Let’s Have Mex-Tex

Where’s the best place to get a perfect plate of enchiladas? A chile relleno to die for? A salsa you’ll never forget? Come along on our tour of the fifty greatest Mexican restaurants in Texas, from Hugo’s, in Houston, to Tacos Santa Cecilia, in El Paso. This is not your father’s Tex-Mex.

by Patricia Sharpe

Bush 2.0

Two years after leaving office under a cloud of controversy, with a historically low approval rating, George W. Bush is reentering the spotlight and, with the groundbreaking of his library, launching his post-presidency. The question is, What will he do now?

by Mark K. Updegrove

The Soul of a Man

For nearly sixty years, a succession of obsessed blues and gospel fans have trekked across Texas, trying to unearth the story of one of the greatest, and most mysterious, musicians of the twentieth century. But the more they find, the less they seem to know.

by Michael Hall

Gentling Cheatgrass

What does it take to break a wild mustang? Patience, horse sense, experience, and if you’re Teryn Lee Muench, no more than one hundred days.

by Sterry Butcher

Former’s Almanac

What Bush could learn from Nixon, Carter, and Clinton.

La Maestra

A lesson with Diana Kennedy.

by Patricia Sharpe

The Yellow Cheese Hall of Fame

Mex-Mex has the purist vote wrapped up, but these Tex-Mex bastions win hands down when it comes to comfort food and customer loyalty.

by Jordan Breal

Key Moments in Mexican Food History

From 3500 BC, when indigenous peoples in Mexico and Central America began cultivating chiles, to 2010, when the Culinary Institute of America opened an expanded campus in San Antonio.

¡Una Cerveza, Por Favor!

A Mexican beer pairing guide.

by Katharyn Rodemann

Guys in the White Hats

If these seven chefs have their way, Mexican food in Texas will never be the same.

Behind the Lines

Let There Be Right

The Republicans whipped the Democrats in November. Now what are they going to do?

by Paul Burka

Oscar Casares

Imaginary Friends

Brownsville’s first federal judge was a legendary figure in my house. So legendary that I never believed my father when he said he knew the man.

Letter From Amarillo

Almost Famous

When Jacob Isom swiped a Quran from an angry evangelist, he figured a few of his friends would enjoy the prank. Two months and one million YouTube views later, his life may never be the same.

by Katy Vine

The Texanist

Offering fine advice since 2007

Aisle-scooting etiquette, slaughtering a turkey, skunk remedies, and the proper way to approach a group of ladies at a dance hall.

by David Courtney

The Horse’s Mouth

Paint-By-Numbers Art

Trey Speegle on paint-by-numbers art.

Interview by Mimi Swartz

The Working Life

Annie Nelson, 52

Housing admissions specialist.

As told to Vi-An Nguyen

The Manual

Bull Riding

How to ride a bull.

by Andrea Valdez

Object Lesson

Ruth Buzzi’s Garage

At the end of every show we’d pop out of these doors and scream out something ridiculous.

by Kristie Ramirez

Street Smarts

Wimberley

Anchored by a lively square, this Hill Country haven attracts artists, musicians, and spirited shoppers.

by Jordan Breal

Hollywood, TX

It’s Here. It’s Queer.

Jim Carrey’s brilliant gay movie finally comes out.

by Christopher Kelly

Artist Interview

Vinnie Paul Abbott

Interview by Jeff Salamon

Music Review

Three-CD Collection

Music Review

Couldn’t Stand the Weather

Book Review

Bohemian Rhapsody

An ambitious, sometimes bewildering, debut novel about Czech Texas.

by Don Graham

Pat’s Pick

Latin Bites Café

Houston

by Patricia Sharpe

The Filter: Dining

New and Noteworthy

Fuego, at Stephan Pyles, Dallas and House Wine, McAllen

by Patricia Sharpe

Editor’s Letter

Don’t Mess With Exes

by Jake Silverstein

Roar of the Crowd

Innocence Found

Contributors

Mark K. Updegrove, Sterry Butcher, and Patricia Sharpe

Fifteen Minutes

Read a Q&A with Katy Vine.

Interview by Molly Bruder

Music Maker

Read a Q&A with Michael Hall.

Interview by Katie Friel

The Horse Whisperer

Read a Q&A with Sterry Butcher.

Interview by Jasmin Sun

George W. Bush Interview With Mark K. Updegrove (Transcript)

October 26, 2010, Dallas

Southern Living 1001 Ways to Cook Southern

Reviewed by Rachael Abrams

The Drop Everything List

The Border Art Biennial, the Hot Rod Revolution, JFK, and Via Colori . . .

by Michael Hoinski

The Drop Everything List

Jeff Dunham, the “It Gets Better” Film Festival, the Mavs vs. the Spurs, and the South Texas Institute of the Arts . . .

by Michael Hoinski

The Drop Everything List

The Dallas Museum of Art, Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis, Dickens on the Strand, and the Harbor Lights Festival . . .

by Michael Hoinski

The Drop Everything List

Ann Richards, the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, Willie Nelson, and the 2nd Annual Gingerbread Build-Off.

by Michael Hoinski

Beating a Dead Horse

Nearly 25 years after SMU received the death penalty, the Mustangs are finally on the trail to success. But an ESPN documentary reminds us how far the team had fallen thanks to ego, greed, and the religion of football.

by Jeff Beckham

Making Tortillas With Diana Kennedy

Patricia Sharpe goes into the kitchen with cookbook author Diana Kennedy to learn how to make a proper corn tortilla.

Produced by Charlie Llewellin

The Gospel According to Blind Willie Johnson

Watch Austin musician Steve James play the slide guitar and discuss the incomparable Blind Willie Johnson, who we think was born in Pendleton, just outside Temple.

Produced by Pamela Hastings

The Manual 2.0

Watch expert Shawn Hogg teach Andrea Valdez how to ride a bull.

Produced by Pamela Hastings

The Gentle One

A slide show featuring James H. Evans’s images of a wild mustang and the cowboy who tames him.

Produced by Patricia Busa McConnico

The Time of Mex-Tex

Scenes from the fifty best Mexican restaurants in Texas, from Fonda San Miguel, in Austin, to El Meson de San Agustin, in Laredo.

Cooking With Iliana de la Vega at El Naranjo

Shrimp Tacos

Produced by Pamela Hastings

George W. Bush Interview With Mark K. Updegrove (Audio)

October 26, 2010, Dallas