Restaurant City

I tried to find statistics on the number of Houstonians who eat out.  Houston is the 4th largest city in the United States and has oodles of restaurants...some good; some bad.  Unlike New Orleans, we don't have a standard.  For instance, in New Orleans if you can't make a good gumbo, you're going out of business.  And New Orleans is known for it's Cajun and Creole cuisine.  Boston is known for it's seafood and Italian cuisine.

Houston is so diverse, we don't have a standard cuisine.  This makes us a formidable player when it comes to cities that have the best restaurant scene.  Tex-Mex.  Barbecue.  Asian.  Italian. Southwestern.  Seafood.  Steaks.  The list goes on and on.

So we got a nod from Esquire Magazine who ranked Houston #7 in the top 10 of America's Best Restaurant Cities.  Thanx for the nod Esquire!

What are your favorite restaurants?  My list includes (in random order): Cyclone Anayas; Tony's; La Griglia; Paulie's; Jax; Phil's Barbecue; Barnaby's; Reef; Cafe Ginger; Mo Mong; Americas...just to name a few.  There is one restaurant that I still mourn its closing: Anthony's.  There will forever be hole in my heart.  Many a good meal was shared there.  And not dis chains, I do love P.F. Changs but you can find one of those in every big city...and I do!

So readers, let me know.  What are your favorite restaurants?

blogging Hurricane Ike (part XV)

One of our hangouts in NoRO is Cyclone Anayas (Mexican food). Good Margaritas and good food can always be had there. So it was a bit sad to drive by the other day and see that the roof had been ripped off by Ike. The surprise was that the restaurant was open on Friday night!

It turns out that the staff (managers, waiters and busboys) worked feverishly over the past few days to reopen the restaurant. Yes, the ceiling needs to be reworked but it was good to see familiar faces on Friday night.

There were five of us who gathered for Friday’s meal. One person evacuated to Austin and was stunned when he drove back into Houston and saw the damage. One person still doesn’t have power at his house. The other three (including me) spent most of the past week spending quite a bit of time drinking expensive wine together in the ‘hood.

It was nice to be able to sit down, enjoy a hot meal and frozen adult beverages and relive the madness of Hurricane Ike. The respite is just what I needed.
I began to get a bit sentimental (adult beverages will do that to me) and last night before I passed out fell into a deep slumber on the couch I started humming Umbrella.



For the second night in a row, I have had a post-hurricane dream; not quite a nightmare. The weirdest thing happened though and it wasn’t part of a dream.

Remember I said that I passed out fell into a deep slumber? I was asleep on the couch and woke up around 3:00a.m. When I woke up, KHOU was doing a recap of some Hurricane Ike footage from last week. They were showing reporters in the storm reporting from various locations around Houston. It took me a minute to realize that this was NOT live. THEN, the cable box went dead and the telly didn’t have anything on it! I looked outside to make sure another hurricane wasn’t approaching. Within a few seconds the cable box reset itself and broadcasting resumed. Those few minutes were from The Twilight Zone.

Are hurricane dreams part of the new normal? I hope not.

50 Is The New 30

I have had some unusual coincidences within the past of couple of weeks. Another one happened this morning.

I arrived at Memorial Park for my Saturday run. Wasn't quite sure if I was up to a run. Not the best thing to do after a full Mexican dinner at Cyclone Anayas (with frozen Margarita-Sangria Swirls) from the night before. I was in my WWMPD?* mood.

So I turned on the iPod nano and wasn't really paying attention to the playlist. The first song that played was Madonna's Give It To Me. The coincidence? Today is her birthday! Once again, the nano spoke to me through music.

Birthday greetings go out to Madge, Mo, The Material Girl, Madonna!


Madonna is celebrating her 50th birthday today. I have a few more years before I hit the Big 5-0 so I have bought into the idea of 50 being the new 30. In fact, last week I was told by someone that he thought I was in my thirties.

Her Madgesty is often the target of criticism; some of it from Kaye Sedilla. In spite of that, she is still raking in the dough and adopting kids. Last year I did a brief tribute to Madonna. She is a business woman that knows how to keep us entertained and she knows how to reinvent herself.

One of the things I forgot to mention last year was an interview that was done on the 10th Anniversary of MTV. The president of MTV was asked, "Where would Madonna be without MTV?" He replied, "Where would MTV be without Madonna?" Definitely a symbiotic relationship.

Mo, if you're reading this, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! In the words of ABBA, "Thank you for the music..." and in the words of Rihanna, "Please don't stop the music..."

