Every Christmas the Houston Press sends its dining critic to one of the most expensive places in Houston and blows two or three months budget. I suspect this is why later in the year he might review the food at a convenience store down the street from him. (True.)

This year it was time for Pappas Bros. Steakhouse or as he calls it Bling-Bling Bordeaux.

In another fine tradition most of the review is not about the foods he and his guests order. This time it is about the atrocious wine prices and the snotty and snobby wine steward. (My sister-in-law the sommelier agrees with everything that is said about Pappa's poor service and bad attitude here - which may be why she can't get a job in Houston's good ole boy wine network after working in Las Vegas.)

There's no point in going to Pappas Bros. Steakhouse on the cheap. Try to spend less than $100 on a bottle of wine, and you can expect to be sneered at while you slurp it down warm. To really enjoy the place, you've got to drop $80 for two good steaks, $20 for a couple of sides and desserts, and at least $150 for a wine they actually keep cold in the cellar. Add on the tip, and a first-class dinner for two with no appetizers will run you a minimum of $300. If you go for a first-class bottle of wine, you can easily spend a grand or more.