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Destination Dining
- Backstreet Café Chef Hugo Ortega in Houston, Texas crafts seasonal menus and daily specials complemented by the best sommelier ever
- Congress The only Texas entry in Esquire’s Best New Restaurants 2011
- Eleven Madison Park Chef Daniel Humm in New York City, New York formulates an out-of-the-box culinary thing revolving around a surprise tasting menu
- FIG (Food Is Good) Chef Mike Lata in Charleston, South Carolina serves up foods sourced from local farmers, growers, and purveyors
- Fore Street Best in a family of Portland, Maine restaurants and bakeries with a wood-burning oven, open kitchen, and produce humidor
- Geronimo Chef Eric DiStefano in Santa Fe, New Mexico
- La Caille At Quail Run Stream-side authentic French cuisine in, of all places, Salt Lake City, Utah
- Town House Chefs Karen Urie Shields and John B. Shields in Chilhowie, Virginia – do not overlook Riverstead
- Trummer's On Main Chef Clayton Miller in Clifton, Virginia
- Uchi Chef Tyson Cole in Austin, Texas mixes Japanese tradition with tastes that inspire him
Photography Software Blogs
- HV-Designs Tutorials on Photoshop, coding, WordPress, and jQuery
- Photoshop Tutorials Adobe Photoshop tutorials
- Pixel77 Tutorials, design resources, and articles
- PS Deluxe Photoshop tutorials, inspiration, and resources
- Psdtuts+ blog/Photoshop site
- Tutorial King Artful and original Photoshop tutorials
- Tutzor Photoshop tutorials ranked according to level of difficulty
- Worth 1000 Photo effects
Photography Websites
- Ben Birchall Bristol-based photographer who covers news in the South West UK
- Beth Forester Professional photographer, speaker, educator, and photoDUDS owner/creator
- David Slater Wildlife Photography Wildlife, nature, environment, picture library, workshops, prints
- Jonas Peterson Jonas *loves* shooting weddings
- Josh Blumenthal Bold, funny appetizing, colorful, genuine, twisted…
- Jules Café Photographer Jules Bianchi’s place to find tips on shooting, networking, inspiration, and more
- Kevin Swan Destination photographer for luxury events
Wedding Resources
- A Cup of Jo Creative magazine writer and blogger in New York.
- Amber & Thomas Australian fashion designer
- Bliss Books A profound and moving book that marries art, memory, and emotion together in print.
- Breathe Upon Great wedding invitation designs.
- Brooklyn Bride Bridal blog focused on modern weddings.
- Elizabeth Anne Designs Wedding and lifestyle site updated daily with tips and stories from real brides, newlyweds, and wedding vendors.
- Frolic! Freelance blogger, event designer, and a commercial floral and prop stylist.
- Green Wedding Shoes A popular Southern California wedding blog.
- Hostess with the Mostess Innovative online resource for hip, modern, and unique entertaining ideas.
- Inspired By This Creative wedding insight paired with strategic thinking in wedding public relations.
- Jewelers Mutual Insure your jewelry
- Junebug Weddings Highly-vetted lists of luxury wedding professionals that brides and event planners can trust.
- Kate Towers An artist with vision who creates non-seasonal, one of a kind pieces.
- Kelly Oshiro Design Boutique design and planning company based in Santa Barbara, CA.
- KISS Books HOT wedding books in seven ridiculously good-looking colors.
- Nordstrom Wedding Suite Gorgeous gowns and everything for the wedding party
- Oh Joy! Inspiration with a focus on design, fashion, and food.
- Ritzy Bee Wedding planning and production firm.
- Southern Weddings Magazine The South’s hottest wedding magazine for the modern southern bride.
- Sparkliatti Designing weddings and events the same way a Broadway producer approaches a play.
- Style Me Pretty Style savvy wedding resource devoted to the modern bride.
- The Bride's Cafe Get inspired by beautiful artists and amazing wedding vendors.
- The Knott Most-trafficked one-stop online wedding planning solution.
