Houston (Texas)

Kirk Franklin Talks About His New "Gospel Brunch" at House of Blues

Kirk Franklin is easily one of God's greatest hype men. On stage, his ball of ad-libs, inspiration and intensity breaks through the angelic roar of every choir he's ever put together. Not an easy task, considering he's surrounded himself with some of the world's greatest vocal talent since since he ... More >>

Is the New Amnesty Bill Any Good?

[¡Ask a Mexican!] And what's a good book on ranchera music?

The Counter Opens Third OC Restaurant

I still miss Fatburger, which used to hold court here at Park Place in Irvine. It's not that the plaza was exactly burgerless (you could technically get a burger at Ruth Chris, Houston's, or even the employee cafeteria in one of the buildings if you can find it), but open finally this past week ... More >>

Young Girls - Still Water- December 12, 2012

Despite much hesitation about Googling their name, Houston-based band Young Girls were not,  in fact, girls. Being of the distinct opposite sex, these Texas boys knew how to put on a good show, even if Still Water's often reputed 'older' Wednesday night crowd was sparse at best. The two-ye ... More >>

The 10 Most Over-Played Songs at a Mexican Wedding, California Edition

A couple of weeks ago, I was in Houston to do a book signing for my book, Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America. Afterward, I went with friends and fans to enjoy some awesome Tex-Mex at El Real Tex-Mex, and among those who attended were two colleagues/pals from our sister paper, the Houston P ... More >>

Cambodian Weed

How a small village outside Houston influences the Asian restaurants of Little Saigon, Long Beach and beyond

Bistro Champagne Lemonade at Paul Martin's, Our Drink of the Week

The Paul behind Paul Martin's American Bistro is the same as the "P" in P.F. Chang's. He is Paul Fleming, the restaurateur who first struck gold with Fleming's Prime Steakhouse. Instead of mass-marketed Chinese food or steak, the angle for this newest venture is localvore cuisine, but truth is, it s ... More >>

Family Locked In By Restaurant After Refusing To Pay Tip

We've all seen those mandatory gratuities of 17-20% that restaurants tack on the bill if your party gets to a certain size. But what if you decide that the service didn't warrant it?CNN's Eatocracy reports that a family was locked in by a Houston, Texas restaurant after they refused to pay the manda ... More >>

Top Ten Rap Albums For People Who Don't Know Shit About Hip-Hop

Our good friends over at LA Weekly ran a post today recommending ten rap albums for people whose knowledge of the genre is limited to Kanye West -- and only then because Obama called him an asshole for interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech. Naturally, the comments section has exploded with " ... More >>

10 Great Sandwiches in Orange County

For this list of things eaten between two slices of bread, I've limited it to those that couldn't possibly be mistaken for a hot dog or a burger (thank goodness we already did those lists). Even then, the problem with these 10 listicles is that I still had to cut out a great many sandwiches for spac ... More >>

Why Are Tucson School Officials Banning Mexican-American Studies?

[¡Ask a Mexican!] And how can I help fight those pendejos?

Red Hot Chili Peppers Reschedule Tour Due to Foot Injuries

​Red Hot Chili Peppers postponed their upcoming U.S. tour supporting their Grammy-nominated snoozefest, I'm With You, due to multiple foot injuries sustained by lead singer Anthony Kiedis. According to a statement, "Kiedis recently underwent surgery to remove a crushed sesamoid bone and correct a ... More >>

Van Halen Announce Tour Dates: Staples Center on June 1, Honda Center June 12

​Van Halen finally announced their tour dates today, and it is massive. The Rock And Roll Hall of Fame inductees announced the dates at an intimate performance in New York's Café Wha?. The tour will begin on Feb. 18., with Kool & The Gang joining Van Halen for select tour dates. And as the ... More >>

Lemuel Uy Libunao: Immigrant Success Story or "Purple Syrup" Drug Lord?

