BBQ
March 3, 2023
H-E-B’s True Texas BBQ Restaurant Is Slipping
What I once claimed was the best barbecue chain in Texas has recently yielded some disappointing results as locations expand.
Plano
Travel & Outdoors
December 7, 2022
Four Strange Days Aboard the Biggest Cruise Ship to Sail From Texas
It's a colossal floating city with an ice rink, a zip line, and even piped-in birdsong.
The Texanist
November 15, 2022
The Texanist: How Do You Become an Honorary Texan?
A Plano man wonders how the likes of Bob Dylan, Sarah Palin, and John Wayne qualified for this prestigious designation.
BBQ Joint Reviews
May 27, 2022
Trinidadian Flavors Bring the Heat to North Texas’s Barbecue Scene
Smoked jerk chicken, Trini pepper sauce, and fry bread sandwiches shine alongside Willie Meshack's classic Texas-style meats in Plano.
Politics & Policy
February 17, 2022
Some of Texas’s “Big Lie” Candidates Are Looking Like Big Flops
In Texas's Republican primaries, the stop-the-steal message doesn’t seem to be catching fire.
Dining Guide
November 12, 2021
Dining Guide: Highlights From Our December 2021 Issue
We review more than sixty restaurants each month. Here’s a peek at what’s new.
Technology
November 8, 2021
Can Virtual Reality Make Older Adults Happier and Healthier?
A Plano company claims its immersive experiences—from scuba diving to jazz concerts—represent the future of eldercare.
Tacos
November 4, 2021
A Robot Will Deliver Your Burrito at This Quirky Plano Joint
Stunts aside, Taqueria Los Angeles makes some of the best burritos in North Texas.
The Texanist
July 28, 2021
The Texanist: Is It OK to Bring a Gun to a Dinner Party?
A Plano woman doesn't think pistol-packing goes with pasta primavera.
Meanwhile in Texas
June 22, 2021
Meanwhile, in Texas: A Woman Fed Flamin’ Hot Cheetos to Monkeys at the Zoo
Plus, an elementary school was evacuated after a 10-year-old lit a toilet paper dispenser on fire.
Tacos
May 14, 2021
Homesick Californians, Rejoice: This North Texas Taqueria Has Stellar Cal-Mex
The next time you hear a California transplant claim that there’s no good Mexican food in Texas, send them to Valerie’s Taco Stand.
Film & TV
March 23, 2021
Alan Tudyk Is Ready to Be Taken Seriously
After decades of playing goofy sidekicks, the El Paso–born, Plano-bred actor finally has a leading role.
By
Dan Solomon
![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Health
February 24, 2021
“Scheduling Angels” Are Scouring the Internet to Book Vaccine Appointments for Strangers
Volunteers across Texas have stepped up to help seniors, non-English speakers, and others in need navigate an opaque system.
Business
February 4, 2021
Can a “Modern Retail” Makeover Save JCPenney?
The Plano-based chain tried this before, to disastrous results. Has the department store’s time simply passed?
Business
November 12, 2020
A New Plano Company’s Business Model: Buying Snacks at Buc-ee’s, Then Shipping Them to Texpats Worldwide
The Beaver nominally approves.
By
Dan Solomon
![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
Books
October 30, 2020
Texas Monthly Recommends: A Soothing Japanese Bookstore in Houston, Austin, and North Texas
Plus, a psychedelic music festival, Fat Tony's new album, and a book that casts a critical eye on the true-crime genre.
Food & Drink
October 29, 2020
The Hidden History of Peri Peri Chicken
Originally from South Africa and Portugal, the peppery, lemony dish is now beloved by Texas Muslims. To understand why, you have to go back four hundred years.
Politics & Policy
October 5, 2020
Can Van Taylor Hold off Lulu Seikaly and Democrats’ Gains in Collin County?
