Quick Links

2007 – Page 7 of 20

Roar of the Crowd|
August 31, 2007

Capitol Offense

I was appalled to learn of texas monthly’s designation of Representative Lon Burnam as one of Texas’s Worst Legislators, in part due to his purported ineffectiveness on behalf of the environment [“The Best and Worst Legislators,” July 2007]. The Texas Legislature has no greater advocate for the environment than

By

Antonya Nelson|
August 31, 2007

Side Track

Near the end of his sophisticated, stimulating life, my father played with toy trains. It was a hobby none of us could understand.

By

Artist Interview|
August 31, 2007

Eliza Gilkyson

The folksinger, a third-generation musician from California who put down roots in Texas long ago, has just released Your Town Tonight (RedHouse), a live album recorded over two nights at Austin’s Cactus Cafe.Why release a live album now?Well, I’d never done it. At shows, there isn’t a night

By

Jordan's Pick|
August 31, 2007

Six-Man Super Saturday

Football as religion is the gospel truth here in Texas, where players are gods and fields are hallowed ground. So the organizers of this month’s Six-Man Super Saturday can be forgiven if their slogans have been a bit holier-than-thou: “Not since Moses have believers traveled so far to the

By

The Filter: Events|
August 31, 2007

Holding Court

Beaumont, Frisco No, it’s not a comeback (unfortunately), but Pete Sampras, who hung up his racket in 2003, is back in the game. The 36-year-old tennis legend, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July, has stayed busy in his retirement by playing a few

By

Feature|
August 31, 2007

Getting My Goat

I wanted to help my old pal when he became a Katrina evacuee. I really did. But any houseguest who stays for nearly two years is going to drive you crazy (or, in my case, crazier).

By

Politics & Policy|
August 31, 2007

Craig’s List

Of the many things the first black district attorney of Dallas County is doing, none is more important than rethinking the concept of guilt and innocence.

By

Texas History|
August 31, 2007

A Lady First

Today, many younger Texans may be inclined to think of Lady Bird Johnson as belonging entirely to the past. But if her demeanor and style seemed faintly anachronistic, the virtues instilled by her parents back in East Texas—practicality, thriftiness, good manners, and an open mind—made her remarkably effective as a

By

Editor's Letter|
August 31, 2007

Mrs. J

My very first issue as the editor of this magazine—August 2000—had Lady Bird Johnson on the cover, flanked by her daughters, Lynda and Luci. Back then I hadn’t yet met the matriarch of Texas’s first family; certainly she didn’t know me from Adam (or Greg). But we would become acquainted

By

Music Review|
August 31, 2007

Noble Creatures

Well into their second decade with only the slightest of personnel changes, the Gourds are already beyond the life span of the average band. Their earthy eclecticism has produced an extensive list of classics, and if their albums haven’t always been long on consistency, (Yep Roc) has

By

Music Review|
August 31, 2007

It’s Not Big It’s Large

These days, listening to a new album is like hovering above a city in a helicopter: The experience might be spectacular, but eventually you want to feel as if you’re headed somewhere. It’s easy to forget how fresh Lovett’s gospelized country-swing sounded when he first burst upon the

By

Music Review|
August 31, 2007

The Stage Names

Will Sheff, the force behind Austin’s Okkervil River, is not one to take baby steps. He conceives the band’s music in broad, ambitious strokes, and if what he hears in his head is beyond his vocal range, no matter. He goes for it. At first his yelping had a

By

Book Review|
August 31, 2007

Tree of Smoke

Vietnam. Thirty-plus years after helicopter airlifts signaled the fall of Saigon, the name still evokes ghastly images of napalm-scorched children and ad hoc executions by handgun. Denis Johnson, author of Jesus’ Son and currently the Mitte chair of creative writing at Texas State University, summons that communal memory to

By

Author Interview|
August 31, 2007

Whitley Strieber

Since revealing his 1985 abduction by nonhuman visitors, the best-selling author has garnered as much attention for his opinions on alien life-forms as for his fiction. His new novel, 2012: The War for Souls, has been optioned by Warner Bros. for Michael Bay (Transformers) to direct.What’s the significance

