Houston View

Museum of Printing History

By Cathy Stucker Tuesday March 9, 2010

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Everything you ever wanted to know about printing, from ancient books, to early printing presses, on through the first Xerox machines! There are vintage printing presses that are used to demonstrate historical printing techniques, such as how documents were printed in colonial times. The Museum offers classes on printing, papermaking and bookbinding, too.

There are traveling and rotating exhibitions of fine art prints, rare books and manuscripts, and artifacts. One of my favorites of the permanent exhibits is the miniature book collection. True miniature books do not exceed three inches in length, and the detail and beauty of these small wonders must be seen to be appreciated. There are also colorful illuminated manuscripts from the Middle Ages and much more.

The Museum will customize tours for groups, or just come and explore on your own.

The Museum features artifacts such as:

Mesopotamian Cylinder Seals
Ancient Papyrus Fragments
Asian Movable Type & early Asian Printing
Illuminated Manuscripts
1450 Gutenberg Press Replica
Old Master Etchings & Engravings
Ben Franklin’s “Pennsylvania Gazette”
Historical Newspapers
Documents printed by Samuel Bangs, first printer in Texas, with one of his presses
1830 Star-wheel Oak Lithography Press
Letterpress & Type Collection
Antique Bookbinding Equipment

Museum of Printing History
1324 W. Clay at Waugh, Houston, Texas
713-522-4652
Open Tues.-Sat., 10 a.m.-5 p.m
Admission: Free. Guided tours are available for $4 (Adults) and $2 (Students and Seniors). Call to schedule tours.
http://www.printingmuseum.org

From the intersection of Westheimer and Montrose, go west on Westheimer to Waugh. Turn right on Waugh, past West Gray, to West Clay. Turn right on West Clay. There is free parking in the lot next to the museum, in the lot across the street and on the street.

Goode Company Texas BBQ

By Mike Riccetti Friday March 5, 2010

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The overwhelming popularity of the informal, attractive Goode Co. Barbecue restaurants is exceedingly well deserved. These are the best overall barbecue restaurants in the area.

The brisket, which in Texas is barbecue, is fantastic. Only strict barbecue purists would find any significant point for which to quibble. The brisket is green-mesquite smoked for eighteen hours and exceedingly moist, tender, and delicious. As with any excellent brisket, knives are rarely required to cut it, and sauce is not really required. In addition to brisket, the house-made Czech and Jalapeno Pork Sausages, the spicy pork, and the turkey are especially flavorful. They also serve beef ribs, chicken and duck.

In addition to the plates, the sandwiches are also a great choice. The high quality, fresh bun makes for the best brisket sandwich around. Sandwiches are also available with their wonderful jalapeno cheese bread, and in the slightly larger po boy size that also features a bun freshly made for the task. The sauce, slightly spicy with a medium consistency, though a fine complement, can probably stand a slight improvement. It’s probably the only real demerit, and a minor one at that. The meats are exemplary, especially given the broad range that are cooked.

Another difference between Goode Co. and all of the other quality barbecue joints around is the very high quality of their side dishes. These are definitely not the scooped-from-the-can beans and potato salad that you typically find at other barbecue places. There are terrific Austin Baked Beans (baked beans cooked with chunks of apple for a slightly sweet taste); excellent potato salad; flavorful jambalaya; and the aforementioned house-made jalapeno cheese bread. And for dessert, there is their legendary pecan pie.

The quality of the food is undeniable. The service is cafeteria-style. The lines are usually long during the long lunch and dinner peak times, but the proficient staff makes sure things move very quickly. This is another hallmark of the Goode Co. restaurants, professional and prompt service. These are places to grab a longneck and enjoy the best in barbecue.

Goode Co. Barbecue has three Houston locations:
5109 Kirby (between Bissonnet and Westpark), Houston, Texas 77098, (713) 522-2530
8911 Katy Freeway (east of Campbell, south side of 1-10), Houston, Texas 77024, (713) 464-1901
20102 Northwest Freeway (south of Hwy 6/FM-1960), Houston, Texas 77065, (832) 678-3562
www.goodecompany.com

Copyright Mike Riccetti. Adapted from Houston Dining on the Cheap, and used with permission.

Image credit: Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau (photographer: Michael Stencel)

Houston Fire Museum

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The museum is housed in the former fire station No. 7, opened in 1899 as the first paid fire station for the City of Houston. Inside, you’ll see everything from fire fighter uniforms and helmets to fire fighting vehicles (including a 1912 water tower). Antique equipment on display at the Houston Fire Museum includes a [...]

Kenneally’s Irish Pub

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It should be well known by now that Kenneally’s serves some of the best pizza in the area, though this might be surprising to the uninitiated, given the setting.
The quality of the pizza begins with the crust, which is thin, crisp and tasty. The cheese and toppings are of high quality, and are not overdone, [...]

Houston Farmers’ Market

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Houston farmers’ markets give city folk a place to buy fresh, locally-grown produce. There are several farmers’ markets located around Houston, so there is probably one not too far from you. However, even if there is not one in your neighborhood, these markets are worth driving to.
Canino’s Produce
2520 Airline Dr., Houston TX, 77009
713-862-4027
http://www.caninoproduce.com
Open 6am [...]

Chuy’s Tex Mex Restaurants

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$Chuy’s Tex Mex Restaurants$

Though it doesn’t feel like a chain, Chuy’s began in Austin in the early 1980s, and it’s been a very popular part of the Houston dining landscape for quite a while. In a time where it has become fashionable to proclaim authentic or regional quality of the Mexican dishes, the food is unabashedly and stylishly [...]