Pix of the day

A sign of the times: Underbelly takes Romney "binders" meme to the streets ofMontrose

Underbelly joined in the Mitt Romney "binders" fun on Wednesday.
Photo by Tyler Rudick
Facebook fans loved the sign, although a few cried some red-state tears.
Photo by Tyler Rudick

Sorry, Mitt — that "binders full of women" meme is going to haunt you for a few more days.

Here in Houston, Chris Shepherd's Underbelly is the latest to riff on Romney's Tuesday night debate gaffe, changing up its Westheimer roadside marquee to read "We have binders full of wine" on one side and "Chances took the binder full of women" on the other.

(The site of the wildly popular restaurant was previously Chances, a lesbian bar.)

Underbelly's roadside marquee reads "We have binders full of wine" on one side and "Chances took the binder full of women" on the other.

After posting pictures of the sign on its Facebook page Wednesday, Underbelly has received numerous accolades from its loyal foodie followers with comments ranging from "Freakin hilarious" to "You guys rock!" to "Bahahaha."

But you can't please everyone all of the time, of course . . .

"I don't appreciate the political mockery from a business that needs all the help it can get from an administration that openly takes all it can from you," said one commentor. "And I dont believe it's good business, for any business to be outing itself in favor of one political affiliation for the other. Let me tell you why it's not good business — you just lost mine."

As Underbelly supporters pounced on the grumpy post, someone stepped in with a nice level-headed note: "Well — no matter anyone's opinion this is successful marketing — look at the attention it's getting! Good job guys!"

Got a great photo of a Houston happening or everyday occurrence? Or just a fun photo that shows why Houston is so unique? Send it to barbara@culturemap.com, along with details (who, what, where and why it's special). It might make our Pix of the Day.

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Meet Tristen Epps

Top Chef contestant reintroduces himself to Houston at new pop-up dinner series

Courtesy of BuBoy

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Even the most engaged Houston restaurant obsessives may have been surprised to see chef Tristen Epps listed as one of two Houstonians competing on the new season of Top Chef. Although Epps grew up in Houston and began his culinary career here, the bulk of his professional experience is in New York and Miami, where he led a restaurant to a Michelin Bib Gourmand award and earned a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for Best Chef: South.

Having returned to the Bayou City in 2024, Epps will take another step towards reintroducing himself to Houstonians in February. As part of the process of opening BuBoy, a tasting menu restaurant inspired by Afro-Caribbean culinary traditions, Epps will host pop-up dinners on February 11, 18, and 25. Held at Jūn in the Heights, each night will devoted to a different region that was part of the transatlantic slave trade, moving from West Africa to the Carbibean to the American South.

“My goal for this pop-up is to showcase Black diaspora foodways in a unique and elevated format,” Epps writes in an email. “I want guests to experience this cuisine in a way they never have before. While the tasting menu format is nothing new to diners, featuring neo-African flavors in this context is unfamiliar, creating a special opportunity for storytelling.”

The six-course tasting menus will blend techniques from the night’s region with ingredients sourced from Texas and the Gulf Coast. On February 11, the menu will include dishes such as grilled oyster with rundown stew, “Dasheen Dumplin’” with groundnut stew, Texas wagyu with smoked peanut suya, and grilled Gulf fish with plantain pudding and oxtail spinach stew.

“This experience with the element of thoughtful storytelling is exactly what I intend to offer at BuBoy. I’m thrilled to provide a glimpse of that through this pop-up at Jūn during Black History Month,” Epps continues.

Each night will have two seatings of 16 people at 6:30 and 8:30 pm. Tickets cost $95 per person with a wine pairing available for an additional $45. Reservations are available via OpenTable.

As for BuBoy, Epps says he’s still searching for the right space to bring the concept to life. Until he finds it, the pop-up dinners will continue.

Still on the fence about attending? Epps picked up a major endorsement this week from one of his mentors, celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson via this Instagram post:

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A post shared by Marcus Samuelsson (@marcuscooks)

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