By

Politics & Policy|
August 31, 2007

Craddick Takes His Case to the Base

Tom Craddick will take his case for why should be reelected speaker–and why he is justified in ruling that the House cannot remove him from his post–to the hinterlands, or at least the hinterlands currently represented by his political opponents. He was scheduled to address the Northeast Tarrant County Republican

By

Eat My Words|
August 30, 2007

Zinging Zagat

For those of us who consider a to-go container cooking at home, the folks at Zagat are looking for your restaurant picks and witticisms. They publish a guide focused on Austin, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio with some surrounding areas. If you submit a survey, they’ll send you

By

Eat My Words|
August 30, 2007

Gael Greene Responds to the Fried Egg Post

Here’s Gael Greene’s reply to Pat’s post on “Elvis and the Fried Egg Sandwich,” below.“Dear Patricia, Elvis would have been seventy last week if he’d lived…hard to imagine! If he and I met today, I would be much too old for him, and he would be a far sight too

By

Eat My Words|
August 30, 2007

Chocoholic Alert

The other day, my friend Gini found a wonderful little packet of Knowledge Cards (we used to call them flash cards in school) filled with chocolate FAQ’s. Being a couple of chocolate nerds, she and I read them aloud to each other on a long car trip to Abilene. They

By

Eat My Words|
August 29, 2007

Mail Order Quail

With all the hunting news about (northern sector quail hunting starts this weekend, I think)I’ve been wondering about those Bandera quail that show up on menus here and there (Let’s see, I think the last time was at Jason Dady’s Lodge Restaurant of Castle Hills)A quick search through the

By

Eat My Words|
August 29, 2007

CIA in SA

Ever wanted to know what exactly you’d learn if you signed up for the 30-week course at the new Culinary Institute of Americas campus in San Antonio? Here’s the scoop.Or maybe you have a chef-in-the-making who’s still underage. Try this link.javascript:void(0)

By

Politics & Policy|
August 29, 2007

Chisum Puts Abbott on Hot Spot

The AG can’t be thrilled by the prospect of ruling on Chisum’s request for an opinion of whether public or private entities that receive state funds can use those funds to pay a registered lobbyist. As Chisum has drafted the question, his inquiry includes even the question of whether an

By

Eat My Words|
August 28, 2007

Elvis and the Fried-Egg Sandwich

“Insatiable,” the page-turning memoir by “New York” magazine restaurant critic emeritus Gael Greene, will steam your glasses and curl your hair. And make you hungry. Now out in paperback, Ms. Greene’s lusty remembrances are a must-read for anyone interested in the Big Apple’s restaurant scene. After all, she was at

By

Eat My Words|
August 28, 2007

Everybody Must Get Fried

I want to try every one of the entries in this year’s Big Tex Choice Awards at the State Fair this weekend, but in particular the thought of something called Fernie’s Fried Chili Frito Burrito has awakened feelings that I no longer thought myself capable of. God Bless you

By

Politics & Policy|
August 28, 2007

Bell Chimes In

Chris Bell was in Austin overnight and we had breakfast this morning. The 2006 Democratic nominee for governor didn’t sound like a guy who was running for governor, or for any state office. “I’ll never run in a race where there are unlimited contributions again,” he said, adding the obligatory

By

Politics & Policy|
August 27, 2007

Toomey or Not Toomey: Update

In Sunday’s post, “Toomey or Not Toomey, That Is the Question,” I wrote about Judge Joe Hart’s ruling in the lawsuit brought by Democratic legislators who lost races for reelection in 2002 and filed suit against the Texas Association of Business, TABers Bill Hammond and Jack Campbell, lobbyist Mike Toomey,

By

Politics & Policy|
August 27, 2007

Quorum Report Touts Noriega Endorsements

The Quorum Report today posted two high powered endorsements for Rick Noriega in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat currently occupied by Republican John Cornyn. One is from former governor Dolph Briscoe, the other from former lieutenant governor Bill Hobby. Neither should be regarded as a surprise. Both

By

Eat My Words|
August 26, 2007

Magnifico

I’m a believer in letting only the experts have their say — kibbitzers, keep out of the kitchen — but I feel duty-bound to report that last night I had what may well be the best meal I’ve eaten in Austin in fifteen-plus years. Pat has written before about