​Lemuel Uy Libunao co-owns Plaza Pharmacy in Santa Ana, Blue Rose Pharmacy in Buena Park and Value Plus Pharmacy in Long Beach. Of Philippine-Chinese descent, the 42-year-old "Emerging Asian" was a shoo-in for the Outstanding Entrepreneur Award from the Asian Business Association of Orange Count ... More >>

We're Calling It Now: Radiohead Is Headlining Coachella 2012

Andrew Youssef/OC Weekly​What does it mean when Radiohead confirms the first 10 dates of its forthcoming 2012 U.S. tour? It can only mean the dates--mostly East Coast and Midwest stops--will be a precursor to their Coachella appearance on two weekends this April, since there are no West Coast date ... More >>

'The Trip to Bountiful' Shows Heart Is Where the Home Is

Horton Foote's masterpiece on the universal desire for one's roots

Kanye West and Jay-Z Confirm New North American Dates for Watch the Throne Tour

​As we reported earlier, Jay-Z and Kanye West have new dates for the Watch The Throne Tour due to the "overwhelming response to presale tickets." The North American tour will now begin on Saturday, Oct. 29 in Atlanta, Georgia at the Philips Arena. All fans who purchase their tickets online will r ... More >>

Wacky Musical Genres, from Witch House to Chopped and Screwed

​Pitchfork reported yesterday that Deftones frontman Chino Moreno has released a new ep for his side project, cryptically named ††† (or, Crosses, if you want to say it out loud). The five-song release features Moreno's trademark echo-moans, which listeners usually hear soaring above the chug ... More >>

Anheuser-Busch Wants the 713... and the 714?

Flickr user tsandHow is drinking Bud Light 713 Beer like having sex in a boat? Both are fucking close to water.​Our sister blog, Eating Our Words over at the Houston Press, reported that Anheuser-Busch's parent company, AB InBev, has applied for trademarks on the number 713--which just happens to ... More >>

Houston, We Have The Flaming Hot Cheeto Hollandaise Burger

Houston Press Jaws dropped, eyes bulged, clouds parted and fingers typed "Houston airfare" when we came across this post from our sister paper, Houston Press. The Flaming Hot Cheeto Hollandaise Burger, oozing with hot cheddar cheese and topped with an egg and spicy Cheetos, is served at on ... More >>

Osama Bin Laden Oil Tanker Terror Plot Hits Close to Home

​The Department of Homeland Security announced today that among the materials Navy SEALS found in Osama Bin Laden's Pakistan hideout were al-Qaida plans to hijack and detonate oil tankers last summer to provoke an "extreme economic crisis" in the West.Officials disclosed no specific U.S. targets. ... More >>

New High-Concept Restaurants Slated for Laguna Beach

Starfish​Ah, Laguna Beach.  If there was a rallying point where the high-concept restaurants flock, it'd be here.  There are at least three new restaurants slated for the Laguna coast this year, all of them fit for a town that seems to demand a new restaurant or bar to go to every weeken ... More >>

Free Song from Jane's Addiction's First Studio Set in Eight Years

​Even if you're not that psyched about a Jane's Addiction reunion, you're still curious about what The Great Escape Artist, their first new studio album in eight years, sounds like. Frontman Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro and drummer Stephen Perkins are giving away a free download of ''End ... More >>

NCAA Basketball March Madness April Finals Get Free Time on UltraStar Anaheim's Big Screen

​Last weekend, the Honda Center got in on the March Madness action by hosting some men's Division I college basketball games leading to this Final Four weekend.This weekend, you can still watch games live from a comfy chair in Anaheim with suds, dogs and other concessions nearby. You just won't be ... More >>

Sanrio.com and Select Boutiques Donating Net Proceeds to Japan Disaster Relief Tomorrow

​It's now the world's most famous mouthless white cat's turn to help out Japan: Tomorrow, Sanrio.com and select participating boutique locations will donate all net proceeds toward Japan disaster relief.The company (whose stateside headquarters is housed in Torrance) seems to be following in the f ... More >>

Wild Flag, Wu-Tang, Erykah Badu and Yelawolf: What Went Down at the Village Voice/Frank 151 SXSW Party

Shannon Cottrell/Houston PressWu-Tang Clan​Village Voice/Frank 151 SXSW PartyMarch17, 2011Austin Music Hall Of course you wish you were there. According to Houston Press, the all-night line-up for the 2011 Village Voice and Frank 151 Showdown at SXSW  was one of the festival's most anticipate ... More >>

No Wait, There IS a Rebecca Black Mall Tour!

