To paraphrase Mark Twain, rumors of Avalon Diner's demise have been greatly exaggerated. It's sadly true that the Avalon Drug Store in River Oaks, a bastion of old-fashioned service and nostalgia, is closing. The store, which has been owned and operated by pharmacist Bill Morris for almost four decades, will be shutting its doors this week after rising insurance and property costs forced him to reexamine keeping the pharmacy open. At 67 years old,......

This weekend marked yet another protest on Westheimer by a nationwide anti-Scientology group. Once again, the group, who call themselves Anonymous, gathered outside the Houston branch of the Church of Scientology (which happens to be the oldest Scientology mission in the United States), located at Fondren and Westheimer, on the evening of July 12th to protest against what they perceive as a "dangerous cult" with a non-legitimate tax exempt status. Wearing their traditional Guy Fawkes......

We forewarned you a couple of weeks ago. We gave you another heads up a few days ago. With less than 24 hours left, you had better made up your mind about whether or not you’re going to the The Free Press' Westheimer Block Party. The last one was pretty much a rousing success with a blown out generator being the only exception. This year, though, the Free Press has upped the ante by bringing......

It's March now; the freakish weather is in full effect and your allergies are making you wish the spring was a figment of your imagination. What better way to celebrate than to go outside? We know: go outside and listen to good music, look at some great art and meet your Montrosian neighbors at The Free Press' Westheimer Block Party on Saturday, April 12. It looks like a veritable schmorgasboard of local goodness, folks. If......

::Poison Pen Reading Series with Robert Wilder:: Robert Wilder has taken an extremely fun column about parenting from the Santa Fe Reporter and has turned it into a book, Daddy Needs a Drink: an irreverent look at parenting from a dad who truly loves his kids. He's written for NPR, Salon.com, Details, Newsweek and elsewhere, and when he's not writing, he's teaching -- hence his second book, which came out in December: Tales from......

After a brief hiatus to undergo a lengthy bout of detox due to excessive margarita consumption, we’re back and better than ever! The next stop on the road to unearth Houston’s best margarita was Canyon Café, positioned in a strip mall near the corner of Post Oak Lane and Westheimer. Restaurant Ambiance Judging solely by its exterior, Canyon Café possesses an inordinate amount of flair and gusto. From the lengthy outdoor staircase that patrons......

Our ceaseless pursuit continued last night with an evening at Armando's, located at the corner of Westheimer and Kirby. Taste Armando's serves a mean margarita. And by mean we insinuate that the beverage is extremely strong and exceedingly mouth-watering. The balance of tequila and non-alcoholic ingredients is nearly flawless, with a single caveat. For some inexplicable reason the bartender elected not to stir any of our drinks for the duration of the evening. Therefore......

::Cabaret Night with Kurt Weill:: Kurt Weill, the bad boy of early 20th century performance music, has not resurrected himself and come to Houston. However, Opera Vista will be putting on a cabaret of his music (hits from Three Penny Opera, Beggar's Opera, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny) at Cafe Brasil this Saturday. The Brecht/Weill duo lives on! They focused their stories on the working class and were unafraid to make......

If good wine and hot artists make you feel warm and fuzzy, you should get yourself over to Avant Garden (411 Westheimer) tonight and mix, mingle and gawk for the closing of the Neoformalism1 show, curated by Ashley MacLean. This show includes the handprinted black and white photographs of Traci Matlock, pieces by Japanese sculptor Keijiro Suzuki, color photographs from Francois Coquerel, and the paintings of Terrell James who's also been working on a......

• Over a dozen people have been robbed at gunpoint on and near Lower Westheimer. HPD says that the robbers approach victims with a gun, rob them of cash, cell phones, wallets and purses and a then a black truck pulls up and the robber and accomplice speed away. • HPD has a new toy. It's a 12 ton armored truck dubbed, "The Bear" and it will be used by SWAT and can transport......

We're not going to beat around the bush here: we can't draw. Not a bit. It's embarrassing. The last time that our artwork was recognized as quality was in fifth grade, when we took 3rd place in a Rodeo-themed art contest with a crayon drawing of a ghost town. Really. But would we miss the opportunity to pick up a pencil and start sketching if it meant it was in a cabaret atmosphere? Aww, hell......

Pack your bags, grab your passport, check your visa. We're taking you outside the loop for a taste of Japan, folks. Houstonist, on the wise recommendation of the Fearless Critic, recently made the trek out to Westheimer and Fondren to dine at Sasaki. The restaurant is incognito in a dumpy strip center, nestled right next to your typical shady cell phone store, an insurance office and a hair salon (with 100% real human hair extensions!).......

It's not every day you see a custom airbrushed van like this. Unless you own it. This one was found parked outside a resale shop on Westheimer. How could we not get a shot of this? Photo by Eric Sauseda......

You read that headline right, folks. The year is 2006 and The Medicine Show is playing at Helios again. Sort of. Rekindle those lovely memories of finishing a long day's work and partying at Helios on Monday night to the rousingly rambunctious Medicine Show. Instead the place is technically called AvantGarden, it'll actually be a Friday and the band changed its name to the Sideshow Tramps. Not to worry, though. You still get to listen......