OVERHEARD AFTER DINNER:
Person #1: "I wouldn't pay $20 to see a Madonna concert."
Person #2: "Oh? Hmmm....but you paid $250 to see Kaye Sedilla!"

*What Would Michael Phelps Do?

Olympus Goes Olympic

In case you've been living under a rock or have been in rehab with Kaye Sedilla/Sopa Pilla, you should know by now that the 2008 Summer Olympics officially open on Friday, August 8 in Beijing, China. (BTW...when did Peking become Beijing and why is it still named Peking Duck and not Beijing Duck? Just askin'.)

Not to miss a reason to have a party, Krewe of Olympus-Texas will be celebrating the opening ceremonies on Friday night.

A $30 donation to the Krewe will get you in the door, get you some nibbly things and open bar! Olympic attire is encouraged but not required. Str8 Up With A Twist will be there slinging drinks at the bar from 7:00p.m. - 8:00p.m. Str8 Up With A Twist can't decide how to dress for the party. A toga? Water Polo attire? Running attire? Equestrian Steeplechase attire? A Panda Bear? An Olympic Torch? The possibilities are endless.

The party is up in The Heights so stop by on your way to Cyclone Anayas, Cantina 1308, Molinas, El Tiempo, JR's, Guava Lamp or wherever you go on a Friday night. Str Up With A Twist hopes to see you there!

If you can't read the information on the graphic, click here.

BTW...I'm selling raffle tickets for the Krewe. We will be raffling a chance to win a $1000 pre-paid Visa Gift Card. Tickets are valued at $5 each.

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 15.0

My mind is swirling in many different directions today. Sorta like a frozen Margarita Sangria Swirl from Cyclone Anayas. Where to begin?

Look Ma! No Nosebleed!
To my friends who live outside of I-610 (known as The Loop to us Houstonians) you know I love you so please don't be offended by these next comments.

Yesterday I was invited to Friend Floyd & Friend Mike's house. I had only been there one time and it was after I landed at IAH and had to drop off some stuff for a Krewe garage sale. It was at night and I remember it being a ways out but I really didn't remember where they live.

So a couple of weeks ago I received an evite to a pool party at their house and I accepted. So I Googled where they live and was a bit surprised to see that it is about 30+ miles from NoRO. OY!

Before I left NoRO, I made preparations from my trip. Calvin had been walked, fed and had plenty of water. I had bread crumbs to leave a trail in case I couldn't find my way home. I packed a snack for the journey. I packed cotton balls. You see...

For those of us that live ITL (Inside The Loop), legend has it that if you go too far out you will get a nosebleed. Not only did I travel OTL (Outside The Loop), I traveled outside Beltway 8 AND FM 1960! Unheard of I tell ya!

I'm glad I made the trek. It was a good group of people and it was nice to be able to sit and talk and not have to scream over loud noise and music at a bar to carry on a conversation. Too many friends to list who were there.

And the food! Let's just say that after two trips to the trough there was no way I was taking my shirt off and showing my stuffed stomach pooching out over my swimsuit. It would have looked like a double stuffin' muffin top...and not pretty.

Friend Mike is a good cook and had all kinds of food. Tamales, grilled chicken, steak bites, grilled sausage, fruits, vegetables, potato salad, macaroni salad, desserts, poppers (not the kind you snort, the kind you eat) and best of all was this other grilled chicken that was stuffed with cream cheese, jalapenos, assorted bell peppers and wrapped in bacon.

It was open bar with a nice lady who was bartending. However, considering that I had a drive back down I-45 I knew better than to partake of too many adult beverages. I can be responsible you know.

Kaye Sedilla/Sopa Pilla was the topic of discussion several times during the party. Many people were asking how she is doing in rehab at The Betty Ford Center. I have many messages of hope to give her. Kaye Sedilla/Sopa Pilla...if you're reading this, everybody is pulling for you dahling!

Spending time at Friend Floyd & Friend Mike's was well worth the journey. And I did not get a nosebleed and didn't have to get into my snack pack.

Cat Fight
The other night I had dinner with some friends at their house. While we were eating they mentioned that their cat had been missing for 4 days. Toward the end of the evening the cat returned (it was actually sitting on The Cal Mobile). It looked like it had been in a fight. This made me think of my favorite cat fight from a movie.

(This clip is kind of long but the best part is from the beginning to 3:33).


