Here’s a look at this weekend’s best culinary happenings, featuring lobster, crawfish and barbecue:
Lobster Friday at Bernie’s Burger Bus
Friday, 11 a.m. until sold out
5407 Bellaire; 2643 Commercial Center
Ring in Lent with Bernie’s Burger Bus’s fan-favorite Lobster Friday. Both the Bellaire and Katy locations will be serving up hunks of lobster, either piled into a buttered and toasted bun or over lobster poutine fries. The special will be available at lunch and dinner until the goods are gone.
World’s Championship Bar-B-Que Contest at NRG Park
Friday, noon to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
One NRG Park
Kicking off the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, this annual barbecue cook-off competition hosts more than 250 pit teams as they face off to be named the champion. While most team tents are invitation-only, visitors can enjoy several public venues, including The Garden, Rockin’ Bar-B-Que Saloon and the Chuck Wagon. Tickets are $15 ($5 for ages 3 to 12) and include a complimentary sliced barbecue beef sandwich plate with chips and beans from the Chuck Wagon, access to live music areas and admission to the carnival.
Standout Live Music-Cook-Off Weekend at Goode Company Armadillo Palace
Friday through Saturday
5015 Kirby
Goode Co. Armadillo Palace is kicking off a month of live entertainment with a weekend filled with country, bluegrass and Americana performances, plus food and drink specials all weekend long. On Friday during the Brandon McDermott Band performance, guests are invited to enjoy happy hour at the Orange Blossom Bar, with specials including $2 off glasses of wine and cocktails, $1 off all draft beers and half-price appetizers from 4 to 7 p.m. The weekend continues with live-fire barbecue featuring a side of beef slow-roasted for 18 hours on a rotisserie and carved in front of the crowd. Guests may also enjoy tacos served late night Friday and all day Saturday.
Heights Crawfish Festival
Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
411 West 20th
Presented by the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce, this annual, free-to-attend crawfish festival features the finale of the Idol of the Heights singing contest, performances by students from local schools, exhibitor booths and shopping opportunities, a Kids’ World area of rides and activities, and plenty of mudbugs, of course. In addition, Happy Fatz will return to provide hot dogs and gourmet desserts, Papa Murphy’s Pizza will be back to serve cheese and pepperoni pizza and MAM’s House of Ice will offer New Orleans-style sno-balls.
Beer Brunch with Saint Arnold Founder Brock Wagner at La Grange
Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
2517 Ralph
It’s obvious Saint Arnold’s Brock Wagner loves his beer, but he also loves his brunch, so Wagner will be joining La Grange for its first-ever Beer Brunch. Several special beers are on the morning’s menu, including Bishop’s Barrel No. 14, Cask Art Car IPA with grapefruit, and Berry Medilow (Boiler Room aged in Chardonnay barrels with cherry, raspberry, blackberry and Brett fruit blend). Reservations are $35 per person and can be made online.
This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 1, 2017.
