Two long-awaited restaurants have finally opened in the past week, just in time for the not-so-busy Christmas season. Here's your chance to check them both out before the masses pack into them come January.

Canopy (3939 Montrose) is Claire Smith's second restaurant. She currently owns and runs Shade, and Canopy is a kissing cousin to the popular Heights restaurant. The interior seems to be evocative -- fittingly -- of a shaded treehouse and looks like the perfect place to unwind with a slow meal and a table of friends. Canopy's menu lists items like St. Arnold's beer-battered snapper beignets with pommes frites and harissa lime mayo and sauteed yellow-edge grouper with field peas and garlic-lemon Swiss chard. It's now open for breakfast and dinner seven days a week starting at 7 a.m., with lunch served Monday through Friday.

Haven (2502 Algerian Way) is the much anticipated restaurant from Randy Evans, best known as the executive chef at Brennan's, and local dining impresario Rhea Wheeler. You may recall that Robb Walsh drove by Haven recently to see if they were open yet...and came away disappointed yet amused. Evans and the restaurant pride themselves on purchasing as much food as possible from local, organic and sustainable sources. The menu whimsically lists appetizers as "enticements" and offers dishes like free-range chicken with bacon spaetzle and crispy Brussels sprouts leaves and a Texas cheddar burger with housemade tater tots. As the menu is seasonal, expect it to change frequently.

Meanwhile, residents in Katy have a fantastic new dining option in the land of strip malls and chain restaurants: Udipi (557 South Mason Road). You may recall Udipi from our recent masala dosai food fight, in which it was a very strong contender. The Southern Indian all-vegetarian restaurant is an interesting (read: bizarre) choice for a suburb like Katy, but what do we know? We hope the Cinco Ranch set eats it up.