiskey

For those of you that like spirits. Houston’s oldest craft brewery has quietly launched a new venture that could bear some tasty results. Speaking on this week’s episode of CultureMap’s “What’s Eric Eating” podcast, Saint Arnold Brewing Company founder Brock … Continue reading

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Forty years of the Butterball Turkey hotline

All of your vexing turkey questions answered. Butterball has thrown a lifeline to home cooks since 1981, rescuing them from the brink of holiday meal disasters through its Turkey Talk-Line. What began 40 years ago with six phone operators has … Continue reading

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Your driverless pizza delivery is finally on its way

Still not sure what the allure of this is. Autonomous cars will begin delivering Domino’s pizzas to Houstonians through a new partnership between the pizza chain and Nuro, a California startup, the companies announced Monday. Domino’s is rolling out Nuro’s … Continue reading

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On capping restaurant delivery app fees

Fine by me, but I’ll bet more than fifteen percent of my most recent delivery tab that this does not go anywhere. High delivery fees by third-party apps, such as DoorDash and Uber Eats, are often cited by restaurant operators … Continue reading

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Eating on the street

This makes a lot of sense. Main Street bar owners are expected to take to the streets now that the city has given them the OK. City Council on Wednesday approved, after some delay, plans for the More Space Main … Continue reading

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Abbott to allow bars to reopen

Sort of. It’s kind of the most Abbott thing ever. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Wednesday that bars in Texas can reopen for in-person service next week — as long as their county governments choose to allow it. Effective Oct. 14, … Continue reading

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Bar owners still mad at Abbott

Can’t blame them, but the situation is complicated. As Gov. Greg Abbott outlined his latest reopening plan this week, bar owner Greg Barrineau watched in disbelief. Abbott, who announced that Texas restaurants could expand dine-in service to 75% capacity, said … Continue reading

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RIP, Luby’s

The end of an era. Looks like the days of LuAnn platters are coming to an end. Luby’s board of directors has “approved and adopted a plan of liquidation and dissolution,” the company announced. The plan will need to be … Continue reading

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Food trucks and bars

I approve of this. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission approved rules Tuesday intended to make it easier for bars to legally operate as restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state agency greatly expanded rules that had already offered a limited … Continue reading

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It’s still hard out here on bars and restaurants

I continue to worry about our once-thriving hospitality industry. Hundreds of Texas bars and restaurants are scrambling to change how they operate, maneuvering through loopholes that will allow them to reopen after being closed by Gov. Greg Abbott’s latest shutdown … Continue reading

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How Nuro is doing in the pandemic

An interesting update on the little driverless grocery (and other things) delivery serives. As recently as last fall, Nuro appeared to be years away from widespread adoption. The company, which operated in Arizona and California, arrived in Houston in 2018 … Continue reading

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Restaurants may get to use parking lot space for dining

I like this idea. Restaurants in Houston, currently limited by 50% indoor capacity limits, may soon be able to serve diners in parking lots to accommodate more guests. Pending a vote by the Houston City Council, a “More Spaces” plan … Continue reading

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Beer gardens get jerked around

First, we had this. Saint Arnold Brewing announced Monday that it will temporarily close its beer garden and restaurant. The reason? Gov. Greg Abbott’s office ruled it is a bar, not a restaurant, and therefore should close according to the … Continue reading

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Wineries and distilleries

I’m happy to keep beating this drum, but I’d really rather not have to. The owners and patrons of Ironroot Republic Distillery in Denison hardly consider the business to be a bar in the traditional sense. There’s no loud music … Continue reading

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Give the bars a break

I’m OK with this. The Texas Restaurant Association has asked Gov. Greg Abbott to revise the definitions of “bar” in his recent order closing drinking establishments in response to a spike in COVID-19 cases. In a letter to the governor, … Continue reading

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The pause effect on bars and restaurants

I feel terrible for them, but what could we do at this point? Ed Noyes was trying to get some shut-eye when he woke up to seven different texts Friday morning. Three of the five bartenders at his Fort Worth … Continue reading

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It’s really hard out there on the restaurants

I feel for them, but none of this is unsurprising. Celebrating her birthday in Galveston, Melinda Prince walked out of Yaga’s Cafe on Thursday full of coconut shrimp. What she didn’t realize was one of the employees at the restaurant … Continue reading

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One good thing that may come out of all this

We may get to keep booze to go sales. On Twitter Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott suggested to-go alcohol sales should be made available in Texas past the coronavirus pandemic. Texas restaurants will be allowed to open for dine-in Friday under … Continue reading

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More on coronavirus and meat processing

From the Trib: To understand powerlessness in a pandemic, trace a northbound path from Amarillo up State Highway 87. Not too far shy of the border where Texas meets Oklahoma lies Moore County. There are few easy ways to make … Continue reading

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Coronavirus and meat processing

In the Panhandle: State health officials confirmed Tuesday that they are investigating an outbreak of the new coronavirus at the JBS Beef packing plant in the Texas Panhandle, part of ongoing efforts to monitor major meat processing plants as the … Continue reading

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The local plea to reopen

I have a lot of sympathy, but I don’t think this is a great idea. A coalition of 350 local businesses is urging Mayor Sylvester Turner and County Judge Lina Hidalgo to begin May 1 to ease stay-at-home restrictions meant … Continue reading

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Coronavirus and beer

Houston’s craft breweries are adjusting to life with closed taprooms and beer-to-go sales. The team at Saint Arnold Brewing sat down to taste some test beers one Wednesday morning, as its members do when they work on new releases. But … Continue reading

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Three cheers for grocery store workers

They deserve them, and more. They are the friendly cashiers, the helpful baggers, the essential stockers and warehouse workers. The receivers who unload the delivery trucks, the personal shoppers who fulfill online orders and the teenagers who haul back all … Continue reading

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