The Republican touts his bipartisanship in an appeal to this increasingly blue congressional district northeast of Dallas, but he’s been a reliable vote for Donald Trump’s policies during his first term.
By
Dan Solomon
![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
BBQ
July 2, 2020
BBQ News Roundup: Get That Brisket To Go This Fourth and Learn More About American Barbecue
Plus: Subway's Pitmaster Ramone gets a shout-out from his boss at Sadler's.
Tacos
November 6, 2019
Tacodeli’s Co-owners Reflect on 20 Years of Tacos, Menu Changes, and the Salsa Doña
As Roberto Espinosa and Eric Wilkerson mark the Austin institution's milestone anniversary this week, they look back on how it all began.
Film & TV
September 20, 2019
How a Former Karaoke Video Outpost in Plano Became a Hollywood Mainstay
Well Go USA has become one of the leading distributors of Asian action films in the U.S.
Sports
August 16, 2019
Following Protests, the Plano Senior High vs. El Paso Eastwood Football Game Is Back On
Citing abstract fears, Plano ISD canceled a game against a school in the devastated community.
By
Dan Solomon
![Dan Solomon's Profile Photo]()
The Texanist
July 28, 2018
The Texanist: Is My Husband’s Devotion to Texas-Branded Foods Crazy?
An Arizona woman just doesn’t get the appeal of Mrs. Baird’s Bread or Hill Country Fare cut green beans.
The Texanist
May 19, 2018
The Texanist: Who Uses Tortillas in a Sausage Wrap?
A Plano couple is feuding over what kind of bread product should encase a hot link.
October 27, 2017
The Convert
Tania Joya had been married to a jihadist from Texas for ten years—but she was unnerved by his increasingly extreme ideology and wanted out.
Energy
August 10, 2017
It’s Not Easy Going Green
Toyota and JP Morgan Chase bring renewables, and more traffic, to Plano.
Film & TV
March 10, 2017
Lights, Camera, Texas
Brush up on your Texas films—or see some of your old favorites on the big screen—during the Heart of Texas Film Series.
Travel & Outdoors
December 9, 2016
Bird’s-Eye View
The holiday season is the best time to scope out the majestic sandhill cranes that call Galveston their winter home.
Travel & Outdoors
October 27, 2016
The Best Bowl of Red
Celebrating fifty years of chili in Terlingua, home of the dueling cookoffs.
Film & TV
April 30, 1998
A Stand-up Guy
Plano’s Steve Harvey has been a successful comedian for years. Now he’s a sitcom star too.
Music
September 30, 1996
Quindon
TEN DAYS AFTER HE CELEBRATED HIS FOURTEENTH birthday by downing a seafood dinner and playing a concert in Milwaukee, Quindon Tarver is on top of the world. Actually, he’s on top of Reunion Tower in Dallas, sucking down a virgin piña colada at the Antares restaurant and talking about his
Travel & Outdoors
January 1, 1996
For Posterity’s Sake
Coming Soon: Groacho MarxThe Cockroach Hall of Fame Museum, Plano. Michael Bohdan, who calls himself Cockroach Dundee, runs the museum at his pest-control business, featuring such exhibits as H. Ross Peroach and Liberoche, a dead roach covered with sequins sitting at a miniature piano topped by a candelabra.If It’s Closed,
Business
January 1, 1996
Hot Potatoes
Is it possible to have a low-fat chip that tastes good? After three years of top-secret tinkering, Frito-Lay thinks it has hit upon the ultimate snacker’s delight.
News & Politics
April 1, 1982
Life With the Sutherlands, Frontier Family
Outside the back door stretches the lonely prairie; there is deep silence broken sometimes by gunshots and things that go bump in the night. But here on the edge of Dallas’s suburbs, you can always retreat to the whirlpool in the bathroom.
Politics & Policy
September 1, 1980
The $38,000 a Year, Wife and Two Kids, House and a Pool Blues
Is inflation deflating your standard of living? You are not alone.