Hidden Houston

The Insider's Guide Taking a deep dive into the hidden recesses of our hometown, plus: seeking the soul of Houston in Saigon and our guide to gifting the perfect piece of jewelry.

In this issue:

Arts & Culture

Hidden Houston

Off-Limits: Exploring Houston's Abandoned Places

Houston’s own Flickr-famous Secret Squirrel on sneaking into—and photographing—the city’s most iconic empty buildings

10/24/2016 By Roxanna Asgarian

Ice House

Beyoncé’s Father Builds a Brand-New Girl Group

With Blushhh Music now making the airwaves, Mathew Knowles wonders if destiny can strike twice.

10/24/2016 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

On The Town

At the Menil Collection, the Beat Goes On

Seldom-seen counterculture art takes the overdue spotlight in Holy Barbarians.

10/24/2016 By Steve Jansen

On The Town

Heaven Sent: Documenting Texas's Fast-Dying Dance Halls

The Houston Cinema Arts festival showcases a filmmaker who’s aiming to preserve Texas’s history, one dance hall at a time.

10/24/2016 By Jeanne Lyons Davis

Eat & Drink

Ice House

Where Have All the Dive Bars Gone?

Charting the demise of the Inner Loop dive bar, an increasingly endangered species

10/24/2016 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

Hidden Houston

Where’s Your Sign?

How to find four of Houston’s most hidden bars

10/24/2016 By Katharine Shilcutt

Pour

Canard Preaches the Gospel of Chartreuse

“We appreciate not only the versatility of Chartreuse but also the tradition and history.”

10/24/2016 By Jenna K. White

Editors' Picks

Our Top 10 Restaurants in Kingwood

The Livable Forest offers a thoroughly edible landscape of another kind

10/24/2016 By Katharine Shilcutt

Editors' Pick

The 10 Most Stirring Soul Food Spots in Houston

For when you need that fix of oxtails, smothered pork chops and, yes, fried ribs

10/24/2016 By Alice Levitt

On The Table

How to Have the Most Houstonian Thanksgiving Ever

Without these three classic dishes, you can’t very well give thanks this holiday.

10/24/2016 By Alice Levitt

Restaurant Review

At Toulouse and Taverna, Stars Are Blind

Breaking down the buzz on two new Euro eateries in the River Oaks District

10/24/2016 By Alice Levitt

Hidden Houston

Houston’s Most Delicious Off-Menu Dishes

You’ll need to ask for these four favorites, including the chicken-fried lobster tail of your dreams.

10/24/2016 By Alice Levitt

Editor’s Note

Knock, Knock: Houston’s There

A visit to Last Concert Cafe reveals a hidden haunt magically unchanged by time.

10/24/2016 By Catherine Matusow

Home & Real Estate

Clutch City

When It Comes to Holiday Tablescapes, Purple Reigns

There’s nothing like a royal hue to up the wow factor at your glam holiday gathering.

10/24/2016 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

The Drawl

The Ultimate McMansion

We take a crack at designing a millennium mansion everyone can agree to hate.

10/24/2016 By Katharine Shilcutt

News & City Life

Hidden Houston

A Houston Sports Fan’s Lament

To be a Bayou City supporter is to be perpetually disappointed—and perpetually hopeful.

10/26/2016 By Jeff Balke

Cover

An Insider’s Guide to Hidden Houston

All the tips, tricks and tactics you’ll need to join the city’s in-the-know crowd

10/24/2016 By Houstonia Staff

Ice House

Betting on the Fate of Gambling in Texas

At Naskila, the Alabama-Coushatta tribe hopes to keep the lights on inside its 24-hour gaming facility as Texas tackles its right to operate a casino.

10/24/2016 By Adam Doster

Ice House

Inside Houston’s New Rage Room

The owner of Tantrums, Houston’s first rage room, knows that sometimes you just need to break stuff.

10/24/2016 By Marianella Orlando

Ice House

The Woman Who’d Rather Die Than Vote

The story behind the obituary of one Houston spitfire who’d do anything to skip voting this November

10/24/2016 By Adam Doster

Ice House

The Perfect Party: Cause and Effect Edition

These six Houstonians saw swift and immediate reactions to their work this month.

