Houston’s food scene always has a lot going on, but not every bit of news that we get qualifies for a full article. However, that does not mean that it’s not useful. We often hear about deals, events such as wine dinners, limited time menu items, culinary classes and new dishes. “Small Bites” rounds up these tasty little morsels to keep you on top of what’s going on in Houston.
This Week (Through Sunday, August 25)
Friday, 8/23
Trash Panda Drinking Club, located at 515 Patton, is hosting a collaboration celebration for its third anniversary with a pop-up from Khói Barbecue starting at 5 p.m. Pitmaster Don Nguyen and the Khói team will be smoking a whole hog for the event, and drink specials sponsored by Jim Beam will be available at the bar. If you want to try Khói’s signature Central Texas-inspired barbecue with Asian influence, arrive early as it will be first come, first serve until it’s sold out.
Guard and Grace at One Allen Center at 500 Dallas in Downtown Houston is hosting its Rare Rioja Dinner on Friday, August 23 at 7 p.m. Attendees will be served a five-course meal alongside three rare selections from Bodegas Manzanos Rioja (1961, 1964 and 1981 vintages), as well as the current 2014 Gran Reserva. Only 300 to 500 bottles of each are available worldwide. The cost is $295 per person plus tax and 20% gratuity, which will automatically be added when you prepay for your reservation. (All told, that brings the cost to $378.34 per person.)
Saturday, 8/24
Join Houston Food Finder founder and editor Phaedra Cook for a tour of Finn Hall, located at 712 Main in the historic Jones On Main building in downtown Houston, from 2 to 4 p.m. Grab one of the last few spots, and you’ll enjoy complimentary food and drink samples, as well as free parking in the garage located at 803 Fannin. Please RSVP ASAP by emailing Phaedra directly. Non-members may sign-up online and support HFF’s local journalism.
This Saturday, Micheaux’s Southern Cuisine and Sienna Wings in Southwest Houston are participating in Pepsi Dig In day with buy-one-get-one free entrées for locals while supplies last. The nationwide event started in 2020, when Pepsi made a multi-million dollar commitment towards supporting underrepresented communities and black-owned restaurants. Pepsi is covering $100,000 in meals at more than 30 restaurants with the intention to shine a spotlight on black-owned businesses and provide access to tools and resources. Micheaux’s is offering slow-roasted, fall-off-the-bone oxtails with rice and gravy, while Sienna will have The Sauce Boss Combo, which includes 10 fried wings served with Garlic-Parmesan Cajun Blend French Fries or Three-Cheese Mac & Cheese. The food purchase at either restaurant includes a free Pepsi beverage with your meal while supplies last.
For National Waffle Day on Saturday, August 24, Taste Kitchen + Bar at 420 Main is offering all the waffles you can eat for a mere $5 plus tax and gratuity. In addition, this kicks off a week where every purchase of the Waffle Flight will generate a $1 donation to Big Chef Bowie Cares Foundation, which in turn will donate the funds to Star of Hope, which has long been a source of help to Houstonians facing dire circumstances. Taste Kitchen + Bar has just about any kind of waffle you can imagine (and some you can’t), including Pecan Praline, Peach Cobbler, Fruity Pebbles, Chocolate Chip and many more.
Sunday, 8/25: Kick Back Over Paella & Wine at Mutiny Wine Room
On August 25, enjoy lazy Sundays on the patio of Mutiny Wine Room at 1125 Usener as chef Eduardo Alcayaga makes seafood paella over a live fire. Add a Spanish wine pairing for $15, and to go with the main dish of paella, you can order appetizers, such as Hummus & Mutabal Dip with rye bread and crudité, Gulf Snapper ceviche with sweet potato chips or a basket of house-baked breads with cultured butter and strawberry jalapeño jam. The paella is $38 per person, and seating times for the August 25 event are 1, 4 or 6:30 p.m. The event will return for one more warm-weather date on September 29, and seatings will be at 4 and 6:30 p.m. Go online for additional details and reservations.
Next Week — August 26 Through September 1
Tuesday, 8/27: Grab a Deal on Houston’s Most-Popular Pork Chop Dinner
On Tuesday, August 27, which is National Pork Chop Day, all Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille locations are offering a one-day deal on the “seven-finger-high” pork chop — and it will come with sides and a dessert. The cost for the meal is $44 plus tax and gratuity. Guests will be able to get a soup or salad, the 18-ounce pork chop, which comes with applesauce and whipped potatoes and a dessert. The special is for dine-in only; be sure and ask for the Pork Chop Day special.
