Mark your calendars, because you don’t want to miss these deliciously fun culinary happenings:
On Thursday, July 13, fry lovers can celebrate National French Fry Day at Saint Arnold Brewing Company, 2000 Lyons. The brewery will be serving up hand-cut frites alongside a topping bar — featuring awesomeness like Santo queso, Fancy Lawnmower Sriracha, chili, pulled pork, remoulade and habanero ketchup — from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $25 and include food, beer and a 23rd-anniversary pint glass.
Cadillac Bar, 1802 Shepherd, will host the second annual Viva El Tequila Fest from 7 to 10 p.m. on Friday, July 14. Guests can expect face-painting and dancing; tequila, house cocktail and beer samples; and tacos from Cadillac Bar’s food truck, Taco Me Crazy. General Amigos tickets are $40 ($35 for Landry’s Select Club Members) and include drink samples, a taco and vendor giveaways. El Presidente tickets are $60 ($50 for Landry’s Select Club Members) and include extra food, beer samples and luxury Tequila brand samples.
Etoile Cuisine et Bar, 1101-11 Uptown Park, invites guests to a special Bastille Day (La Fête Nationale) celebration on Friday, July 14. The evening will feature live music and a four-course dinner accompanied by two wine-pairing options, with highlights including Pavé de Fletan D’Alaska (seared halibut, fennel and carrot mousseline, roasted chicken jus) and Magret de Canard Aux Pêches (roasted duck breast, caramelized yellow nectarines, citrus gastrique). Cost is $78 per person, with wine pairings for $24 or $48. Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to close. Call 832-668-5808.
On Friday, July 14, beginning at 6:30 p.m., Le Bistro at Culinary Institute LeNôtre, 7070 Allensby, will celebrate Bastille Day with a night of fine gastronomy and French music to commemorate the storming of the Bastille during the 1789 French Revolution. Composed of three interactive buffets, the special event will feature dishes like beef bourguignon, honey lemon glazed chicken, mussels meuniere, duck rillettes, salmon gravlax, mushroom tartlets, cheese plates and a LeNôtre signature dessert selection. There will also be live music and a wine pairing branded with a choice of well-rounded Pinot Noir, voluptuous Chardonnay or refreshing rosé. Guests can register online for only $55, plus tax, gratuity and beverages (kids 12 and under are 50 percent off and kids under five are free).
Enchilada Queen Sylvia Casares will hold court at Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen, 1140 Eldridge, on Saturday, July 15. From 1 to 4 p.m., Casares will be rolling tortillas and teaching a class on how to make her popular North of the Border enchiladas, including favorites like the Lubbock (West Texas-style enchiladas), Hidalgo Red enchiladas (carnitas with very spicy red sauce) and Donna enchiladas (beef enchiladas). The cost for the hands-on class is $64 per person and includes all materials, the class and a meal. To register, visit sylviasenchiladas.com or call 713-334-7295.
Houston Restaurant Weeks returns this August 1 and runs through Labor Day, September 4. Throughout the fundraising event, which raised a record-breaking $2,015,157.77 for the Houston Food Bank last year, diners can enjoy specially priced multi-course prix-fixe menus at a growing list of more than 200 participating restaurants. Reservations can be made beginning Saturday, July 15.
On Wednesday, July 19, executive chef Jean Philippe Gaston and James Beard Award nominee chef Manabu Horiuchi of Kata Robata are inviting food lovers to test their adventure-loving palates with an “I Never Thought I’d Eat THAT” night at Izakaya, 318 Gray. Beginning at 7 p.m., the two acclaimed chefs will jointly be creating a five-course dinner featuring extraordinary ingredients — think salads made with jellyfish and shiro ebi (white prawn); Rocky Mountain oysters; and ramen made with mantis shrimp. The cost is $75 per person, plus tax and gratuity, with a beverage pairing available for an additional $25. Note: Some menu items may change because of availability. Reservations are required with a credit card to secure a spot. Call general manager Brett Bryan at 713-527-8988.
This article appears in Happy Hour Guide 2017.
