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    Home and Deranged

    Toasting out-of-towners: How I fell back in love with Texas

    Caroline Gallay
    Mar 12, 2010 | 10:48 am
    • We grabbed a free spot on the floor of St. Arnold's and made fast friends.
      Photo by Caroline Gallay
    • We soon realized this would be less of a "tour" and more of a "drink beer at apicnic table" kind of affair.
      Photo by Caroline Gallay
    • Nothing beats greasy rodeo food.
    • There's nothing like a Texas sky — I took this just after I crossed the borderon my move home.
      Photo by Caroline Gallay
    • I'm thinking of buying an anniversary present for myself, celebrating one yearof Texas living.

    Recently, I had the pleasure of squiring some first-timers around my fine state, and I didn't realize just how fond I am of the place and the people until I heard myself gush.

    Night One: I figured I’d give my farthest traveler a taste of Austin and made her come straight from the airport for a drink at Cedar Creek. She was impressed (I think) by the sheer size of the Thursday-night crowd and with their propensity for shots on a work night. Apparently St. Louis happy hours are more low-key.

    She wanted to see my high school, but it was dark and I didn’t think nightfall could do the storied cloisters of St. John's justice, so I took her to Lizzard’s Pub instead. (Close enough.)

    We sampled more Texas beers and ended the night, like so many others, at Whataburger. Keeping in the high school vein, I pointed out Pumpkin Park (the site of a great many high school "formals") and opted to drive thru the Westheimer location where we used to meet and make Whatacocktails pre-house party.

    The out-of-towner tried to order a burger at Whataburger (absurd) and it was explained that the only options were a taquito (which is not really a taquito, she noted), chicken fingers or a honey butter chicken biscuit. I guess the name is kind of misleading.

    Day Two: Under advisement from one of the Lizzard’s bartenders, we headed to Saint Arnold for a brewery tour, where we quickly learned that this weekend event is not so much a “tour” as community drinking at long picnic tables, on the floor or in lawn chairs. We were utterly unprepared. Whereas others had blankets, crock pots, and entire picnic spreads, we found a spot near one of the columns and had a pizza delivered. It was all a smidge more laid back than the Budweiser Brewery.

    We caught the attention of a few friendly male onlookers (my friends are very pretty) and when the day drinkers were finally kicked out of Saint Arnold, a 15-minute wait behind a train gave us opportunity to recruit our new friends back to the patio of Cedar Creek. We invited everyone, shouting phone numbers and directions out of moving-car windows as we tore through downtown.

    My guests were surprised when they all showed up, but I wasn't. This is Texas! We'd just need more chairs.

    Then it was off to get my friends their first taste of oysters. I know there are some terrific raw bars in town, but I like to support the Gulf Coast guys. So I brought the group to Goode Company Seafood, where we did some major economic stimulation with an array of appetizers — "Two campechanas, three-dozen oysters and three orders of empanadas, please. And no, you can’t order fried fish."

    We hit Washington Avenue for flirting, dancing, and pictures in front of the skyline and my more northern friends thanked their lucky wallets they were in Texas, where boys open doors, give you their jackets and pay for your drinks.

    A few days later one of my favorite transplants had her sisters in from Ann Arbor, Mich., and I got to witness their first rodeo. The candied nuts? Enchanting! The Mutton Bustin’? Hysterical! And the outfits? Why hadn’t anyone told them?! They were beside themselves with the size and scope of the affair: The animals, the rides, the sausage-on-a-stick and how many Tim McGraw songs they actually recognized.

    After five days of showing first-timers around, I started to remember what compelled me to snap that picture of the Texas sky when I first crossed the border on my (then unwelcome) move back.

    I’m coming up on my first anniversary of Texas living, and I almost want to send flowers — I'm just not sure where to address them. Maybe I'll buy myself a little memento to mark the occasion instead. I've got my eye on Maya Brenner's Texas pendant.

    Either way, you'll find me that day on a patio somewhere with a Pearl.

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    This Week's Hot Headlines

    Houston billionaire ranks among top U.S. landowners and more popular stories

    CultureMap Staff
    Jun 14, 2025 | 11:01 am
    HMNS Great Outdoors Gala 2022 Russell and Glenda Gordy and Red FJ Cruiser
    Photo by Jenny Antill
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    Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, including a look at one of America's top landowners. Plus, the sad closure of a pioneering steakhouse and a popular pizzeria makes plans for Houston. Get the details on our most popular stories below, then head here to plan your weekend.

    1. Houston oil-and-gas billionaire ranks among America's top 100 landowners. About one-fourth of the country’s mega-owners of private land have ties to Texas, either living here, owning land here, or both. The highest-ranked Houston-based landowner is oil-and-gas billionaire Russell Gordy.

    2. Houston's pioneering South American steakhouse will soon shutter in River Oaks. Sad news for inner loopers who are fans of plantain chips, wood-grilled steaks, and Houston’s best tres leches. The River Oaks location of South American steakhouse Churrascos will close Monday, June 16.

    3. Texas Monthly's BBQ Snob dishes on the magazine's new top 50 list. On this episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Texas Monthly barbecue editor Daniel Vaughn joins CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the magazine’s new list of the 50 best barbecue joints in Texas.

    4. 'Famous' Bronx-based pizza chain fires up 3 Houston locations. A New York-based pizza chain has big plans for Houston. Called Singas Famous Pizza, the restaurant will soon open three locations in the area.

    Singas PizzaSingas Pizza is coming to Houston.Photo courtesy of Singas

    5. Texas slides down the list of best U.S. state economies for 2025. Texas' robust economy may be showing some cracks. Texas now ranks as the state with the eighth best economy, four spots lower than one year ago, according to a new report.

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