Houston gets a surprising brake on new list of U.S. cities with worst commute

really?

Photo by Manuel Velasquez on Unsplash

Given the continuous gridlock Houston drivers face, it would be safe to assume our fair city faces the worst commute time in Texas and the even the nation. Not so.

A new report by SmartAsset ranks a surprising Texas city as the worst in the Lone Star State for commute time: Garland. The north Texas city ranked No. 3 in the nation for longest commute time, according to the SmartAsset survey.

Garland ranked No. 3 worst, only out-trafficked by two California cities — Stockton and Bakersfield — which came in first and second, respectively. (Another shocker: Los Angeles didn't lead the list, which landed at No. 25.)

Houston doesn't appear until much further down the list at No. 23 — tied with Dallas. The average commute time in Houston is 26.1 minutes, while 5.8 percent of Houstonians face a "severe" commute of 60 minutes or more. Houstonians spend a tiny bit more of their income on transportation costs than Dallas drivers do (9.9 percent vs. 9 percent). In Dallas, the average commute time in Dallas is 25.7 minutes; 6.5 percent of Dallasites face a "severe" commute.

The only other Texas city to land in the top 10 is El Paso, which comes in seventh. The city ranks second overall for transportation costs relative to income, with commuters paying 14.13 percent of their median household income for transportation in the city and surrounding areas, SmartAsset says.

Elsewhere in Texas, city rankings were:

Arlington, No. 33
Fort Worth, No. 47
Irving, No. 50
Plano, No. 52
San Antonio, No. 55
Lubbock, No. 61
Austin, No. 64
Corpus Christi, No. 78
Laredo, No. 81

Interestingly, SmartAsset notes, despite the rise in remote work the past few years, the average commute time went down by only one minute in five years. The national average decreased from 26.6 minutes in 2016 to 25.6 minutes in 2021, they say, while the percentage of remote workers has tripled in about half the time.

"Workers in 2023 will average almost 222 hours (or a little over nine days) driving to and from work," the report says. "And these hours spent in transit cost commuters more than just their time. The price of fuel, public transit passes and other commuter-related costs can add up quickly."

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Armandos' family-friendly, Tex-Mex sister restaurant taps Katy for 2nd Houston-area outpost

mandito's on the move

Katy residents will soon have a new option for fajitas, enchiladas, and margaritas. Mandito’s Tex-Mex has claimed the former Jax Grill location (9910 Gaston Rd.) for its second Houston-area outpost.

Photo by Mackenzie Smith Kelley

Mandito's serves all the Tex-Mex favorites.

Part of the Palacios Murphy Hospitality Group that also includes River Oaks favorite Armandos and Italian restaurant Lulu’s, Mandito’s is a more family-friendly establishment than its upscale siblings. Joining an original location in Round Top and an outpost in Bellaire that opened earlier this year, the restaurant takes its name from the childhood nickname of co-owner Armando Palacios — “Mandito” is “little Armando.” It is expected to open in early 2024.

The menu centers around burritos, enchiladas, flautas, and fajitas as well as the signature burrito bowl, a clever reimagining of a taco salad with ground beef, steak, or chicken topped with lettuce, corn, cheese, avocado, beans, and more. Other favorites include the Tex-Mex Kale Caesar, Tres Hombres Plate (three different enchiladas), and the Tex-Mex Banana Split. They’re paired with a robust range of frozen and shaken margaritas.

Palacios Murphy COO Alex Curley lives in Katy and sends his children to Katy ISD schools. He’s bullish on area that’s grown 20-percent since 2020, according to a release.

“As a Katy resident, I am ecstatic to be able to oversee the construction of a Mandito’s Tex-Mex in the community that I love deeply,” Curley said. “I have no doubt that Katy residents and visitors to the area’s numerous attractions will quickly fall in love with Mandito’s Tex-Mex. We have put a significant amount of work into making this concept a neighborhood locale that caters to a number of different audiences who are collectively in search of a communal space that prides itself upon delivering delicious food and drink selections and outstanding service to each and every guest.”

In keeping with that optimism, the Katy location will be slightly larger than its Bellaire sibling, with the ability to seat over 150 people indoors and 50 more on a patio that will look onto the development’s green space. In addition, an expanded to-go area will have a dedicated entrance to expedite pick-ups.

The restaurant wants to give back to its neighborhood, too. Therefore it will host spirit nights for local schools and sports team and offer a 10-percent discount to Katy ISD employees and first responders.

