West U rocking with new music school franchise
A new School of Rock franchise has moved into 2607 Bissonnet St. in West University, offering lessons for individual musicians and groups, as well as rehearsal spaces and a performance opportunities — all focused on rock music.
Lessons are offered in guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboard/piano and vocals for children through adults.
The School of Rock started in 1998 has more than 200 locations worldwide, including several in the Houston area. It’s annually on Forbes magazine’s list of best franchises and Entrepreneur Magazine’s list of top child development franchises.
For more: SchoolofRock.com/WestUniversityPlace
Panda Garden reopens
Panda Garden restaurant — a longtime family dine-in and takeout favorite in Weslayan Plaza — has reopened.
After ending its lease, the Chinese eatery built out a new site at 5475 West Loop South in the Home Depot Center. It features less dining-in and more home delivery and pickup options.
For more: PandaGarden.com or 713-667-0880.
Ice cream ‘sandwich’ at Weslayan Plaza
With Skeeter’s to one side and the new Torchy’s tacos a few doors down, Cold Stone Creamery is becoming the dessert destination on the east side of Weslayan Plaza.
The spot specializes in traditional ice cream, yogurt and sorbet treats, as well as specialty cakes and pies.
For more: ColdStoneCreamery.com
BBQ kudos from Bon Appétit
Bellaire’s Blood Bros. BBQ has notched another rave in a major publication.
Bon Appétit magazine featured brothers Robin and Terry Wong and pitmaster Quy Hoang’s Asian-Texas fusion fare — rhapsodizing over their turkey banh mi sandwich, Thai peanut butter sticky ribs, brisket fried rice, smoked brisket and Thai green chile boudin.
The former pop-up set down roots in the Bellaire Triangle last December. For more: BloodBrosBBQ.com
Hoffman has the write stuff for students
Popular Houston columnist Ken Hoffman and West University resident is starting a one-man tutoring service designed to help local middle and high school students discover their talent for writing.
“As technology and social media become more popular, writing skills are vanishing,” Hoffman said. “Bluntly put, college admissions offices won’t be impressed if a student turns in an application full of happy faces and Twitter shorthand. A well written essay can make the difference between acceptance and rejection. Colleges expect their prospective students to be able to write proficiently and express
themselves in the written word.
“That’s what I do for a living. Over the years, I’ve helped my son and a few of his friends with papers and
other projects for school. I provided individual attention that schools couldn’t. Most important, I made it fun for them to write.”
Hoffman started writing columns in Houston for the Houston Post before spending nearly two decades with the Houston Chronicle. Two years ago he moved to CultureMap, where he continues to write two columns weekly, while making regular appearances on ESPN Radio Houston.
“After helping my son and his friends, I decided that I can do the same for other students. I can help students with their school papers and other work that involves writing. I will go over every word of a
student’s paper. First we will make sure the grammar, sentence structure and punctuation are correct, then we will work on personality and nuance. I will help students develop their own writing style. I have a few tricks up my sleeve that I can pass along.”
Hoffman said he is available for tutoring sessions after school, evenings and weekends. For more information, schedules and rates, contact him at kenhoffman08@gmail.com.
Business briefs appear monthly in Bellaire-West University Essentials Magazine
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