a little love from the barkeep

13 Houston bartenders boldly bare it all for charity calendar

Find the calendar at bars across Montrose, downtown, and The Heights.

Photo by Alex Crawford

A group of Houston bartenders are stripping down for a good cause. The newly released Slinging Love calendar features 13 drink makers in cheeky nude poses.

Organized by Catbirds owner Shelly Wilburn, the calendar aims to raise $15,000 for the Houston Area Women’s Center. It’s on sale now for $15 at a number of the local watering holes where the participants work, including Rudyard’s, Penny Quarter, Poison Girl, Houston Watch Co., The New Potato, and Catbirds.

“For 20 years, the running joke has been we’re going to make a calendar of all these Montrose bartenders. [Supporting HAWC] was the motivation to get it done,” Wilburn tells CultureMap.

Inspired by pinup girls from the ’30s and ’40s, Wilburn put together an idea board. Alex Crawford, a photographer who works at Ralph Smith Studios, took all the pictures. Former Catbirds bartender Zach Doyle helped Wilburn recruit participants. The bartenders, who work at places such as OKRA, The New Potato, Present Company, and more, contributed some suggestions of their own.

“For example, Mike McMullin from OKRA, wanted to be Mr. January and pineapples are good luck,” Wilburn says. “I went and bought pineapples. I’m, like, I don’t know what to do with these. It kind of went from there.”

Generally, the photos are more amusing than titillating. In addition to pineapples, strategically placed picnic baskets, Christmas presents, and a watering can keep the pictures strictly PG.

“I like how it’s very much, we’re going to support the women in our lives with the men in our lives,” Wilburn says. “It’s not sexual. It’s mostly comical.”

As for next year, she’s already heard from bartenders who were disappointed that no one invited them to participate. She’s also contemplating a version with female bartenders dressed up as what they wanted to be when they grew up. Assuming the calendars sell out, it will have been a good experience.

“We had 13 guys get naked for us, and it was fantastic,” Wilburn says.

Here are the men of the Slinging Love calendar:

January - Mike McMullin, OKRA
February - Danny Furness, Houston Watch Co
March - Paul Redmond, The New Potato
April - Charlie Fernandez, Sassafras/Big Star Bar
May - Scott Michael H., Dan Electro’s
June - Roberto, The West End
July - Jonas Thompson, Poison Girl
August - Zach Boyle, Dino’s
September - Micah Youngblood, Catbirds
October - Ryan Sawyer, Rudyard's
November - Tommy Ho, Anvil/Penny Quarter
December - Noah Edger, Griff’s/Boondocks
2020 - Chris Burns, Present Company

fundraisers

two days of bbq

2 Michelin-rated barbecue joints holding can't-miss pop ups in Houston

Courtesy of KG BBQ

KG BBQ is bringing its Egyptian-influenced barbecue to Houston.

Two of the Texas barbecue joints to earn Bib Gourmand recognition in the Michelin Guide will be holding pop ups in Houston this week. One is visiting from Austin, while another is a Spring favorite with a one-day-only menu.

On Saturday, December 14, Austin’s celebrated KG BBQ will be serving at Axelrad in Midtown. Part of Texas Monthly’s 2023 list of the Top 25 New and Improved BBQ Joints in Texas, KG BBQ has earned wide acclaim for pitmaster Kareem El-Ghayesh’s Egyptian-influenced take on Texas barbecue.

The menu will include many of KG’s most popular dishes, including brisket rice bowls with smoked Mediterranean rice; smoked lamb chops; sumac-and-cinnamon-rubbed lamb shoulder, and sides such as pink buttermilk potato salad and Baladi salad.

Service begins at 10:30 am. Preorders are available online with a minimum order of $60.

In a statement, Axelrad co-owners Adam Brackman and Monte Large say that KG will make more visits to Houston in 2025. El-Ghayesh adds that he’s a fan of the Houston bar that’s known for its spacious backyard with hammocks, a stage, and a wide-ranging menu of beer and cocktails.

“Since the moment I stepped foot in Axelrad, I loved their culture, their vibrant colors and artistic flare, their attention to detail and hospitality and love for entertainment makes this place perfect for bringing back my nostalgic memories of hosting pop-ups like how I started in Austin,” he said. “I’m proud to bring what I have created to Houston. From how diverse the city is, its beautiful variety of ethnic foods, and large Egyptian community, it has so much to offer. We are excited to serve up some Egyptian BBQ to the Houston community through our pop ups over the next year at Axelrad.”

On Sunday, Spring’s Rosemeyer Bar-B-Q will trade its usual offerings for a special menu of dishes made with smoked whole hog. The menu will include whole hog plates, whole hog sandwiches, whole hog-and-parmesan polenta cakes, and whole hog served over cheese grits with a New Orleans-style barbecue sauce as well as sides and desserts. Service will run from 11 am until everything sells out, likely sometime between 2 and 3 pm.

“The whole menu is filled with specials and cool items we don’t do everyday at the stand,” co-owner Jordan Rosemeyer writes in an email. The motive, beyond exercising some creative muscles, is to raise money for Hogs for the Cause, an annual event that raises money for pediatric brain cancer research and the families who are fighting it.

Like KG, Rosemeyer is also a member of Texas Monthly’s 2023 new and improved list. Located at 2111 Riley Fuzzel Rd., the humble trailer has earned acclaim for its weekly specials, housemade ice cream, and well executed barbecue staples.

news-you-can-eat barbecue pop ups kg bbq rosemeyer bar-b-q