Dish-Houston

Football fans and foodies will be flocking to Houston Texans Grille at CityCentre on Saturday, July 27, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 p.m., for the Second Annual Tailgate Throwdown.  Chefs from some of Houston’s most acclaimed restaurants will battle it out for tailgate bragging rights just in time for football season and Houston Restaurant Weeks. 

Restaurants participating in the Tailgate Throwdown include the Houston Texans Grille, Underbelly, Churrascos, Tasting Room City Centre, Cinq at La Colombe d’Or, Fusion Taco, Luby’s Catering, Elven XI, Soma Sushi, Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar and Hollister.  Chefs will showcase their favorite tailgate fare to compete in the categories of Most Original, Best Tailgate Classic and Top Dish with a Kick in addition to Fan Favorite. 

All proceeds from tickets will benefit the Houston Food Bank.  Guests will pay $25 / person to make their way through the restaurant and sample offerings from some of Houston’s top chefs, with the opportunity to vote for their favorite tailgate fare.  Non-alcoholic drinks are free, and the Grille will offer special beer prices as part of their ongoing Beer of the Month program. Tickets may be purchased in advance at www.tailgatethrowdownhtg.eventbrite.com.

The judging panel includes Syd Kearney (Houston Chronicle), Marcy de Luna (Houstonia/CultureMap), Greg Morago (Houston Chronicle), Eric Sandler (Eater Houston), Cleverley Stone (Fox 26/CBS Radio 650), Katherine Whaley (KHOU), and Former Texans Offensive Lineman and confirmed foodie Chester Pitts as the wildcard celebrity judge.  

Chefs are free to interpret this great American tradition by creating whatever meat, vegetable, chip, dip, wing, chili or other game-day grub that suits their fancy.  Several Houston Texans Cheerleaders will be on hand to help the crowd root for the Fan Favorite, and one lucky attendee will win a pair of Houston Texans preseason tickets.  

Houston Texans Grille is on the second level of CityCentre across from Eddie V’s at 12848 Queensbury Lane, 77024. The restaurant is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to Midnight and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Garage, valet and street parking are all available. Menu prices range from $8-30 along with a daily lunch menu from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with everything under $10. All major credit cards are accepted at the Grille, including Visa, American Express, MasterCard and Discover. For more information, please visit www.houstontexansgrille.com.

Theatre Under The Stars (TUTS) is excited to announce the cast for A Chorus Line, running July 16 - 21 at Miller Outdoor Theatre.  A Chorus Line is “one singular sensation” that garnered virtually every award imaginable, including the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize.  The groundbreaking musical, set during an audition for an upcoming Broadway show, shines a light on the hopes, fears and dreams of performers vying for a chance to do what they all know they were born to do.

In true A Chorus Line fashion, the cast will feature an ensemble of unique experience and talent, including Broadway and TUTS veterans: Michael Callahan, Caitlin Cannon, Mike Cannon, Erica Cenci, Kevin Curtis, Rob Flebbe, Jessica Lee Goldyn, Martin Harvey, Jordan Fife Hunt, Jolina Javier, Logan Keslar, Julia Krohn, Bryan Langlitz, Alissa LaVergne, Kristen Paulicelli, Michaeljon Slinger, Selina Verastigui, Karley Willocks and Mikey Winslow. 

In a special connection to the show, Mitzi Hamilton, who served as the inspiration for Val in the original Michael Bennett production of A Chorus Line, will both direct and choreograph the TUTS production.  Beyond her influence in the Bennett version of A Chorus Line, Hamilton’s legacy with the show includes performing as Val in both the original London company and later on in the Broadway version.  Joining her will be Thom Culcasi as the conductor and musical director.  He last worked at TUTS for Man of La Mancha and Miss Saigon.  Other creative team members include sound designer Dennis Craig and lighting designer Richard Winkler.

For those who are serious theatre buffs know this production of A Chorus Line will undergo a slight update from its original production in order to speak to today’s audience.  To modernize the storyline, the dialogue has been refreshed to remove the pop culture references to the 70s, and the costumes have been moderately reconfigured.

For tickets and times CLICK HERE!

Beyonce deserved a little retail therapy after the busy week she had. 

The 31-year-old singer, whose net worth is estimated to be $300 million, must have given shoppers quite the surprise when she breezed into Target department store in Houston, Texas a day ahead of her scheduled concert.

