They also started going to town halls and posting what they learned on their bars' social media - vaccine updates and key city contacts to share concerns with - among memes, promos for drag shows, and drink specials. Owners of queer bars, who serve this community, feel uniquely positioned to share information about the virus - without adding to rising stigma against LGBTQ people.įor Sosa and Zuco, the first step was sifting through social media to get accurate information about monkeypox. So far, the CDC says, the vast majority of cases in the United States are among gay and bisexual men. Monkeypox is spreading primarily through close physical contact, mostly during sex. 'How do we help our community members?' Sosa asked. But as people they knew and friends of friends got monkeypox, they realized their community was especially at risk. They were frustrated to hear about another virus to deal with.

NEW YORK - When Eric Sosa and Michael Zuco, the owners of Brooklyn queer bars Good Judy and C'Mon Everybody, first heard about monkeypox, they had a familiar feeling. We think the lunch menu is a better deal but it doesn't offer the Rockdale Redfish like the dinner menu does and that alone may be a reason to go for dinner instead.Eric Sosa and Michael Zuco, owners of the bar Good Judy in Brooklyn, N.Y. The dinner entrees offer a little more food for the price and the third course is a dessert selection. Frozen drinks are very filling.īB's Tex-Orleans also offers three courses for its HRW dinner ($39). For those indulging in frozen cocktails, the three courses may be more than one person can eat, as we found out. The atmosphere is casual for a fun lunch with friends but still fancy enough to be date night-worthy. So for HRW foodies looking for a casual option with three courses for lunch, BB's Tex-Orleans is a solid choice. The hushpuppies could have used a little more flavor but I found the almost cake-like consistency of the pups to be an interesting change from other onion and cornmeal versions. The skinny fries were decent enough and there was plenty to take home to anyone in my house scavenging through the fridge later in the evening. Photo by Lorretta Ruggiero The shrimp were fried perfectly and they were sweet but I only managed to eat two before my stomach told me that it was at capacity. Still, it was a refreshing middle course and I didn't eat it all. It was dressed pretty heavily with the citrus vinaigrette but I was wishing for more of a pop from the citrus and a little more feta for a tangy foil. There was a boatload of baby spinach topped with dried cranberries, feta cheese, pecans, onion and tomato with long, thin slices of green bell pepper. Again, the serving size was bigger than expected. The okra in BB's gumbo melted in my mouth and before I knew it, that bowl of gumbo was gone. It had some slices of okra, which I just normally eat around.

It was spicy but not overly so and it had a thinner broth, which I prefer. I have never had the gumbo at BB's and I was impressed. It's just in a bowl.' I wasn't sure what that meant, but it was a large serving of dark roux gumbo with the rice on the side. I told her I thought it would be a cup of gumbo. The bartender brought out the shrimp gumbo and I was surprised to see that it was a big bowl. Photo by Lorretta Ruggiero With my frozen drink and the blasting air conditioning in the bar, I had escaped the Houston heat for a while. For my salad, I chose the Madhatter and decided to make it a shrimp fiesta by ordering the fried shrimp plate. For the second course, there's a choice of three salads and for entrees, guests can pick from a fried Gulf shrimp po'boy with fries, Da' Cheeseburger with fries, Fish Tacos or the Fried Shrimp Plate. BB's has three choices for the first course: Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo, Shrimp Gumbo or Red Beans and Rice. Many restaurants, especially the more upscale establishments, offer a prix fixe menu that's pretty tight. The HRW menu for BB's is pretty extensive. The frozen margarita swirl helps to balance it with a little lime. I've had the Red Headed Wompus Cat before but I find it just a tad sweet. I ordered a Texas Twister, which is a frozen swirl of its signature Red Headed Wompus Cat and its version of a margarita, Bri Bri's Creed. I asked about the HRW menu and she handed me a laminated list of options. The young bartender greeted me right away. Unfortunately for me, its was a three-digit temperature day in the sweltering city, so I decided to take a seat at the bar instead. Photo by Lorretta Ruggiero Many of the BB's restaurants offer outdoor seating and the Cypress location had a large patio shaded by a huge oak tree.

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