Provence

The 5 Best Things to Eat or Drink This Weekend

Memorial Day Prep and Kolache Breakfast at Revival Market Saturday, 8 a.m. 550 Heights Boulevard If you've got a lot of prep work for a Memorial Day weekend cookout, Revival Market is giving you an incentive to get out of the house and get going this Saturday morning. The special Saturday breakfast ... More >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 10 Bistros

How do you define a bistro? If you're going to stick to the traditional Parisian definition, a bistro (or bistrot) is a small, tidy restaurant that serves inexpensive wine and simple dishes in a modest price range. Those dishes are traditionally French "comfort food" recipes like coq au vin, boeuf ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Cinco de My-Oh-My-Oh

If you don't already have plans for Sunday, May 5, look no further: Houston has muchas fiestas for Cinco de Mayo -- so many, in fact, that our own Abby Downing-Beaver has a whole guide to spending your Cinco in style. Activities include everything from the annual Cinco de Mayo Parade downtown on Su ... More >>

Jean-Philippe Guy Bids Adieu to Bistro Provence and Bonjour to French Country Wines

After weeks of behind-the-scenes maneuvering to get his importer license and divest himself from French restaurant Bistro Provence, owner Jean-Philippe Guy is switching from one French venture to another. Guy owned Memorial-area Bistro Provence with his wife, Genevieve, for 15 years and the couple ... More >>

Where To Brunch on Easter Sunday 2013

From holiday classics like the Easter bunny and roast leg of lamb to Mexican-style brunch buffets and live bands, here's where to eat this Easter:

Eat, Play, Love

Houston's 10 most romantic restaurants.

Valentine's Day Dining

Houston restaurants have special deals to help you take your sweetie out to dinner.

Houston's 10 Most Romantic Restaurants: Start Planning Your Valentine's Day Dinner Now

In case you hadn't heard, Valentine's Day falls on a Thursday this year. And in next week's print edition, our own Christina Uticone will have a round-up of all the Valentine's Day dinner deals and special menus you can shake a dozen roses at. This is not that round-up. There are 10 types of people ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Last-Minute New Year's Eve Plans and New Menus for the New Year

Still no plans for New Year's Eve? You only have a few days left to plan, but here's a last-minute suggestion that features some of the most important dishes for celebrating the New Year: oysters, cabbage and greens. (No black-eyed peas, but you can make yourself a pot of those the next day as a com ... More >>

Your Stress-Free Holiday Dining Guide: Where to Eat on Christmas Eve 2012

Shopping for family, sending gifts to loved ones afar and decorating the house with an obnoxious amount of holiday decor tends to build quite a lot of stress each Christmas. So, we all love anything that eliminates some of the holiday stress. Let some of your favorite restaurants around Houston do t ... More >>

Your Stress-Free Holiday Dining Guide: Where to Eat on Christmas Eve 2012

Shopping for family, sending gifts to loved ones afar and decorating the house with an obnoxious amount of holiday decor tends to build quite a lot of stress each Christmas. So, we all love anything that eliminates some of the holiday stress. Let some of your favorite restaurants around Houston do t ... More >>

Spoiler Alert!

A handy infographic guide to the shelf life of fruit.

Dining Out on Turkey Day

Our guide to restaurants open on Thanksgiving Day

To Order Fish on Mondays or Not: How Valid Are the "Rules" of Ordering in Restaurants?

You've heard the old adages about dining pitfalls to avoid: Don't order fish on Mondays. (It's all left over from Friday's seafood shipment, goes the tale, and you don't want gross, slimy salmon.) Don't eat the bread in the bread basket. (It's supposedly recycled from table to table, people say.) ... More >>

Dining Out on Turkey Day: Where to Eat This Thanksgiving

Let's face it, sometimes a "home-cooked" meal in a restaurant is better than anything we can whip up at home. Thanksgiving dinner is one of the most difficult, time-consuming and stressful meals to make if you don't normally cook meals at home. But, there's one thing to be thankful for this year, ... More >>

The Rest of the Best

Houston's top 10 pizzas.

