Here's a look at this week's hottest culinary happenings:
New special
Happy hour menu launch at Cafe Azur
Cafe Azur, 4315 Montrose, recently launched a new happy hour menu featuring a variety of $6 small plates and $5 cocktails, featuring bite-sized French staples including a croque monsieur and Houston-inspired dishes such as the duck confit taco. Classic cocktails, including the French 75 and Kir Royal, are $5 each, while house red and white wine (French, of course) are $5 per glass. Happy hour is Tuesday through Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. at the bar and on the terrace.
All month long
Houston Restaurant Weeks
Houston Restaurant Weeks continues, running all of August 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. Check out our guide to this year's Best HRW Bets, from steakhouse dinner to Big Easy brunch.
Celebrate National Filet Mignon Day with $1 petite filet sandwiches at Morton's bar.
Photo courtesy of Landry's, Inc.
National Filet Mignon Day at Morton’s The Steakhouse
Beef lovers won’t want to miss National Filet Mignon Day at Morton’s The Steakhouse, 1001 McKinney, 5000 Westheimer. All day long, Morton’s will be serving up petite filet sandwiches for just $1 in the bar area.
Tuesday, August 15
Julia Child Birthday Specials at Bistro Provence
Bistro Provence, 13616 Memorial, will be offering a few of Julia Child’s favorite classic French dishes — among them vichyssoise, coq au vin and crème caramel — in honor of her birthday. The dishes will be offered in addition to the regular menu.
Summer Outdoor Cooking Series at Eight Row Flint
Chef Sam Chang, an alum of some of Houston’s most celebrated kitchens (including his most recent post: Oxheart), is finishing his stint as the featured chef in the Summer Outdoor Cooking Series at Eight Row Flint, 1039 Yale. Chang will prepare Slack Season Noodles ($15), his take on a popular dish from Tainan, Taiwan, where his family is from. This more dressed up version of the traditional braised pork, shrimp and wheat noodles dish will include elements such as fried shallots, julienne scallions and a soft-boiled soy egg. To make use of the outdoor grill, the shrimp will be skewered for the open flame instead of being poached. All food service begins at 5 p.m. and will continue until sold out. The regular Eight Row menu is also available.
Angulo Innocenti Wine Dinner at Backstreet Cafe
Guests are invited to an Angulo Innocenti Wine Dinner at Backstreet Cafe, 1103 South Shepherd, at 7 p.m. Enjoy five beverage-paired courses, including wild mushroom tagliatelle, braised beef cheek with violet chimichurri and fig galette with mascarpone-sherry ice cream. Cost is $100 per person plus tax and gratuity. Call 713-521-2239.
Wednesday, August 16
National Rum Day at Radio Milano
Hit the Milano Bar at Radio Milano, 800 Sorella, to experience a taste of the Caribbean with a one-day tiki drink special in honor of National Rum Day. The artfully constructed menu spotlights four tiki-inspired cocktails priced at $8 each, with the lineup including a Painkiller featuring dark rum, coconut rum, velvet falernum, allspice, pineapple juice and OJ; and a Rum Rangoon, completed with rum, orange liqueur, lime and simple syrup.
Sundown at the Grove
The Grove, 1611 Lamar, continues its Sundown at the Grove summer series, featured every Wednesday evening through August 30 (5:30 to 8 p.m.). Patrons can enjoy samples from featured local craft breweries (or wineries) alongside DJ sets and savory food pairings with made-to-order food stations, with this week’s Sundown featuring Southern Star Brewing. Tickets are $20.
Chiles from New Mexico paired with beer from Brooklyn at Central Market
Continuing its 22nd annual Hatched Chile Festival, Central Market, 3815 Westheimer, will host a hatch chile and beer class from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Chef Andrew Gerson from the Brooklyn Brewery will introduce the beers and demo how to make hatch chile-infused dishes that have been selected to show off the best characteristics of the brews. Dishes include a cheese and charcuterie board with hatch chile gastrique, seared salmon with hatch chile kimchi, lamb chops and chiles with labneh, pistachios and seared dates, and sticky bun ice cream sandwiches. Cost is $65 per person.
Broc Cellars Wine Dinner at The Pass & Provisions
The Pass & Provisions, 807 Taft, will be hosting a Broc Cellars Wine Dinner, featuring winemaker Chris Brockway, beginning at 6:30 p.m. Guests can enjoy a six-course dinner paired with interesting wine selections from Broc Cellars for $105 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Call 713-628-9020.
Thursday, August 17
Hatchtastic Lunch and Learn at Central Market
A special lunch and learn is next up in the hatch chile-inspired events at Central Market, 3815 Westheimer. From noon to 1 p.m., guests can explore the spicy flavors of hatch chiles while learning how to prep a crowd-pleasing menu. Watch a demo and enjoy dishes like chilled hatch chile and avocado soup, green chile seafood enchiladas and green chile rice. Cost is $25 per person.
Third Thursdays Dirty Linen Night on 19th
Locals are invited to get one more wear out of their White Linen Night outfits and reminisce on the memories at this special Dirty Linen Night, taking place along 19th from 5 to 9 p.m. Enjoy complimentary sips in favorite shops as they stay open late, with sponsors including Shade Heights, Vinal Edge Records, Bliss on 19th, Manready Mercantile, Harold's Restaurant & Tap Room, Emerson Rose, Boomtown Coffee and more.
Friday, August 18
Date Night Cooking Class at Brennan’s of Houston
Continuing the celebration of its landmark 50th anniversary, Brennan’s of Houston, 3300 Smith, is hosting its last in a series of Date Night Cooking Classes, tapping into the vault and bringing back a few of its greatest hits from the 2000s. The dinner for two will take place from 6:30 to 9 p.m. and costs $150 per couple (plus tax and gratuity), with hors d’oeuvres, a three-course meal — jumbo lump crab cake, braised short ribs with pork and beans, and peach upside-down cornbread cake — with paired wines, coffee service and a cooking demonstration of the presented dishes. Reservations are required and can be made online or by calling 713-522-9711.
Saturday, August 19
Feges Barbecue Pop Up at Holler Brewing
Last month, Patrick Feges left Southern Goods to focus on his barbecue and prepare to open a restaurant with his wife Erin Smith Feges, and on Saturday he’s smoking meats at Holler Brewing, 2206 Edwards. Feges offerings include five meats and four sides, with everything from his popular brisket burnt ends and Korean glazed pork ribs to housemade sausage and poblano creamed corn. Get one meat and two sides for $13, two meats and two sides for $17, three meats and two sides for $21 or a sandwich for $10. Get them from noon until sold out.
