Day: June 17, 2021

First impression: Habibi Mediterranean and Tex-Mex Grill

Habibi Mediterranean and Tex-Mex grill. Photo: google

Saturday we ventured out to Brownsville and decided to try to have lunch at Habibi Mediterranean and Tex-Mex Grill. I love Mediterranean food because it is vegan/vegetarian friendly and having spent the last few years in San Antonio, I got used to eating it frequently. Much to my dismay, there are no Mediterranean restaurant in the area, unless you travel to McAllen. My sister recommended this place so I figured we would give it a try.

Finding the restaurant was not a problem but parking is limited. They open at 11a.m so of course we were there early to avoid the crowds because I have heard that it can get busy. There are more than enough tables for dining in and the Middle Eastern decorations set the mood for what you are about to eat. The two televisions were on but luckily the volume was not too high or it would have been distracting.

Devanny the waitress promptly stopped by and took our drink order and left the menus for us to look over. I ordered the falafel plate and my husband got the Habibi Mix Grill combination plate. As an appetizer, you get falafels with hummus and even though it came when we were halfway through our drinks, the falafels are obviously freshly made and the hummus is delicious. True to the posted sign at the counter: “We are not a fast food restaurant! Your food is made fresh every order. Please be patient,” it took almost thirty minutes to get our order but it was worth the wait. This is the type of Mediterranean food we are used to eating. Everything is flavorful and the portions are so generous that we ended up taking the leftovers home. I strongly recommend getting there early and make sure you are not too hungry, because there is a wait time.

They have Halal, vegetarian, vegan and keto options. The menu includes chicken, lamb, beef kebab grill, falafels, hummus, tabbouleh, baba ghanoush, shawarma, gyros, Greek salad, grape leaves, maklube, mansaf, kabsah, and much more. Confusing? The menu has pictures and the waitstaff is helpful and will answer any questions you might have. I was disappointed that the Baklava is only for dinner, I was looking forward to dessert. The prices are not too bad, the total for lunch was $26.25 excluding the tip.

Habibi Mediterranean and Tex-Mex grill started out as a food truck at The Broken Sprocket and has been at the current location for about two years with future plans to expand. A big thank you to Devanny and Alex, the owner, for taking the time to talk to us and answer our questions. We definitely enjoyed our visit and will be back again, not to mention recommend it to friends and family, especially those who have never had Mediterranean food. They do not know what they are missing. So once again, shop small, shop local, and support your neighborhood restaurants and be daring and try something new. Your taste buds, your community, and Habibi Mediterranean and Tex-Mex Grill will thank you. Maybe we will see you there next time!

$$

Habibi Mediterranean and Tex-Mex grill
123 Old Port Isabel Rd, Ste A3
Brownsville, TX 78521
(956) 509-4384

Business hours:
Monday through Saturday 11a.m. to 9p.m.
Closed Sundays

Rating: 4 out of 5.
  • Falafel plate
  • Habibi Mix Grill combination plate
  • Falafel appetizer plate
  • Front counter

Full lineup of Porch Pride’s Juneteenth: A Rainbow Revival

Non-profit Bluegrass Pride and Decolonizing the Music Room partner on event to spotlight contributions of Black LGBTQ+ folks to the Pride Movement and roots music. Photo: google

Bluegrass Pride (BGP) and Decolonizing the Music Room (DTMR) are proud to announce Porch Pride’s third weekend, Juneteenth: A Rainbow Revival, a virtual festival event which will take place on Saturday, June 19, at 3p.m. PDT / 6p.m. EDT. Hosted by Stephanie Anne Johnson and featuring performances by Sunny War, Yasmin Williams, Jackie & Resa, and Jake Blount, the event will spotlight the vital contributions of Black folks to the modern queer rights movement, to LGBTQ+ Pride, and to American roots music — none of which would exist without Black queer folks, Black trans folks, and Black non-binary folks.  (Bluegrass Pride, 2021)

Co-produced by DTMR executive director Brandi Waller-Pace and BGP board member Lillian Werbin of Elderly Instruments, Juneteenth: A Rainbow Revival will honor the holiday that marks the anniversary of the executive order that followed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all remaining enslaved people in this country. The festival is a reverent reminder of those who waited over two years to hear the truth about their emancipation; and a reminder that Black voices, Black contributions, and Black musicians created, innovated, and transformed American roots music to create the fantastic depth and breadth of Black American music that we all enjoy and benefit from today.

The power of partnership and community building has made Juneteenth: A Rainbow Revival possible; Bluegrass Pride reached out to non-profit Decolonizing the Music Room to collaborate on the program. “As someone who has worked with both BGP and DTMR, it is an honor to assist in the creation of Juneteenth: A Rainbow Revival,” says Lillian Werbin. “Both organizations view Black contributions to music, history, and culture as invaluable and are delighted to celebrate them during Porch Pride.”

As the music industry navigates out of the COVID pandemic, both organizations are focused on highlighting Black LGBTQ+ roots musicians and generating financial support for their work, while also providing safer, more representative spaces for the bluegrass community to gather. While all Porch Pride events are FREE to view and attend, audience members are encouraged to donate to support not only the musicians on the lineup, but also the ongoing work of BGP and DTMR. Donate here.

Juneteenth: A Rainbow Revival has also been made possible by generous gifts from Ear Trumpet Labs and Elderly Instruments, as well as being a recipient of the IBMA Foundation’s Arnold Schultz Fund Grant.

Watch Juneteenth: A Rainbow Revival on June 19, 2021 at 3p.m. PDT / 6p.m. EDT on the Bluegrass Pride website, YouTube channel, or Facebook page. 

