Exclusive New Art Bistro

Exclusive new art bistro emerges in Houston: $65 just to get in the door

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston is launching a new Cafe Vienna series, doling out rich coffee and miniature sandwiches in a pop-up dining space inspired by the museum's current retrospective on Austrian artist-designer Koloman Moser.

In collaboration with Decorative Center Houston, the MFAH tapped interior designer Punita Valambhia to transform the museum restaurant into a fin-de-siècle European bistro with a contemporary twist. For the next three Mondays, guests can enjoy a small lunch inside the "cafe" followed by private tours of the Moser exhibit . . . all while the building is closed to the public.

"I've tried to evoke the show by concentrating on stripes and geometric patterns, elements that define much of Moser's work," Valambhia tells CultureMap.

"We've taken the silvers and golds and cobalt blues from the show and translated them into the cafe. It's like Koloman is alive and with us today."

A pivotal figure in the proto-modernist Vienna Secession movement (Austria-Hungary's answer to Art Nouveau), Moser would join artist Gustav Klimt and architect Josef Hoffman to create the influential Wiener Werkstätte studios to produce artistically-inspired functional household goods, examples of which are on display in the MFAH exhibition.

Café Vienna will pop up on the lower level of the Beck Building on Oct. 28, Nov. 4 and Nov. 11. Tickets to the event — available on the MFAH website — are $65 each and $55 for MFAH members.

Koloman Moser, Schwämme (Mushrooms), design no. 4003, 1899, execution: Johann Backhausen & Söhne, Vienna, wool, silk, and cotton, MAK–Austrian Museum for Applied Arts Contemporary Art, Vienna

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school's out

Houston Independent School District cancels classes again due to city-wide boil notice

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

HISD classes are canceled for Tuesday, November 29.

With the issues surrounding the city-wide boil notice still unresolved, Houston Independent School District has announced all its campuses and facilities will be closed on Tuesday, November 29. This comes after classes were canceled on Monday, November 28.

"This decision has been made due to the logistical challenges caused by the notice," district staff notes in an email. "Those challenges prevent the district from being able to provide meals for its students and ensure safe water is available for students and staff."

The email goes on to add that all HISD employees will be working remotely unless otherwise instructed by the chief of their business area.

While most kids will no doubt enjoy yet another day off, HISD encourages students to "engage with digital academic resources that are available 24/7 online.

This closure announcement comes as other districts and colleges closed campuses on Monday. As CultureMap previously reported, the city was put on a boil notice after water pressure dropped below the City of Houston's required minimum of 20 PSI due to a power outage at the East Water Purification Plan around 10:30 am Sunday, November 27.

Under city guidelines and those set in part by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, city water pressure must be at least 20 DPI to ensure contaminants do not enter the flow. Notably, according to the director of Houston Water, Yvonne Williams Forrest, the city's water pressure never dropped to zero — but did fall below the regulatory limit.

Additionally, Forrest says the city boil notice could last until the early hours of Tuesday, November 29.

As reported by CultureMap news partner ABC13, Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner provided a timeline for the outage on Sunday:

10:30 am: East water purification plants 1 and 2 lose power

Plant 3 loses power, 14 sensors below 20 PSI for less than 2 minutes, 2 sensors below 20 PSI for 30 minutes, 5 sensors never fell below 20 PSI

12:15 pm: Power restored to plants 1 and 2

12:30 pm: Power restored to plant 3

3:30 pm: All sensors back to 35 PSI

Residents expressed outrage on social media that they weren't notified of the boil notice until late Sunday night. In response that same night, several school districts — including Houston ISD — announced they would close on Monday, November 28. Parents should watch their school districts' social media for updates regarding classes resuming.

Concerned residents who are unsure if the boil notice affects their neighborhood can view this map that displays the entire affected.

Early Monday, the City of Houston announced on Twitter that the aforementioned Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved a plan by the Houston Public Works department to sample water and send to labs for testing.