What's Cooking This Week? Gourmet Grilled Cheese & More

I love cooking for my fiancé and me, but most of the time, cooking for two proves to be difficult. If I don't make a plan, I end up running around in circles at the grocery store and wasting half the ingredients I've bought (and I hate wasting food). Enter What's Cooking This Week -- my weekly meal ... More >>

Where the Chefs Eat: David Denis, Jean-Philippe Guy and Philippe Schmit

When we think of French dining in Houston, the following three chefs should assuredly come to mind: David Denis, Jean-Philippe Guy, and Philippe Schmit. David Denis has made a name for himself with his elegant Le Mistral Restaurant on the Energy Corridor, where big-name oil execs come to sample exqu ... More >>

A Healthy Twist on Fries: Baked Eggplant Fries

There's nothing better than a crispy French fry; golden and crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. However, sometimes a greasy French fry is too much. But, there is a substitution you can make that will satisfy those crispy and crunchy fry cravings, minus the extra calories. Eggplan ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Restaurant Weeks and Rare Real Ales

On August 15, culinarians across the country will be celebrating what would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday. Hoping to recruit at least one million people into the celebration, her original publisher - Alfred A. Knopf - has begun JC100, a celebration of Julia's legacy in the 100 days leading ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Mixers, Elixers, Cocktails and Covers

Good news for fans of the Houston Museum of Natural Science's late, lamented Mixers & Elixers series: It's back! Well...sort of, and with a makeover. Says the Museum: "It's gotten in shape, revamped its wardrobe, learned to two-step and is a brand new event: LaB 5555." LaB 5555 kicks off its first ... More >>

A Prince Among Rosés: Tempier Bandol

When you taste wine, its initial impact is visual. The color and transparency or opacity of the wine is the first in a series of four "tasting" moments: Visual, olfactive, tactile/gustatory, temporal/mnemonic. In other words, the impressions that the wine makes on your eyes, nose, mouth, and memory. ... More >>

Upcoming Events: A Birthday Barbecue at the Best Block in Houston

This Thursday, June 7, head out to the so-called Best Block in Houston to help celebrate the birthday of a local legend, pitmaster Adam Fisher. From 6 to 10 p.m., the Continental Club will be hosting a birthday extravaganza for Fisher, whose barbecue has been a fixture at the concert venue for a doz ... More >>

What's the Deal With "Old" Wine?

So, what's the deal with old wine anyway? Wednesday's post on What are "Tannins" in Wine? got me thinking about the widely divergent ways Europeans and Americans perceive and approach the consumption of "old wine." Tannins and "tannic structure," after all, are part of what gives wine its longevity ... More >>

Vive La France: Central Market Kicks off Passport France with a Bang

You really have to appreciate it when someone throws a party and goes all out, no expense spared. That's what Central Market did for its Passport France kickoff event this past Thursday evening, which was held in a white tented affair that had the high society feel of the Kentucky Derby. Indeed, I ... More >>

Mother's Day 2012: Where to Eat on the Mother of All Dining Holidays

She changed diapers, bandaged scraped knees, drove to and from a million extra-curricular activities, cooked, cleaned and still managed to love you as a teenager -- taking your mom out for a nice meal is the least you can do on Mother's Day. Luckily there is no shortage of restaurants in town willin ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Take Your Pick of Avocado, Snails and Beer

Fed up with Cinco de Mayo? Just want to do something different from the rest of the crowd this weekend? Then head out to the 6th annual Polish Festival this weekend. The two-day festival will take place at Our Lady of Czestochowa Church (1731 Blalock Drive) from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. tomorrow and 11 a ... More >>

Tasting Notes: This Week in Wine Blogs

Bear on Wine: Chapeau bas, as the French say (in other words, hats off), to Houston wine educator and Spec's veteran fine wine buyer Bear Dalton for his painfully frank post on bottle variation in one of the world's most coveted Super Tuscans -- Guado al Tasso by Antinori. In preparation for the Ho ... More >>

Look at That S Car Go

It's not just a punchline to a joke in that classic holiday movie, Trading Places. Now it's also a Houston food truck. L'es-Car-Go -- pronounced just like l'escargot -- will be the city's first all-French food truck. Jean-Philippe and Genevieve Guy, owners of the 14-year-old Bistro Provence in Memo ... More >>

Dining Out on Easter, a.k.a. Brunchapalooza

It's a little bit breakfast, a little bit lunch, and it's socially acceptable to drink before noon in public. Yes, my friends: Brunch is a beautiful thing. And Easter Sunday is the mother of all brunch celebrations. When it comes to Easter in Houston these things we know for sure: Easter egg hunts ... More >>

New Year's Eve Dining (What's Open, Deals and Hangover Fixes for the Following Day)

Yeah, yeah, we know. New Year's Eve is supposed to be a time of reflection filled with hope and promise for the coming year, a time to move forward and leave our struggles in the past. But for those of us resolving to lose weight in 2012, New Year's Eve is a lot like Fat Tuesday -- a last hurrah of ... More >>

Dining Out on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

elitemom.net​It's allegedly the most wonderful time of the year. But we're guessing whomever penned that phrase never spent Christmas Eve amid the pandemonium of wide-eyed, frantic shoppers desperately trying to cross those last few names off of the shopping list, or stayed up until the wee ... More >>

