Tag Archives: restaurants

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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Second lawsuit filed by bars against Abbott

This one was expected. Several Texas bar owners filed a $10 million federal lawsuit Tuesday afternoon against Gov. Greg Abbott, in an attempt to void his executive order shutting down bars for a second time since the beginning of the … Continue reading

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Hey, how about trying that local control thing again?

Seems like it might be worth a shot to led Mayors and County Judges lead on coronavirus response again, since they’ve done so much better a job of leading than Greg Abbott has. As Texas grapples with soaring coronavirus cases … 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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More reopening

Onward we go, whether wise or not. Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced his next wave of reopenings designed to restart the Texas economy during the coronavirus pandemic, saying child care facilities can reopen immediately, bars can open Friday with … Continue reading

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When is a strip club not a strip club?

When it’s a restaurant, with no strippers. What, did you think that was a trick question? A week after a temporary court order allowed a Houston strip club to resume operations, a federal judge has ruled that the club’s owner … 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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Well, they do serve food

Presented (mostly) without comment: A strip club in Houston has won a temporary order from federal court Friday night allowing it to resume business after a confrontation with police over the governor’s order to allow certain types of businesses to … Continue reading

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Day One of reopening

Just a reminder, this is where we started. Texas reported 50 more COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, the most in any one day since the state reported its first deaths in mid-March. The state also reported it had added more than … Continue reading

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Reopening roundup redux

More news about that thing that Greg Abbott is making us do. Health experts give Abbott’s plan to reopen Texas mixed reviews, warn state should revive stay-at-home order if surge emerges: Diana Cervantes, director of the epidemiology program at the … Continue reading

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Reopening roundup

Judge Hidalgo adjusts to the new status that has ben imposed on us from Austin. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo on Tuesday announced plans to significantly expand novel coronavirus case tracing, and maintain reserve hospital capacity, to prepare for a … Continue reading

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And so reopening begins

I have questions. Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that he will let the state’s stay-at-home order expire Thursday as scheduled and allow businesses to begin reopening in phases the next day, the latest ramp-up in his push to restart 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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Worrying about the restaurants

Alison Cook laments the potential fate for her favorite part of Houston. Depending on local or state strictures, to help stem the spread of Covid-19 restaurants in most major markets would be able to provide takeout, drive-thru or delivery rations … Continue reading

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UberEats expands

Good news for those of you who like having food delivered. A larger section of metro Houston now can use Uber’s meal delivery service seven days a week and with more dining options through a new app. A new UberEats … Continue reading

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UberEats

Some new food delivery options, at least for some people. Uber will expand its presence in Houston this week with the local launch of its meal-delivery service, UberEats. Beginning Thursday, Houston becomes the second city in Texas and the 10th … Continue reading

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Food trucks arrive downtown

Welcome. Houston’s foodie community rejoiced Friday as Mayor Annise Parker welcomed propane-fueled food trucks downtown after a years-long ban, but more plans to loosen the city’s mobile unit rules are not likely to meet the same fanfare at City Council … Continue reading

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No more wobbly tables!

I love this story. A Houston businessman has an idea that could rid the world of having to use drink coasters and napkins to stabilize restaurant tables. Steve Christian, owner of Houston burger institution Christian’s Tailgate Bar and Grill, believes … Continue reading

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No kids allowed

I don’t have a problem with this. Chef Aquiles Chavez said his decision to ban young children from his restaurant during the evening hours was not easy. And the decision wasn’t shared by his wife. On Monday, La Fisheria, the … Continue reading

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Collecting compost from restaurants

The city of Austin takes another step on its path towards zero waste. Austin restaurants and other food businesses will have to compost food scraps starting in 2016, under new rules the City Council OK’d Thursday. Food service businesses — … Continue reading

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City proposes bike parking alternatives

Nice. Bicycle advocates are cheering a city proposal that would give businesses an incentive to offer bike parking and would require some properties to provide it for the first time, saying the ideas mark a cultural shift in Houston. “This … Continue reading

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The off-street parking debate

I believe the new offstreet parking requirements that have been proposed and are being debated are at least as big a deal as the Chapter 42 revisions. We really need to get this right. Under the new rules, some eateries … Continue reading

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You simply must see us this year

The New York Times commands you. Houston is probably best known as the Texan center for energy and industry, but it’s making a bid to be the state’s cultural and culinary capital as well. The Houston Museum District is a … Continue reading

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On the Parking Benefit District

A proposed ordinance to create a parking benefit district in the Washington Avenue corridor was on Council’s agenda this week, but it was tagged and will wait a week while everyone gets up to speed on it. District C Council … Continue reading

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Washington Avenue parking

The city of Houston has been trying to tackle the problem of insufficient parking in the busy Washington Avenue entertainment corridor. What to do about Washington Avenue is Houston’s latest public policy discussion of what government’s role should be in … Continue reading

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Bikinis, Texas

I got nothin’. Bikinis isn’t just a restaurant anymore. Now it’s a city, too. Doug Guller, owner of the Austin-based bar and restaurant chain, has purchased Bankersmith, a long-abandoned town in northwestern Kendall County, renaming it Bikinis, Texas. The purchase … Continue reading

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Wash hands or wear gloves?

There’s an interesting debate going on in Oregon about the best way to ensure food safety in restaurants and other eateries. Oregon restaurant owners and chefs recently earned a small victory, delaying by several months a new state rule that … Continue reading

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Take the train to your dining destination

Katharine Shilcutt writes about how she gets to some of her favorite restaurants. When owner Staci Davis decided on a location for her restaurant, Radical Eats, one thing was extremely important to her above all: Davis wanted her vegan paradise to … Continue reading

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Food trucks

The city of San Antonio is preparing to overhaul its regulations of food trucks. In San Antonio, strict mobile food vending laws make it difficult for food trucks to flourish. Acknowledging the need for change, officials are jump-starting a process … Continue reading

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Eating good in the neighborhood

The Chron rounds up a bunch of restuarant openings and soon-to-be-openings in and near the Heights; they hedge this a bit by declaring the area of study “Super Heights, which includes the Washington corridor and its fringes, where owners are … Continue reading

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Houston food tours

This is a fabulous idea. [Monica Pope, chef of t’afia] — along with fellow chefs Bryan Caswell of Reef; Marcus Davis of the breakfast klub; Mark Holley of Pesce; Randy Evans of Haven; Hugo Ortega of Hugo’s; Chris Shepherd of … Continue reading

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Calorie counts

Honestly, this is long overdue. Restaurant groups, nutrition and disease-prevention advocates and Washington lawmakers from both sides of the partisan divide on Wednesday announced they have hammered out an agreement that will put calorie contents on the menus of chain … Continue reading

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Banning trans fats

I haven’t really followed the anti-trans fat bill very closely, but if it’s worth a front page headline, it’s worth a mention here. Lawmakers in coming weeks will consider bills by Houston state Rep. Carol Alvarado and state Sen. Eliot … Continue reading

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