Your Daily Guide

🎡 Why Less People Are Going to the Fair

Attendance at this year’s State Fair of Texas dropped by around 385,000, its lowest since 2018. Some have taken to social media to complain about the cost of attending and vendor prices, something fair officials said they’d discuss before next year. One vendor pointed to the heat as the reason people are not attending. [Chron]

• The State Fair generates more than $600 million of economic activity annually, according to the event’s website. [State Fair of Texas]

🗳️ Voter Registration Backlog Resolved

The number of pending voter registrations in Harris County is down to 73 after delays in the state’s transition to a new voting software caused that number to balloon to more than 21,000 two weeks ago. Several other counties have experienced issues with the Texas Election Administration Management system since it was rolled out in July, some of which have reportedly been fixed. [Houston Public Media]

• Check your voter registration on the county website before the Nov. 4 election.

🚉 Red Line Commutes Hit Red Light

MetroRail’s Red Line lost priority at intersections, meaning commuter trains had to stop at red lights, after traffic signal updates in September. Priority has been restored at more than half of the affected intersections — many of them downtown — but internal emails showed the Red Line’s on-time performance dropped from 93% to 60% and ridership decreased by 14%. [Houston Business Journal]

🏡 Are the Suburbs Better Than the Beltway?

From hidden gems around the suburbs to the Loop, the choices are many, but what corner of Houston has the best living? We revisit Hey Houston editor Brooke Lewis’ favorite episode on the best places to live in Houston. [City Cast Houston 🎧]

Everyone’s favorite thing to explore in Montrose? The food! Whatever kind of cuisine you’re craving, you can find something delicious in Montrose. The only problem: there’s so many great options! So, what are the best places for coffee, a classic dish, or something adventurous? We’ve got you covered.

The Best Classic Restaurant

Paulie’s has been a staple for Italian food in Montrose since 1998. You can’t go wrong with any dish at this family restaurant. Whether you’re craving delicious pasta, pizza, or an Italian hoagie, you’re going to leave satisfied. My go-to order: the Italian family salad, a classic Italian pasta dish bucatini amatriciana, and the eleni pizza, aka with pepperoni. Pro tip: The portions are huge at Paulie’s, so you’ll always have leftovers!

The Best Coffee Shop

Looking for a cozy corner of Montrose? Check out Campesino Coffee, which serves up tasty Latin American coffee, empanadas, and tamales. This is a great place to catch up with a friend or get work done on your laptop. I recommend trying their Maya Mocha Latte and Choripan Argentine sandwich. City Cast Houston Executive Producer Laura Isensee also loves their cafe de olla, made with cinnamon and brown sugar.

The Best New Restaurant

ChòpnBlok, a popular West African food stall at POST Houston, opened a new brick-and-mortar location in Montrose last fall. I’m a huge fan of ChòpnBlok, especially their one-of-a-kind West African menu created by James Beard Award nominated Chef Ope Amosu. Once you’re at their Montrose location, you’re not going to want to leave! Artwork and textiles make the atmosphere colorful, and the tiled bar is so inviting. New to West African food? I highly recommend trying the Motherland bowl, made with steamed rice, Motherland curry, yaji vegetables, and sweet plantains.

The Best Patio

It’s hard to choose the best patio in Montrose, so I’m going to cheat a little for my answer 😉 Want to gather for drinks with friends on a cool summer evening? Then head to Boheme! Looking for a great date night patio? Brasil sometimes has a DJ, open mic, or movies on their patio! Marmo’s happy hour, where you can get $5 pasta, is legendary! It’s even better with a glass of wine on their patio 🍷