Houston, TX

Most Houstonians love their beef, and when looking for something more casual than steak au poivre but better than fast food…we need good recommendations for great burgers!

Every Tuesday the Houston Chronicle does an online reader poll to find out the best recs by residents. Recently readers voted for their favorite hamburger restaurants. See where readers say you ought to be eating for the tastiest burgers:

#1 Lankford’s Grocery — Lankford’s is a retro spot in mid-town on Dennis Street, and readers loved the juicy burgers piled high with all the veggies. It sounds like delicious burgers and great ambience if you like classic diners.

#2 Tookie’s — this one surprised me. I had heard it highly suggested so we gave it a try. We must have hit it on an off-day because we found tiny, tasteless burgers of McDonald’s quality for top price! But 20% of readers—the highest number—said it has the best burgers in the Houston area. Tookie’s is down on 146 just before the Seabrook-Kemah bridge.

#3 Bellaire Broiler Burger — A classic burger joint from the ’60s, readers loved the flame broiled burgers so juicy you need extra napkins. Critics say the decor is simple, the food traditional and delicious. Located on Bellaire Blvd in Bellaire.

#4 Christian’s Tailgate Grill and Bar — After the top three old-fashioned and retro entries, readers next liked the modern version of hamburger and sides. Select from hand-formed burgers, prefab fries and carmelized onion rings. Located on Bagby in Houston.

#5 Mytiburger — Mytiburger has two locations in Houston (northwest and west). I haven’t tried it and no readers rated it with any specifics so it’s a bit of a mystery…but if you feel like taking a bet, perhaps 9% of readers responding to the poll can’t be all wrong!

The #1 write in was the District 7 Grill on Pierce St. in Houston. Apparently the service is as good as the burgers there.

Have a great weekend.

[tags]Burgers, Best Burgers, best Burgers in Houston, Houston Chronicle Poll[/tags}

Amanda Ulman and perennial candidate Outlaw Josey Wales IV are challenging Mayor Bill White in the upcoming mayoral election. Mayor White is seeking a third (and final) term.

You’ll also be asked to vote for four open Houston City Council seats, two open seats on the Houston Independent School District board of trustees, among others. For more information about candidates, see the Houston Chronicle.

What are the biggest issues you are considering for the upcoming election?

What do you think about the various candidates on the ballot?

election, mayoral election, mayor bill white, Outlaw Josey Wales IV, Amanda Ulman, Houston city council, Houston independent school district, HISD

Found a new local blog this morning that looks interesting: Professors R Squared. They claim to be the only openly Republican political science professors in Houston, maybe even Texas. Sounds like they would get along nicely with Benjamin Shapiro, who someone suggested to James Campbell that the Chronicle hire since Cragg Hines is retiring.

Benjamin Shapiro’s columns, though, are extremely ridiculous. The Chron is looking for a local conservative, which doesn’t bug me too much but also doesn’t exactly replace Cragg Hines, but Shapiro is absurd. Can you imagine the Chron running a column titled “The Radical Evil Of The Palestinian Arab Population”? Because that’s what last week’s Ben Shapiro column was called. This week’s was slightly tamer, focusing on “The Big Lie About The Great Depression.”

The reason that this blog reminded me of Ben Shapiro was that he wrote a book challenging the liberal bias in professors at colleges and universities. He also wrote a book about “the porn generation,” but that’s another post altogether. His relevant book is called Brainwashed. In this book, Shapiro proves that colleges are really “dungeons of the mind that indoctrinate students to become socialists, atheists, race-baiters, and narcissists.” Mmhmm. I intend to read it myself and find out.

So I think we can probably count him out as far as the Chronicle goes. Maybe one of the professors would like to apply for the job?

politics, education, conservatives, blogs, benjamin shapiro, houston chronicle