Comfort Food

Comfort Food All comfort food, all the time — but are we really the "fattest city in America"? Plus: How to garden in Houston.

In this issue:

Arts & Culture

Music

The Houston Blues Museum Finds a Home

A long-awaited tribute to Houston’s rich blues tradition will open in the Fifth Ward this spring.

02/08/2015 By Michael Hardy

Voluntary Constraints

Get Free With a Little Help From Your Friends

In which we try—and fail—to work our way out of Escape Room Houston.

02/08/2015 By Michael Hardy

Crime

HBO Films Takes on Houston’s Favorite (Suspected) Serial Murderer

A new true-crime documentary series explores the life of infamous eccentric Robert Durst.

02/08/2015 By Michael Hardy

Theatre

These Boots are Made for Walkin’

A musical arrives, both heralded and unsung.

02/04/2015 By Michael Hardy

Best of Houstonia

Feature

A Houstonian’s Guide to Comfort Food

We’ve grilled the experts for the best in grilled cheese, fried our brains thinking about the best fried chicken, and driven ourselves silly over chili.

02/15/2015

Eat & Drink

Comfort Food

Grilled Cheese, Four Ways

Four restaurants offer very different, yet very Houstonian, takes on the comfort food classic.

02/16/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Comfort Food

Houston’s 5 Best Fancy Mac ‘n’ Cheeses

For those days (and nights) when that little blue box in your pantry just isn’t enough.

02/16/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Comfort Food

The 5 Best Chicken Fried Steaks in Houston

In Texas, a good chicken fried steak isn’t hard to find, but these five places have elevated the craft to a fine art.

02/16/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Comfort Food

Meet Houston’s Kings of Comfort

Michael Shine and his sons have found success in the simple things—in some cases, making those simple things just a little snazzier.

02/16/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Comfort Food

Recipe: The Creamiest Grits

No shortcuts or instant mixes here, but your hard work will pay off.

02/15/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Comfort Food

Recipe: Bacon-Braised Greens

As with most things in life, the answer is bacon.

02/15/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Comfort Food

Recipe: Nana’s No-Fail Cornbread

To help you master this Southern staple, our dining editor spills her great-grandmother’s secrets.

02/15/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Comfort Food

Houston’s 5 Best Diners

If you don’t have a go-to spot for bountiful breakfasts and endless coffee, you’re missing out.

02/15/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Comfort Food

Houston’s 5 Best Fried Chicken Spots

When it comes to fried chicken, everyone comes with a bias—but these five Houston favorites might make you throw away Grandma’s recipe card once and for all.

02/15/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Comfort Food

Comfort Clash: Who Serves the Best Comfort Food?

From chili to chicken & waffles, shrimp ’n’ grits to chocolate pie, Houston’s finest purveyors of comfort food square off.

02/15/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Editor’s Picks

Where to Eat in Memorial

Ten restaurants you should be trying out west

02/08/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Restaurant Review

Preview Modern Seafood Leaves Us Craving More

Chef Jason Liao’s food is undeniably delicious and inventive—now if only there were more of it.

02/08/2015 By Scott Vogel

Restaurant Review

Prohibition Supperclub & Bar Walks a Fine Line Between Delectable and Profane

While you can bask in a burlesque show over dinner, the real star is the food.

02/08/2015 By Scott Vogel

Newsfix

Video: Best Houston Spots for Comfort Food

A sneak peek at our February issue, on newsstands now

02/06/2015

Editor’s Picks

Our Top 10 Romantic Dinner Spots

Get a table at one of Houston's most romantic restaurants.

02/04/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Wine

8 Romantic Wine Pairings for Valentine’s Day

These classic wine pairings are, well, made for each other.

02/04/2015 By Jeremy Parzen

The Cheesiest

The Making of the Mac 'n' Cheese: Luby's Shares Its Recipe

Put the blue box away and try your hand at Luby's old-fashioned mac 'n' cheese recipe.

02/02/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Editor’s Note

Citius, Altius, Comfortius

As The Divine Comedy shows, there is no infirmity that cannot be assuaged by comfort food.

