Foodie News

Bloody PETA babes push veganism at Vic & Anthony's during lunch hour protest

The hour-long PETA demonstration included two naked women covered in blood (or"blood") inside a human-sized styrofoam-and-shrink-wrap meat tray.
Photo by Steven Thomson
PETA protested outside of Vic & Anthony's Friday as part of a national tour.
Photo by Steven Thomson
Photo by Steven Thomson
Photo by Steven Thomson
Photo by Steven Thomson
Photo by Steven Thomson

Steak lovers heading to Vic & Anthony's for a Rapture Burger for lunch on Friday found an extra surprise outside.

As part of their national tour, a handful of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) demonstrators set up a protest outside the downtown steakhouse.

The hour-long demonstration included two naked women covered in blood (or "blood") inside a human-sized styrofoam-and-shrink-wrap meat tray. PETA campaigner Lauren Stroyck says the Houston scene is the last stop on a national tour, which included a trip to a slaughterhouse in Beaumont on Thursday.

"We're here in Houston today just to encourage people to cut meat out of their diet, " Stroyck said. "We're hoping that people who go into this restaurant, maybe for a steak lunch, will think twice about what's on their plate. ... Flesh is flesh no matter if it comes from a human, a cow or a chicken."

Stroyck advocates a vegan diet and touted its virtues to passersby.

Vic & Anthony's Director of Operations Tim Kohler said if that was the goal of the protestors, it didn't seem to be effective.

"A lot of our customers were kinda laughing about it," says Kohler. "I didn't see anybody turn around and walk out."

Stroyck says PETA chose Vic & Anthony's for their typical steakhouse menu and central location, and weren't protesting anything specific about the restaurant.

Do you think PETA has a point? Do you think they'll ever stop using naked women to sell their ideas? (One can hope, I guess.) Or would you rather just have a Rapture Burger?

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Farewell, ElRo

Creative Montrose pizzeria will shutter after only a year-and-a-half

Photo by Julie Soefer

ElRo Pizza & Crudo

An acclaimed Houston pizzeria will soon serve its final pies. ElRo Pizza & Crudo will close after service on December 31.

In a post on Instagram, chef-owner Terrence Gallivan thanks his staff for their dedication and his customers for their support. “We hope to see you all over the next couple weeks. Come celebrate with us,” he writes.

Open since June 2023, ElRo intrigued diners who enjoyed Gallivan’s work at pioneering Houston restaurant The Pass & Provisions. At ElRo, the chef served a modified version of the Provisions pizza recipe alongside crudos and shareable small plates such as arancini and housemade sausage. It earned four nominations in this year’s CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, including Best New Restaurant and Chef of the Year.

Sadly, Gallivan tells CultureMap that business has seen “a steady decline in business for many months.” Recently, the restaurant had tried a number of initiatives to draw in diners, such as steak night on Tuesday and fried chicken on Saturday.

The early announcement gives diners two weeks to make one more visit (or two) to the restaurant before it closes. Customers may want to time their visit for happy hour, which takes places from 3-6 pm Tuesday-Friday. It includes half-off glasses of wine, $4 draft beers, $9 select cocktails, and food specials.

Gallivan adds that he doesn’t know yet what his next move will be. Hopefully, he’s got one more comeback in him. Houston is a more fun town to dine in when Gallivan is cooking in it.

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