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    CultureMap Countdown

    Mini voting vies with "cheat sheet" to Restaurant Week & Woodlands brouhaha astop stories

    Clifford Pugh
    Aug 8, 2010 | 9:22 pm
    • The Woodlands is "dear" to some people.
    • Mini art car design by Kim Granneman
      Katy Anderson
    • Exterior of Max & Julie's, one of 120 restaurants participating in HoustonRestaurant Week, through August
    • The happy couple
      De Manio Photography
    • Joel Luks' Vegging Out column has attracted a lot of fans.
    • Li Cunxin, right, with Charles Foster, center, and Kyle MacLachlan
      Dave Rossman for Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

    CultureMappers love art cars and a good contest. After we posted a CulturePoll late last week asking readers to choose their favorite among four Mini Coopers that had been transformed into works of art by Houston artists, you voted in droves— making the contest the most viewed story of the week.

    When the voting ended at noon Saturday, artist Robynn Sanders' robots-as-toys design was declared the winner. But a computer glitch in our system kept the voting open, and fans of artist Kim Granneman's swirly black-and-white design kept voting. We think all four cars are winners and love the brilliant idea that could only happen in Houston.

    Besides voting in contests, CultureMappers love to eat. Sarah Rufca's Cheat Sheet to Houston Restaurant Week was among the most viewed stories of the week. Check out Sarah's other stories, including choices on lunch options during Restaurant Week (through Aug. 21), and a diary of some of her restaurant experiences.

    Everyone loves a wedding, so it's no surprise that my critique of Chelsea Clinton's wedding gown was popular. Some readers thought the Vera Wang design was "nothing special," but I believe it was a perfect mix of glamour with a princess touch and several readers agreed.

    Joel Luks column on Chelsea's gluten-free wedding dinner and dessert also drew a strong positive response. Joel's weekly Vegging Out column is attracting a strong and loyal following — a fan even posted a video on YouTube about his work — and we're thrilled to have him as a CultureMap columnist.

    CultureMap staffer Steven Thomson always seems to rattle some cages and he did it again with a side-splitting account of his disastrous appearance at the opening of Pure restaurant in The Woodlands. He drew venomous responses from The Woodlands faithful for his digs at their suburban lifestyle — along with a few defenders.

    Love him or hate him, I think Steven is one of the freshest voices on the Houston scene in a long time. His columns always provoke discussion and debate, which as long as it is civil — and it usually is — makes for a great forum. Your responses have caused me to rethink some of my long-held beliefs, so keep 'em coming.

    The response to Steven's column spurred Sarah Rufca to pen a fascinating essay on why she loves — and hates — The Woodlands. Sarah speaks from experience; her family lives there. I'm proud to have Sarah's distinctive writing style on CultureMap pages, along with great pieces by opinionated staffers Caroline Gallay, Fayza Elmostehi, and Rachel Hanley and veterans Chris Baldwin and Shelby Hodge. I hope you enjoy reading their work as much as I do.

    Most viewed stories for the week of Aug. 1-7:

    1. Vote now: Pick the best-looking Mini work of art

    2. Wow! Did Chelsea Clinton wear the best-looking wedding gown ever?

    3. Your cheat sheet to Houston Restaurant Week

    4.What does the leaked Continental Airlines memo say about the new merged company?

    5. Laughs and tears for Extreme Makeover's down-to-the-last minute finish

    Editor's Picks:

    1. Why I love (and hate) the Woodlands

    2. Over the river and into The Woodlands: Where beauty queens go MIA, gluten-free is a foreign phrase & microwaves reign

    3. Li Cunxin gets a grand homecoming at screening of Mao's Last Dancer

    4. Chelsea's Clinton's Big Fat Vegan Wedding? This gluten-free president's daughter strikes a blow for my kind

    5. Vagina poetry is so 1980s: It's a hermorrhoids by flashlight, new underground arts world

    unspecified
    news/entertainment

    most read posts

    Majestic Indian fine dining restaurant now open in Sugar Land Town Square

    Louisiana-born Houston chef assumes ownership of Greenway Plaza Creole eatery

    Inside the former brothel that's now downtown Houston's hottest new bar

    Concert News

    Alt-rock trio Ben Folds Five brings 2027 reunion tour to Houston

    Brianna Caleri
    Oct 22, 2026 | 10:30 am
    Ben Folds Five
    Ben Folds Five/Instagram
    Nostalgia is a band member on the new Ben Folds Five tour.

    Alternative rock band Ben Folds Five is returning to the stage for the first time in 15 years in 2027, including a stop at the 713 Music Hall in Houston on Wednesday, April 21.

    Only a handful of tour dates have been announced so far, starting April 12 in Knoxville, Tennessee, and ending April 24 in Birmingham, Alabama. In that two-week stretch, the band will also appear in two other Texas cities: Austin on the 20th and Irving on the 22nd.

    Ben Folds Five started in 1993, and all the members in the current trio are original members: pianist Ben Folds, bassist Robert Sledge, drummer Darren Jessee. Their breakthrough record, Whatever and Ever Amen, came out in 1997, making this a 20th anniversary tour. The band split up in 2013.

    Tickets for the dates announced so far will go on sale Friday, October 23, at 10 am via officialbenfoldsfive.com. A LiveNation presale begins at 10 am on Thursday, October 22 at 10 am.

    First announced tour dates for Ben Folds Five in 2027

    APRIL

    12 – Knoxville, TN – Tennessee Theatre
    13 – Chattanooga, TN – Tivoli Theatre
    15 – Jacksonville, FL – Florida Theatre
    16 – Pompano Beach, FL – Pompano Beach Amphitheater
    17 – Clearwater, FL – The BayCare Sound
    20 – Austin, TX – ACL Live at The Moody Theater
    21 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall
    22 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
    24 - Birmingham, AL - Avondale Brewing Company

    live musicconcerts
    news/entertainment

    most read posts

    Majestic Indian fine dining restaurant now open in Sugar Land Town Square

    Louisiana-born Houston chef assumes ownership of Greenway Plaza Creole eatery

    Inside the former brothel that's now downtown Houston's hottest new bar

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