Steal away into the Texas Hill Country without leaving Houston. The creek group, Onion Creek, Cedar Creek, Dry Creek and Canyon Creek, is a family of four restaurants with transparent country folk pride. In the past two weeks, I ventured into two of the four, Onion Creek and Cedar Creek, to escape the city smog and Fondren Library lights.Located in the Heights, sharing the neighborhood with Fitzgerald's and several open-air bars and restaurants, is Onion Creek, the original creek cafe. Beyond the patio seating, which wraps around from the entrance to one side of the cafe, is the indoor seating and order counter. On the wall behind the hybrid order counter and bar, rows of beer bottles sit atop shelves laced with Christmas lights. Neon-lit beer company signs hang alongside painted, wooden city signposts, Animal House posters and deer heads. In contrast to the elaborately decorated walls, the seating is simple and cozy.Outside, cigarette smoke furled over parties of people squeezed knee-to-knee on wooden bench tables as they shared buckets of Shiner's. Inside, patrons watched ESPN from couches and booth seating, while a couple slid into the stool seats of an appropriated Pac-Man machine. A circular table with a solitary burning candle beckoned my friend and me to sit near a dormant hearth. The waiter brought us our starter, chips with salsa, queso and guacamole. At a steep price of $12, we thought the portion would be able to feed a party of four, but the dips came in small bowls, and the two of us finished most of the chips before our dinner arrived 10 minutes later. Of the three dips, the salsa was the best, with a crisp bite of spice. The guacamole was comparable in taste to Baker College kitchen guacamole, and the cheese was of the same consistency and taste as the nacho cheese pumped onto chips at a baseball game.Onion Creek offers a breakfast menu and a lunch and dinner menu. In addition to chip-based starters, there are the standard hummus and spinach-artichoke dips and the not-so-standard fried pickles. More substantial plates include salads, sandwiches (cutely called sammiches) and country backyard barbecue favorites: Frito pies, hot dogs, burgers and pizza.While Onion Creek keeps some dishes simple, like the Frito pies, it creatively deviates from the basic ingredients of others, such as the pizzas. One gourmet innovation is the Italian goat ciabatta bread pizza, an artisan ciabatta stacked with a conglomeration of pesto, Italian sausage, goat cheese, artichoke hearts and spinach. The pizza was savory, a little greasy and hard to put down in one sitting. We also tried the brewhouse dog, which, to my dismay, had to be served atop a far-too-thick bun of soft white bread rather than a pretzel bun because Onion Creek was out. The pretzel bun would have better complemented the Munich-inspired beef hot dog with grilled onions and spicy ale mustard, but with the white bun, it fell short of top dog.After peeling one slice of havarti cheese off the Big Nasty Burger, which also contained grilled onions, crimini mushrooms, applewood bacon, horseradish mayonnaise and barbecue sauce, the burger was delicious. Onion Creek justifiably cooked its onions right: soft but not soggy. The mayonnaise and barbecue sauce seeped into the medium-rare burger, and the sweet challah bread balanced the pungent hint of horseradish.Farther north in the Heights, hidden within a nondescript residential neighborhood, Cedar Creek made me feel like I had stumbled upon a patio bar in Luckenbach, Texas. The restaurant sits atop a hill surrounded by a trickling creek and is accessible by a short, wooden footbridge. Trees shorn of their leaves in winter hold up criss-crossed lines of large, bulbed white Christmas lights. Beer advertisements scatter the walls of the patio and plants hang from the awnings. Past the fire pit encircled with logs is the cafe bar and grill. The interior echoes that of Onion Creek, with beer bottles lining the counter wall and a heterogeneous mix of dining furniture.Outside, a trio of men, all sporting cowboy boots, kicked back with cold beers, and a pair of women enjoyed glasses of wine while their children played around the