When to Visit - Arts and Events

Many first-time visitors who arrive from beyond American shores are amazed by the "Texan's" appearance. You regularly see people in the downtown area sporting cowboy boots, cowboy hats and other "Western" apparel. Then there's the rodeo which has managed to buck its way into the 21st century; for the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, plan on visiting in late February or early March.

Houston Dining

There's a food nostalgia revival going on in this part of Texas, where "Mom's cooking" is seen as part of a renewed reverence for regional dishes. This hankering for the local and authentic is perhaps reflected in the list of the city's best-selling cookery books with titles like "Prairie Home Cooking", "The Wild West Cookbook" and "A Cowboy in the Kitchen".

However, don't think eating in Houston means just steak and grits; the city has a prodigious number of restaurants representing countless ethnic cuisines. Houston's increasing Latino and Asian populations have spurred a mainstream interest in exotic foods such as curries, chili pastes and fish sauce, as well as ethnic staples such as couscous, enchiladas and tabbouleh. The city's menus indeed reflect an interesting and delicious balance where old meets the new.

Houston Tipping Advice

Restaurants in Houston are not in the habit of adding gratuities to the bill, so tipping is recommended: 15 percent where customers deem the service to be good and 20 percent if the meal and service have been excellent. Tips in taxis should be paid along similar lines. The recommended rate for doormen, parking attendants and valets is one US dollar.