Upcoming Houston Food Events: New Menus and a Tribute to the South

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

Now appearing at select Berryhill locations is the Torta Cubana, a massive sandwich made with pulled pork, ham, chicken, chipotle sauce, tomato, avocado and Monterrey Jack cheese on a house-made sourdough jalapeño bun. The full-size sandwich sells for $7.99. The select Berryhill locations offering the new Torta Cubana are the original at 2639 Revere, Memorial City Mall, the West University location on Buffalo Speedway, Market Place in The Woodlands, and the Galleria area store at Post Oak and San Felipe.

National Southern Food Day is Sunday, January 22, and Harold’s Restaurant, Bar & Terrace, 350 West 19th, is celebrating with two special Southern brunch dishes — Grits and Grillades ($16) and Eggs Benedict with Crawfish Hollandaise ($15). Grits and Grillades is a Southern staple featuring pork smothered in gravy served over stone-ground grits. The second special is a spin on the classic Eggs Benedict dish featuring braised greens, house bacon, poached eggs and crawfish hollandaise.

In celebration of National Southern Food Day on Sunday, January 22, Lucille’s, 5512 La Branch, is hosting its inaugural ‘Southern Sunday Supper’ benefiting Recipe for Success Foundation. Beginning at 5 p.m., guests can feast on a family-style dinner featuring delectable off-the-menu items, including a Whole Cajachina Roasted Local Hog, Whole Roasted Bryan Farms Chicken, and fixin's including baked mac and cheese, braised collards, roasted corn, hot rolls and croissant bread pudding. Enjoy it all paired with classic Southern cocktails and live music on the restaurant's dog-friendly outdoor patio (if the weather permits). The cost is $42 per person, which includes dinner and one cocktail, and excludes tax and gratuity. Space is limited and reservations are required. Call 713-568-2505 to reserve a table. To see the full menu, visit the Facebook event page.

On Thursday, January 26 from 6 to 7 p.m., executive chef Richard Mendoza presents the “Souper Bowl,” a fun and informative (and free!) Soup 101, highlighting the dos and don’ts and demonstrating top techniques for ensuring success in every sip, at CURRENT, 2 Waterway Square. Adding some additional spice to the evening, Houston food personality and noted restaurant designer, Erin Hicks will be debuting and signing her newest cookbook, Houston Soups & Sips. The complimentary evening will include a glass of house wine or domestic beer. Sign up at currentthewoodlands.tix.com. CURRENT has also kicked off its new winter menu, featuring dishes such as butternut squash soup, blackened Texas red fish with pecan maple butter sauce, fried quail with housemade jalapeño cheddar cornbread and pepper gravy, and apple-cranberry crisp. Sidebar’s winter drink menu features cocktails like the Home Slice, with Rittenhouse rye whiskey and hopped grapefruit bitters; and the Cold Remedy, a low ball with gin, Madeira, fresh lemon and mint.

Ouisie’s Table, 3939 San Felipe, will host Bingo on the Porch on Thursday, January 26 at 6 p.m., with the first game beginning at 6:30 p.m. and play continuing until 9:30 p.m. To play and win prizes, each player will be charged $35, but that $35 can be applied toward beverages, cocktails or food. Tax and gratuity are additional. See the Facebook event page for more information.

Revival Market, 550 Heights, will be hosting a Butchery Demo with co-owner Morgan Weber and charcutier Andrew Vaserfirer from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, January 31. Guests will learn how to butcher a whole hog, head to tail, plus enjoy a selection of charcuterie upon arrival, a family-style dinner midway through the class, and a take-away selection of Revival salumi. BYOB is strongly encouraged. Tickets are $125 per person and can be purchased in-store, over the phone, or via email at [email protected].

Bistro Provence, 13616 Memorial, is hosting a sparkling wine dinner featuring some of owner Genevieve Guy’s favorite French discoveries outside the borders of Champagne, on Tuesday, January 31. Beginning at 7 p.m., five delightful sparkling wines will be paired with five dishes, the highlight of the evening being Chateau Les Valentines "Bulles" from Provence, a very limited sparkling wine normally sold only at the French vineyard. Enjoy salmon rillettes; scallop and mussels vol-au-vent; a monkfish, rosemary and bacon skewer; Provençal beef stew with olives; and chocolate and raspberry fondant with raspberry coulis. The cost per person is $65 plus tax and gratuity. A $40 deposit via PayPal is required to secure the reservation and will be forfeited for cancellations made 48 hours or less before the dinner.