Thursday, 8/29-Saturday, 8/31: Grab Tremendous Deals on Wine & Spirits
Austin-based chain, Twin Liquors, which has a number of locations in towns just outside of Houston, such as Sugar Land and Spring, is hosting its annual The Dollar Sale at all stores. It’s not that items cost a buck, though. The stores will lower the price on sale items “to the absolute lowest”, and then add a dollar to the price. Sale items include “collectible wines, rare whiskies, and other popular spirits like premium tequila and liqueurs”. When the three-day sale kicks off at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 29, all locations will greet customers with free breakfast tacos and Lalo Tequila margaritas. Twin Liquors stores are open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the sale days.
Happening in Houston All of August 2024
Houston Restaurant Weeks 2024
It’s August, and that means everyone’s favorite dining-for-charity month is happening now. In addition to diners enjoying special fixed-price meals at hundreds of restaurants for lunch, brunch or dinner, every Houston Restaurant Weeks meal ordered benefits the Houston Food Bank or a food bank in the vicinity of the restaurant. For more information and sample menus, check out our overview of this year’s Houston Restaurant Weeks.
Enter to Win Prizes for Your Best Dairy Queen Combo Idea
Fast-food chain DQ (we still prefer to call it Dairy Queen, frankly) is running a contest called “How Do You DQ?”. To enter, go online and select your favorite entrée or basket, side, treat and a Coca-Cola brand drink. Submissions close on Friday, August 23. Bracket-style voting on the entries runs from Monday, August 26 through Thursday, August 29, which is also when the grand-prize winner is announced. The winner will receive a $1,000 DQ gift card, free Coca-Cola for a year and “sweet swag”.
Virtually Transport Yourself to Paris at These Rosé Brunch Events
Wine bar and restaurant Sixty Vines, which has locations at 2540 University in Rice Village and 9595 Six Pines in The Woodlands, is hosting Rosé Getaway brunches every weekend in August from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Expect a rosé-inspired Parisian fantasyland with pink umbrellas, a floral wall and other rosé-inspired décor. You can even adorn yourself with floral temporary tattoos. Special brunch dishes include Maple Banana French Toast, Tuscan Eggs Benedict with smoked tomato hollandaise, Top My Toast Board with all the fixing and Strawberries & Cream featuring a toasted almond chiffon cake.
Drinks feature DAOU Frozé, the Pop-Mosa — a mimosa made with Sesenta Cava that comes with a JonnyPops organic popsicle and the Rosé Bouquet Wine Flight with Diseño Rosé, M. Chapoutier Rosé and DAOU Rosé.
Dine Out & Raise Funds to Feed Kids in Need
Until the end of August, Jonathan’s The Rub is offering special brunch and lunch meals that raise money for Kids’ Meals, Inc., which fills a gap in feeding kids in challenging situations who are not old enough to benefit from free school lunch programs. Kids Meals Inc. delivers nutritious meals to these kids every weekday. For each brunch or lunch ordered from Jonathan’s The Rub’s special Kids Meals Inc. menu, $3 will be donated. For every dinner ordered, the donation amount increases to $5.
Reserve a Hotel Like a Rock Star
Reserve a room at either the Museum District or Memorial-area Hotel ZaZa in August with code “ROCK”, and receive the “Party Like A RockStar” package. It’s a bucket of drinks and snacks with High Noon Seltzers, Celsius Energy Drinks, Dot Pretzels and Sahale Snacks. To complete the rockstar scenario, call your friends and reserve a poolside cabana. The cabanas seat up to six. Other hotel features include pet-friendly rooms, free WiFi and an onsite spa.
Through Summer 2024
Cabrito Wednesdays Come to Bar Bludorn
Beginning on Wednesday, August 21, Bar Bludorn, chef and restaurateur Aaron Bludorn’s upscale neighborhood tavern in Memorial, is debuting a weekly cabrito special. Every Wednesday, the restaurant is serving this treasured Mexican dish with sides for $59. This shareable feast consists of tender, slow-roasted kid goat cooked over charcoal and served with cabbage slaw, bean purée, marinated tomatoes, tostadas, charred habanero salsa and tomatillo salsa.
