Lorretta Ruggiero

While September may not seem like autumn for Houstonians, it is the month that leads into many of our fall festivities. While there are numerous ways to enjoy different cuisines around the city, the next couple of months offer opportunities to not only eat, drink and be merry but also to help raise money for non-profits that benefit our fellow Houstonians and Americans in need. The following list of food events helps those suffering from food insecurity, natural and financial disasters and lack of access to mental health, reproductive and medical care.

Buttermilk Baby, 600 N. Shepherd, opened September 4 at M-K-T Heights. Berg Hospitality Group seems to be opening a new concept every other month in Houston and this newest venture is unique to its portfolio. It's a family-friendly, retro-inspired restaurant that offers a modern interpretation of a vintage soda fountain...

Over the past sixteen years that my family and I have lived in our present neighborhood on the east end of Cypress with a Houston address, we've seen a number of restaurants come and go, from our favorite pizza joint owned by a fellow from New Jersey to a space that has been a Chinese restaurant, barbecue joint and now a Japanese buffet. However, no place has had more turn over than the corner restaurant spot in the Lakewood Forest Shopping Center. When we moved in, it was a Chinese restaurant. Then, it became a Filipino eatery, which we reviewed here in the

When Houstonians learned of Chef Alex Au-Yeung's death from cancer this past March at the age of 52, it came as quite a shock since many people, even those in the restaurant industry, were unaware he was battling the disease. Determined to fulfill his dream of opening his second Phat...

Houstonians have a lot of things to be thankful for, though heat, hurricanes and humidity can make us feel a bit sorry for ourselves at times. However, we always pick ourselves up by our bootstraps, or flip flops, and have a drink, eat some barbecue and help each other to...

It seems like happy hour deals these days are far less happy and far less common. Whereas the norm in the 1990s and early 2000s seemed to be weekday specials from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., current happy hours tend to run earlier and for fewer hours. Unless you take off work two hours early, you won't make it in time. And, of course, there are no longer happy hour buffets.

Lately, we've been in search of great happy hour deals and dining bargains that can stretch the worth of a dollar a little further. While Houston teems with luxury eateries that cater to corporate types wielding platinum company credit cards, we simple folk sometimes need options that offer less costly cocktails and cheaper eats.

Mexican Sugar, 3505 Dallas, is opening this December at Regent Square. Part of the FB Society portfolio, it already has Texas locations in Plano, Las Colinas and Uptown Dallas. The upcoming Houston location will be a two-story restaurant as is FB Society's most recent Houston foray, Haywire. It will span...

Trill Burgers, 6810 Louetta, is expected to open in Spring in 2025 and it's not the only new location of the cult-burger joint to open next year. There is also a location in Missouri City at Fort Bend Town Center on the horizon. The two new restaurants will join the...

Local Foods Market, 6100 Main, opened November 20 at Rice University's Brochstein Pavilion. Open to the public, the new location is the second for Local Food Group's market and restaurant concept. The first opened in Rice Village in 2021. This newest location offers some of the same sandwiches and salads...