This February, dim sum teahouse Yauatcha, 5045 Westheimer, will celebrate its first Chinese New Year in Houston with a festive food and art activation, commissioning two leading London artists to create innovative Chinese lantern art installations and debuting them on Monday, February 5 along with a celebratory Chinese New Year menu. The menu will feature ingredients that are traditionally believed to bring good fortune — think plates like a Chilean sea bass roll (symbolizing financial prosperity), salted egg yolk custard sesame ball (representing togetherness) and golden fortune prawn in lime sauce (seafood has connotations of good luck). A number of limited edition macarons will also be available, in flavors including vanilla orchid, a lucky flower for 2018, and raspberry Szechuan, vibrant red in color to reflect Chinese New Year celebrations.
Cane Rosso, 4306 Yoakum, will be hosting flavorful on-demand beer dinners from Tuesday, February 6 through Wednesday, February 28. The multi-course dinners will be served alongside flavorful beers from Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company, with pairings including marinated beet salad and Crush City IPA; Italian-inspired shrimp and grits with 1836 Copper Ale; and braised lamb with fire-roasted cauliflower and ancho chile agrodolce, accented with the dark fruit and earthy flavors of Figaro quad-style beer. Finish with a salted caramel gelato and coffee of choice. Cost is $35 per person.
The annual Corks and Forks will be held at The Corinthian, 202 Fannin, on Friday, February 9 from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. (6:30 for VIP). The one-of-a-kind evening raises money for the American Cancer Society, featuring a culinary competition among some of Houston's top chefs, food tastings paired with fine wines, live music and live and silent auctions. This year’s lineup of competing chefs includes chef Colin Shine of Frank’s Americana Revival, chef Edelberto Gonçalves of Fielding's local kitchen + bar, and chef Martha De León, Pax Americana, to name a few. Tickets start at $125 for individuals.
The Robert Garner Firefighter Foundation and Karbach Brewing Company will host the fourth annual Karbach Cookoff in East Downtown, 801 Saint Emanuel, on Saturday, February 10 from noon through 10:30 p.m. Entertainment includes headliner Big & Rich with Cowboy Troy, Cam, Frankie Ballard, Sundance Head and Brooke Eden; and this year, 40 cook-off teams will participate in the cook-off, with more than 120 different dishes in the chili, chicken and open dish categories. Ticket prices range from $50 to $200, with 100 percent of the profits supporting the Houston Fire Department and local area firefighters.
Saint Arnold Brewery, 2000 Lyons, will be hosting its first Mardi Gras Ball on Saturday, February 10 from 6 to 9 p.m. The evening will include entertainment by the Bayou City Brass Band, flowing suds and a buffet of New Orleans-inspired eats, including shrimp and andouille jambalaya, blackened wings, red beans and rice and king cake. Tickets are $50 per person and include buffet, beer, entertainment and a hurricane-style glass to take home. Decadent Mardi Gras costumes, tuxedos and gowns are encouraged.
Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchens’ owner Sylvia Casares has just announced the first half of her 2018 schedule of classes, which begin Saturday, February 10 and continue through Saturday, July 14. With nine classes in six months, the chef, author and restaurateur will be teaching everything from how to make tamales and enchiladas to backyard grilling and making Texas Mexican Border Style Breakfast. The hands-on classes will be held at the 1140 Eldridge location and the cost for each is $64 per person, including all materials, the class and a meal. To register, visit sylviasenchiladas.com or call 832-230-3842.
Hit Brennan's New Orleans-style Mardi Gras fête on Fat Tuesday.
Photo by Troy Fields