- The Wedding Chicks Everything new, classic, funky, hip, and just plain fun for weddings.
- Waxworks Photo Imaginative, moody, and provocative photography and wax pieces.
- Wedding Paper Divas Wedding invitations, bridal shower invitations and save the date cards
Worthy Blogs
- Chase Jarvis The hub for award winning photographer/director Chase Jarvis
- Heather Parkinson Utah Wedding Photographer
- HomeCrunch Kay Luo’s new home in Palo Alto
- Kiss the Groom Celebrates life, love, and kisses through photographs and personal insights
- Lily Rose Lily Rose blog
- PetaPixel A blog about photography geared towards tech-savvy photography enthusiasts
- Photo Attorney Serving the photographer’s legal needs
- photoDUDS Blog Graphic design software for photographers
- Photography for Real Estate Photography for real estate
- Profoto The light shaping company
- Ridout Photography One of Canada’s most inspiring wedding photographers
- San Francisco Brides For the city’s stylish brides and grooms
- Smart Ass Cripple Expressing pain through sarcasm since 2010.
- SoulaStyle A Missoula Style Website by Aimee
- Strobist Learn how to light…
Tweets
- Annoying the neighbors #listening to San Francisco Bay Blues (Unplugged CD Version) by Eric Clapton out loud on my Sonos 1 week ago
- Am I the only one annoyed by #PayPal persistent MasterCard ad roadblock when paying for purchases? #bestpractices http://t.co/gO3lDHke 1 month ago
- Yahoo awarded $610 million from lottery spammers http://t.co/4TVF4nUR via @CNET Go Yahoo! 2 months ago
- Nokia's 3D projection from a few days ago in London http://t.co/lUcClIgh 2 months ago
- Dear Aunt Chippy - Secret Santa http://t.co/9Et1Cixe 2 months ago
Tag Archives: Houston
Great Dogs
The food truck scene in Houston is emerging. There’s a massive amount of geography to cover so when trucks want to be where hungry people gather it’s gotta be in trendy areas such as The Heights, Midtown, Montrose, etc.
While I’m a suburban — and therefore food truck-less — dweller in a non-trendy zone, I do admire those with the courage and fortitude to take it to the streets. And should you conclude it’s easy to throw some food in a truck and fling it for cash, think again. Holy chuck wagon, getting “legal” requires owners to jump through all manner of bureaucratic hoops. From inspections and medallions to the fire department and City health and human services, there’s a lot to do and pay for before those wheels start turning.
Tonight three of us intentionally journeyed 20+ miles to the designated location of Good Dog Hot Dogs at a symbiotic bar in Midtown. We relished (sorry for the tired pun) four of the best hot dogs – “good” just doesn’t seem to cover them.
Ol’ Zapata with caramelized onions, cheese, tomatoes, ketchup, mayo, and jalapeño relish was so good we had two. In second place was Sunshine Dog with pickled red onions, fresh dill relish, cream cheese, and mayo. We also enjoyed the Guac-A-Dog with avocado slices, fresh jalapeño, tomatoes, diced onion, roasted garlic Aioli, cumin, and lime juice. And thumbs up on the Chi-Town Dog with tomatoe slices, pickled peppers, dill pickle slices, mustard, sweet relish, and celery salt on a poppy seed bun. Local artisan buns, Texas-made all-natural franks, fresh truck-made chips, and condiments made from scratch – Amalia Pferd and partner Daniel Caballero haven’t cut corners.
By the time I retrieved a couple glasses of Chardonnay from the adjoining bar the dogs were done and we enjoyed a special Thursday-evening dinner on the deck. Them dogs was so good we didn’t even notice it was 93 degrees. Make your own special meal by following this truck on Twitter or their website. You’ll be glad you did.