Valley of the Dolls was released in 1967. My mother and our neighbor so wanted to see the movie but they couldn't find a babysitter. So they took us kids with them to the drive-in. I really didn't pay too much attention to the movie. It wasn't until MANY years later that I watched it again and realized how campy it is. It has become one of my favorite movies.

Then, in 1995 Unzipped, the frockumentary, was released. At one point in the movie Isaac Mizrahi quotes a line from Valley of the Dolls:
"There's only one star in a Helen Lawson show, and that's ME baby! Remember?" Classic line!

And in the sense of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, Sandra Bernhard was in Unzipped and she was on Project Runway the other night. So you see, it all gets back to Valley of the Dolls...or in my twisted mind many things I like all related to Valley of the Dolls. And just to prove this point, someone has done a Valley of the Dolls video set to Amy Winehouse's Rehab.



Some great lines from Valley of the Dolls:
Helen Lawson: They drummed you out of Hollywood, so you come crawling back to Broadway. But Broadway doesn't go for booze and dope. Now get out of my way, I've got a man waiting for me.

Jennifer North: I wouldn't pay any attention to that. You know how bitchy fags can be!

Neely O'Hara: Boobies, boobies, boobies. Nothin' but boobies. Who needs em?

Neely O'Hara: "I have to get up at five o'clock in the morning and SPARKLE, Neely, SPARKLE!"

Neely O'Hara: I want a doll! I want a doll!

Neely O'Hara: [drunk in a bar] Who's stoned? I am merely traveling incognito.

Neely O'Hara: Mel? God? Neely?... NEEEEEEELYYY O'HARAAAAAAAA!

(Stage manager): Neely? Neely open the door, you're on. Neely!
Neely O'Hara: Hi!
(Stage manager): My God. You've got on your costume for the second act.
Neely O'Hara: So? I'll do the second act first!

About Last Night

Remember that movie? It starred Rob Lowe and Demi Moore. It was released in 1986. It's one of my favorites from the mid-80s.

What you may not know is that it was based on the play, Sexual Perversity in Chicago. It was renamed because they were afraid movie houses wouldn't put that title on the marquee.

Well, this post isn't about sexual perversity but it is about last night. OY! LOL

It all started innocently enough. I met up with The Fabulous Miss Jolie Shay at Cyclone Anaya's. We were going to have a drink. Well...

We were joined by AttyHou and Wilma Dog Rebecca. It congealed around 3:45p.m. or so. A few drinks. Trips down memory lane. Lots of laughter. Discussions about our parents.

Well, as I am so prone to doing, I made a new friend at the bar who proceeded to buy me cocktails. The other three had left the premises and I actually got a phone call around 7p asking if I was going to Quadra (the birthday party).

In the meantime, I ran into AlnHouston and Heights Ben. (They asked about Kaye Sedilla/Sopa Pilla...more on that tomorrow.)

Well next thing I know, my new friend is a bit over served. I so wanted to go home and shower, walk Calvin and get to Quadra but I was also concerned about my new friend (whose last name I don't know).

UGH! He wouldn't give me the keys to his car. He wouldn't let me drive him home. So I followed him home to make sure that nothing happened to him OR anyone else.

Now here comes the odd/funny part...

He pulls into the garage, gets out of the car, goes to the door and can't find his keys. WTF? LOL

I start going through his pockets, searching the garage floor, etc. The car is unlocked so I get in the driver's seat and the keys are not in the ignition. I'm very perplexed and he is falling asleep on the hood of the car. For whatever reason, they keys are on the floorboard of the passenger side.

I get him in the house and the last time I saw him he was passed out underneath the dining room table. (Been there. Done that in Calgary. I swear it was the altitude that did me in in Calgary.)

I ran home, walked Calvin who was going nuts, showered and made my way to Quadra at Status just in time to say goodbye to everybody! Oops.

Well, here I am all freshly showered with no place to go and someone told me that AttyHou and Everyday Italian were going to Meteor. So I figured if I found a parking spot I would pop in. I did and I did.

It was actually a good crowd and I saw some folks that I hadn't seen in awhile. They were all waiting for the underwear fashion show. Who knows what time it was going to start so I left and went to Jack-In-The-Box for my Monster Taco, Jumbo Jack with cheese (no tomato) and a large Diet Coke. I wolfed that meal down like there was no tomorrow and unfortunately my stomach is telling me today that it did NOT appreciate that late meal. Oops.

