Crawfish Pioneer Dominic Mandola Has a Few Pots Boiling this Spring — Including a New Opening!

Robin Barr Sussman

CRAWFISH, MUDBUGS, CRAWDADS, crayfish — call them what you will, the prolific Cajun delicacy is now in full steam. And if there’s anyone in Houston who knows his way around a crawfish boil, it is Dominic Mandola. In fact, his father, Luke Mandola, Sr., co-founder of the Ragin Cajun, was the first Houston restaurateur to offer crawfish on a menu. After years of opening Ragin Cajuns all over Houston, and then scaling back to just the original location during the pandemic, Dominic recently announced plans to expand once more.

Everywhere to Eat and Drink in Round Top this Spring

Robin Barr Sussman

TO EXPLORE THE Texas treasure trove that is known as Antique Weeks (March 17-April 3) in Round Top, you’ll need plenty of fuel for the hunt. From quick to leisurely and down-home to garden-chic, here’s where to eat and drink along the antique corridor this spring.

As Escape Spa Expands in 2025, Owner Has Advice on Personal Growth: ‘Focus on Intention Setting’

CHANGE IS A good thing, and with the start of a new year, I always like to reflect on how far I've come and start fresh by setting self-care goals for the coming months. Personal growth is a passion for me, and also something I enjoy. Guiding a business through growth and change is also one of my passions, so I am very pleased to announce that Escape Spa is going to be expanding in 2025! We’re honored that we’ve built such a loyal following since opening in Cypress in July of 2022, and we’re thrilled to be in a position to grow our wellness and recovery sanctuary just outside of Houston.

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Nadia Hafeez, Shireen Hadi, Sara Perry (photo by Daniel Ortiz)

A ROSTER OF women you might usually see in scrubs and white coats flipped the script and went high-fashion for the Arts of Healing Foundation’s fourth annual Fashion Show at the Post Oak Hotel, celebrating Houston’s Women in Medicine.

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Amy Pierce, Sippi Khurana, Dr Namrata Sharma Goel and Ruchi Muchejee (photo by Daniel Ortiz)

A BIG CROWD turned up at the Post Oak Hotel for the Children at Risk gala, raising some $360,000 focused on “understanding and addressing the root causes of child poverty and inequality,” per its mission statement.

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