creek. Whereas the diners at Onion Creek were mainly groups of friends in their mid-20s and 30s, the patrons of Cedar Creek included more families with young children.My friend and I ordered at the counter, indulging in beer and burgers. Cedar Creek, akin to Onion Creek, offers a breakfast menu as well as a lunch and dinner menu. The "Cedar Creek Fixins" lunch and dinner menu is as large as Onion Creek's but focused less on making simple food gourmet and more on showcasing country and Tex-Mex flavor. Dishes here include starters like the battered fried jalapenos and fried mushrooms with buttermilk ranch sauce. The menu also offers a host of shareable baskets (finger food), such as the jumbo Gulf Coast shrimp basket with cole slaw, Texas toast, fries and tartar sauce, and quesadillas, like the "Down Home" with spinach, mushrooms, grilled onions and red bell peppers. Compared to Onion Creek, where Cedar Creek has downsized in hot dogs and pizza, it has expanded in its offerings of burgers. The menu includes Angus beef burgers ($3 extra for a buffalo patty substitute), bird burgers (chicken and turkey) and meatless burgers.Outside, on a slightly unstable metal table with mismatched lawn chairs, we tried the Hill Country Burger with a side of onion rings and the 'Bello Burger with a cup of fruit. The Hill Country Burger is Cedar Creek's house burger, a fresh ground beef patty decked with lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickle. The standard toppings played second fiddle to the char-grilled medium-rare burger supported in a thick challah bread bun. A nod to both the big-as-your-face Texas portions and the original creek cafe's eponymous speciality vegetable, large golden-battered onion annuli filled half the plate and reached a height taller than the burger. Thin, crisp ring shells enclosed but did not disguise the sharp onion taste.I made the mistake of trying to cut the 'Bello Burger, a portobello mushroom topped with goat cheese, tomato, onion, lettuce and sweet pesto mayonnaise, in half. The challah bread crumbled under the pressure of the goat cheese-laden mushroom, and the contents of the delicate burger toppled across the plate. Otherwise, the burger, chosen with a side of subpar fruit (melons and pineapple), was a gummy mix of meatless goodness, oozing with tomato and highlighted by detectable, though not overpowering, pesto and goat cheese flavors.Onion Creek beats Cedar Creek in its varied menu options, proximity to Rice and more gregarious atmosphere, but Cedar Creek has that country folk charm in its quaint Hill Country decor, creekside seating and unhurried staff members who you hope will say "y'all come back now" before you traverse the bridge and return to the paved parking lot of the city.
Under the guidance of the Hall of Fame Head Coach Wayne Graham, fans of the Rice baseball team have been spoiled by success amid the program's rise to national prominence over the last two decades.
Crysis 3 - The third entry in the popular first person shooter series is set in a futuristic New York City, which has been contained in a giant nano-dome of seven distinct environments, and follows the Prophet, the nano-suit soldier, on a quest to rediscover his humanity and exact brutal revenge. The game contains upgrades including expanded multiplayer options, new weapon selections, a new signature "bow and electric arrow" and improved graphics. Available for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
With only one game this weekend, the Rice Owls had a lot of time to prepare for the arrival of the University of Houston Cougars to Tudor Fieldhouse this past Sunday. Coming off their first win in quite a while, the Owls were hoping to use their victory against the University of Alabama, Birmingham, as a stepping stone to leave the basement of the conference standings. Unfortunately, the Cougars had other plans.
In the past few weeks, students all across campus cast their ballots to elect the newest crop of residential college presidents. Now's your chance to learn more about these new leaders and their thoughts about key issues like their presidential goals, the alcohol policy and their favorite traditions.
