Country Notes
February 9, 2022
Marfa Meats Brings a Slaughterhouse Back to the Big Bend
Small-town locker plants, lifelines for rural Texans for generations, have vanished from parts of the state. Christy Miller’s company is an exception.
The State
Politics & Policy
February 9, 2022
Kim Ogg Blames Rising Crime on Houston Judges. 14 of Her Prosecutors Are Vying to Unseat Them.
The lawyers in the district attorney’s office say they decided to run on their own, reflecting internal Democratic divisions over public safety.
Sports
February 8, 2022
Sumo Is Getting Big in Texas
Fighters in one of the state’s newest sumo clubs, in Dallas, want the sport to keep growing—without losing the traditions that define it.
Texas History
February 7, 2022
Texas Monthly’s First Editor Looks Back at What He Got Right and Wrong
Bill Broyles—now best known as a Hollywood screenwriter—remembers the magazine’s first issue.
The Stand Up Desk
January 20, 2022
Our New Partners in Video Storytelling
Texas Monthly has a deal with HBO and is the new owner of ‘Texas Country Reporter.’
The Stand Up Desk
January 19, 2022
Roar of the Crowd: February 2022
Reader letters published in our February 2022 issue.
The Texanist
January 18, 2022
The Texanist: What’s the Difference Between Tex-Mex and Mexican Food?
A transplant from California wades into an age-old culinary debate.
Pat’s Pick
January 18, 2022
Are You Ready for Fine-Casual Dining?
Austin restaurant Birdie’s has perfected the art of serving $32 steaks to patrons who wait in line to order.
Dining Guide
January 17, 2022
Dining Guide: Highlights From Our February 2022 Issue
We review dozens of restaurants each month. Here’s a peek at what’s new.
Meanwhile, in Texas
January 15, 2022
Meanwhile, in Texas: A Plumber Finds Cash in a Church’s Bathroom Wall
Plus, a homeowner sets a Christmas light show to Lil Jon and fishers get rescued from a Lake Amistad sandbar.
Music
January 14, 2022
The Man in the Eyeball Mask
Hardy Fox, founder of the strange and influential band the Residents, developed his bizarre sensibility while growing up in small-town East Texas.
Travel & Outdoors
January 14, 2022
The Walkable Wonders of Houston’s Montrose Neighborhood
With posh hotels and restaurants and free museums, this historic area of Houston makes for an easy, elegant weekend escape.
Business
January 12, 2022
Southwest’s New Skipper Buckles Up
Robert Jordan takes charge as the Dallas-based airline faces the most difficult challenges since its launch.
Being Texan
January 11, 2022
How Much Is a Dog’s Life Worth?
A writer learns the hard way—the hardest way—that in Texas the answer is: not much.
Politics & Policy
January 10, 2022
The Republican Race for Attorney General Will Be the Weirdest, Wildest—And Most Telling—Texas Election in 2022
Scandal-plagued incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton faces a Bush, a congressional performance artist, and a former state Supreme Court justice.
The Texanist
January 6, 2022
The Texanist: Why Doesn’t Texas Have an Official State Pastry?
A Fort Worth woman wants to know why we honor the bluebonnet and the pecan tree, but not the strudel or the sopaipilla.
Film & TV
January 5, 2022
‘Yellowstone’ Is the Country’s Biggest TV Sensation. Why Are Critics Shrugging?
The Yellowstone prequel series ‘1883’ was a smash hit—and just the beginning for Taylor Sheridan’s western empire. Only viewers seem to care.
Style & Design
January 5, 2022
The Steel House Saga: One Man’s Masterpiece Is Another’s Airbnb
The late sculptor Robert Bruno's unfinished home—a Lubbock-area landmark—is becoming a vacation rental. His friends are distressed.
The Stand Up Desk
December 16, 2021
From the Editor: Saluting Two Creative Natives
Our creative director, Emily Kimbro, and design director, Victoria Millner, keep Texas Monthly looking good.
The Stand Up Desk
December 15, 2021
Roar of the Crowd: January 2022
Reader letters published in our January 2022 issue.
Pat’s Pick
December 14, 2021
At ‘Top Chef’ Contestant Tiffany Derry’s New Restaurant, Southern Cooking Goes Global
The menu at Roots Southern Table in Farmers Branch offers gumbo, fried chicken, and riffs on Italian rice balls and West African street food.
Dining Guide
December 13, 2021
Dining Guide: Highlights From Our January 2022 Issue
We review dozens of restaurants each month. Here’s a peek at what’s new.
Meanwhile, in Texas
December 11, 2021
Meanwhile, in Texas: A Butterfly Migrated by Plane
Plus, a woman in Temple threw her soup at a restaurant employee.
Style & Design
December 10, 2021
Barn Sweet Barn
Houston-area couple Stacee Lynn and Oliver Bell are helping to revolutionize steel construction with their tricked-out and stylish barndominiums.
Travel & Outdoors
December 10, 2021
Find Your Moment (or Hours) of Zen at a Japanese Garden
Visiting a Japanese garden can bring peace and—especially in the winter months—quiet.