::Monday Night Movie at Domy:: Domy Books, in association with Domy Films, is pleased to present, MONDAY MOVIE NIGHTS, Mondays at Domy Books, curated by the Movie Dudes. Monday, December 17: Scrooge. What the DICKENS have they done to Scrooge? A 34 year-old Albert Finney stars as the penny-pinching old miser in this Dickens classic turned musical. This is a delightful musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol. Cold-souled Ebenezer Scrooge has a......

::Double Header at AvantGarden:: A great double-book tonight at AvantGarden: Terell James opens his "Neoformalism 1" exhibit, followed by FrenetiCore's production of "Exile", a dance film. "Neoformalism" Terrell James Terrell James' paintings and prints evoke nature rather than depict it. With minimal contour line, gestural rubbing, and reserved color her works describe the landscape through abstraction. James' work is included in numerous collections including Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY, Museum of Fine......

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......

::Movie Monday - Double Feature:: Two series we love return tonight: Monday Night Movies at Domy Books, and Movies Houstonians Love at the MFA. Liquid Sky, 1983, 112 min Domy Books | 1709 Westheimer 8:30 - 10:30pm FREE Drugs, 80s Art Punks, and Aliens translated through director Slava Tsukerman would be the easy way to describe Liquid Sky. The hard way would include the endless amount of unlikable characters (including the two leads played by......

The pumpkin is underestimated. It is underestimated and under-utilized like a trophy wife and a kept man. There is so much more that can be done than just gutting, carving and displaying (the pumpkin, that is). There's nothing that rings in the holidays better than the pumpkin. Since Thanksgiving is Houstonist's favorite holiday (all's to do is eat, drink, watch football and take naps...what's not to love?), we wanted to share with you all the......

Houstonist is no slouch in the kitchen. That having been said, when we accidentally set fire to a whole pumpkin during a Thanksgiving dessert test run gone wrong this week, Houstonist learned a valuable lesson: If you can't make it, fake it. Luckily, there are a few Houston institutions that have you covered in case your kitchen ambitions require more than your skill set can provide. Ruggles Cafe Bakery offers a wide selection of......

Spent all your cash on girlie drinks and shattered dreams again this weekend, didn't you? No worries - Thriftster gives you the lowdown on cheap stuff to do until Paycheck Friday. Thanksgiving Thriftsters are sexy. Happy Turkey Week! Monday: You're going to have a long week of family time, ambrosia salad and tryptophan sluggishness, so pace yourself with a free Monday night movie at Domy Bookstore (1709 Westheimer). While not completely seasonally appropriate (or is......

Ok, ok. We listened to you. We DO do that sometimes. And you've said that even though you can't live without really enjoy the Daily-ist everyday, a feature that picks out one kick arse event each day from the thousands, um, ok, lots and lots of things going on in the city, you are busy people. And you would like to plan ahead. Ok, we hear ya. So it's back: The Weekly-ist List. We'll......

Good morning, Houston. We heard a few weeks ago about a bat infestation at TSU, but now there's something else happening in the halls of academia: a bee infestation at UH. It seems 100,000 of the industrious little critters have taken up residence in the walls of the Cullen College of Engineering, but rather than exterminate, the university is planning to move the bees to a wooded section of campus. Beekeeper Mike Knuckley will......

Yo, Houston - the only thing better than pie? Why 24 hour a day pie - for that 2:30 a.m., we can't sleep unless I get we get us some French Silk, pronto - thing! Well, perhaps that's just us. You can even get a sugar-free pie made with Nutra-Sweet (insert Boudreaux joke here), a Bayou Goo, Lemon Ice Box, Sweet Potato and a fine assortment of cakes and cheesecakes. Where? Why where else? The......

The Dynamo Dynasty? Yeah, that sounds pretty good. The Orange are headed for their second consecutive MLS Cup appearance after shutting out the Kansas City Wizards at Robertson Stadium on Saturday night. However, the win did not come without a high cost. Forward Brian Ching, who has been one of the cornerstones of the franchise since its arrival in Houston last year, went down with a calf strain in the 69th minute with the game......

Houstonist doesn't get it. What's with all the hype surrounding Arcodoro? Why is this place getting such rave reviews from foodies we usually respect? Are we missing something here? Perhaps Houstonist readers can shed some light on our very dark Arcodoro experience. Houston's recent annual Restaurant Week was a great opportunity to sample a three course dinner from a variety of notable restaurants. After careful scrutiny, we chose Arcodoro, a restaurant we've heard a lot......

Goat cheese is another one of those ingredients that people either love or hate. On the one hand, we think goat cheese is a delectable, multi-talented piece of dairy. On the other hand, one hater told us he thought it tasted like 'farm'. Hmmm. Hopefully this article will inspire a second taste, perhaps even transforming 'farm' to 'farmtastic? Goat cheese, also known as chevre cheese, has a slightly tart taste due to the higher content......

Today’s Photo of the Day comes from flickr user and Houstonist photo contributor Axelhouston who brings us this lovely, cloud heavy Hasselblad image taken while cruising down Westheimer. If you have a passion for Houston and photography, consider joining over 440 of Houston's best photographers in the Houstonist Flickr Photo Group. If Houstonist uses your photo for Photo Of The Day, submit it here. For more great photography check out the Houston Photobloggers.......