Posted in Food & Wine
Also tagged Amalia Pferd, chi-town, Daniel Caballero, food truck, franks, good dog, good dog hot dogs, guac-a-dog, hot dog, ol' zapata, sunshine dog, texas
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Photo of the Day – Keepin’ It Local
The community benefits when chefs and farmers connect through locally-produced vegetables, fruits, and farm products. Yesterday I spotted these locavore chefs – Chris Shepherd (chef and managing partner of Catalan Food & Wine) and Randy Evans (executive chef of Haven) – comparing notes in the 90+ degree heat/humidity during a break in their buying activities at the Urban Harvest Farmers Market at Eastside. Farmers appreciate the restaurants’ buying power and restaurant customers enjoy fresh ingredients that taste good. It’s all good!
Posted in Food & Wine
Also tagged catalan, catalan food & wine, chris shepherd, cullinary, dairy, farmer's market, farmers, haven, local, locavore, meat, poultry, produce, randy evans, restaurant, vegetables
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Photo of the Day – Taqueria

Laredo Taqueria in Houston, Washington @ Snover St in The Heights, Washington Corridor (photo by Kenn Stearns)
Colorful, hard to miss, best breakfast tacos in town, owner does not like people to take pictures of his bidness
Posted in Food & Wine
Also tagged 77007, 915 snover st, breakfast taco, lardeo taqueria, laredo taco place, restaurant, taco, taqueria, tex mex, the heights, washington corridor
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Photo of the Day – Rain
Last weekend the heavens opened and massive amounts of moisture were released. It was the first measurable precipitation since April 17.
Photo of the Day – Haven
Haven is a certified green restaurant in Houston, a city that is not well known for energy conservation. Executive Chef Randy Evans and I recently talked about what it means to be green at Haven.
The restaurant was built from the ground-up to store, prepare, serve, and consume food. The angle of the roof was designed to accommodate solar panels. The dining room color palette includes warm tones of eggplant and artichoke. The vegetables, meats, and fish are all fresh. Chef Evans works with local farmers to not only source fresh food but to recycle waste from the restaurant for compost or other uses. With 10 containers for recycling, the restaurant only needs a 4-foot dumpster.
A new vegetable and herb garden includes the expected basil and cucumbers but also offers surprises such as bronze fennel and edible flowers. Large cedar logs – each one required six men to move and place – line the garden that’s just getting started.
Restaurant grounds are planted with citrus trees, grape vines that thrive in Texas, and berries. Rain chains are selectively used in place of down spouts. A 500-gallon cistern filled with rain water is used to irrigate the vegetable and herb gardens. Chef Evans said two more cisterns will be used to irrigate additional landscaping.

Haven harvests rainwater stored in a 500-gallon cistern for irrigating vegetables and herbs (photo by Kenn Stearns)
As many of us become more aware of how our daily choices affect the environment, Haven demonstrates how a scalable project with a mission can yield real-world results that make a difference. Fresh food from local providers served up in a responsible environment by professionals who are connected to their customers and the community make for a winning combination. (And the food/wine is great too.)
Photo of the Day – Beck Wedding
My friends Mary and Sean were married this evening. The weather cooperated. Friends and family celebrated. The bride was drop-dead gorgeous and beaming. The groom was a masterful host and a consummate gentleman (excruciatingly correct manners and impeccable attire). Food and wine wildly exceeded expectations. Congratulations and WOW!
Photo of the Day – Hugo’s
The exciting flavors of Mexico come together at Hugo’s in Houston where fresh tastes, updated interpretations of traditional dishes, complex complementary flavors, and earthy notes combine in a delightful cuisine like no other.
Posted in Food & Wine
Also tagged cuisine, hugo's, mexican food, montrose, restaurant
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Photo of the Day – Wild Gulf Shrimp Corn Dogs
I am eternally grateful that my spousal unit of 25+ years enjoys culinary challenges. Mid-week, weekend, family gathering, holidays, or just the two of us are all the same to her and we seldom eat the same thing twice unless it’s a top pick. Trying new dishes is always a treat, so earlier today when she declared it was “test kitchen” night I sorta wagged my tail.
