Houston's 5 Best Weekend Food Bets: Hops n' Hot Sauce, Vegan State Fair

Lorretta Ruggiero January 21, 2022 4:30AM

Photo by Tiff's Treats

Eat cookies for a cause at Tiff's Treats.

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SIPPLE Pop Up at Axelrad
Friday, 7p.m.
1517 Alabama

click to enlarge

Helenita and Danny Frounfelkner relax at Sipple.

Photo by Therron Francis @therraunch

To end out Dry January or to get some motivation to continue it, head out to the SIPPLE Pop Up happening at Axelrad Beer Garden this Friday. SIPPLE founder and self-described beverage nerd, Danny Frounfelkner, will be behind the bar at Aexlrad's Airstream trailer, Lola, serving a mix of non-alcoholic beer, wine and craft cocktails. Frounfelkner has experience as a former beverage director/sommelier at some of Houston's top restaurants including Tiny Boxwood's, Indianola/Miss Carousel and Elouise Nichols.

Frounfelkner and his wife Helenita recently opened SIPPLE in Rice Village this past October. It's the first non-alcoholic bottle shop in Texas, selling zero-proof spirits, non-alcoholic wines, beers and cocktail mixers.

For those who cannot make it out to the Axelrad pop-up, SIPPLE, 2410 Quenby, will host the soft launch of Tenneyson Black Ginger January 22 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at its shop. The new non-alcoholic functional spirit is the first for the Austin-based Tenneyson and co-founder Graham Wasilition will be on hand for the tasting.

Weekend Brunch at Daily Gather
Saturday and Sunday
800 Sorella Court

click to enlarge

The Cheesy Bacon Benedict is a weekend calorie splurge.

Photo by Lorretta Ruggiero

Daily Gather, the newest addition to Five 12 Restaurant Concepts from founder/owner Aaron Lyons, owner Trent Patterson and culinary director Chef Brandi Key, opened January 11. Its weekend brunch is already getting buzz and this weekend is a great time to check it out.

There are smorgasbord options such as a smoked salmon board, a pastry board and the Ultimate Brunch Board which includes scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, French toast bites, fried chicken, breakfast potatoes, fresh fruit and accompaniments.

The Triple Pancake Stack, Smoked Brisket and Egg Tostadas, Brioche French Toast and a Short Rib Debris with grits will keep guests lounging long into the afternoon, as will the Mimosa Flight and other brunch-happy cocktails.

Grand Opening at Tiff's Treats in Spring
Saturday, 10 a.m. to noon
1660 Louetta

This cookie delivery and retail company opened recently in Spring and for its grand opening, it selling tickets for $5 to raise funds for People Against Leigh Syndrome, a pediatric-onset neurological disease. Besides benefitting the non-profit, the ticket gets attendees a dozen Tiff's Treats cookies, 6 chocolate chip and 6 snickerdoodles. Additional boxes of cookies may be purchased.

There will be prizes like free memberships and gift cards so ticket holders are advised to show up early at 9:45 a.m. for chances to win. There will also be giveaways and music.

To further help PALS, the store will be accepting donations of diapers, both child and adult sizes, non-perishable food items and sanitizing products such as wipes and hand sanitizer which will go to the UT Health Mitochondrial Center of Excellence. In return, Tiff's Treats will offer $5 gift cards for donations, one per family.

Hops n' Hot Sauce at Spindletap Brewery
Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
10622 Hirsch

With the cold weather, we could all use a little warmth and Spindletap Brewery is bringing the heat big time with more than 65 vendors at its 6th annual hot sauce festival. There will hot sauce samples plus spicy treats for purchase like salsas, jerky, popcorn, seasonings and desserts.

The family-friendly event offers the Little Gnome Zone for kids and activities plus food trucks for non-hot sauce nosh. There will be live music and a DJ plus plenty of Spindletap beer for purchase. Guests can also spectate or participate in the Hot Pepper Eating Contest and the 4th Annual Pizza de Muerte Eating Challenge.

Tickets start at $8. Children ages 12 and under are admitted free. Proceeds from ticket sales goes to Addi's Faith Foundation, an organization that provides aid for families dealing with childhood cancer and also to help fund pediatric cancer research. A silent auction will be held as well.

Vegan State Fair at Cafe Mawal
Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
6006 Fairdale

For vegans and the vegan-curious, Cafe Mawal is hosting Veganuary with its Vegan State Fair this Sunday, featuring vegan food trucks, local vendors, belly dancing performances and classes, a kids' outdoor playground plus music and entertainment. There will also be vegan hookah with fruit heads and vegan shawarmas and gyros.

The family-friendly event is free for General Admission but there are VIP tickets for the Hookah Room experience which offers hookah and hors d'oeuvres for $15. The VIP tickets can be purchased at eventbrite.