Lassoing Rodeo Specials and Underbelly Hospitality Food News

Robin Barr Sussman

HERE'S THE LATEST on where to eat in H-town before or after the rodeo, or if you just crave fine Texas eats and drinks that boast a bargain!

Murder Island! Kristen Bird’s Debut Novel Is Set in Galveston and Based on Real Events

Edward Nawotka

EMILY CALLAHAN, AN 18-year-old senior at posh Callahan Preparatory Academy on Galveston Island, goes missing after a Mardi Gras party and is found 10 weeks later floating in the bay. She is alive, but has no memory of what happened. Intrigued? That’s the idea behind Kristen Bird’s debut novel The Night She Went Missing.

Besides Diving and Dining, the Dutch Isles of Aruba and Curaçao Are Attracting Guests with Something New: Vibrant Art

David Paul Rabalais & Jeff Gremillion

THERE'S A MYSTIQUE about the Netherlands-affiliated island states of Aruba and Curaçao, two of the three ABC Islands in the Caribbean just off the coast of Venezuela. (The third is Bonaire.) Gleaming white beaches and clear turquoise waters in the shadows of towering cliffs dotted with centuries-old forts may come to mind, and historic downtowns with tall skinny candy-colored buildings. All that is, of course, a major draw. Increasingly, so is art.

Actor Alan Brincks gets his makeup done for 'A Midsummer Night's Dream.'

BEGINNING AUG. 1 THROUGH Aug. 10, the Houston Shakespeare Festival, the professional arm of the University of Houston’s School of Theater and Dance, takes the stage at Miller Outdoor Theatre for its 50th iteration. The milestone event includes productions of Romeo & Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream, plus "Bard talks," all at no cost to viewers.

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Art + Entertainment

Dandelion Cafe owners Sarah Lieberman and J.C. Ricks with Mireya Villarreal of GMA, Chris Shepherd and Lindsey Brown of Southern Smoke Foundation (photo by Shane Dante Photography)

THE SOUTHERN SMOKE Foundation, established by chef Chris Shepherd, has only been around for seven years — but that's long enough to have helped hospitality workers through hurricanes, freezes, a pandemic, and countless other personal situations requiring emergency relief.

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Food