10/24/2016 By Catherine Matusow

Bayougraphy

The Man on a Mission to Bring the Green

Joe Turner is transforming Houston’s parks—and all on an ever-tightening city budget. How does he do it? Teamwork.

10/24/2016 By Katharine Shilcutt

Hidden Houston

How to Houston: An Etiquette Guide

Lessons from a native on when to wave in traffic and why we smile at strangers

10/24/2016 By Katharine Shilcutt

Hidden Houston

What’s a Bayou Anyway?

And how do you pronounce it?

10/24/2016 By Katharine Shilcutt

Hidden Houston

Behind the Scenes at Three of Houston’s Most Private Clubs

A glimpse of what the initiated aren’t missing out on at the Petroleum Club, the Briar Club and the Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa.

10/24/2016 By Marianella Orlando

Hidden Houston

Houston Life Hacks: 5 Famous Locals Share Their Tips

On where to park downtown, how to fight the sun, and why to ride your bike

10/24/2016 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

Hidden Houston

No Zoning? No Problem!

Our four favorite examples of what happens when you take a no-holds-barred approach to development

10/24/2016 By Alice Levitt

Hidden Houston

The 10 Best Ways to Entertain Yourself for Free Around Town

A real insider knows that fun doesn't come with a price tag—especially in a city like Houston.

10/24/2016 By Katharine Shilcutt

Hidden Houston

Talking Houston: A Cheat Sheet

How to conduct a conversation on some of the city’s most popular topics, including what on earth is going on with the Astrodome.

10/24/2016 By Jeff Balke

Hidden Houston

Courtland Place: Going Behind the Gates

How one Montrose neighborhood conserved its century-old charms

10/24/2016 By Jeanne Lyons Davis

Hidden Houston

The Best DPS in Houston

Yes, a best DPS office does exist—and it’s pretty amazing.

10/24/2016 By Adam Doster

Style & Shopping

All That Sparkles

6 Giftable Jewelry Trends for 2016

From minimalist adornments to modern pearls, these are the statement pieces to invest in this year.

10/26/2016 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen and Jeanne Lyons Davis

All That Sparkles

A Houston Jewelry-Buying Guide

Everything you need to know to purchase brilliant baubles for the holidays and beyond.

10/24/2016 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen and Jeanne Lyons Davis

All That Sparkles

Inside Karat 22, a Hidden Gem on Hillcroft

Anant Patel’s stunning family store has been a gold-filled fixture in the Mahatma Gandhi District since 1985.

10/24/2016 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

All That Sparkles

When It Comes to Jewels, Everything Old Is New Again

Resetting heirloom jewelry is the hottest trend right now.

10/24/2016 By Jeanne Lyons Davis

All That Sparkles

How to Buy a Diamond

It’s about more than just the fabled 4Cs.

10/24/2016 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen and Jeanne Lyons Davis

All That Sparkles

Chic on the Cheap

Our favorite Houston stores for scoring fab costume jewelry

10/24/2016 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen Photography by Jeanne Lyons Davis

All That Sparkles

Faux Real: What’s the Deal with Lab-Created Diamonds?

The cost isn’t the only significant difference you’ll find.

10/24/2016 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen and Jeanne Lyons Davis

Put a Ring on It

How to Hook a Whale

A tongue-firmly-in-cheek guide to landing a billionaire in the Bayou City.

10/24/2016 By Sarah Rufca Nielsen

Travel & Outdoors

Hidden Houston

In Houston, History Hides in Plain Sight

The city’s most important movers and shakers aren’t always where you’d expect to find them.

10/24/2016 By Katharine Shilcutt and Adam Doster

Hidden Houston

At the Blue Lagoon, Where the Water’s Warm

Houston’s best swimming hole is, okay, technically in Huntsville.

10/24/2016 Photography by Roxanna Asgarian

Hidden Houston

Island Time: The Ideal Galveston Itinerary

Everyone has their secret island haunts; we’re sharing ours.

10/24/2016 By Marianella Orlando

Travel

Seeking the Soul of Houston in Saigon

A journey to Vietnam reveals a fuller understanding of Houston’s relationship with the Southeast Asian country

10/24/2016 By Claudia Kolker