What would be the obvious career path for someone who went to Harvard for undergrad and Yale for law school? Well, write and publish restaurant guides, of course. Duh. Houstonist had the opportunity to sit with author/entrepreneur/foodie/publisher/world-traveller Robin Goldstein and his managing editor/foodie/marketer/public-relations-exec/S.O. Alexis Herschkowitsch. Robin has just released his Houston restaurant guide – Fearless Critic, Houston Restaurant Guide (one of the very first complete printed guides in Houston - and no, Zagat doesn't count).......

Champagne Bubble Bath The Tasting Room - River Oaks Saturday, December 8th 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. 2409 W. Alabama 713.526.2242 Taste some "sparkling wines", (hey, it's not Champagne, unless it is actually made in Champagne, France, just saying) and try some appetizers. The cost is $50/ per person, but, you get a $5 discount if you donate a new, unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots! Holiday Farmer's Market and Wine Tasting The Tasting......

Here you go Houston, more food and wine events for you to peruse. We are going to work to get you more than one Culinary Events posting per week, as the holidays can increase the number of events, dinners, fund-raising food and beverage activities and festivals. Also, we strive to give you some advance notice - as you can't always get your reservations or tickets, which ever the case may be, on the day......

Here we go, the big mother of all holidays. Love it, or hate it – it’s nearly December and whether you’re into Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa or whatever else you may be into, December is a really bigass month. If nothing else, the streets are more congested, people drive even crazier than normal and the average Houstonian is pelted with food, drink and festivities. Yeah, we hate drinking and eating, we know how you feel......

Better late than nevah - here's our roundup of feasting and imbibing in the very near future. See the bottom of the post for some Thanksgiving food ideas, we'll be continuing to update that, and no, we won't add Grandma Kroger to the list, or any other supermarket, for that matter. Well, maybe Central Market or perhaps Whole Foods, maybe. Great American Bake Sale -Dessert Gallery, Sugar Land Friday, November 16th – 6:00 p.m. until......

Houston! We’re going to be rounding up current food and wine events once a week, so you don’t have to. Previously, we posted these gastronomic opportunities, along with festivals and the like – having let that slip was criminal! Once again, Culinary Adventures comes your way!!! Tour de Donut – “The Sweetest Bike Ride in Texas”Sunday, November 4th – beginning at 8:00 a.m. Sun & Ski Sports @ Katy Mills Mall $25/participant in advance $35/participant......

Let us eat cake, well, cupcakes - lots of them, at Dessert Gallery Bakery & Cafe. Yep, head on over to any Dessert Gallery location, either at 3200 Kirby Drive, 1616 Post Oak Drive or, at the newest location 2260 Lone Star Drive at Sugar Land Town Square (read: fake downtown). A donation of ten percent of the purchase price of every pink ribbon cupcake sold will go to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Specifically, to......

Feel like it's time to give back? Someone did someone nice for you and you haven't paid it forward? You screwed someone over and now you've gotta get your good karma back? We've got the answer - treat yourself to a gourmet 3-course dinner! It's not often that eating out can be considered charity work. This week in Houston, your dining escapades can actually do some good for the world. Houston's annual Restaurant Week......

Sometimes nothing satisfies a hunger pain like a big helping of fried chicken and fixin’s. But not just any fried chicken. We wanted the kind that didn’t come off a conveyor belt; chicken that’s been soaked, seasoned and fried with love. Perhaps a place where Rockets players can be found after practice. Frenchy’s more than fit the bill. The original store on Scott Street almost always has a line of hungry patrons waiting to place......

Oodles of noodles on Shepherd at W. Alabama! Today marks the grand opening of the second Jenni’s Noodle House. The original Jenni’s Noodle House, located in Old Chinatown downtown, opened its doors six years ago. Houstonist loves Jenni’s because of the big personality that co-owner Scott Weaver brings to the store. Always the approachable and high energy character, we chatted with Scott about Jenni, Jenni’s and the new restaurant. What were the inspirations for the......