02/08/2015 By Scott Vogel

Health & Wellness

Weighty Matters

Just How Fat Are We?

Like it or not, Houston’s “Fattest City in America” moniker has stuck. But is it true?

02/08/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Home & Real Estate

Spring Gardening Guide

Houston’s 10 Best Nurseries

Whether you’re in the market for native plants or exotic specimens, these nurseries cover your every gardening need.

02/08/2015 By Chris Abshire

Spring Gardening Guide

How to Grow Your Garden Without Breaking the Bank

A luxurious garden need not cost a fortune.

02/08/2015 By Catherine Matusow

Spring Gardening Guide

Slideshow: The Cream of the Crop

Picks (or gift ideas!) for the well-attired gardener and garden

02/08/2015 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

Spring Gardening Guide

Insects and the Garden: a Complicated Relationship

There are good bugs, and there are bad bugs. Here’s the wisdom to know the difference.

02/08/2015 By Chris Abshire

Spring Gardening Guide

How to Turn Your Black Thumbs Green

Patiovore owner Jess Haskins used to kill plants; now she teaches Houstonians the secrets of successful urban gardening.

02/08/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Spring Gardening Guide

Plant This Now!

No, really—here are five Houston-friendly plants you need to put in the ground this spring.

02/08/2015 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

Spring Gardening Guide

Houston’s 5 Best Public Gardens

No room or time for a garden of your own? These gardens may inspire you.

02/08/2015 By Michael Hardy

Spring Gardening Guide

Foolproof Flora: 5 Plants That Even You Can’t Kill

Not only are these plants easy to grow, they’re also useful (or even delicious).

02/08/2015 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

Spring Gardening Guide

The Peculiarities of Gardening in Houston (and Why It’s Worth It)

How to make the most of mucky soil and microclimates.

02/08/2015 By Katharine Shilcutt

Boom or Bust

Meet the Real Estate Agent to the Energy Industry

Whether you think the oil market is “shifting,” “adjusting,” or “softening”—Michele Marano isn’t worried.

02/08/2015 By Catherine Matusow

News & City Life

Bayougraphy

Meet the Man Behind HPD’s Successful Homeless Outreach Team

Officer Steve Wick and his team provide a possible solution to a complex problem.

02/08/2015 By Jeff Balke

Home-Erotic

(Nude) Pictures at an Exhibition

What began as a Galleria-area woman’s vintage erotica collection has now become a personal museum of prurience.

02/08/2015 By Michael Hardy

Ice House

February’s Perfect Party

Keep it lively, folks!

02/08/2015 By Catherine Matusow Illustrations by Chris Danger

Web Exclusive

Photo Essay: Houston’s Sex Trade in Nine Objects

A sobering look at the lives of Houston’s trafficked sex workers

02/02/2015 Photography by Brian Goldman

Piety’s Fringes

Sex Traffickers, Meet Your Worst Nightmare

From the site of a former brothel, a notorious band of anti-trafficking activists confronts Houston’s sex trade face-to-face.

02/02/2015 By Peter Holley Photography by Brian Goldman

Style & Shopping

H-Town Diary

After Years, Learning to Let Go of Dallas’ Sky-High Beauty Standards

I am from Dallas. It wasn’t until I moved to Houston that I learned what that means.

02/08/2015 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

Elements of Style

Uncommon Threads: an Interview With Tidbits’ Allison Bagley

The Houston-based CEO of Tidbits loves finding fashion in unexpected places.

02/08/2015 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

Clutch City

Slideshow: Complements of the House

When it comes to the perfect gift, opposites attract.

02/04/2015 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

Sweet 15

Someday My Quince Will Come

As this year’s Quinceañera Expo approaches, a pro offers tips and tricks for sweet 15 success.

02/04/2015 By Catherine Matusow

Travel & Outdoors

Open Road

Brenham Can Wait: Take a Trip to Chappell Hill Instead

Slow down and get to know the town where nobody hurries to get anywhere else.

02/08/2015 By Andrew Husband