Enjoy Half-Priced Smash Burgers In Montrose
New Montrose bar Jethro’s Cocktail Lounge, located at 95 Tuam across the street from Elro, is now offering half-off single-patty smash burgers every Tuesday from open to close. These are regularly $10.50, so that makes the cost a mere $5.25. Jethro’s smash burger consists of a crispy-edged smashed patty made from a blend of Angus brisket, short rib and chuck served with house spread, pickles and American cheese on toasted brioche buns. An order or fries costs $4, and you can add sautéed onions for $1.50 or ranch for $1.
Donate at Logan’s Roadhouse to Help Give Veterans Service Dogs
Through the summer, donate $5 at any Logan’s Roadhouse to K9s For Warriors. You’ll receive a bounce-back card good for $10 off your next $40 purchase, but more importantly, you will help match a veteran with a service dog in need of a home. That sounds like a big win for everyone involved. Bounceback cards become valid 12 hours after receipt and expire on November 10. By the way, if you are a veteran or active duty military, show your military ID at any time of the year for a 10% discount.
Get a Spicy Pizza & Help Homeless Pets
VIA 313, known for its Detroit-style pizza, has created the Jalapeño Poppa Pizza especially to raise funds for Houston Pets Alive!, a charitable endeavor that seeks to save at-risk pets and place them in good homes. The Jalapeño Poppa Pizza is made with whipped cream cheese, fresh jalapeños, bacon and sriracha hot honey. A dollar from each purchased will go to the rescue organization. Go online to find the Via 313 location closest to you.
New, Year-Round Additions to the Houston Food Scene
Greenway-Area Restaurant & Bar Rolls Out its Happy Hour
Southern restaurant and cocktail purveyor Tipsy Treats at 3839 Southwest Freeway has introduced its happy hour, which runs from Tuesday through Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. Frozen libations are $9.99 each, and include the new Grey Goose La Poire Pear Martini and a Sidecar made with Martell and Grand Marnier. Happy hour food selections include perpetual Tex-Louisianan favorites such as fried chicken, red beans and rice and Crack Cornbread for only $5, Short Rib & Collard Green Tacos, Crawfish Boudin and Smoked Boudin for $6 and spinach dip or gumbo for $8. New to the menu are the Mini Southern Roll Sliders, a Southern twist on the lobster roll made with crawfish, shrimp and lump crab tossed in a creamy remoulade. The cost at happy hour is $13.
Later This Year
Friday, 10/18 – Saturday, 10/19: La Fête du Champagne Event Series
These top-notch events showcasing eight Champagne producers are returning to Houston on October 18 and 19 in conjunction with the Bludorn group of restaurants. The featured producers are Delamotte, Dom Pérignon, René Geoffroy, Lanson, Laurent-Perrier, A. Margaine, Famille Moussé, Salon and Vilmart & Cie. You can go online now to purchase.
Tickets… are not inexpensive. On Friday, October 18 at Navy Blue, located at 2445 Times, is Laurent-Perrier Grand Siècle – The Art of Assemblage. Edouard Cossy, Global Director of Grand Siècle will be in attendance. It starts at noon, and tickets are $425 plus tax. Starting at 6:30 p.m. on the same day will be a dinner called Lanson – A Journey Back in Time. It’s being held at Bar Bludorn at 9061 Gaylord, and Lanson chef Hervé Dantan will be featured. The cost is $950 plus tax. On Saturday, October 19 is La Fête Tasting from noon to 2 p.m. at Bludorn at 807 Taft. The cost is a more-approachable $175 plus tax, and guests will enjoy a selection of wines from each producer alongside small bites by chef Aaron Bludorn. Capping off the event series is La Fête Dinner, also at Bludorn, and again with Aaron Bludorn in attendance, as well as Bludorn executive chef Chase Voelz and wine director Molly Austad. It starts at 6:30 p.m. and features Champagne from all attending producers. Guests are also invited to bring Champagne from their own cellars to share with fellow attendees. The cost is $725 plus tax. Go online for more information.
Mario-Sebastian Berry is a wine and spirits vendor who has been in the hospitality industry since 2002. Currently, he represents Blanco, Texas-based Andalusia Whiskey Co. and multiple wine labels. Somehow, he also finds time to be Houston Food Finder’s associate editor and social media manager.
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