Yep, it's already time to start wining again. Fortunately, someone thought ahead and planned a whole week of winofun!!! Except... it's in The Woodlands. But, it's kind of every Houstonian's responsibility to make sure we keep an eye on our corporate northwesternly neighbor. Bummer for drive time, yes. But just think of the wine and food that await you at The Woodlands' Wine and Food Week 2007! Wine and Food Week 2007 starts today, June......

Grillin' & Chillin' at The Tasting Room in Midtown It's HOT, we know. So, why not let someone else stand near the grill while you sip some vino? Sounds nice, doesn't it? Once a month, The Tasting Room in Midtown features a chef from one of Houston's finest restaurants, and has them pair tasty treats with hand-picked wines from the Tasting Room's vast collection. Come meet the new Executive Chef of Polo's Signature, Adam Puskorius,......

Let the good times roll! Tomorrow, from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. as the Museum of Natural Science premieres "Hurricane on the Bayou". Food will be available for purchase from Good Ole Boys Cajun Food Catering. Plus, you can shake your groove thing to the tunes of Willie T and the Zydeco Posse, and Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band - who are featured in the IMAX film. Radio station 104 KRBE will be......

Hay! Just when you thought you'd gotten all the festing you could, what with last weekend's Art Car fun, Houston's got even more to offer! This weekend features two - count 'em - two "country" themed festivals, as well as the Festival of Greece! And with Houstonist's weekend weather forecast predicting perfection, there's no reason to stay inside. Update that resume in June and enjoy some good two-digit temperature while it lasts. - Country Roots......

Houstonist has a "new take" on Cinco de Mayo and crawfish to tell you about. Tomorrow at Pico's Mex-Mex, located at 5941 Bellaire Boulevard (between Renwick and Rampart) there will be a Zydeco de Mayo celebration! The party starts at 2:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. and there will be zydeco dancing to the sounds of Ray Ray Chavis and the Zydeco Dots, plenty of boiled crawfish (buy them in advance for $3.50/lb or at the......

Downtown is the place to be for Cinco de Mayo, everything's waiting for you! Commonly confused with Mexico's Independence Day - tomorrow is a celebration of General Seguin's victory over French occupational forces in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. There's the Bayou City Crawfish Festival (which benefitsTexas EquuSearch - and has a mechanical bull that Sissy can ride!), the 7th Annual Dragon Boat Festival, held at Allen's Landing (1000 Commerce) AND Mas......

Is it country? Is it Cajun? We think the answer is yes. Get your fill of mudbugs this weekend at the Second Annual Bayou City Crawfish Festival, happening right downtown at Hermann Square. Dance off your crawfish, etouffee, funnel cakes, bbq and fajitas with live Cajun, Zydeco and Texas Country Music. Try the mechanical bull, or if your stomach doesn't take spicy so well, the pony rides. Face painting, a kids zone, a rock......

Hey y'all! Paula Deen will be right here in Houston this Friday night! Promoting her new memoir, "It Ain't All About the Cookin'" she will be speaking at Hobby Center's Zilkha Hall in an event titled "A Conversation with Paula Deen". Houston Intown Chamber of Commerce is bringing Paula to town to tell us all about her American Dream, from Georgia girl to successful restaurant-owner and star of her own FoodTV show, she has accomplished......

Woe to he who ignores blessings as righteous as these: Ben and Jerry's, the crazy Vermonter ice cream chain, is offering a free cone of ice cream today from noon to 8 PM at all of its area locations. There's no catch; just show up and enjoy. The venerable ice cream makers are marking this year's Free Cone Day by introducing two new flavors, Créme Brulée and Cinnamon Buns, thus propagating the trend of......

A Roman Feast: Menu of Menus Extravaganza + Imperial Rome Exhibit Feast your sights and tastes on an evening of grandeur when the Houston Press and Houston Museum of Natural Science host the 5th annual Menu of Menus Extravaganza. Delve into the aromas of cuisine sampling from over 40 Houston-area restaurants, as well as wine, vodka, beer-tasting, and live entertainment. When in need of a gastronomical break, wander into an extensive collection of over......