Boil notices are nothing new to the Gulf Coast and Greater Houston areas, given the propensity for storms and flooding. But as longtime Houstonians know, there are few key things to remember when under a boil notice. These tips include:

Boiling all water used for food, drinking, and brushing teeth

Boiling the water for at least 2 to 3 minutes — even for making coffee

Avoiding chilled water lines from on the refrigerators

Avoiding ice from an automated ice machines

The City of Houston also reminds residents to call 3-1-1 for any boil-notice-related questions.

silver showecase

Beloved Houston local art showcase decks the walls for 25th anniversary with can't-miss events

Photo courtesy of Art on the Avenue

Feast on the works of more than 500 works by more than 250 artists.

Local shoppers on the hunt for that perfect gift or art loves looking to expand their collections want to be at the annual Art on the Avenue event at Winter Street Studios in the Heights on December 3.

The noted auction features more than 500 works of art by more than 250 local artists. Celebrating its 25th year, the event celebrates the creative process and encourages collecting works created here in the Houston area.

Fittingly for the nation's most charitable city, Art on the Avenue is also an important fundraiser for Avenue, a Houston nonprofit dedicated to developing affordable homes.

Among the many local artists displaying works in the auction is Paperbag, who got his name from painting paper bags on people's faces. His artwork encourages others not to judge a book by its cover, and invites individuals to celebrate their unique personalities and stories. In addition to his art, Paperbag — née Dominique Silva — is also an ardent mental health supporter.

Blossom by Paperbag Look for works such as "Blossom" by local artist Paperbag.Photo courtesy of Paperbag

Art on the Avenue kicks off on Thursday, December 1 with a VIP preview party. A $150 ticket gives attendees an exclusive first look at the available works and the opportunity to bid on them prior to the main auction and party on Saturday, December 3. Art-inspired bites, cocktails, and entertainment by Two Star Symphony are also part of the evening's festivities.

On Saturday, December 3, from 10 am to 1 pm, guests to see these incredible works of art for themselves and enjoy free admission.

The auction proper begins at 6 pm, where a $35 ticket allows guests entry to the gallery space, bidding opportunities, and entertainment from vinyl enthusiast Losty Los of The Waxaholics, who will spin tunes.

Sketches, paintings, sculptures, and more will be up for auction. Photo courtesy of Art on the Avenue

Guests looking for a chance to dress up are encouraged to deck out in silver in honor the event's 25th anniversary.

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Art on the Avenue runs Thursday, December 1 through Saturday, December 3 at Winter Street Studios, 2101 Winter St. For tickets and information, visit Art on the Avenue.

flying into spring

'Burn you twice' hot chicken chain spices up Houston with fifth fiery location

Courtesy of Urban Bird

Urban Bird is coming to Spring.

A rapidly growing chicken tender restaurant will soon arrive in Spring. Urban Bird Hot Chicken will open its fifth Houston-area store next year in January.

Located in the former B.Good space at 2162 Spring Stuebner Rd., Urban Bird will be part of The Market, a Kroger-anchored shopping center within the the larger City Place mixed-use development. Other nearby tenants include Torchy’s Tacos, Jinya Ramen Bar, and Beard Papa’s, the Japan-based cream puff bakery.

First opened in 2020, Urban Bird is a chicken tenders concept with different spice blends that deliver increasing levels of heat. The six options range from "country" up to "Nashville hot" and "Fire in the Hole" — which the restaurant says “will burn you twice. Available as baskets, sandwiches, or chopped up over fries, the restaurant touts that its batter went through 60 iterations prior to opening.

Diners may pair their tenders with dipping sauces such as ranch, barbecue, or the signature Bird Sauce. Sides include fries (both potato and sweet potato), Hot Cheetos mac and cheese, street corn, and a kale salad with a dressing that includes maple syrup. Shakes and frozen custard help ease the burn.

Urban Bird currently has locations in Katy, north Houston, Fulshear, and near Rice Village. In addition to Spring, the restaurant will soon add outposts in Webster and the Summerwood neighborhood near Lake Houston.

“We’re thrilled to welcome this fast-growing concept to The Market and feel that it will resonate well with people who live in the area, as well as employees from City Place businesses and major office campuses,” Rip Reynolds, senior leasing agent for real estate developer Regency Centers, said in a statement. “The Urban Bird Hot Chicken team were drawn to this prime site based on its high levels of traffic, the desire for proximity to an anchor and the immediate availability of a second-generation space, the latter of which was only recently vacated.”

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