Houston.BloggersPub

After the Houston Press mentioned my Dr Pepper Icee advocacy work, Sally wrote into the old blog and let me know about another location.

She says the Target at Eldridge and 1960 has the slushy brown stuff on tap.

Thanks Sally!

Of course you can always let me know where the Dr Pepper Icee locations are (or Coke/Pepsi Icees too if no DP is around) by email, blog comment, Twitter or Facebook.

Don't forget to see the Google Map Matt Bramanti made from my lists. Matt, here is another one to add!

See more Dr Pepper Icee locations in Houston.

First of all, I don't know Marc Adler, never have. But the Houston Press says he was a former KTRK Channel 13 intern and now is the creator of a new animated movie called Delgo.

READ ABOUT HIM

More from The Houston Business Journal :

“Delgo” is being released in more than 2,000 theaters nationwide, including about 30 in the Houston area, on Dec. 12.

“Delgo” is the first animated feature-length film from Atlanta-based Fathom Studios, a division of Macquarium Intelligent Communications, an interactive agency Adler started in 1991 in his dorm room while attending Emory College in Atlanta.

The film is about a carefree teenager who forms a forbidden friendship with a spunky princess. Hostilities between their two peoples escalate, setting the stage for an exiled empress to exact her revenge and reclaim her rule. READ MORE

See the movie's Web site. The movie has won a lot of prizes around the world already.

(Image courtesy Flickr user Lightyear44)

Wow. This guy really likes the game Mario Kart. You know, that's the one where you take Super Mario Brothers characters and race?

He likes the game so much, he put on a Mario costume, raced around France and even tried to thwart other cars with banana peels!

WATCH IT

In real life it is the police that stop you and not mushrooms.

I wanted to break the news on the MikeMcGuff.com blog...Disney is turning over the theme parks to me. My name is going to be all over them. Click below to see.






In full disclosure I work for Disney but was not asked to post this item. In fact I found this on a non-Disney blog.

(via Steve Rubel)

Rebecca Aguilar formerly worked at Fox 4 KDFW in Dallas, now she is writing for DFW online site Pegasus News.

She wrote a great article on my friends' daughter Abigail "Abby" Kearney who I have blogged about. Her parents are holding a book drive in her memory for the Medical City Children's Hospital in Dallas.

READ THE ARTICLE

Our west coast pal Josh Morgan dropped me a note about a video that has 40 inspirational speeches in 2 minutes!

WATCH IT

David Weinberger originally posted the video.

The big news just came in today. CBS is swapping stations with Clear Channel as per a Department of Justice order . That means the two mega radio companies swap 5 mid-sizedl market stations and 2 major market ones. Those major market ones are Houston's 101.1 KLOL and Mix 96.5 KHMX.

I talked with former Mix 96.5 KHMX morning show host Sam Malone this morning about the swap.

Malone says CBS is a well established company. He was surprised that Clear Channel swapped the stations instead of selling them especially since they are heritage stations. It shows him what a soft market it is right now.

And the big statement Malone game me today is he will be back in radio.

I think the swap is very good news for the radio listening public. CBS owns 100.3 KILT, Hot 95.7 KKHH, Sports Radio 610 KILT and 650 KIKK in Houston. Will CBS bring rock back to 101.1 KLOL?  The company is no stranger to the rock format.

- KHMX and KLOL under new ownership
- KLOL And Mix 96 Get A New Owner
- CBS Radio, Clear Channel in radio station swap
- CBS & Clear Channel Trade Stations
- CBS RADIO to Swap Five Mid-Size Market Stations for Two Large Market Stations With Clear Channel Communications

Guest blogger Mike Riccetti is author of the Houston Dining on the Cheap and the Zagat Survey for 2008 Texas Restaurants for Houston. I welcome him to the MikeMcGuff.com Blog. 

A trip to the Chicago area and a visit with relatives who enjoy dining out spurred this idea that I thought might be useful for Mike’s blog, especially with the advent of the Christmas holidays and people traveling to Houston.

Those relatives enjoyed past trips to Houston, and the hope that they would make it back to Houston within the year made me think of which restaurants I would recommend for their next visit. Regardless of level of connoisseurship, dining out is a great way to show off one of the city’s best attributes. Out-of-towners might just think of Tex-Mex and barbecue here, and requests for these can easily be satisfied, but there is much, much more in what is one of the very best restaurant cities in the country.

Below are listed twenty restaurants of varying price ranges to impress or just successfully entertain out-of-town guests. I believe that these are emblematic of the Houston restaurant scene, either exhibiting some of the popular local flavors and dishes, or places that are just very good.