Less than two weeks removed from an outing in which the Rice men's basketball team scored 54 points in a single half, the Owls (519, 1-9) were unable to match such offensive output in a frustrating conference defeat. Hosting the Southern Methodist University Mustangs (13-12, 3-7) last Saturday, Rice had its worst shooting day of the season in a 61-39 defeat at Tudor Fieldhouse. The Owls came out with a game plan to attack offensively from the perimeter, converting on four out of 13 attempts from behind the 3-point line in the first half. But Rice simply could not produce any offense from inside the arc, scoring just two points in the paint over the first 20 minutes against SMU. Led by legendary NCAA and NBA Head Coach Larry Brown, the Mustangs took a 26-17 lead at the half. Sophomore guard Julian DeBose and senior guard Tamir Jackson each reached double digits in scoring for Rice, but the Owls struggled all day from the field and were unable to bring the deficit within single digits in the second half. The team shot just 19.6 percent (10 for 51) from the field for the game, falling at home on an offense-deprived evening.Head Coach Ben Braun's squad was much more competitive on the road Wednesday when it traveled to take on Marshall University (11-14, 4-6) for another league tilt. The Owls and Thundering Herd played to a 33-33 tie at halftime, and Jackson and junior guard Austin Ramljak combined for 22 points in the first half. Rice took the lead late in an incredibly close second half when freshman forward Ross Wilson's layup with 3:53 remaining made it a 61-60 game. But after Marshall scored four straight points from the line, Jackson was forced out of the game with an eye injury in the closing minutes. Freshman guard Keith Washington entered the game and scored layups on back-to-back possessions, but Marshall responded with a corner 3 and iced the game with free throws while Jackson made his way back into the game. The resilient Owls, shorthanded with sophomore forward Seth Gearhart out due to injury, battled all night on the road but fell by a one-point margin 71-70 for their fourth straight loss.Milestone Watch: Amid what has been a tumultuous senior season, Jackson continues to put his finishing touches on what has simply been one of the best careers in the history of the men's basketball program. Jackson became just the ninth player in program history to surpass the 1,500-point mark Saturday and currently stands eighth on the career scoring list after going for 16 at Marshall. Jackson also now ranks fourth all time in career assists and fifth in career steals after this week's games. With six regular season games left, Jackson has the opportunity to finish at least second all time in games played in a career, depending on how far the Owls can advance in the Conference USA tournament. Lastly, Jackson currently stands second all time in minutes played and is on pace to pass Dana Hardy ('89'92) for the career record, 3,397 minutes, if he stays healthy for the rest of the season.
The treading gets tougher for the Owls as they try to break out of their recent slide. Last Thursday, the Owls fell to a rolling Texas A&M University team that cruised in and took the 6-1 result. Even with the negative result, Head Coach Efe Ustundag took some positives from the match saying the team now knows the level they need to play at to beat those elite teams."We have been emphasizing this all season that the talent level is not that much different," Ustundag said. "It is the good teams that make you play for every point. They do not give you anything free."Rice was supposed to play at Louisiana State University on Sunday, but weather played a factor. Ustundag said the match would have gone on in an indoor facility, but Mardi Gras made travelling to New Orleans almost impossible.The team said they felt there were many benefits from the extra time including the potential recovery of senior Peter Frank, who is listed as day-to-day. Ustundag is hopeful that he will have Frank back out there for the weekend and beyond. Otherwise, major shifts in doubles will have to occur."I think the pushing back of the game gave us a little bit of time to see what Peter's status is and we have to shuffle some doubles around so we can practice with those pairs," Ustundag said.Senior Jonathan Chang agreed that the extra time was much needed as more practice and more rest is just what the doctor ordered."I think it gives us more time to fix what we did wrong against A&M," Chang said. "Also, it gives us more time to rest."Depending on the result against LSU yesterday, the Owls are now off to a 2-4 start, something that Ustundag was not envisioning in his first year at the helm. Rice has a quick turnaround in two days as Texas Christian University comes to visit Jake Hess Stadium. Last year against the Horned Frogs, the Owls won in a thriller in Fort Worth 4-3. Rice is hoping to build off last year's result as this is an important mark in their season. Another loss could be sending the Owls to a disappointing season, but a win here could change the swing of things.Ustundag said he feels that TCU is an underrated team with narrow losses against elite teams and an upset win earlier in the year over Stanford."[TCU] is a very good team, " Ustundag said. "They have had some unlucky losses. They lost to A&M 5-2, but they said it was the best opponent they have faced all year. TCU beat Stanford on the road and had a very tough loss at Tulsa."Chang said he agrees that TCU is going to be a challenge and is excited to be playing in front of the fans at Jake Hess because he knows they will help."TCU is a really good team this year, but they just beat Stanford," Chang said. "I actually do not know what to expect at this point. They have some good new players, so we will see how it goes. I am excited to play at home because it gives us a nice advantage."Ustundag feels this match against TCU could be tougher than the match against LSU would have been. He says the season is hitting an important stretch and knows that this schedule will push the Owls to the limit."I think they are more dangerous than LSU when talent level and coaching is concerned," Ustundag said. "I like the fact we are playing them at home, but I think they will be stronger than LSU so the road does not get any easier for us."
