This Week's Hot Headlines

Houston Restaurant Weeks, 100 great bars and TV star's engagement lead this week's top stories

Editor’s note: It's time to recap the most popular stories on CultureMap from this past week:

1. Houston Restaurant Weeks lineup: 11 newcomers definitely worth a try. With Houston Restaurant Weeks starting on August 1, check out these favorite new spots included in the annual prix fixe menu event.

2. Anvil's head guy creates list of 100 great Houston bars to try in 10 days. With Anvil Bar & Refuge closed for renovations, the establishment's head guy Bobby Heugel came up a comprehensive list of Houston bars to visit in the interim.

3. Love is on the air: Surprise engagement has Houston TV star on cloud nine — even with no make-up. Popular KHOU meteorologist Chita Johnson spills the details of getting a wedding proposal when she least expected it. It's a popular story for the second week in a row.

4. With French cowboy's help, couple brings touch of Paris to Houston bakery, where everything's made from scratch. Two Parisian expats have brought a casual — and authentic — French bakery to the Galleria area.

5. Pitmaster praised by Texas Monthly plans move from barbecue trailer to permanent restaurant. One well-respected pitmaster known for his Central Texas-style barbecue cooked "hot and fast" has big plans for brick and mortar establishment in EaDo.

6. Sometimes dreams do come true — even for celebs: J.J. Watt crushes on Jennifer Aniston. Even someone as famous as the Houston Texans superstar defensive end gets starstruck when meeting one of his favorite celebrities.

Paccheri pasta is one of the options on Amalfi's Houston Restaurant Week menu.

Photo by The Epicurean Publicist

Paccheri pasta is one of the options on Amalfi's Houston Restaurant Week menu.

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This Week's Hot Headlines

11 Houston companies named best places to work and more top stories

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Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, beginning with Houston's best places to work. Plus, restaurant openings, the best new bars in America, and the fastest-growing affordable cities. Check out our five most popular stories below, and then visit this guide to plan the rest of your weekend.

1. 11 Houston companies named best places to work by U.S. News. Nearly a dozen public and private Houston-based companies have been hailed among the best places to work in 2025 by U.S. News and World Report.

2. Family friendly Garden Oaks restaurant coming soon to Magnolia. Family-friendly Garden Oaks restaurant D'Alba Craft Kitchen and Cocktails is cooking up a new location in this booming area.

3. Houston haunt earns only Texas spot on Bon Appètit best new bars list. A Houston bar is basking in the national spotlight. Bon Appètit has named Lee’s in Rice Village to its list of The 9 Best New Bars of 2025.

Lee's bar interior Lee's is one of America's best new bars, says Bon Appètit. Photo by Julie Soefer

4. New Korean cafe serves up viral breakfast sandwiches in Spring Branch. Korea-based Tom N Toms Coffee has chosen Houston as the home for its first corporate-owned store in the U.S. The cafe is now open in Spring Branch at 4145 Gessner Rd.

5. 2 Houston suburbs rank among fastest-growing affordable cities in U.S. A new national study has declared Texas is home to the most affordable, fast-growing cities in the country, and two Houston-area cities make the list.