Thanksgiving Day Dining and Takeout Options: Because Washing Dishes Sucks

madfishestheblog.comTurkey Day doesn't have to be terrifying. ​Recently we read an article on "Facebook Depression," which is essentially a feeling of general malaise attributed to the constant comparison of one's own turbulent, unexciting existence to the seemingly glamorous and worry-free li ... More >>

Top 12 Wines Under $15 for the Holidays

A $10 sparkling wine for the holidays: Toso is one of our top picks.​Last night, Whole Foods Market introduced its Top 10 wines for the holidays -- except that this year, like the days of Christmas, there are actually 12. Historically, some of the recommended wines have been held up at custom ... More >>

Upcoming Events: Hairy Bikers Heat Up Houston

Hairy Bikers hosts Bill Allen and Paul Patranella will be in town tonight at District Lounge.​The History Channel came to Houston recently, and the bloggers behind spicy food blog Eat More Heat were tapped to help the show Hairy Bikers with the Ultra-Hot Chile Burger Challenge that will be fea ... More >>

Upcoming Events: A Taste of Triniti and Brews on the Bayou

Photo by Paul KnightBrews (and booze, if you go inside and order it) will be served on the bayou at Brenner's upcoming Beer Fest.​This weekend, if you aren't headed to our own BestFest, check out the 3rd annual Wine Festival on the Kemah Boardwalk on Saturday, September 24, from 2 to 5 p.m. Mo ... More >>

Breakfast and Booze: Reviewing Flora & Muse

Photos by Troy FieldsFlora & Muse's patio may not appeal now, but it begs a lingering visit in cooler weather.​For a very long time, it used be that my family and I would trek over to the Le Peep at Wilcrest and Westheimer when we wanted brunch in West Houston. Le Peep is neither the best nor ... More >>

Upcoming Events

​A reminder that if you love craft beer and want to see its sale and distribution made easier across the State of Texas, show up to Moon Tower Inn this Saturday at 4 p.m. for the launch party of Open the Taps. The founders will be there to address questions as well as to start fundraising effo ... More >>

Free Tastings of Gourmet Flavored Oil and Vinegar at Olive & Vine

White truffle oil is dispensed directly from the stainless steel fusti. ​In Europe, where small specialty shops abound, it wouldn't be unusual to find a store that specializes in selling extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. But in a city like Houston that is home to mega grocery behem ... More >>

Meet Houston's Most Underrated Chefs

Photo by Matthew DresdenWhich "underrated" chef made this beautiful tai ceviche?​Two weeks ago, Mai Pham's excellent post about the modern Franco-Japanese cuisine Chef Jason Hauck is cooking up at Soma Sushi shed some light on the fact that Soma serves much more than just sushi, despite its na ... More >>

La Vie en Lavender at Bistro Provence

Lavender and fennel tartlet.​The delicate squash blossom was coated and fried in a light lavender batter. The snapper was served on a bed of confit nectarines and lavender rice. The tartlet was redolent with lavender, mixed with the strongly herbal taste of fennel. Even the duck leg was glazed ... More >>

My Five Favorite Virgin Cocktails

mhaithacaShirley Temple. ​For the record, I am not pregnant. But a startling proportion of my friends are heading into their second and third trimesters this summer and therefore are unable to join me in multiple rounds of margaritas. Rather than drink alone, I have decided to explore the wor ... More >>

Wine of the Week: Righting the Wrong of Rosé

​Remember the "pink" and "blush" wines from the 1970s, like the one pictured right? They were mass-produced and mass-marketed blends of white and red grapes with high alcohol content (and often with added sugar) intended for the swinging cocktail set of the era. And while we all had a grand t ... More >>

Herbes de Provence

Kristen MajewskiThe selection of herbes de Provence at HEB.​If I had to pick a favorite ingredient, it would probably be the creamy goodness that is butter. I don't indulge in this obsession too often, opting instead for my second favorite ingredient, dried herbs. Okay, so that's not really on ... More >>

Upcoming Events

​This year marks the 100th anniversary of Mardi Gras on Galveston Island. But while the whole island will be celebrating starting today through March 8, you can have your own celebration further inland New Orleans-style at Brennan's. The restaurant will be hosting a Mardi Gras celebration on ... More >>

Looking to Ring In the New Year at a Restaurant?

chicagofoodwhores.com​Sick of lame parties and crowded bars and a night that rarely lives up to its billing? Can't bear the thought of another New Year's Eve with Ryan Seacrest? Need a place to grab a bite before hitting the dancefloor? It's been a hard year, Houston. Why not ease your way i ... More >>

Greek Mixology

Mykonos Island's Nepenthe

French Bliss

Bistro Provence

Dish

Evolution of a Watering Hole

Backstreet Cafe outgrows its niche as a fair-weather favorite