By

Politics & Policy|
August 25, 2007

Toomey or Not Toomey, That is the Question

“The wheels of justice grind slowly but exceedingly fine” is a venerable saying about the law. I don’t know about the “exceedingly fine” part, but they definitely have ground slowly in the case of the Democratic legislators who filed suit against the Texas Association of Business, TAB’s Bill Hammond and

By

Eat My Words|
August 24, 2007

Open, Close, Move

A few transitions we’ve noted lately (in person or in the news):Lisa’s Mexican Restaurant has moved from it’s former location to bigger digs at 815 Bandera. One of my favorite places for caldo — the chicken version is bright, colorful and has vegetables that look like vegetables in it —

By

Eat My Words|
August 24, 2007

Tre Goes Home

Top Chef, a reality show to which I’m slavishly devoted, has featured two Dallas cooks in this fine third season–until Wednesday, when Tre Wilcox, of Abacus, was sent home, largely on the basis of a weird-sounding marinated salmon-pesto-and-cheese appetizer that Ted Allen judged, “the worst dish I’ve

By

Politics & Policy|
August 23, 2007

No Honor among Bloggers

Got nailed by pinkdome today, who was commenting on the program for a forthcoming meeting of the trade association for lobbyists at Barton Creek:Panel Background: Discussion of the practical, political and ethical issues arising from real-time news and legislative communications in the process of governing. Included are issues such as

By

Eat My Words|
August 23, 2007

Into the Fire–Inside a Texas culinary school

Ever wanted to deep-six your boring career and do something totally different, like go to culinary school? San Antonian Chris Dunn did just that–he signed up for the chef’s program at the Center for Foods of the Americas, completed his certificate, and blogged about the whole thing. Since the school

By

Eat My Words|
August 23, 2007

What’s the Slant on this rumor?

This just in. A well-connected source says that Liberty Bar, famous for its great Texas bistro menu and its slanted floors, is looking for a new location in the King William area. Apparently, the rent is going up dramatically (think about that location just a block or so from the

By

Eat My Words|
August 23, 2007

Check out Gourmet’s Latino issue–muy sabroso

Definitely pick up the September issue of Gourmet magazine. It’s the Latino issue, with recipes from all over the Hispanic world and some great personal stories (Junot Diaz’s tales of growing up Dominican in New York is a blast). Texas gets its due, with two stories. The first is on

By

Eat My Words|
August 22, 2007

que or cue?

so a comment to a previous post brought this up:Jim said… Let’s start with bar-b-que. The top of my list are Novasad’s Bar-B-Que (lamb ribs) in Hallettsville and Prause’s (brisket) in La Grange. None better! I’m not going to dispute that the Central Texas

By

Eat My Words|
August 22, 2007

Morning at Las Mañanitas

Pipe Creek is barely a hamlet — perched at the crossroads of Hwy. 16 and Hwy. 1283 about an hour northwest of downtown between Helotes and Bandera. But even though we’re creeping out of the borderlands in to the hill country, the barbacoa at Las Mañanitas is made in the

By

Eat My Words|
August 22, 2007

Now Serving: A New Blog

Welcome to Eat My Words, TEXAS MONTHLY’s blog about all things edible. In this forum, our writers and restaurant reviewers hope to entice you with tidbits of food lore and gossip, guide you to dishes and dining places across the state that we’ve liked (and steer you away from ones

By

Politics & Policy|
August 22, 2007

Okay? or Oh, Kay?

It has never been easy to figure out what Kay Bailey Hutchison is thinking about her future, but folks are really scratching their heads after the story that ran last week in the Houston Chronicle. Here’s how it began: Vice president? Doesn’t want it. A run for governor? Quite possibly.

By

Politics & Policy|
August 17, 2007

Masset Takes on Rove in the Quorum Report

Recommended reading: Royal Masset’s take on Karl Rove in the R&D section of the Quorum Report. Masset is a former political director of the Republican party. He begins by saying that he doesn’t like Rove and calls him a “hyper college Republican who never grew up.” That’s an interesting observation,

By

Politics & Policy|
August 17, 2007

Report: Craddick’s Name ID High, Approval Low

A Republican consultant offered me these numbers about Tom Craddick. The consultant would not allow the firm’s name to be used and mentioned only round numbers. Feel free to discount the credibility of this report accordingly.1. Craddick’s name ID is “higher than any speaker of the modern era,” which means

By

Magazine Latest