The infamous Texas Crawfish and Music Festival is scheduled to take place in Spring this Saturday. What goes better with crawfish than an ice cold beer? Now the tricky question is exactly what beer goes best with crawfish on a hot and muggy Saturday afternoon? After much research at Sam's Boat every Monday night for several months, Houstonist has found the answer. Blue Moon with a slice of orange to garnish. Yup - this......

The last time Houstonist offered up a drink recipe, we were hailing the coming of a new and warmer season. If you're like many longtime Houstonians, you've been enjoying this recent mild weather and spending as much time in the great outdoors as possible before the dreaded heat and humidity that is Summer comes rearing its ugly head around the corner. Alas, all good things must come to an end, but not like you......

Last week marked the start of the Spring season. It's time to put away the winter coats, boots, gloves, and scarves. Wait, we're in Houston, right? So, it's actually time to put away the long sleeved shirts, jeans, and to shave away that stubble from your face (or legs as the case may be) that kept you warm on those lonely brisk 60 degree evenings. Break out the cargo shorts, polo shirts, sun dresses,......

Tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day! To help you celebrate, we bring back a classic drink for everyone to enjoy this weekend. Whether you'll be huddled by a TV watching college basketball or celebrating with the masses in Rice Village, make sure you're throwing down Irish Car Bombs to celebrate Saint Patrick and all of his accomplishments (whatever they may be). Irish Car Bomb+ 1/2 pint Guinness stout + 1 oz. Jameson Irish Whiskey +......

As a public service announcement, don't forget that tomorrow night marks the beginning of Daylight Saving Time. At 2:00am on Sunday morning (late Saturday night for us party-going types), we will all be forced to set our clocks ahead by one full hour. As a result, we'll have one more hour of sunlight in the evening and one less hour in the morning. You know what this means? No more early cracks of dawn......

Happy Leap Day! For those that have always wondered, but never cared to ask about the purpose of leap day, please allow us to expound. Now we don't know about you, but we think that this man-made phenomenon is an occasion to drink! While out sipping away the twilight hours at a bar last night, we obtained a recipe for a "Leap Year" drink from a lovely young lady. When we asked why the......

It's the most wonderful time of the year Sure, when Andy Williams first uttered those words he may have been praising the birth of Jesus Christ. But for us, that same expression can be applied to Girl Scout cookie season! And wouldn't you know it, just this week five boxes of Thin Mints (amongst other variations) were delivered to our front door. After feverishly consuming the first box in a single sitting, we implemented......

So maybe you're like us and lacking in companionship on Valentine's Day. Maybe you're like us and just a wee bit distressed about the prospect of having no one to share chocolate-covered strawberries with this evening? Maybe you're even like us and plan to go out with your friends tonight to drown your sorrows in a river of Apple Martinis? But why be the clichéd lonely person sitting at the end of the bar......

Here are a few books Houstonist thinks your friends and family won't use for doorstops (that's the fruitcake, right?). Everyone likes a good read, or at least a smart-looking book to sit on the nightstand. Give these a try. And shop at your local independent bookstore -- they can give you even more recommendations, and probably a good cup of coffee as well. Fun, mostly fiction books for people who are... Houstonians and/or architecture......

::NetSquared Meet Up: Careflash:: Ever wonder who the rowdy group in the back room at Stag's Head is every 2nd Tuesday of the month? We did, too. So last month we barged in. Ok, we were invited. And we found out where all the big hearted techies have been hiding, at the NetSquared Meetup! The mission of Net2 is to spur responsible adoption of social web tools by social benefit organizations. There's a whole new......

If you're anything like Houstonist, you haven't finished all your holiday shopping yet. In fact, if you're anything like Houstonist, you've barely even started. But don't worry: We're putting our gift lists together and pulling out some of our more inspired ideas to share with y'all. From music to DVDs to T-shirts to wet wipes, we've got you covered — but seriously, you probably won't want to give the wipes as someone's primary gift.......

Last second shopping anyone? If you are sitting at home bored today - or just feel in the mood for some locally -inspired retail therapy - head on over to the very first Houston Underground Arts Market today from 2-6pm. Houston artists, artisans, crafty bastards and threadheads will be selling their wares giving you ample opportunity to buy unique and funky gifts for your friends and/or enemies. Find locally crafted soap, clothing, stained glass, jewelry......

Houstonist doesn't need an excuse for a party, but last night we had one: our second birthday. We got together with our readers and friends at Monsoon Wok downtown for a few drinks, a bit to nibble on and some amazing cake from The Acadian Bakers. Thanks to everyone who helped put the party together, and especially to everyone who showed up. By the way, we noticed a few of you taking photos. If......

When you first hear Katie voice, you know that you've hit the goldmine. That's probably why she quickly won local music awards not long after moving back to her hometown, Houston. Katie Stuckey and the Straggler, her band, will be performing tomorrow night at Rudyard's. It'll be a great show, and a good chance to see her in a smaller venue: We know she'll quickly outgrow these small venues. We bounced some questions off......

We're talkin' about the McRib, ya'll. That's right. We said "McRib." Say it loud, say it proud: we heart the McRib. Let us preface this post by saying that we rarely ever find ourselves at the MickeyD's, especially in a town that offers us so many quick, good fast food of the non-world-domination variety. However, being a sucker for processed-meat (sausage, hot dogs, spam...), we have a special place in our heart for the McRib.......

