Most Controversial Stories on Eater Houston in 2011?

It's been a great, and at times, tumultuous (half) year in Houston food, beverage and nightlife news since Eater Houston launched this summer, and we've diligently searched out a few stories we humbly declare, the "most controversial stories of 2011." In chronological order:

· Top Chef Texas: "Pay for Play" Allegations: The news of Bravo's agency asking Houston to pay up for exposure on the current season of Top Chef. [July, 2011]
· Down House Patron Kicked Out Over a Tweet: Girl goes into bar. Girl tweets something vaguely negative. Uses the hashtag, #jackoff. Girl ejected from bar by phone (from a manager who'd read her tweet). Story goes viral. [August, 2011]
· "Happy 9/11" Drawing Gets Employee Fired at Petrol Station: A rogue employee who drew a "Happy" September 11th illustration, complete with a picture of a plane flying into the twin towers on a to-go box at the Petrol Station in Oak Forest, was fired for his indiscretion. [September, 2011]

· Did Silver Eagle Single Out No Label Brewing Co. Taps?: Rumors emerged that Budweiser distributor, Silver Eagle had it out for tiny brewery, No Label's taps in Houston bars and were offering cash rewards to replace them. [October, 2011]
· The Ruggles Grill Walk-out and Lawsuits: The waitstaff and general manager stage a walk-out in protest of claims that owner, Bruce Molzan didn't pay the staff their credit card tips. Molzan files a lawsuit against the former GM alleging lots of nefarious goings-on. A war of character destruction waged on both sides. [December, 2011]
· Lawsuits Filed Against Brasserie 19, Reef, Bombay Pizza and Others: All the lawsuits were filed from employees and former employees of restaurants alleging violations involving overtime payment, wage disputes and "illegal tip pools." [December, 2011]

However, it's not up to us to choose the overall winner of that distinction. That's up to you. Help us out by voting. We'll close down the poll at the end of next week.

Photo: the now infamous to-go box illustration from a rogue Petrol Station employee. [@OKGhalayini/Twitter]