4. Spanish Flowers
When dining in the middle of the night, one often has to choose convenience over taste. Is it open? Yes. Then it's going to have to do. Not so with Spanish Flowers, which is just as delicious during the day as it is in the dark after several margaritas. Piping hot, freshly made tortillas and bright, zingy salsa will go a long way toward perking up the evening, while the thick, creamy queso del mar or earthy enchiladas mole will soak up any alcohol left in your stomach while simultaneously tantalizing your tastebuds. Spanish Flowers closes only between 10 p.m. Tuesday night and 9 a.m. Wednesday morning.
3. Pho Binh by Night
Three words: Bone. Marrow. Pho. Yes, there are other restaurants that rank higher than Pho Binh on this list, but that single dish makes it one of my favorites, and a favorite among many other night owls in Houston. Pho Binh by Night in Alief is open until 3 a.m. on the weekends, and it's well worth the drive out of the Loop for some of that heavenly pho. It's rich and sumptuous and not at all the austere beef broth you might get at a shop in Midtown (though that pho is good, too). This is the king of pho, brought to you by an unassuming little spot in a strip center primed and ready for some late-night eats and people-watching.
2. Mai's Restaurant
Mai's edges out Pho Binh for one reason, and one reason only: It's open later. This Vietnamese Midtown staple is open until 3 a.m. weeknights and 4 a.m. on the weekends. The pho at Mai's may not quite live up to the pho at Pho Binh, but everything else on the extensive menu is a safe bet — be you tipsy or otherwise. Mai is great for lunch, dinner or trying-to-avoid-a-hangover meals, and the bo luc lac — Mai's signature garlic beef, made with filet mignon — is a hit regardless of your blood alcohol level. On weekends, you'll find yourself dining among folks in dinner jackets, jeans and tattoos, and just about everything in between.
1. Pi Pizza Truck
Good news! You don't have to make it to your car for outstanding late-night grub; Pi Pizza Truck has got you covered. The truck, available for delivery till 3:30 a.m., is slinging some serious pies, from the wild-game-topped Outdoorsman — with venison sausage and port-wine syrup-coated cherries — to the massive bacon-mac-and-cheese-topped Who's the Mac. Of course, it's not just available for delivery. If you can make your way to the truck itself after a night out, the massive slices may aid in soaking up that booze. At least it's a start. And if you're one of the lucky few who shelled out for a Pi Pizza Truck tattoo recently, then congrats: Your slice is on the house.
_____________________
Local Spotlight
The Melting Pot's Four Course Experience
It just might bring fondue back into your life.
Minh T. Truong
I'm calling it now: Fondue, the dinner-party craze of the 1960s and 1970s, is making a comeback. When a girlfriend of mine suggested The Melting Pot for dinner and for us to catch up, I was surprised, but was game for it. It had been years since I'd been there. My most recent previous experience was back in high school, when my first boyfriend saved for months to take us out to a "grown-up" dinner. Because of that, and the fact that fondue is a food trend known mostly for its kitschy past, The Melting Pot is not a place I'd think to go. I imagined we'd dip some stuff in cheese and I'd leave hungry, then hit up a drive-through window. On the contrary: I left The Melting Pot happily full and with a newfound appreciation for fondue.
Our group of four opted for the Four-Course Experience, which included one cheese fondue choice, an individual salad, an individual entrée and one chocolate fondue choice. The various options in the entrée category make this an ideal dinner idea for large groups with varying tastes. The price of the entrée choice is the price of the Four-Course Experience and ranges from $36.95 for the vegetarian to $47.95 for the surf and turf.
We went with the Spinach Artichoke cheese fondue — Fontina and Butterkäse cheeses, spinach, artichoke hearts and garlic, a lot of garlic. The server set up the fondue starting with a bouillon base and added each component one at a time, and once the cheese had melted into a beautiful gooey mess, we dipped cubes of bread, vegetables and tortilla chips into the hot cheese. The cheese disappeared in minutes, and thankfully our salads arrived. The spinach and mushroom was simple and fresh — spinach, baby portobello, red onion, chopped bacon and tomatoes were drizzled with a shallot vinaigrette.
