Upcoming Houston Food Events: A Collaboration of Smoke

Mark your calendars, because you don’t want to miss these deliciously fun culinary events:

Throughout the month of July, Tony’s Restaurant, 3755 Richmond , will offer diners refuge from the sweltering temperatures with a “Haute July” summer tasting menu. Priced at $59 per person (including pairings), the three-course, prix fixe menu will showcase two light-bodied, Italian wines selected by Tony Vallone’s business partner and general manager, Scott Sulma, as well as a house-infused grappa. Enjoy dishes such as Orecchiette Genovese with hen of the woods mushrooms, prosciutto and summer peas; and Seared Mediterranean Branzino with Tuscan beans, salsa verde and truffled almonds. For reservations, call 713-622-6778.

Every Thursday in July, guests are invited to enjoy family-style fried chicken dinners at Brennan’s of Houston, 3300 Smith. The meal costs $45 per person (four-person minimum, 12-person maximum) and features buttermilk-fried chicken, cognac giblet gravy, bacon-braised collards, summer corn maque choux, cast-iron corn bread, Creole pickles and a Moorehead Farm blueberry cobbler. In addition, every Friday in July will feature a special blue crab tasting menu, with Louisiana bisque, crispy softshell crab, blue crab cake, crab fondue and a crepe soufflé. Reservations are required for both offers.

Join Etoile Cuisine et Bar, 1101 Uptown, for a La Fête Nationale (Bastille Day) celebration on Thursday, July 14. Guests can enjoy an elegant four-course dinner for $78 per person, with optional wine pairings available for $24 or $48. Feast on dishes such as roasted duck breast with citrus gastrique and chocolate mousse with pistachio crème anglaise.

Houston Restaurant Weeks is returning on Monday, August 1 and running through Monday, September 5. Starting Friday, July 15, you can access the growing list of participating restaurants and get a peek at their HRW menus. Last year’s event raised a record-breaking $1.9 million for the Houston Food Bank, so we can’t wait to see what this year’s event brings in.

Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchens’ owner, Sylvia Casares, is ready to share her grilling knowledge on Saturday, July 16, with a hands-on, fun class to be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Learn to grill succulent beef fajitas and make Casares’s own family potato salad as well as flour tortillas, salsa, Mexican rice and bean soup. The cost is $64 per person. Register online at sylviasenchiladas.com or call 713-334-7295. The class will be held at Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen at 1140 Eldridge.

Pitmasters Wesley Jurena (Pappa Charlie's) and Patrick Feges (Feges BBQ and Southern Goods) are reuniting for a Collaboration of Smoke Dinner, this time with the addition of Chopped champion and chef Erin Smith in tow. Held at at Pappa Charlie's Barbeque, 2012 Rusk, on Monday, July 18 at 6:30 p.m., the dinner will feature four family-style courses with beer and wine pairings. At the end, Smith will be providing her winning dessert from the May 31 episode of Chopped. Cost is $95 per person, with limited seating available.  

Uchi, 904 Westheimer, will host a beer dinner series, “Road to Oktoberfest,” beginning Tuesday, July 26 with Karbach Brewery. The three-night-only series will feature a multi-course meal crafted by chef Lance Gillum with specific beer pairings. The other two events will be on Wednesday, August 8 with 8th Wonder and a to-be-determined date in September with Saint Arnold. Representatives from the breweries will be on site to discuss the beer pairings and flavor profiles, while Gillum will explain his culinary inspiration for each course. The cost is $85 per person, not including tax or gratuity. To secure a spot, email Marisa Whitenton at [email protected]. Limited reservations are available.