Cult craze Hello Kitty Cafe Truck says hi to Houston area on cross-country tour

the other pink craze

The famously pink Hello Kitty Cafe Truck is making its way down to Houston in October for a special day of treats and cartoon cat collectibles.

The cutesy vehicle will bring a horde of new Hello Kitty clothing, plushies, and accessories to First Colony Mall (16535 Southwest Fwy) from 10 am to 7 pm on October 7.

Among the new items is a bright pink tote bag with rainbow straps and desserts decorating the front, an assortment of Hello Kitty baked goods, and a transparent coffee mug with sprinkles in the handle and different desserts printed on the glass body. Visitors can also snag an adorable lunchbox and a 18-ounce or 32-ounce stainless steel rainbow thermos.

Hello Kitty rainbow tote bag The bright pink reusable tote bag has rainbow straps.Photo courtesy of Sanrio

As for the hand-decorated baked goods, guests can expect to see Hello Kitty's classic friends Keroppi the frog and Chococat appear on petit fours. The leading lady appears on miniature cakes, a giant sugar cookie, small box sets of madeleines, and French macarons.

The popular attraction has been touring around the country for nearly a decade, drawing crowds of thousands of people every year. Houston will be its second Texas stop on the tour — following Arlington — before visits to Austin, San Antonio, and El Paso later that month.

As a note, the cafe truck only accepts debit or credit cards, and not cash.

Other Texas cities on the tour route include:

September 30 – Arlington
October 7 – Houston
October 21 — San Antonio
October 28 – El Paso

New artisanal pizzeria opens in First Ward with authentic, Neapolitan wood-fired pies

First Ward's new pizzeria

Armando Dimeo and Jordan Kone really like pizza. That passion has fueled the opening of a new pizzeria in First Ward.

Meet Coastline Artisan Pizzeria. Located in the former Cafeza space at the corner of Houston Avenue and Crockett Street, the new restaurant fulfills a goal the childhood friends have been planning for years.

“One of the questions that came up between the two of us was, where do you get pizza in Houston? We could never really answer the question,” Dimeo tells CultureMap. “The style of pizza we liked to eat, which is thin and crispy and Neapolitan. We could never answer the question, so we brought this place together.”

Dimeo, whose family owns Antonio’s Italian Grill in Deer Park and Gennaro's Trattoria in Canyon Lake, developed a grilled pizza to satisfy his craving for a thin and crispy pizza. Each of the oblong-shaped pies start on the restaurant’s grill before being finished in an oven. The sturdy crust allows for more toppings, as in The O.G. that’s topped with mozzarella, Italian sausage, ricotta, habanero honey, basil, and tomato sauce.

To learn to make a proper Neapolitan, Dimeo trained with master pizzaiolo Tony Gemignani in San Francisco. Coastline ferments its dough for between 36 and 48 hours to let it develop additional flavor. With a thinner, looser crust, the pies get minimal toppings, including a traditional margherita with buffalo mozzarella or another with soppressata and hot relish.

Since the Neapolitan pies are baked in a wood-burning oven, they’re only available at dinner. That the oven is purely wood-burning is a point of pride for both owners.

“One of my biggest pet peeves is pizzerias saying they’re wood-fired then there’s this gas jet shooting up,” Dimeo says. “This oven takes about three hours to get up to temperature. It’s about as traditional as you can get.”

The dinner menu also includes small plates such as meatballs, salmon cakes, bruschetta, and marinated olives. At lunch, focaccia sandwiches provide an alternative to the grilled pizzas.

Photo by Eric Sandler

Coastline Artisan Pizzeria is now open for lunch and dinner.

In addition to serving both of its signature pizza styles, the restaurant plans to add a rotating monthly special to its menu. “We’re going to do a different style of pizza every month,” Kone says. “We’ll do Detroit, Sicilian — we can put different toppings on it.”

Bartender Jason Garcia brings experience from Two Headed Dog to Coastline’s cocktail menu. His offerings include eight house originals, including three that pack a dose of spicy heat.

To transform Cafeza into Coastline, Dimeo and Kone shortened the bar — to make room for the wood-burning oven — and added wood beams to brighten the room. With its brick walls and long, narrow layout, the space recalls the feel of typical New York City restaurants. After a few days of soft opening and a week of lunch and dinner service, the early feedback has been positive.

In the coming weeks, Coastline plans to deepen that relationship with neighborhood specials and a bicycle-powered delivery option. For now, they’re meeting their new neighborhoods and focusing on the food.

“They’ve treated us well,” Dimeo says about the area. “We’re just happy to be here.”

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