Houston's 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Houston Restaurant Weeks and a Free Wine Tasting

Brooke Viggiano August 9, 2019 4:00AM

Photo by Dragana Harris

You'll find this roti cani and curry chicken dip on the HRW menu at Phat Eatery.

[
          {
            "name": "Related Stories / Support Us Combo",
            "component": "11591218",
            "insertPoint": "4",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "4"
          },{
            "name": "Air - Billboard - Inline Content",
            "component": "11591214",
            "insertPoint": "2/3",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "7"
          },{
            "name": "R1 - Beta - Mobile Only",
            "component": "12287027",
            "insertPoint": "8",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "8"
          },{
            "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size 2",
            "component": "11591215",
            "insertPoint": "12",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "12"
          },{
            "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size 2",
            "component": "11591215",
            "insertPoint": "4th",
            "startingPoint": "16",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "12"
          }
          
            ,{
              "name": "RevContent - In Article",
              "component": "12527128",
              "insertPoint": "3/5",
              "requiredCountToDisplay": "5"
            }
          
        ]

Here’s a look at this weekend's best culinary happenings:

Houston Restaurant Weeks
All month long

Houston Restaurant Weeks has arrived! The annual fundraiser, which benefits the Houston Food Bank, runs daily through Monday, September 2, with a growing list of 255 restaurant expected to participate. To date, HRW has raised over $14.7 million for the Houston Food Bank, as restaurants offer preset menus for brunch and lunch ($20) and dinner ($35 to $45) with a portion of the proceeds going directly to the charity. New to the lineup this year are popular spots including Bisou, Indianola, Tris, Phat Eatery and La Lucha, plus old favorites from Rainbow Lodge and Brennan's to Hugo's and Pappas Bros. Steakhouse.

Wurstfest at King’s BierHaus and King’s Biergarten
All month long
King’s Biergarten, 1329 East Broadway; King’s BierHaus, 2044 East T C Jester, 828 FM646 West

Throughout the entire month of August, King’s Wurstfest brings an impressive 12+ lineup of specialty sausages, offered in an All-You-Can-Eat promotion starting at $9.95. Guests can enjoy flavors from the traditional, like the “Scharfe Kase Wurst” (hot smoked pork and beef sausage with red pepper and cheese), to the exotic and plant-based, including Wild Boar (with blueberries, merlot wine and brown sugar) and Smoked Apple Sage (hickory smoked with Yukon gold potatoes, apples and sage).

Five-Year Anniversary Block Party at Cacao & Cardamom
Saturday, noon to 4 p.m.
5000 Westheimer

Cacao & Cardamom turned five this summer, and its celebrating with a free block party from noon to 4 p.m. Guests can taste, shop, splurge and create their own chocolate creations, from artisan chocolate bars topped with Pop Rocks, spices, nuts and pretzels to S’mores bars with homemade marshmallows. The first 50 guests will also get free swag bags.

Free Wine Tasting: Julia Child Edition at French Country Wines
Saturday, noon to 6 p.m.
2433 Bartlett

As the world celebrates the late, great Julia Child on her birthday (Thursday, August 15), French Country Wines will pay homage to the chef with a special free wine tasting this Saturday. The grape connoisseurs have selected wines to pair nicely with some of Child’s most famous French dishes. from her best-selling Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Owner Jean-Philippe Guy is offering to give a copy of that book to one lucky winner, and another lucky winner will be presented with a copy of the 2009 movie Julie and Julia, starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep.

One Year Anniversary – Down the Rabbit Hole at Present Company
Saturday, 8 p.m. to 2 a.m.
1318 Westheimer

The lower Westheimer party spot is celebrating its first year with a Wonderland-themed party, featuring inspired cocktails, DJ music, giveaways and all kinds of fun. Costumes are welcome as you indulge in drinks like the Tweedle Dee Party Tea, and Hendricks Gin, Hornitos Tequila, raspberry-mint syrup, lemon juice and tumeric simple syrup number topped with edible glitter and finished with a mini pinwheel.