Take a Look at 2125 Troon Road

May 20, 2019May 20, 2019Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Calling all Houston architecture buffs: We have a new River Oaks listing that just went on MLS earlier this afternoon. It’s not the most expensive or largest home we’ve ever listed. But its pedigree is outstanding. If you like classic American architecture, you will love this house. Winner of the 2011...

Six Things I Just Learned About Pantries

April 23, 2019April 24, 2019Teresa Byrne-Dodge

If you live in an older home dating from, say, the 1920s through the 1960s, chances are your kitchen pantry is inadequate. Some grand older houses have butler’s pantries, where final prep was performed before service. But I’m talking about those catch-all kitchen closets where one keeps canned food, paper goods,...

Nosy Questions for Leslie Sinclair

January 23, 2019January 25, 2019Teresa Byrne-Dodge

If you love high-end interior design, you’ve probably read the words “Segreto finishes.” Maybe it was in an MLS listing or on Houzz.com or in Architectural Digest. But you might be surprised to learn that Segreto – the word is Italian for “secret” – is a Houston company founded and run...

5 Things to Know About Cape Cod

November 2, 2018November 8, 2018Teresa Byrne-Dodge

I say “Cape Cod,” and you think … Patti Page song? Kennedys playing touch football at Hyannis Port? Jaws? Wellfleet oysters? Summer stock theater? Whale-watching? For a small peninsula of just 339 square miles, Cape Cod manages to pack in an immense amount of history, food culture and local color. Cameron...

5 Myths About Flood Insurance

August 9, 2018August 9, 2018Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Along with the rest of greater Houston, the upcoming first anniversary of Hurricane Harvey has us reminiscing. How are our friends recovering? What have we learned? What changes are underway to our region’s infrastructure? One lesson that stands out is the importance of flood insurance. Thousands of Houstonians who had never...

At the Half-Way Mark: River Oaks Update

July 10, 2018July 11, 2018Teresa Byrne-Dodge

We are preparing the mid-year print edition of the River Oaks Market Report even as I write. But as a little appetizer before we dig into Cameron’s meaty main course, we have some figures for you on what has been happening in the River Oaks real estate market since January 1. (Please...

7 Nosy Questions with John Mixon, owner of Blast Trash Can Cleaners

June 5, 2018January 3, 2023Teresa Byrne-Dodge

What’s the single grossest thing at your home? Chances are it’s your garbage bin, the nasty outdoor one with the cruddy food spills, dripped paint and who knows what else in there. If you’re like me, my daily deposit of kitchen refuse into the outdoor bin is usually accomplished by lifting...

Golfing in Guadalajara

April 13, 2018April 13, 2018Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Many Houstonians know Guadalajara because it’s the jumping-off point to an adventure in Tequila. From this bustling city – it’s Mexico’s second largest, after Mexico City – you can hire a driver and travel about 90 minutes northwest to the agave-studded hillsides and sample your way through the area, tasting the...

Nosy Questions with Greg Schenck

January 26, 2018January 26, 2018Teresa Byrne-Dodge

Houston’s go-to floor company – for both exquisite new floors and the restoration of old floors – is Schenck & Company. Owner/namesake Greg Schenck (photo at right) bought the fledgling company from a buddy more than 35 years ago. He had no background installing floors or woodworking, but that did not...

Recipes for Winter Wild Game

January 6, 2018January 8, 2018Teresa Byrne-Dodge

photos by Taylor Byrne Dodge My daughter and I often cook together, so naturally we like to attend cooking classes together as well. Here in Houston we are fans of Central Market’s cooking school where we take a class every six months or so. A few weeks ago we learned to...