§ Beavers - Innovative barbecue and other tasty dishes in a friendly, casual setting that also offers a good selection of wines, a great beer list, and an incredible array of spirits and cocktails. www.beavershouston.com
§ Café Red Onion - Central American-tinged Tex-Mex that’s a great deal for the attractive, flavorful fare in three locations around town. www.caferedonion.com
§ Carrabba’s - The Kirby location of the long-popular Houston take on Southern Italian-American cooking is still boisterous and crowded after twenty years for a reason. The Voss address is also still worth visiting though the others are not nearly in the same class; these first two that are still owned by the Carrabba clan. www.carrabbas.com
§ Catalan - Interesting and top-notch New American with Spanish influences with a fantastic wine list (and excellent prices to match) in a fun, loud setting. www.catalanfoodandwine.com
§ Churrascos - Moist and delicious steaks, zesty Latin fare and vibrant settings make for enjoyable fine dining at the restaurants that introduced tres leches to Houstonians, and which remain favorites after two decades. www.cordua.com
§ Danton’s - Houston-style seafood including what is probably the area’s best seafood gumbo. www.dantonsseafood.com
§ Dolce Vita - Excellent, casual pan-Italian fare including Italian-style pizzas that are better than the vast majority of pizzas outside of Naples, and a number in Naples, too. www.dolcevitahouston.com
§ El Tiempo - Top-notch Tex-Mex with prices to match, but quality is worth the tariff including the fajitas with filet mignon. www.eltiempocantina.com
§ Feast - Modern British food (don’t let that phrase discourage you) that’s interesting, hearty and a great value for the quality and size of the entrées, plus the focused, food-friendly wine list also has some excellent values. The cuts might be strange, but the flavors are great, and usually quite relatable. www.feasthouston.com
§ Goode Co. Barbeque - Now in three locations, these prove that very good barbecue can be cooked at more than tiny pits in out-of-the-way neighborhoods; also, there are great sides and some of the best pecan pie around. www.goodecompany.com
§ Goode Co. Seafood - Houston-style seafood prepared several ways including uniquely mesquite-grilled; the Campechana is one of this city’s signature starters. www.goodecompany.com
§ Goode Co. Taqueria - Yes, I do like the Goode Co. restaurants. Come on the weekends for some of the best breakfasts in the universe, Texas-style. www.goodecompany.com
§ Hugo’s - Upscale regional Mexican food that is probably the best Mexican restaurant in town, and a great and fine value Sunday brunch. www.hugosrestaurant.net
§ Indika - Excellent modern Indian food from one of the top restaurants in the city. www.indikausa.com
§ Lupe Tortilla - These kitschy, sprawling Tex-Mex joints with several area outposts are family friendly and serve delicious fajitas with some of the thinnest and freshest flour tortillas you’ll have at an area restaurant. www.lupetortillas.com
§ Ninfa’s on Navigation - Houston’s favorite Tex-Mex that never fails to impress; only at the original Navigation location, of course. www.mamaninfas.com
§ Otilia’s - Excellent regional Mexican food that is easily affordable. www.otilias.com
§ Reef - Modern Gulf Coast seafood with wide-ranging global influences that was recently named the best seafood restaurant in the country by Bon Appetit magazine. www.reefhouston.com
§ Shade - Also globally influenced, and managing to be a proper version of modern Houston comfort food; a good brunch spot, too. www.shadeheights.com
§ Tony Mandola’s Gulf Coast Kitchen - Houston-style seafood that has pleased for years. www.tonymandolas.com

If these are not expensive enough, there is always Da Marco, Mark’s and Tony’s; and if not new enough, you can check out recently opened spots from acclaimed chefs, Scott Tycer and Robert Gadsby, at Textile and Bedford, respectively, both in the Heights. These five might be better choices if your guests are offering to treat.

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For what it’s worth, I am the author of three editions of Houston Dining on the Cheap and the current local editor for the Zagat Survey.

See Mike Riccetti's other guest post:
Best sandwiches in Houston

AC/DC rock Houston
Did AC/DC thunderstruck the Houston audience at the Toyota Center Sunday night?
- Houston AC/DC photos

Axl Rose has broken his silence and is talking directly to Guns N' Roses fans on Internet message boards.  No surprise I find it totally fascinating.  He refutes much of what Slash and other GNR members have said about him. Hey, Axl, if you want to talk, I'll interview you in a more structured manner than a bunch of fans. After all, I've been promoting Chinese Democracy since 2005.
- AXL ROSE: Why I Am Continung To Use Name GUNS N' ROSES
- AXL ROSE Breaks Silence On 'Chinese Democracy', Original GN'R Reunion, DR PEPPER And BRIAN MAY
- AXL ROSE Takes Part In Another Online Chat, Says There Are 'No Plans' For GN'R Tour Right Now
- Axl Rose finally promotes Chinese Democracy...sort of

- VAN HALEN's Legendary M&M's Rider Unveiled

- Iron Maiden have integrity and a sense of humor

- Pearl Jam Ready Massive “Ten” Reissues

- METALLICA's KIRK HAMMETT: 'We've Always Had An Open Mind Toward The Internet'

- KISS Making First Album Since '98

- POISON's C.C. DEVILLE Tops GUITAR WORLD's List Of '100 Worst Guitar Solos'

- NIN To Stop Touring

- Coldplay Responds To Plagiarism Accusations

- Faith No More Not Reuniting

- Smashing Pumpkins To Become A 'Singles Band'

- Fall Out Boy Streaming New Album On Myspace

Amy Poehler has been a staple and rising star on Saturday Night Live for a while now, but all good things must come to an end. Here is her goodbye video from Saturday night.

CLICK TO WATCH

Here is where she is going...right?

(Image courtesy of Flickr user Jeff Houck)