Feature Archives - Page 4 of 6

Houston is a city with a great history, but one that isn't celebrated nearly enough. Using footage from the University of Houston's digital library, YouTube user devroshart has put together this wonderful walk through Houston's nightlife circa 1960.

I remember visiting many of these restaurants with my parents. Anyone else?

Want to sound like a neophyte foodie? A quick way is to mispronounce the name of a famous chef whose food you're claiming to have tried. Here's your guide to the phonetic pronunciation of some famous (and challenging to pronounce) chef's names:

Grant Achatz- ACK-ETZ

Ferran Adriá- feh rahn ah dree AH

Lidia Bastianich- lid ee ya bahs-TYAHN-itch

Mario Batali- BOT-tal-ee

Richard Blais- Blaze

Paul Bocuse- pole boh-KOOZ

Daniel Boulud- dan-YELL boo-LOO

Tony Bourdain- boor dain

Michael Chiarello- kee ah rell oh

Tom Colicchio- Ko leek ee o

Gary Danko- DANG-ko

Marcel Desaulniers- mar cell di sol ni yay

Georges Auguste Escoffier- jorgz oh goost ess coff ee ay

Guy Fieri - fee-ett-ee

Yutake Ishinabe- Yew-tah-keh Ee-she-nah-beh

Steve Klc- Kelch

Chen Kenichi- Chen is self explanatory, Kenichi is Keh-nee-chee (note that Chen is his family name, and Kenichi is his given name)

Masahiko Kobe- Mah-sah-hee-koh Koh-bay

Emeril Lagasse- la gass ee

Rokusaburo Michiba- Rouk-sah-boo-roh Mee-chee-bah

Masaharu Morimoto- Mah-sah-hah-roo Moh-ree-moh-toe

Koumei Nakamura- Koh-may Nah-kah-moo-rah

Jacques Pepin- pep anne

Paul Prudhomme- proo-DOHM

Ruth Reichl- RYE-shul

Dale Reitzer- RITE-zer

Eric Ripert- eh-REEK ree-PAIR

Joel Robuchon - Jole ROE-boo-kon

Albert Roux - AL-bear ROO

Michael Ruhlman- ROOL-munn

Guy Savoy- Ghee Sav-wah

Hiroyuki Sakai- He-ROH-yew-KEY SAH-kai

Joachim Splichal- joe ah keem splee kahl

Charlie Trotter- trah tur

Jean Georges Vongerichten- VON-gehr-ICK-ten

Geoffrey Zakarian - Jeff-ree zah-KAR-ee-un

(Compiled from Gentleman Gourmand and other sources)

It's been over half a year since we updated our listing of our recommended places to eat in the Woodlands, but we've been eating almost every day, searching for the best spots to recommend. From burgers and Tex-Mex to handmade pastas, fresh seafood and steaks, these are our favorite restaurants in the Woodlands area.

Some notable finds:

Crab Fritter at Hubbell & Hudson

Cheeseburger with Garlic Fries at Jax Burgers, Fries and Shakes

Lunch special at Kan's Sushi

The Jerk at Crust Pizza

Chopped Beef Sandwich at Corkscrew BBQ

Mixed Grill at The Olive Oil

This time, we're presenting our recommendations here in an embedded Google Map. What do you think of this format?

View Where to Eat Now in the Woodlands in a larger map

One of our passions is finding great burgers, and we love bringing you photos of some of the delicious and often beautiful burgers that we find.

This isn't that kind of post.

We'd read about McDonald's in France's newish Dark Vador burger, a misguided attempt to use a poorly spelled version of a movie tie-in to create a hamburger. But not just any hamburger. Perhaps the least appetizing hamburger that we've ever seen.

Behold:

If you know of a less appetizing burger (actually sold by a restaurant; we don't need to see examples of the sorts of disgusting things that our twisted readers can place between the buns) leave us a link in the comments.

Bon appetit.

A recent lunch at Beck's Prime made me wonder: Who started the whole gourmet burger trend in Houston? Beck's has been my benchmark gourmet burger for years; they opened their first store in 1985.

You, pretty burger, are responsible for all this.

Before that, I remember burgers from Prince's Drive-In and Bellaire Broiler Burger, but while good, they aren't the same sort of burgers that Beck's. Same goes for Rosnovsky's and Someburger. Been around forever, but they serve fast food-style burgers, albeit very good ones.

An astute Twitterer, Jennifer King, remembered that Cafe Express started around the same time period, but while they do serve burgers, I don't think they're in the same class as Beck's.

Another of the Twitterati, Joey, reminded us about Annie's on South Post Oak. I'm a fan, but I wouldn't consider them to offer a high-end experience.

So I'll put it to the experts here: Who started the gourmet burger craze in Houston?

One of my first great restaurant experiences was a trip to the legendary San Jacinto Inn. Located in the shadow of the Battleship Texas, it was an all-you-can-eat extravaganza. The building we visited was built in 1927, and sadly closed its doors in 1987.

This video fondly recalls the restaurant, the staff, and the food. I'll never forget those amazing biscuits.