Beyonce must have a closet full of accessories, but was in the mood for more as she made a beeline for the hats.

The entertainer, who's been on a relentless pace for her Mrs. Carter Show world tour, was seen trying on a few selections including a couple of wide-brimmed versions.

Her fabulous wig was loose and tousled around her shoulders, and she didn't seem to care if it got messy from the constant trying on of chapeaux.

It's widely known that Target is one of Beyonce's favorite stores and has staged publicity events with the chain for previous albums.

If you're interested in getting into shape like Beyonce and feel her energy there are some amazing workout classes that happen weekly at the House of Dereon Media Center, famously owned by Beyonce herself and her family. First is Zubma Fitness with Crystal Wall. She has lost over 40 pounds and is inspiring people all over to be healthier and make better life choices!

The second is Nightclub Cardio where exercise meets entertainment. Joy Winkler and Forest Petis take your workouts from boring to high energy fun teaching you the latest in dance moves to the hottest hits. People are losing weight, gaining confidence and increasing their joy through this class according to the website. Defiantly worth a try!  

After Monday's concert in Houston, Beyonce will perform in Chicago, Illinois, St. Paul, Minnesota and Detroit, Michigan before heading on to Canada...but who's to say, she might show up to one of these classes. After all, they do happen on Monday nights and they are before her concert time....

Hank Rush, Star of Hope President and CEO, has announced that the Mission’s SUMMER OF HOPE initiative continues with a “Hot Weather Alert” because of the extreme heat. The Mission’s HOPE-IN-ACTION van departed the Men’s Center at 8:45 AM this morning loaded with bottled water. Multiple times a week the outreach van visits areas frequented by homeless men and women, distributing water and encouraging the street homeless to seek shelter at the Star of Hope.

Star of Hope has received 38.000 bottles of water donated by the I Am Waters Foundation. I Am Waters foundation was created by Houstonian Elena Davis to enrich the lives of America’s homeless by providing a continuous source of fresh, clean bottled water, delivered with a daily, inspirational message of hope, love and a sense of belonging to the greater community. Star of Hope expects to distribute about 1,500 bottles of water a week to shelter clients and street homeless.

With daytime temperatures predicted to surpass 100 degrees this weekend, the downtown Men’s Development Center and the Women and Family Emergency Shelter, both over capacity with record numbers, are encouraging all resident guests to stay inside. The two shelters have set up areas offering cold water to anyone requesting it.

In addition, the Mission has put out a call for financial assistance.

“Traditionally the summer time is when our population increases and our donations decrease. We can use some immediate help to insure that this will be a SUMMER OF HOPE for Houston’s suffering homeless,” said Rush.

Typically, Star of Hope, a faith based mission, offers food, shelter, education, spiritual direction and structured recovery programs to about 1,150 homeless men, women, and children each day. 

The Texas abortion bill, SB5, failed to pass the state senate on Tuesday night. While reports have said that a vote on the bill did take place, Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst confirmed early Wednesday morning that the bill was dead.

The legislation’s debate was marked by a filibuster launched by Senator Wendy Davis, a Democrat, who wore pink tennis shoes and prepared for the long haul. She filibustered for over 11 hours without food or bathroom breaks. 

While her filibuster failed to make it to midnight after she received three strikes, the watching crowd chanted and cheered until after midnight. The noise interrupted the proceedings on the floor, causing the vote on SB5 to happen after the midnight deadline.

If it had passed, the bill would have required sweeping changes in how abortion services work in Texas. In effect, the bill would have closed about 80 percent of the abortion clinics currently operating in the nation’s second most populous state.

While the Texas senate session was scheduled to end at midnight, confusion reigned for three hours over what had actually happened. News organizations, including the Associated Press, announced that SB5 passed in Texas, despite Davis’ filibuster and what some users on Twitter called the peoples’ filibuster.

Official confirmation was given on the bill’s status at 3:03 am. At that time, Lt. Governor Dewhurst announced that, while the bill had passed, it was too late. While the abortion services bill was declared dead early Wednesday morning. In response Governor Rick Perry has called another special session for July 1, 2013 to bring this issue up again. 

Until then, Democrats and pro-choicers declared a momentary victory. On Twitter, Planned Parenthood Federation Of America president Cecile Richards wrote,

“We have started something here that they cannot stop.”

A tweet from @YourAnonLive also chimed in, saying,

“The citizens overrode the Texas Senate with their voices. Tonight we proved who really has the power.”