We had ourselves a little quandary this past weekend. It was close to midnight and our friends wanted to grab a drink. Houstonist was hungry because, well, Houstonist is always hungry. Now, there's very little that excites us when we think of bar food. Being vegetarian, we have learned to expect that our late-night bar food will taste like deep-fried freezer burn. (We suspect that the meat options don't taste much better.) So we fortified......

Some pret-ty, pret-ty, pret-ty cool stuff opening this weekend, kids. Check it out: Jeanne Cassanova / Reginald Rachuba The Joanna Gallery "Those in attendance can be assured a multi sensory onslaught of 'image spillage'." Oh, really. We have to admit, the term "spillage" sort of scares us, but the image at right is so cool, we're willing to risk it. Both Cassanova and Rachuba pull from contemporary images and create narratives woven between each other......

Houstonist is pleased to see that the holidays haven't lessened the amount of folks who seem to be "a sandwich short of a full picnic basket." Still in doubt? Read on. Amazing Sex .... Why didnt i get your number? - m4w - 28 We made eye contact in the grocery store. You waited for me outside then we had amazing sex in your mini van. It was a blast and i would love......

::Touring Taste of Dance Salad Film at MFA:: Ok, so you're perplexed on what to watch now that Dancing With the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance have both finished their seasons. We feel your pain. I mean, how else are you supposed to practice your movers for the company holiday party? Well, dance friends, you are in luck. If you missed the 2007 Dance Salad Festival, catch a special (read: free) screening......

After stuffing ourselves silly on Thanksgiving, Houstonist vowed to take it easy on all the eating. We dutifully held our promise for a few hours, until our friend called us for lunch at Southwell’s. We don’t know whether our friend calculated that we would never turn down Southwell’s Hamburger Grill (despite binging just twelve hours earlier). Our friend, the pickiest eater we've ever known, had us at "Southwell's." We’ve been eating at Southwell’s for years......

We're psyched about Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings' appearance on Letterman later this week, and we think you should be too. Watch their brilliant video for the single, "100 Days, 100 Nights." Monday -CBS, 10:35pm: The Late Show with David Letterman, Jay-Z -ABC, 11:05pm: Jimmy Kimmel Live, Ben Harper Tuesday -NBC, 7am: Today Show, The Brian Setzer Orchestra -CBS, 10:35pm: The Late Show with David Letterman, the cast of Young Frankenstein Wednesday -CBS, 12:05am:......

Chris Simpson has worn many different hats in his musical career. He's first and foremost a songwriter, but he's been behind some of the most influential Texas bands of the last ten years. From emo pioneers Mineral (back when emo wasn't a dirty word) to the highly evolved rockers The Gloria Record, Simpson has cast a long shadow over the Austin musical scene. But eventually, you just want to hang out with your friends and......

Let's talk Quakers (aka: The Religious Society of Friends). First images that may come to mind: oatmeal boxes with that friendly looking guy in a suit, horse and buggies, interesting hats that tie at the chin... But it turns out that WE are seriously out-of-date. Today, the Live Oaks Meeting House (1318 West 26th St.) hosts a variety of events for an even larger variety of people. They rock out everything from breakdance competitions to......

Worried that you'll show up to the company holiday party in the same boring black dress as the boring payroll chick who sits next to you? Don't fret. Old is new again at Cheeky Vintage. Show up with a one of a kind. Tonight from 6-9pm, join the (relatively) new vintage clothing boutique, located on Richmond near Greenbriar, as they highlight some of their most recent finds for you to show off for your holiday......

If you see a lanky, red-bearded biker pedaling down I-10 in the next day or two, that’s A.J. Rowell, a passionate biker and fundraiser from North Carolina. So what’s he doing in Houston? Mostly just biking, in fact that’s pretty much all that A.J.’s done for the last six months on his trans-America bike tour. A.J. pushed off from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska on June 2nd with 90 pounds of gear strapped to his road......

Houstonist has been waiting 22 years for a movie version of The Mist. Our prayers have finally been answered. Note: the last time we got our prayers answered, Point of Impact was brought the screen in the form of Shooter. Let's hope The Mist delivers more betterer than that film. King first published The Mist in 1980 as a submission for a horror anthology called Dark Forces being compiled by his friend, Kirby McCauley.......

We've been seeing Christmas decorations going up around town earlier and earlier every year. This was the first time we could remember seeing green and red before Halloween. Still, retailers must remind people that it's almost time to go into debt in celebration of the birth of Jesus, so that's their right. The Galleria is celebrating the lighting of their huge Christmas tree (and the attendant shopping rush) with a performance by former Olympic skater......

What is it about the term "crafts" that is so off-putting to some of us? Well, for one, it reminds us of suburban housewives with wooden figurines adorning their shelves, reminding us that we're in a "Kountry Kitchen," or that (hee) "Back Door Friends are the Best Friends!" It was many years before we realized just how funny that sign in our wacky Aunt Grace's kitchen was. That, or that wacky Aunt Grace led a......

Houstonist interviewed Beto from Grupo Fantasma this week, in preparations for their show this Friday night at the Continental Club. The large, Austin-based band, who puts on a hell of a live show, gave us some insight into their music and other work that they are doing. If you'd like to see Grupo Fantasma Friday night, we have a pair of tickets just for you. Send us an e-mail with your name and phone number......

So, normally here at Houstonist, we try to promote events--arts and otherwise--that are open and (ahem) FREE to the public. Every now and again, though, something costing cash-o-la is so cool, so fun, SO important, that we simply MUST promote it. In this case, well, there's a lot of cash-o-la involved. But it's for such a good cause!!! We are not necessarily flush with cash today...or, well, any other day. But YOU, dear Houstonist......