So to everyone that I didn't see last night...sorry about that. I did have a good conversation with Kaye Sedilla/Sopa Pilla's long lost brother. His name is Toma(s) Tillo. Yes, that is how he spells it. Will give you the details of that conversation later.

Stay cool everybody!

Things are heating up in H-town

As predicted, the politicos are making their way through Houston.

Yesterday, Bush 41 met up with John McCain. Bush 41, along with Babs, endorsed McCain for the Republican nomination.

Yesterday, both Hillary and Obama opened their campaign headquarters here in Houston. Hillary is on the eastside and Obama is in Midtown.

Tonight Bill Clinton is appearing at the Hyatt for a fundraiser. Obama is at the Toyota Center.

Tomorrow Bill is at Univ. of Houston in the morning and Chelsea is at Cyclone Anaya's in Midtown in the evening. EDIT: Bill is in Galveston in the morning; Victoria & Beaumont during the day; UH @ 845p.

EDIT: Huckabee arrives in Houston on Thursday.

hmmm...out of all of these events, I think I'd rather have a frozen Margarita Sangria swirl with Chelsea at Cyclone Anaya's! Drink up girl

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 6.2

This is an enhanced version of T 'n T for Sunday November 25, 2007.

Pay It Forward

On Tuesday night, when I left for Reef and then Cyclone Anaya's, I took my little notebook with me because it had some phone numbers in there that I might need. In that notebook were notes from various meetings as well as all of my physical activities and a grocery list. You get the picture.

So I get to Ft. Worth and I can't find the notebook that I thought was in The Cal Mobile. And of course one of the phone numbers that I needed while I was in Ft. Worth was in there! UGH.

I get back to Houston and look all over The Cal Mobile again. No sign of it. I look in some bags from Target (from Tuesday); not there. UGH! Yesterday I even said a prayer to St. Anthony who is the patron saint of lost causes.

So this morning I get a phone call from Elaine. Elaine was one of the ladies who worked at Tropical Depression #46. I haven't talked to Elaine in about a month so I'm thinking, "How nice to hear from her."

Sidebar: If you live in Houston and if you ever need dependable help at a party, hire Elaine.

So Elaine starts to ask me if I've lost a notebook and I tell her that I'm going nuts trying to find it. She got a phone call from a guy named Tony who found her phone number in there and note about September 15 (which happened to be the day of Tropical Depression #46). He called her on Wednesday but until today she couldn't remember where she was on on September 15 and then it clicked.

So after a nice chat with Elaine (BTW...she is also looking for a job. She has experience with medical records and she also has cared for people who are home bound.) I call Tony. I introduce myself and mention Elaine's name and then it clicks with him who I am.

He said he was on his way to work on Wednesday and saw a notebook in the street on Brazos. He thought it might be important so he went back around and picked it up.

I'm going to get it from him in a few days.

So, a gold star to Tony and a gold star to Elaine. It is a nice reminder that there are some good people in this world. And I hope that one day, someone does them a big favor too.

I've commented on here about paying it forward. And it goes with that saying that I will misquote and I can't remember who said it, "The good that you do is the good that you will receive in return."

Grande Sugar-free Cinnamon Dolce Latte non-fat with no whip and with an extra pump and an extra shot

That's my new other favorite drink at the office these days.

It is actually much better if you don't do sugar-free and if you do whole milk and whipped cream.

Anywho. This morning I'm at the office at my big desk reading the paper, just minding my own business and a lady walks up to the table and lets out a scream of glee. Scared the sh_t outta me. Wait it gets better.

It's not me that she is happy to see. It is someone behind me. OK. That's cool BUT she throws her purse down on the other chair at my desk, puts her coffee down RIGHT in front of me, and lays down some sort of a plastic bag on MY NEWSPAPER and walks off!

Never acknowledges that I'm sitting there. She doesn't ask if she can lay claim to my big desk. She just does it.

Eventually she comes back to gather her belongings which I have rearranged, except for the purse, and still doesn't acknowledge me.

If it hadn't have been for the phone call from Elaine which happened after this incident at the office, I'd probably still be seething over it.

Oh. So on my way out of the office, I accidentally kicked her table. LOL I swear it was an accident!

Nanook Of The North

What are the chances of me hearing that name twice within less of 24 hours? LOL

So yesterday while I was working on cards, Unzipped comes on. I've seen this frockumentary umpteen times. I could watch it another umpteen times. Every time I watch it I still get excited when Isaac shows his collection.