So it may be a little insane and may even drive you up the wall, but you know the feeling. It is when you suddenly find yourself overcome with happiness - wait, there's also a little sadness infused in there. That is just what nostalgia is, I guess: two competing emotions, grappling for your attention. This feeling is enough to get you to talk up the old Nicktoons as though they were the best things in existence, and naturally, you grew up in the best decade ever: the '90s. The other day, I revisited an episode of Rocko's Modern Life, and while I loved the show as a kid, I wonder how warped my childhood mind must have been for me to have enjoyed it for so long.
A new building will soon be rising on the Rice skyline. The Moody Foundation donated $20 million this week to go toward building the new Moody Center for the Arts. The building will be located near Entrance 8, around the Rice University Media Center, and the construction start date is targeted for 2015.
When asked about The Vagina Monologues, playwright Eve Ensler said, "I think often women are not listened to, and the monologue forces you to listen." Although originally written in the '90s, it is clear that the issues of womanhood, identity and sexuality Ensler wanted to give voice to back then are very much present now. Director and Baker College junior Tori Laxalt and her cast of 18 women courageously continue Sid Richardson College's tradition of bringing those issues to life in this year's production of The Vagina Monologues.The production consists of a series of monologues based on the experiences of over 200 women Ensler interviewed, each introduced with a fact or statistic by narrator and Martel College freshman Carrie Li. Some monologues are compilations of the stories of several women, while others are based on a single woman's account, a fact one wants desperately to forget when listening to a few of the more harrowing monologues. The sheer amount of memorization and courage required of each cast member is remarkable. With virtually no set, lighting or dialogue to rely on, each actress is completely vulnerable onstage, asked to command the entirety of the audience's attention for minutes on end. This is clearly a difficult feat which some are able to pull off rather impressively. Although the title of the play may lead some to assume a night of no-holds-barred male bashing, the monologues are more about the experiences of navigating through a world which holds so many conflicting views towards women. The monologues range from the lighthearted ("Six-Year-Old Girl") to the heartbreaking ("My Vagina Was My Village") to the shocking ("Reclaiming Cunt"). Although the show is far from comfortable, these monologues do exactly what Ensler set out to do, which is present the true accounts and experiences of women all over the world - the beautiful and the ugly.The Vagina Monologues falls victim to a few production issues. Although the venue itself is small enough to support an intimate production, it is at times difficult to hear or understand what actors are saying due to projection or enunciation issues. This shortcoming occasionally takes away from potentially funny or moving moments.One of the biggest challenges in staging a series of monologues is maintaining the momentum of the show and avoiding stagnancy, a challenge not quite overcome by this production. This is especially evident in the transitions between monologues, when the audience has to wait for one actress to exit before the next can enter. Some monologues could use a bit more staging to support the weaker actresses, while in other monologues, the movement seems ill-planned and tends to be distracting.There are certainly moments when the show shines, mostly due to the individual actresses who bring their monologues to life in a wonderfully engaging way. In "The Flood," Duncan College sophomore Clara Roberts is masterful as an elderly woman haunted by an embarrassing incident during her teenage years. The matter-of-fact way in which she recounts the story hits all the humorous moments while still effectively conveying the deep humiliation and fear which resulted.McMurtry College sophomore Shane Alpert throws inhibition to the wind in her fast-paced and highly amusing presentation of "The Woman Who Loved to Make Vaginas Happy," which culminates in a masterful display of vocal Olympics. Other standouts include Lovett College freshman Amber Wang in "Because He Liked to Look at It" as a woman who learns to love herself through the love of another and Sid Richardson College sophomore Maddie Camp, who performs a hilarious diatribe against the restrictions society places on women and their vaginas in "My Angry Vagina."Despite its flaws, The Vagina Monologues brings up many topics that tend to be shied away from, and this production is sure to bring up important questions and beliefs that deserve to be examined, both here at Rice and in communities around the world. Proceeds from the performances will go to the Houston Area Women's Center.
According to Baseball America's Top 25 Preseason poll the Owls are only playing three ranked opponents this season, but their schedule is still daunting with key conference matchups and rivalry games.