Made in Texas
December 9, 2021
His Piñatas Are Too Good to Break Open
A creation by Dallas's Alfonso Hernandez is the pièce de résistance of any party.
Film & TV
December 8, 2021
‘The Chosen’ Is Christian TV That Even Heretics Can Get Behind
The streaming phenomenon, produced just outside of Dallas, is winning converts with its ‘Friday Night Lights’ spin on faith.
Travel & Outdoors
December 8, 2021
The Man Who Can Survive Almost Anything
Survivalist expert Bob Hansler found YouTube fame by testing his skills in the Texas wilderness. His biggest challenge was yet to come.
Music
November 18, 2021
How a Band of Hippies and Potheads Kept Western Swing Alive
Asleep at the Wheel (belatedly) celebrates fifty years of championing a genre once considered all but dead.
The Stand Up Desk
November 17, 2021
Roar of the Crowd: December 2021
Reader letters published in our December 2021 issue.
Pat’s Pick
November 16, 2021
Superstar Chef Hugo Ortega’s New Restaurant Is His Most Personal Venture Yet
At his latest restaurant, Texas’s most celebrated Mexican chef teams up with close relations to revisit the street food of his youth.
Business
November 16, 2021
In Praise of . . . Enron?
Twenty years have passed since the notoriously corrupt energy-trading company collapsed. Maybe it’s time to acknowledge that it wasn’t all bad for Texas.
Meanwhile, in Texas
November 14, 2021
Meanwhile, in Texas: Deputies Wrangled a Kangaroo on the Lam
Plus, a Lubbock couple found their chihuahua hidden in their suitcase at the airport, and other head-turning stories.
Hunting & Fishing
November 13, 2021
Duck Duck Duck: Where to Hunt Three Popular Breeds in Texas
Ready to commit murder most fowl?
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.
Libations
November 12, 2021
Hey, Old Pal
This Lockhart newcomer offers classic cocktails and excellent food.
Made in Texas
November 12, 2021
This Dallas-Area Handbag Designer Puts Her Engineering Background to Creative Use
Jenny Nemlekar, who makes custom leather bags from her suburban home studio, learned to knit as a way to communicate with her Vietnamese grandmother.
Film & TV
November 11, 2021
How the Pandemic Showed Me a Different Way to Watch Movies
Over one hundred movies later, a virtual movie club learned some surprising things about classic movies—and about friendship in dark times.
Hunting & Fishing
November 9, 2021
Your Red Snapper Filet Might Have Been Caught by Drug Runners
Federal agencies have long struggled to stop illegal fishing and drug smuggling in the Gulf of Mexico. In recent years, it’s only gotten worse.
Where to Stay Now
November 9, 2021
Art Is Everywhere in Amarillo
With a creative scene that includes the classic Cadillac Ranch and vibrant downtown murals, this Panhandle city, home to a new boutique hotel, invites you to stay and enjoy the scenery.
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.
Dining Guide
October 20, 2021
Dining Guide: Highlights From Our November 2021 Issue
Texas Monthly adds and updates approximately sixty restaurant listings for our Dining Guide each month. There’s limited space in the print issue, but the entire searchable guide to the best of Texas cuisine is at your fingertips online!Below are a few highlights from the new restaurants reviewed in our
The Stand Up Desk
October 20, 2021
Roar of the Crowd: November 2021
Reader letters published in our November 2021 issue.
Pat’s Pick
October 19, 2021
San Antonio’s Lauded Mixtli Offers Even More to Love in Its New Home
This exceptional Mexican restaurant has expanded into a larger space without shrinking any of its ambitions.
Meanwhile, in Texas
October 17, 2021
Meanwhile, in Texas: A Tyler Man Placed in the USA Mullet Championships
Plus, a man sued a restaurant for allowing him to get “too drunk.”
Hunting & Fishing
October 15, 2021
Eat, Prey, Love: A Day with the Squirrel Hawkers of East Texas
The ancient art of falconry is alive and well.
Style & Design
October 14, 2021
These Quilters Mean Business
After a year of solitary pandemic quilting, devotees of East Texas fabric mothership Stitchin’ Heaven take over Fort Worth, ready to bond—and spend.
Politics & Policy
October 14, 2021
Critical Race Fury: The School Board Wars Are Getting Nasty in Texas
A loud minority of parents is making life miserable for Texas school officials—and shouting down the kids who speak in favor of lessons about the history and persistence of racial discrimination.
Recipes
October 13, 2021
If You Love Queso, Try Queso Fundido, Its Equally Delectable Mexican Ancestor
Texas chefs are putting a fresh spin on the dish, which often comes loaded with toppings—or even lit on fire.
Health
October 13, 2021
A Dallas Startup Aims to Build a Big Business—and Transform Lives—by Curing Rare Diseases
Taysha hopes to commercialize UT Southwestern’s groundbreaking gene therapies to benefit its shareholders—and desperately ill children.