In the movie he refers to Nanook Of The North for his inspiration. OK. So that was yesterday afternoon.
This morning as I'm leaving LeFittes I run into Cruise Director Tom. (Haven't seen him in awhile and he always makes me laugh because he usually has some good gossip about something.) We comment about the cold to the bone wet weather and he looks at the sweater I'm wearing and says, "You're all bundled up like Nanook Of The North." Go figure.

I've never watched the movie so I guess now it is time to do so.

Post-Thanksgiving/Holiday Party

So this afternoon I made my way up the road to the annual party given by Scott & Micheal and Steven & Grant. Can't remember why but last year I didn't attend.

A fun time was had by all. Many familiar faces and as always some new faces. Great conversation and many laughs. Embellishments to events and stories at the drop of a hat. For instance, I am now adding Hapsburg (EDIT: the correct spelling is Habsburg) to my name. Sort of a long story so just use your imagination.

I could have stayed another hour chatting and drinking but I left to go to the 500p Mass at St. Anne's because I thought it was the first Sunday of Advent only to find out it was the Feast of Christ The King which is the last Sunday of the year.

So I'm home now. The Calvinator has been walked and we're waiting for The Amazing Race!

World AIDS Day Dec. 1

www.worldaidsdayhouston.org

"Hey lolly lolly. Hey lolly lolly."

This is Wanda Adams. Wanda is in a run-off for Houston City Council District D. Up until last night I had never met Wanda but I had heard of her. Good Egg Kathryn (GEK) invited me to a fundraiser last night at Reef. Not one to pass up an opportunity to meet a candidate, I went to Reef. Nice group of people.

Of course Wanda was there and I'm glad I got to meet her. If I could vote for her, I would but you see, I don't live in her district so I can't. If you want to know more about Wanda, you can go to http://www.wandaadamsforhouston.com/. AND you can also make a contribution to her campaign.

I had to leave GEK and Wanda Adams at Reef and head over to the Hyatt to pick up a couple of guys. HA! Not what you think.

You see, Danny and John are visiting from San Francisco. The last time that I saw them there cocktails, beads and costumes involved because we were in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. What happens in New Orleans doesn't always stay in New Orleans and unfortunately Danny has seen me at my best(?) in the Big Easy.

We headed over to Cyclone Anaya's in Midtown for Mexican food, BIG frozen Margaritas (with frozen Sangria), and intoxicating repartee. Later we were joined by Ray & Bill.

Danny cracks me up. When he lived in Houston he lived in my apt. complex. He lived by the back pool and was always ready with his blender to make frozen adult concoctions for an impromptu party. Many good times were had with Danny at JRs for 99 cent vodka drinks and karaoke. Once again, he has seen me at my best(?) on a Sunday afternoon-evening-Monday morning.

Danny told John that I was coming to pick them in The Cal Mobile. He told John that my dog's nickname is Cal and John thought he said cow and couldn't figure out why I named my dog a cow. If I had a cat, would it be named pig? LOL

While we were having dinner, someone at the table asked about Wocky Molee and then asked about Enchee Lada. I was a bit confused only to realize that they were asking if I had heard from Kaye Sedilla! LOL I do know that Kaye is still on her world tour (The Hot Tamale Tour). I'm sure she will be pleased to know that people are asking about her. I informed our San Francisco visitors that if they could arrange it, Kaye could do a show in The City By The Bay.

I'm not sure (oh wait I think I do know) how it happened but at one point I found myself leading the table in a rousing version of "It's just an itty bitty pissant country place. Nothing much to see. No drinking allowed..." And at one point I was trying to remember the words to that Telephone Man(?) song. "I got it with a buzz and I got with a ring....I even got a dingaling...Hey lolly lolly. Hey lolly lolly." Danny + alcohol ./. show tunes = lots of laughs.

I left the bois on the doorstep of Cyclone Anaya's after singing "One hand in my pocket..." and "Big Mess..."(to the tune of Go West).

I had awakened early and did a jaunt at Memorial Park and was scheduled to meet runnerOne this morning for a speed workout on the track. So I needed to get to bed at a decent hour.

I got home in time to see Jennie(sp) Garth voted off Dancing With The Stars. She needed to go but at least she did it on a high note. The previous night she received a perfect score of 30 for one of her performances. I am happy that my man Helio is in the finals!

That sorta catches me up. I would like to tell you about an odd coincidence that happened but I'm afraid it might jinx me. I will tell you that the laughter I shared last night with GEK and then with the boys was definitely a mood enhancer.

Catch up with you soon!