​We we we so excited: contrary to what The OC Register reported earlier, there IS a Rebecca Black mall tour that will kick off her first series of live performances on April 19 at Los Angeles' Hollywood & Highland Center. The three-month tour will take her across the country -- from malls in S ... More >>

New York Times Names the Best Bánh Mìs in America--and Not One is From Little Saigon

Flickr user svensk​The New York Times' coverage of Vietnamese food has always been laughable--who can ever forget its decade-late feature on Sriracha or it declaring 2009 the "year of the bánh mì" (while neglecting to mention Little Saigon among the nation's Vietnamese enclaves) about seven year ... More >>

CREAM: Alcohol-Infused Whipped Cream In a Can--Where to Get It

Directions: Squirt directly into mouth.​EDIT, DEC. 2, 9:55 A.M.: We've taste-tested CREAM and put it up against our own homemade version. Read our review here!ORIGINAL ITEM: When we first heard about CREAM, the alcohol-infused whipped cream in a can being touted as the next Four Loko, we were pret ... More >>

Warped Tour Annouces 2011 Dates

​The dates for the 2011 edition of the Warped Tour have been announced; this year, it kicks off in Dallas. There's no information on venues or performers yet, but  the tour will be in Pomona July 1, San Diego, August 9 and LA on August 10. Tickets are already available for $45--you can buy t ... More >>

"Mexican" Coke on Continental Airlines

Dave Lieberman"You're taking a picture of the Coke can?" "Yes." "O-o-okay."​I was in Washington, D.C., last week, and on my first leg flight from John Wayne to Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport, I asked for a Coke to settle my stomach. It had a very familiar taste; imagine my surprise ... More >>

Landry's, New Owners of Claim Jumper, Now Also Own Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

Flickr user prayitno​I never liked Forrest Gump, and thought that its spin-off restaurant, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., would go the way of Planet Hollywood, the Superman SNES game, and other horrid synergy attempts. I think most people thought like me on that issue, and boy, were we wrong. The Bubb ... More >>

3hree Things: On Halloween (Plus: Thrice's Best Halloween Costumes!)

Watch out for 3hree Things every Tuesday, where Riley Breckenridge, drummer of Orange County's favorite local alt-rock band Thrice, gives his take on life in Southern California as an OC native. If memory serves me correctly, this Halloween will be just the second that I've spent at home s ... More >>

'My Best Friend Is a Mexican' and Other Pendejadas

[¡Ask a Mexican!] Mexican radio, used-tire stores and more!

Talega Home Where Woman Killed Daughter, Granddaughters and Herself Sells for a Million

​The million-dollar home in San Clemente where a retired psychologist and second-grade schoolteacher shot and killed her daughter, 2- and 4-year-old granddaughters and herself last December has sold.Actually, the two-story, Spanish-style house on a quiet cul de sac at 13 Calle Sonador in the gated ... More >>

Four Country Throwdown Dates Canceled

www.myspace.com/ericchurchCountry singer Eric Church: still singing at Irvine's Country Throwdown​The Country Throwdown Tour is cancelling four upcoming shows: Houston on June 9, Dallas on June 10, San Diego on June 17 and Phoenix on June 18. Tickets from the Houston, Dallas, San Diego and Phoenix ... More >>

OC's Mega-Mansions Slammed

Large fries come with each home​"Most people tend to overdo it out here, but it doesn't have to look like a mega-mansion from Orange County."--Successful technology company entrepreneur Bill Nguyen, 39, in this month's WSJ magazine feature ("La La Land") addressing the difference between Orange Co ... More >>

Director's Own Words: Marc Salomon of "Camp Chuck"

Photo by Jennie WarrenMarc Salomon jumps for his Camp Chuck director of photography Justin Ostensen.​"One thing our executive producer Bob Hrobak loves to do while on location shooting in Texas is fish. And who wouldn't, with the convenicence of Chuck's personal lake not a stone's throw away from ... More >>

[¡Ask a Mexican!] In Which Gabacho Teachers Learn to Listen to Latinas

[CD Review] Dorrough, 'Dorrough Music' (E1)

[¡Ask a Mexican!] Port-a-Potty Picassos

[¡Ask a Mexican!] The Thin Line Between Amor y Odio

[¡Ask a Mexican!] Does Only Bart Simpson Say '¡Ay, Caramba!'?

Monday Night Football

[¡Ask a Mexican!] 'Is There a Turnstile at the Border Tallying Up Illegals?'

[¡Ask a Mexican!®] 'What Is an Anchor Baby?'

!Ask a Mexican!

'Why do wabs have to use so many goddamn syllables?'

!Ask a Mexican!

Special Food Edicion

!Ask a Mexican!

Why won't Mexicans tip?

Letters