Head to White Flamingo. Although it’s located in a strip mall, the elegant Victorian-style decor will blow you away. Tables are set with white linens and fresh flowers, and there is live piano music on Friday and Saturday nights, making it perfect for a romantic date. Meals start with complementary cheese-topped bread that customers love just as much as their entrees. The menu offers lunch sandwiches, full size pasta entrees, and an array of fish, steaks, and chops. Try the Cajun seared Mahi Mahi and the Chicken Alfredo. Service is attentive without being overbearing, and prices are quite reasonable for the quality and portion. White Flamingo also has several private rooms that can accommodate wedding receptions and other celebrations.

White Flamingo
24307 Aldine Westfield Road
Spring, TX 77386
(281) 907-0778
www.yelp.com/biz/the-white-flamingo-spring

A regional chain known for its fast food-meets-sit down dining concept, Black Walnut Cafe has several area locations, including The Woodlands. Order at the counter before filling your drink and choosing your own table. This relaxed, self-service concept is convenient for those looking for a quick and casual meal. Black Walnut Cafe's cozy ambiance and classy decor make it an inviting spot to sit a while and enjoy a snack.

100 menu choices range from small bites to full size entrees, with many salads, sandwiches, and pasta. Try the Fish Tacos or the Grilled Cheese Burger — a beef patty between two grilled cheese sandwiches. Breakfast is a favorite at Black Walnut Cafe; stop by for the morning happy hour from 7 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, for deals on breakfast favorites and cocktails. (Happy hour gets an encore from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.) If you enjoy a late brunch, the breakfast menu is served until 4 p.m. on weekends. Don't pass up the fresh baked goods and gelato!

Black Walnut Cafe
2520 Research Forest Drive
The Woodlands, TX 77381
(281) 362-1678
http://www.blackwalnutcafe.com
http://www.yelp.com/biz/black-walnut-cafe-the-woodlands

You'll probably love or hate Ross McElwee's documentaries. Personal, plotless, and invariably first-person, these films meditate on relationships, history, and time in utterly unique ways. McElwee's films also achieve the tricky feat of calling attention to the camera's artifice and making the camera disappear. You can watch many of McElwee's films on Netflix; here are four to see:

• Time Indefinite. Marking a marriage, a funeral, and a birth, Time Indefinite attempts to use filmmaking as a means to comprehend the many important events that punctuate human lives and make them meaningful.
• Sherman's March. Beginining the film as a journery to trace the path of General Sherman's march through the south, Sherman's March gets derailed early and often by events in McElwee's personal life. In the process, the movie explores how human beings' plans are almost always interrupted.
• Six O'Clock News. Six O'Clock News meditates on how the camera can present us with strange and unique visions of the world. The film often feels like an experiment in reality TV before reality TV existed.
• Bright Leaves. Another meditation on the artificiality of film, Bright Leaves explores McElwee's family history of tobacco farming, a neglected Hollywood drama, and the state of North Carolina.