Last month the Houston Chronicle published a recipe from Chef Randy Evans who hails from the very excellent new Houston restaurant Haven. Wild Gulf Shrimp Corn Dogs may not be health food, but they are definitely worth making the kitchen look like something detonated. I’ve added the recipe below in case you wanna get adventuresome. And here’s a tip: if a stray oyster gets in the batter let it happen.
Wild Gulf Shrimp Corn Dogs
by Chef Randy Evans
- 12 jumbo-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 12 6-inch wood skewers
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup flour (for dusting)
- 3 cups cornmeal
- 1½ cups flour
- 1¼ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon Texas honey
- 1½ cups buttermilk
- 1¼ cups water
- 1 egg
- Oil for frying
Skewer the shrimp lengthwise starting from the tail end. Season the shrimp and dredge in seasoned flour. Roll the shrimp in the batter (make batter by combining cornmeal, 1½ cups flour, baking soda, salt, Texas honey, buttermilk, water, and egg) and fry in 350-degree oil (deep fat fryer if available) until golden brown. Serve with Tabasco Mash dipping sauce.
Posted in Food & Wine
Also tagged chef randy evans, corn, dogs, gulf, haven, shrimp, wild
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Photo of the Day – Houston Astrodome
When it opened in 1965, the Harris County Domed Stadium was nicknamed the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” Today the Houston Astrodome is living on borrowed time, one of many major city stadiums eclipsed by more modern corporate-friendly facilities. As a young boy I recall watching the Houston Colt .45s which were renamed the Houston Astros when the new stadium opened.
Opening with a Bermuda grass field and semitransparent Lucite panes in the domed roof, players complained about glare so two large sections of panes were painted white which killed the grass. A year later a new type of artificial grass was installed and AtroTurf was born. Of my many visits to the Astrodome over the decades that followed, I most recall the scoreboard. It was four-stories tall and was animated with indoor fireworks and thousands of lights. After every Astros home run, the scoreboard would come alive with a long animated celebration featuring pistols, bulls, and a baseball bursting through the domed ceiling. Houston Oilers owner Bud Adams caused the scoreboard to be removed in September 1988 to make way for renovations.
From Mickey Mantle’s first Astrodome home run in 1965 to the NBA All-Star Game in 1989 and many years of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo performances to Hurricane Katrina relief for 25,000 New Orleans evacuees in 2005, the Astrodome has lived a long and memorable life as a Houston landmark.
Posted in Arts & Entertainment
Also tagged astros, baseball, colt .45s, domed, football, harris county, houston oilers, rodeo, stadium
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Photo of the Day – Backstreet Café in Houston
Owner Tracy Vaught opened Backstreet Café in 1983. Nestled among majestic oaks in a ’30s-style home, the restaurant delivers one of Houston’s best fine-dining experiences. Executive chef Hugo Ortega provides a wide assortment of “New American Bistro” fare with an emphasis on freshness and originality.
Posted in Food & Wine
Also tagged backstreet cafe, hugo ortega, restaurant, tracy vaught
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Photo of the Day – Bayou City Farmer’s Market in Houston
Fresh, organic, and especially LOCAL are the rage when it comes to cheese, meat, coffee, produce, seafood, honey, baked goods, candles, and more. Every major city has their farmer’s markets. The fourth largest U.S. city has many but we like the Urban Harvest effort at 3000 Richmond. It’s large enough to offer a selection but small enough to cover in 30 minutes or less – more when running into friends (thankfully there’s fresh coffee).
We think it’s a good sign to often see several of Houston’s top chefs working their way from vendor to vendor negotiating quantities beyond what most of us can pony up. Our favorite vendors are Jennifer and Dimitri Georgantus with Texas Wild for gulf shrimp from Freeport; Christian and Lisa Seger with Blue Heron Farm for family-owned goat dairy (check out their Mexican goat milk caramel called cajeta and try it with fresh apples); and Theresa, Mike and Bobby Atkinson with Atkinson Farms, a family farm north of Houston. If you stop by one of these vendors, tell them we said hello.
Posted in Food & Wine
Also tagged dairy, farmer's market, fresh, honey, local, meat, produce, seafood, urban harvest
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