THURSDAY TOP NEWS LINKS:
Houston Restaurant Weeks returns August 1st and runs through September 2nd.
Founded in 2003 by Cleverley Stone, Houston Restaurant Weeks raised over $1.22 million for the Houston Food Bank from the over 253,000 meals served at the 169 participating restaurants. The result: The 3.66 million meals provided for those who are food insecure, made Houston Restaurant Weeks 2012 the largest single fundraising event for the Food Bank and the largest restaurant weeks of its kind in the United States.
For thousands of Houstonians and visitors to the bayou city, Houston Restaurant Weeks provides a month-long passport to the city’s top restaurants and award-winning chefs. Recently Food & Wine magazine tapped Houston as “America’s newest capitol of great food,” coming as no surprise to locals who crowd some of the most popular dining rooms in the city.
Houston Restaurant Weeks is run by volunteers and 100 percent of the proceeds raised from area restaurants go directly to the Food Bank. For 33 days, diners get to taste prix-fixe menus specially priced at $20 for lunch and $35 and $45 for dinner. A $20 two or three-course lunch generates a $3 donation from the participating restaurants to the Houston Food Bank. A $35 three or four-course dinner generates a $5 donation, while a $45 three or four-course dinner generates a $7 donation.
In addition to the ever-expanding contribution made to the Houston Food Bank, Houston Restaurant Weeks has grown to include not only the trendiest eateries in Uptown Galleria, bustling downtown and vibrant Midtown, but also popular eateries in outlying communities such as The Woodlands, Sugar Land and Galveston, Texas, among others.
The estimated economic impact of HRW 2012 on the area totals more than $13 million, not including the exponential impact on salaries and wages, vendor income and service provider revenue for businesses associated with the restaurant industry.
“As one who reports on all the exceptional restaurants and top chefs in our city, I am overwhelmed by the out pouring of industry support for Houston Restaurant Weeks,” said founder & chair Cleverley Stone. “Houston Restaurant Weeks has become one of the most anticipated times of the year for local foodies and visitors to our city.
With all the recent accolades bestowed on our culinary scene, summer visitors can take advantage of the prix-fixe menus and wide range of offerings. From prime steak to lobster ceviche, Gulf redfish, duck confit, shrimp and grits, beef barbacoa enchiladas, chicken tikka masala and more, Houston Restaurant Weeks showcases the diversity of our city’s culinary prowess.”
A complete listing of participating restaurants and their respective Houston Restaurant Weeks menus can be found here.
LOCAL AREA HEADLINES:
- Why Interfaith Ministries Delivers More Than Just Meals On Wheels This Hurricane Season (KUHF Public Radio)
- Ex-Houston officer may get appeal hearing in teen beating conviction (KHOU 11 News)
- Legal expert: Captivity victim’s death not enough to charge suspect with murder (KTRK 13 News)
- Ordinary people tackling the extraordinary problem of pet overpopulation (KHOU 11 News)
- West Nile Virus Goes Easy On Harris County This Year (KUHF Public Radio)
- Researcher: Rising seas to put Galveston 25 percent underwater (Chron.com)
- Donate Life Texas looks to increase the number of registered minority organ donors (Your Houston News)
- Prairie View A&M Students Demand On-Campus Voting (Texas Tribune)
STATE HEADLINES:
- Cheap electricity available for low-income Texans (Austin Statesman)
- Environmentalists Examine The Long-Term Costs Of Fracking (Texas Public Radio)
- Five Months Later, Lawsuit Against Austin’s Bag Ban Still Pending (KUT Austin)
- Border Residents Question “Surge” Proposal (Texas Public Radio)
NATION & WORLD:
- Politifact: A misleading ‘Obamacare’ poll, courtesy of the Chamber of Commerce and Harris Interactive (Washington Post)
- Castro prosecutors detail women’s captivity (USA Today)
- House approves lower rates on student loans (USA Today)
- African dust poses problem for hurricane development (KPRC 2 News)