Best Foodie Websites

Online foodie dreams: The best websites for food lovers looking to give

OK, Halloween is over, the costumes are put away and you’ve eaten all the candy. Well, at least the good stuff, no one likes those hard candies.

So maybe now it is time to look forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Maybe even do a little gift buying.

Not that I’m into marathon mall shopping, leaving the family on Thanksgiving to hit the sales or going into debt to buy materialistic crap for people who don’t need it and will probably return or regift it anyway.

No, I don’t pay attention to Christmas creep or watch or read ads that say this is the must have/buy for the holidays. I much prefer to give the gift of good food, good company and holiday cheer.

I wish more people believed in the old ways when a holiday was best celebrated with a feast, a nice wine or homemade gifts.

I might give a bottle of wine or extra virgin olive oil to a dear one but my preferred gift is to schedule a holiday meal with someone so we can celebrate with a feast at somewhere fun and spend time catching up. My treat.

I wish more people believed in the old ways when a holiday was best celebrated with a feast, a nice wine or homemade gifts and not with a generic gift card or some expensive doodad no one really needs. Face it: Is there really anything we need but more time with our loved ones?

And what better way to enjoy their company than to bond over food. Whether you prepare it for them yourself or you invite them to a favorite restaurant.

And if I can’t do that because of geography, than I will send them food to share with those they are around. I start doing that in November so they can share with their local family and friends on Thanksgiving or Hanukkah or whatever holiday or football game they are celebrating at this time of year.

Here are some of my favorite food sites for holiday shopping. No parking problems, no long lines at the post office.

Dean & DeLuca started in 1977, before the current foodie craze, offering New Yorkers edibles from across the globe. The website offers wonderful gift baskets, whole holiday feasts, kitchen gadgets and cookbooks galore. Surely you know someone who would delight at opening a box of specialty caviars and pates?

Even older, dating from 1934, is Harry & David. Known for its Royal Riviera pears and fruit-of-the-month club, this company today features a ton of holiday gift baskets, savory foods, sinful desserts, wines and even flowers and plants. This website has a little something for everyone on your list.

But if your list, like mine, includes Texans, wannabe Texans and ex-pats, there are two Lone Star companies whose websites you’ll want to visit.

First is the local Goode Company web store where you’ll not only find their famous mesquite smoked brisket, slow smoked ribs and sausage samplers but also gift boxes with Texas seasonings and cookbooks and, of course, the famous Brazos Bottom pecan pie. This delicious dessert made with Texas pecans and farm eggs comes in a wooden box branded with “Made in Texas.”

What I love are the gift baskets, full meals and simple extras that range in price from easily affordable to huge spreads that will make your recipients think you’re from oil wealth.

Goode Co. BBQ has been baking this from the Goode family recipe since the first store opened in 1977. It makes a great gift.

And then there’s my go-to site: New Braunfels Smokehouse. No, I wasn’t around in 1952 when the family owned ice house/ former brewery opened its first tasting room in New Braunfels, but as a teen in San Antonio my family regularly ventured north to shop in New Braunfels and stop by the smokehouse for lunch. Since those days the little smokehouse has grown into a major catalogue/web business selling its hickory-smoked meats, cheeses and snacks around the world.

What I love are the gift baskets, full meals and simple extras that range in price from easily affordable to huge spreads that will make your recipients think you’re from oil wealth. Whole smoked turkeys and game hens, serious sausage packages, boxes of jerky, smoked cheeses, bread and butter pickles and jalapeno stuffed olives . . . and more.

Do add on some sweet and spicy mustard and maybe a jar of pickled okra. Oh, and when I order gifts from here, I also order a “celebration in a box” full of multiple Texas treats for my own holiday entertaining.

Dean & DeLuca offers wonderful gift baskets, including the Gourmet Turkey Essentials, shown here.

Dean & DeLuca Thanksgiving basket gourmet turkey essentials

DeanDeluca.com

Dean & DeLuca offers wonderful gift baskets, including the Gourmet Turkey Essentials, shown here.

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Oh, Donna

New Houston cocktail bar serves up a house party fueled by music and martinis

Courtesy of Donna's

People are flocking to Donna's.

It hasn’t taken long for Houston cocktail fans to discover Donna’s. Ever since it opened Thanksgiving weekend, the new cocktail bar in the Heights has been packed with people eager to check out the new project from Anvil owner Bobby Heugel and veteran Houston bartender Jacki Schromm.

Named for Schromm’s grandmother, both partners use the word “house party” to describe the kind of atmosphere they want to create at Donna’s. That party can be very energetic on busy weekend nights and a little quieter and more intimate during the week — allowing patrons to choose what kind of experience they want to have.

Heugel and Schromm worked with collaborators on the design, music, and art for Donna’s. So far, people seem to be enjoying themselves.

“It’s really f---ing awesome,” Schromm tells CultureMap. “It has been really remarkable to have people in this building. To see the room full is a rewarding experience. The feedback we’ve received has just been really positive.”

To transform the former Ready Room into Donna’s, the partners collaborated with Brittany Vaughn of Garnish Design. Known for her work at establishments such as Tiny Champions, Maximo, and Milton’s, Vaughn helped divide the retro-styled cocktail bar into two distinct interior spaces. The main bar area is defined by high-top, organically-shaped tables that allow large groups to congregate or smaller groups to share without being on top of each other. The more intimate living room section features a large couch and a spacious booth.

“There’s a lot of smart utility in the space,” Heugel explains. “We kept talking about how it’s a small space. We want to find a seat for everybody as much as possible.”

To honor the space’s history of hosting live music, the partners worked with Chicago-based firm Uncanned on a powerful vintage stereo that includes both a reel-to-reel tape deck and a turntable. Known locally for their work at restaurants such as Nancy’s Hustle and Nobie’s, the Uncanned team gave Donna’s the ability to kick out the jams with ultra-clear sound while not being so loud that people can’t talk to each other. It also opens up the possibility of people playing their favorite albums on select nights.

“Jacki and I both had the bold opinion when we started talking about Donna’s that cocktail bars were boring. We wanted to add more layers to the onion,” Heugel says. “Having music be here as an additional component to the bar makes the room feel really good. That’s important to us, and we’ll have some programming related to that.”

Keli Hogsett of Austin’s CoCollect helped Schromm and Heugel select the room’s distinctive art on its walls. Heugel describes the works as museum-quality, contemporary pieces from regional artists that are a cut above what’s usually seen in bars. Hogsett will also source the art for the new restaurant Heugel and chef Justin Yu are opening next year in the former Vibrant space.

Schromm, who partnered with Heugel after working at Anvil and Reserve 101, created the opening cocktail menu herself. One highlight is the Jacki’s Martini, a nod to the “Bobby’s Martini” served at Refuge and the “Terry’s Martini” served at Squable. It’s a 50-50 mix of gin with Cocchi Americano and Dolin Blanc vermouth. She describes it as more “sessionable” than a traditional martini.

“I think this cocktail menu has a lot of personality,” she says. “Some of my flair, whether it’s a spirit I chose or a flavor I like.”

Although parking on the property is limited, Heugel notes that street parking on White Oak is relatively plentiful. A nearby pay lot is available, or people can skip the issue altogether by using their favorite rideshare service.

Of course, the adjacent restaurant space won’t stay empty for long. As CultureMap has previously reported, Austin-based pizzeria Home Slice has claimed the building for its second Houston location that will open in fall 2026.

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Donna's, 2626 White Oak Drive. Open daily from 2 pm-2 am

Courtesy of Donna's

People are flocking to Donna's.

openings nightlife cocktails the-heights