This week's hot headlines

Restaurant news and best new bars top this week's most popular stories

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Editor’s note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, including a surprise restaurant closure and a new Hill Country osteria with Houston ties. Plus, a roundup of New Year’s Eve parties and some of our favorite new bars of 2025. Catch up on our most popular stories below, then visit this guide to the weekend’s best events.

1. Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country. Houstonians know Valerio Lombardozzi from his time at La Table an Tavola, but he’s taking his talents to Fredericksburg, where he’s opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market.

2. Coastal-inspired Houston restaurant will shutter after 3 years in Montrose. Closing the restaurant allows the Big Vibe Group to focus on its two flagship concepts, Coppa Osteria and Flora.

3. CultureMap's 11 favorite new bars that shook up Houston in 2025. Our list of last year’s best new bars included everything from highly personal cocktail lounges to a glitzy room from the hospitality group behind one of Houston’s Michelin-starred restaurants.

4. Major closures, celeb sightings, more top Houston restaurant news 2025. One Houston chef’s abrupt departure from a restaurant in The Woodlands claimed two spots in last year’s most-read articles.

5. Close out 2025 with a bang at these Houston New Year's Eve parties. We rounded up more than 25 parties at bars, clubs, a baseball stadium and more.

hot-headlines

Sobering statistic

Texas ranks as one of the deadliest states for New Year’s crashes

Courtesy

Be sure to arrange a safe ride home on New Year's Eve.

At more than 314,000 miles, Texas boasts the largest system of public roads among the 50 states. It also holds the unfortunate distinction of being one of the deadliest states for New Year’s car accidents.

An analysis of 2014-2023 traffic data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows Texas is the ninth worst state for traffic deaths on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

During the 10-year period covered by the analysis, commissioned by AutoAccident.com, Texas tallied 280 traffic deaths on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day — the highest total of any state. The 280-person toll in Texas works out to 9.61 deaths per one million residents, a rate that’s 37 percent above the national average of 6.99 deaths per one million residents.

The analysis reveals that nearly three-fourths (64 percent) of New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day traffic deaths in Texas were drivers, nearly one-fifth (19 percent) were pedestrians, and 16 percent were passengers.

“New Year’s Eve is one of the most dangerous nights on American roads,” says Edward Smith, managing attorney at AutoAccident.com, a personal injury law firm.

“With impaired driving incidents spiking during holiday celebrations, every driver has a responsibility to make smart choices that protect themselves and others sharing the road,” Smith adds. “Even in states with strong safety records, one preventable death is too many.”

According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), more than 2,000 drunk driving-related crashes happened during the 2024 holiday season. Last year, December ranked as the No. 1 month in Texas for wrecks caused by drunk drivers.

“The holidays are a wonderful time to be with family, and yet they can also be a painful reminder for those who have lost loved ones to preventable crashes,” says Marc Williams, executive director of TxDOT. “Let’s make a new holiday tradition to drive like a Texan: kind, courteous, and safe. That means always getting a sober ride.”

TxDOT offers these four tips for staying safe on the roads as the calendar switches from 2025 to 2026:

Designate a sober driver before the celebrations start.
Ask a sober relative or friend to pick you up if you’re too tipsy to drive.
Use public transit or rideshare services.
Stay off the roads until you’ve sobered up.

traffic fatalities crime holidays new year's day new years eve traffic