The Art Car Parade requires about 400 volunteers, in order to go off without a hitch. The parade is Saturday, May 12th, and the volunteer recruiting is getting off with a bang tomorrow with a Kick-Off Party at the Whole Foods in West University, located at 4004 Bellaire Boulevard @ Weslayan. Essentially, there will be a big parking lot party from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. with food, music, schwag giveaways and some art cars......

We know you just had lunch not long ago, but it's time to start thinking about your dinner plans tonight. And oy, just look at you! You're all skin and bones these days—what you need is some protein and fat. Houstonist wants our readers to look strong, sanguine, and healthy, so we've drawn up a list of steaks that you might want to consider for tonight. Today's the hump day, after all, and we're......

St. Patty's is almost upon us! Houstonist knows that "I can't cook" line is just total blarney. Stews are easy and the weather, at this point, is still conducive to belly-warming one pot wonders. This Irish Stew is simple and satisfying - you can substitute beef or pork for the lamb, if you just don't have a taste for the fleecy little ones. If you're real dyed-in-the-wool Irish, go for the mutton! Also, if you......

Chillin' and Grillin' returns to The Tasting Room - Midtown The return of one of Houstonist's favorite events signals the start of Spring and the start of beautiful weather (ok, this week's rain aside). Join the TTR Lounge Patio in Midtown tonight at 7 p.m., as they welcome Chef John DeMers as the guest chef of the month. The Chillin' and Grillin' series features a guest chef each month, who pairs exquisite grilled food paired......

This week, the Jewish Press ran an article wondering whether Houston will become the "Nation's Next Voucher Battleground" after last month's rally on the issue in Austin. As it turns out, a good contingent of Houston-area synagogues sent representatives over to Austin to show their support of private school vouchers. The whole voucher debate never ever seems to end continues throughout Texas and the U.S. in a lively manner, and thus the folks of......

Has the world gone nuts? No, it’s just those crazy Canadians and their love for banana hammocks blimps. Currently there is an “Art Intervention” project (guess we aren’t cultured enough?) going on to place a geostationary banana over Texas. The helium-filled banana will have gyroscopes to propel the blimp-like structure in a boomerang pattern over Texas for about a month. While Houstonist loves a good banana hammock as much as the next guy girl, we......

A Celebration of Conservation Houstonist loves our adult beverages and we love our fine dining, but when you can do both of these things at once and call it charity, it becomes more than love, it becomes event obsession. Now that you know this about us, we can introduce you to our current event obsession, happening tonight at The Oceanaire Seafood Room. The Oceanaire Seafood Room is one of the newest additions to the......

Bistro Toulouse, located at 5750 Woodway, will be hosting a St. Arnold's Beer Dinner on Tuesday, January 23rd. The dinner/beer costs $65/per person plus gratuity and taxes. The meal will consist of five courses, paired with a seasonal beer, which is used in the preparation of the course (beer with dessert - fabulous - and it's Winter Stout!). This is a first for Bistro Toulouse - we hope it's not the last! If you are......

Looking for something different to do on New Year's Eve? Houstonist will bring you some ideas over the next couple of days - starting with Keith & Margo's Murder Mystery - New Year's Eve Celebration - at the Doubletree Hotel Downtown. There are two packages available for the evening - the Basic and the Deluxe. The Basic Package - priced at $279/couple includes an Hors D'Oeuvres Reception, one glas of wine, two glasses of champagne......

Houstonist always has a big pile of tamales, a cauldron of our venison chili and a pot of pintos (to bean or not to bean - that is the controversy question) with all the sides (cheese, onions, corn chips, chopped tomatoes, sour cream, etc) for Christmas Eve. Finding a mean tamale in Houston is actually fairly easy, here are some recommendations for you, in case you need some and are behind the proverbial 8-ball, or......