Porch Pride is the headline fundraising event for Bluegrass Pride, raising more than $22,000 in its first year. All of the event’s virtual programs are free to view and attend – and will be available to view on BGP’s website and channels after air – members, fans, followers, and listeners are encouraged to donate to support the musicians performing on Porch Pride, as well as the ongoing work of BGP. 

Porch Pride is taking place all month long June 2021. Kicked off on Sunday, June 6 with Lavender Country Live!, the event will continue over the course of Pride month featuring performances by folks like Rainbow Girls, Gangstagrass, Po’ Ramblin’ Boys, Jake Blount, Sunny War, and many more, plus a virtual Bluegrass Pride Brunch and open house, a beginner-friendly jam-along, and so much more.

See a full schedule of upcoming events below:

June 19, 2021 at 3p.m. PDT / 6p.m. EDT – Juneteenth: A Rainbow Revival, featuring Sunny War, Jake Blount, Yasmin Williams, Jackie & Resa, and Stephanie Anne Johnson. An evening of musical performances curated by Brandi Pace of non-profit Decolonizing the Music Room that will highlight the essential contributions of Black queer, trans, and non-binary folks to roots music and the Pride movement.

June 26 & 27, 2021 at 3p.m. PDT / 6p.m. EDT – Porch Pride: 5th Anniversary Celebration. Our headline festival returns celebrating five years of Bluegrass Pride and featuring performances by:

Saturday, June 26:
Mya Byrne
Ben Garnett
Crys Matthews
BOOJUM
Po’ Ramblin’ Boys
Gangstagrass

Sunday, June 27:
Willi Carlisle
Maddie Witler
Amanda Fields
Hasee Ciaccio & Friends
Stephanie Anne Johnson
Rainbow Girls

Bluegrass Pride: Our mission is to recruit, encourage, and support LGBTQ+ bluegrassers of all levels, promoting their advancement and acceptance within all areas of the bluegrass music industry and musical community. We aim to uplift the genre of bluegrass as a whole to receive LGBTQ+ folks openly, and to promote allyship with all marginalized peoples within the industry and musical community. We do so by creating opportunities for community building and resources for musical skill development, such as concerts, jam sessions, showcases, festivals, parades, tutorials, recording, and more! Bluegrass Pride is a Section 501(c)(3) charitable organization, EIN 83-3224672. All donations are deemed tax-deductible absent any limitations on deductibility applicable to a particular taxpayer.

Decolonizing the Music Room: Decolonizing the Music Room is a nonprofit organization using research, training, and discourse to help music educators develop critical practices and center BBIA (Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian) voices, knowledge, and experiences in the field of music education.

Jamestown Revival release ‘Fireside With Louis L’Amour’ EP

Jamestown Revival’s Fireside With Louis L’Amour EP out now – six tracks directly inspired by Louis L’Amour short stories. Photo: google

In 2020, Jamestown Revival released A Field Guide To Loneliness, an intimate collection of songs that finds Clay and Chance reflecting on recent times whereby human contact was limited more than ever. A Field Guide To Loneliness follows Jamestown Revival’s 2019 critically acclaimed release, San Isabel. Recorded in a remote cabin in the majestic and calming landscape of central Colorado, the band embraced a minimalist approach in the recording of San Isabel. Finding inspiration in ‘60s and early ‘70s folk and pop, the original songs on San Isabel show reverence for early John Denver and Bob Dylan, as well as Simon & Garfunkel and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Their new EP, Fireside With Louis L’Amour is out now. (Jamestown Revival, 2021)

When the recording process of their new EP, Fireside With Louis L’Amour, was all said and done, Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance of Jamestown Revival took on the challenge of distilling a half-dozen tales from “The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume 1: Frontier Stories” from 30-page adventures down to three and a half minute songs. Their tune “Bound for El Paso” comes from L’Amour’s “The Gift of Cochise,” “Fool Me Once” was inspired by “The Man from Bitter Sands,” and so on. Longtime fans of Jamestown Revival can hear L’Amour’s influence on Clay and Chance, but this is the first time they have tipped their hats directly to America’s beloved frontier storyteller. The whole of Fireside With Louis L’Amour—six songs in total—was directly inspired by individual stories from L’Amour’s Volume 1 collection, allowing listeners to trace the precise roots of Jamestown Revival’s newest release. Available now, fans can purchase or stream Fireside With Louis L’Amour with this link.

“They say that L’Amour was the master of the short story and we would humbly agree. In 30 pages he manages to draw you in, make you invest in the characters, and oftentimes hit you with a twist that you truly didn’t expect,” say Clay and Chance. “The songs on Fireside With Louis L’Amour are our attempt to put a musical spin on some of Louis’ short stories found on ‘The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour, Volume 1: Frontier Stories.’ It’s been challenging and incredibly rewarding.” To have the family of L’Amour on board was just icing on the cake for Jamestown Revival. “On top of that, it’s been an absolute honor to have the blessing of Louis’ son, Beau, and the L’Amour estate. We hope these songs inspire you to pick up ‘The Collected Short Stories of Louis L’Amour’ and read the true inspiration behind the music,” they say, before adding, “We also feel it’s worthwhile to mention these songs should be best enjoyed sitting next to a fire with a nip of whiskey in the glass.”

Fireside With Louis L’Amour in the press: Garden & Gun premiered the live performance video of album-opener, “Bound for El Paso.”

“If you’re a L’Amour fan, you’ll no doubt recognize what’s been distilled from story to song,” said Cowboys & Indians Magazine. “And you’ll love what happens when two Texans get a hold of America’s storyteller and let their imaginations and harmonies run.”

Fireside With Louis L’Amour Track Listing:

  1. Bound for El Paso 
  2. Fool Me Once 
  3. The Ballad of Four Prisoners 
  4. The Killing Type 
  5. Beyond the Ridge 
  6. Prospector’s Blues
Jamestown Revival – Bound for El Paso