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Magic to be Found at the Magic Cup

My 15-year-old daughter is taking the pandemic even more seriously than I do, and I’ve had exactly one sit-down on-site restaurant meal since this all began, and that was on a patio, wherein the two of us, my daughter’s friend, and her dad were the only customers. And said patio was in Brenham to boot. [...]

2020-10-06T06:53:14-05:00July 8th, 2020|

Houston’s Best Pakistani BBQ

By Christina Autry You know that you’ve arrived at what is hailed by many as the “best Desi restaurant in Houston” when you see the famous, unmarked orange and red restaurant at the corner of Bissonnet and Kirkwood. Reminiscent of a repurposed Waffle House, Bundu Khan’s popularity stems much more from its word-of-mouth reputation than [...]

2020-10-06T06:53:24-05:00June 2nd, 2020|

Hastings High School Alumni

Now that the International District’s three largest and oldest high schools have produced a generation or two of alumni, it’s fun to examine which famous athletes, musicians, performers, artists, business leaders and scientists came from each of these schools. Looking back now on the past 47 years since Hastings opened (followed soon by Elsik and [...]

2020-10-06T06:53:28-05:00June 2nd, 2020|

My Baguettes – Yet Another IMD Jewel

With such a staggering multitude of restaurants to choose from, dining out in the International District is a daunting task even in the best of times, and now that COVID-19 has set the whole planet askew, it can seem at first even more bewildering. Much of what we once took for granted about dining out [...]

2020-10-06T06:53:32-05:00April 1st, 2020|

Tea Cup Café: Taiwanese Boba & Snacks

The International District’s small restaurants are one of the most striking expressions of our city’s diversity and creativity. These community gathering places offer an easy and rewarding opportunity for cultural exchange that ends with full stomachs and an increased respect for our neighbors and their cultural backgrounds. Annie Hu of Tea Cup Café is one [...]

2020-10-06T06:53:37-05:00March 30th, 2020|

1890s Alief — Commies and Uppity Women

Thanks to a fierce pride of place and assiduous record-keeping, the early history of Alief is well-known, from the Reynolds Reynolds land grant through the town’s short existence under the much less-evocative name Dairy, Texas and up through the rains of 1899 and the Great Storm of 1900. The change brought about by those cataclysms [...]

2020-10-06T06:53:42-05:00March 29th, 2020|

A Caring, Helping Hand for Pets

By Christina Autry “Pets can’t tell us when they’re sick. We feel that it’s our responsibility to do the talking for them,” says Dr. Waqar Hassan, owner of Beechcrest Animal Clinic. Hassan, the sole veterinarian at the small practice on Beechnut, has been caring for Beechcrest animals for the past six years. Hassan took the [...]

2020-10-06T06:53:48-05:00March 2nd, 2020|

Nini’s African Kitchen: Flavors of Nigeria

By Christina Autry Almost always, the best possible version of a specific type of food is found first in the homes of the families who have been creating it for generations. Outside of the home, the places serving food that makes you think of grandma’s cooking are oftentimes in the smallest, most humble of restaurants, [...]

2020-10-06T06:53:52-05:00February 6th, 2020|

What Growing Up in an Alief Tailor Shop Taught Me About Being Texan

By Nathan Hoang, Texas Monthly A reflection on family and home, on the heels of my parents retiring from their longtime business. Almost 45 years ago, the shores of Vũng Tàu were lined with dinghies. In them were people just trying to get to international waters, in hopes that other nations’ ships could bring them [...]

2020-10-06T06:53:56-05:00December 31st, 2019|
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