Houston has a new celebrity restaurant opening on the southwest side, and today is the grand opening.

Cherie Johnson (Photo: IMDB)

You may know Cherie Johnson, best known for her roles on situation comedies such as Punky Brewster, Family Matters, The Parkers and her leading role in the movie I Do.I Did. Ms. Johnson is now ready to make a name for herself as restaurateur. She has enlisted the help of close friend Janice Wright, founder of Houston 411 Magazine and Kay Matthews with Extraordinary Cakes.

These women entrepreneurs are opening Datt's It Restaurant today (March 26, 2012) in a developmentally challenged and underserved area in southwest Houston. Cherie, Janice & Kay believe that by opening the restaurant will address a need for more restaurant establishments in the area. Additionally, the trio expects to increase employment, and Ms. Johnson ability to attract celebrity interest in the project may spur further economic development in the area.

"Living in Los Angeles has allowed me to witness what happens when entrepreneurs realize the opportunity and invest in underdeveloped and otherwise forgotten areas in a city," said Ms. Johnson. The group has also sought and received guidance of Houston and Atlanta businessman Toney Means.

"These entrepreneurs fill the void in public interests in investing in these areas either from apathy or lack of available funds" stated Mr. Means. "I believe these ladies have the recipe for success in this venture and in future opportunities. This belief has led me and my investment group to support their activities" continued Means.

Datt's It will feature American fare such as burgers, hot dogs, fish and chicken and on weekends will feature Saturday breakfast and a Sunday brunch. The restaurant will begin live music on Friday and Saturday nights beginning May. The hours of operation are 10am to 10pm on Monday through Thursday. Friday 10am to 1am. Saturday hours are 8am to 1am and finally Sunday from 10am to 6pm. The restaurant is located at 10101 Bissonnet St Houston Texas, 77036. Cherie, Janice & Kay plan additional ventures in underserved neighborhoods in Houston and other Metropolitan areas.

We look forward to checking it out.

Datt's It | 10101 Bissonnet | Houston 77036

A while back I declared the iPhone to be the ultimate gadget for foodies. I still think this statement is true, and the explosion of interesting apps makes it even more useful and fun for foodies. In the real world I'm a partner in a technology firm, and keeping on top of the state of the iOS app world is an important part of staying current in technology. My iPhone 4s is with me all the time, helping me find great meals and recording the experience to be shared later via this blog, Twitter, and FaceBook.

Most of you know about popular apps such as Yelp, FourSquare and OpenTable; they're a standard part of our iPhone app arsenal. But there are a some new apps that any foodie should consider.

Trover is a photo-sharing app with a killer feature: Location. You can explore interesting images near you, or near any other location. And as you'd expect, food images are becoming more and more popular. You can also filter for images taken today or in the past week, letting you focus on the latest images taken nearby.

I find the location-based images to be incredibly useful, letting you focus on things nearby you can actually check out in person. And you can easily share your photos on a variety of other social networks.

(Free. iPhone and Android version available)

Fondu is a restaurant review app with an interesting twist: Micro reviews. It's the Twitter of review sites, a socal network with reviews restricted to 175 characters, and establishments rated on a 1-4 "leaf" scale. You can follow reviewers you like, and search for nearby reviews with a map. Sharing your reviews via other popular social networks is quick and easy.

Fondu has launched recently, and doesn't yet have a strong presence in the Houston area. This is a perfect chance for the discerning foodies who read this blog to have a strong voice and get the word about about the best places in the area. And with the micro review format, it's quick and easy to share you opinions while they're still fresh in your mind.

(Free. iPhone only)

Texas Monthly BBQ - Texas Monthly is a fantastic resource to learn more about the State of Texas, and this app is their suggested way to find BBQ in your area. It's a comprehensive list; you'll find both big chains and the mom-and-pop joints known mainly by locals.

You can browse nearby BBQ joints, view Texas Monthly's list of the best BBQ in the state, and read the buzz from your fellow BBQ hounds. Registration on the Texas Monthly site is require to post your opinions.

(Free. iPhone only)

Have you discovered some must-have apps for foodies? Let us know in the comments, and we'll check out as many as we can.

Want to win Dinner for Two at Chama Gaucha, the hot Brazilian steakhouse on Westheimer? Simply "Like" H-Town Chow Down on Facebook, and add a comment to the Chauma Gaucha post.

We're giving away dinner for two to five lucky winners. No purchase necessary. Terms and conditions apply.

You can follow this link to Facebook to get started.

For our first post of 2012, we turn to contributing editor Chuck Pena (@cpenahouston on Twitter) for his Top Ten Least Popular Family-Themed Restaurants:

10. Chucked-Up-Cheeses
09. Dead Robin
08. Golden Colonic
07. Chili's
06. Substandard
05. Whattamaggot
04. South of the Drug War
03. Joe's Crab Affliction
02. The Fruitcake Factory

And the number one least popular family themed restaurant:

01. Taco Cadaver

We can assure you that no reviews of them are forthcoming.

(Apologies to David Letterman, and anyone who has good taste.)