Here’s a look at this week’s hottest culinary happenings:
All week long
Negroni Week
Negroni Week runs September 12-18, and several Houston bars and restaurants are getting in on the action. Bayou & Bottle will be toasting with a flight of Negroni cocktails, featuring gin, mezcal, and bourbon bases price at $17 and with a portion of proceeds benefiting Slow Food; Heights & Co., 1343 Yale, is offering a limited-edition menu of $12 Negronis all week, with classic options alongside riffs like the Negroni al Limone with Meyer lemon and the Call me Honey! with fig-infused gin, cardamom, honeyed-fig and cheese; Sorriso Italian Kitchen, 2 Waterway Square, will kick off the week with the Stella Negroni, made with house-infused blueberry syrup and star anise gin, sweet vermouth and Campari; and Rosalie, 400 Dallas, is celebrating with a multitude of $12 specialty Negronis and a special collaboration with barmaster Lainey Collum of Monkey’s Tail.
Monday, September 12
Negroni Week Camparino Pop-up at Refuge
For one-day only from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Refuge event space (located behind Anvil Bar), 1424 Westheimer, will be turned into a Camparino in honor of Negroni Week. Guests can expect ornate decor, an outdoor patio with umbrellas, a Negroni fountain, an entire menu of Campari cocktails, morning espresso and more.
Wednesday, September 14
Alta Vista Wine Dinner at Caracol
Caracol, 2200 Post Oak, is hosting a special wine dinner featuring special guests and Alta Vista owner Count Patrick d’Aulan. Guests will sample Alta Vista’s specialty, single vineyard malbec, as well as Bordeaux-style blends and more paired with chef Hugo Ortega’s Coastal Mexican cuisine. Tickets are $110 per person plus 20 percent gratuity.
Guest Chef Pop-Up at Golfstrømmen
On Wednesdays through September 28, Golfstrømmen, 401 Franklin, will host its second round of Guest Chef pop ups. Each dinner will feature two 12-person seatings at 6 and 8:30 p.m. with reservations available via Resy ($125pp). This week features chef Ryan Lachaine of Riel.
Thursday, September 15
Dining in the Dark at Indianola
Indianola, 1201 St Emanuel, is offering locals a unique tasting experience — one that comes with a blindfold and a surprise menu. Dining in the Dark tickets are $80 per person and the dinner runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. There will be a second event held on Thursday, September 29.
The Insatiable Glass at OuIsie’s
Ouisie’s Table Restaurant & Gardens, 3939 San Felipe, will host the final night of its summer jazz series, the Insatiable Glass & Live Jazz, from 6-9 p.m. Guests can enjoy jazz quartet Times 4 in the main dining room and Ouisie’s will include its Insatiable Wine offering — for $35 plus the purchase of any main course from the restaurant’s menu, a guest may take part in an endless wine sampling. Reservations are strongly encouraged. Call 713-528-2264 or go online.
Friday, September 16
Mexican Independence Day
September 16, known as Mexican Independence Day, commemorates the 1810 victory in the Mexican War for Independence from Spain; and several Houston restaurants will honor the day with specials.
H-Town Restaurant Group’s four Mexican concepts will be celebrating with live mariachi music and a deal on The Greatest Margarita Ever Sold for a special price of $18 (regularly $29). In addition, there will be a three-course optional tequila pairing menu at Hugo’s, Caracol and URBE; and Xochi will offer a three-course optional mezcal pairing menu.
In addition, Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen will offer the The Mexican Independence Day Enchilada Plate, featuring three different enchiladas each displaying one color of the Mexican flag. The offer is for dine-in only.
Arnaldo Richards’ Picos will be celebrating from September 15-17, offering a special limited-edition menu featuring lite bites and entrees like Tacos de Chile Capeados, Pulpo Carpaccio, Pork Shank Flameado and more. Additionally, the restaurant will host holiday festivities on Friday, September 16, with a live mariachi band and tequila tasting showcasing various tequila vendors from 6 to 10 p.m.
Sweet Thing Sweepstakes Scavenger Hunt with Dessert Gallery
Dessert Gallery will celebrate 27 years with a special scavenger hunt this Friday, hiding 10 purple ticket cookies around iconic locations in the city that Houstonians can find and redeem for a yummy prize. Nine Houstonians will win a 6-inch cake and one grand prize winner will win the 6-inch cake and cake slices for a year.
E.L.P. Dinner Series: Pathos
Chef Brandon Silva and chef Jean-Philippe Gaston will pair up to host the second installment of the E.L.P. dinner series at The Sterling at Regent Square, 3515 West Dallas. This time the theme is Pathos, which will explore the emotional responses one has to an experience through the lens of food. The 6 p.m. seating for 20 guests will spotlight six courses for $225 per person. The 8:15 p.m. seating for 40 people will feature eight courses, and is priced at $350 per person. Beverage pairings for both seatings are priced at $45 per person ($25 for non-alcoholic).
All month long
September Wine and Dine special at Brennan’s of Houston
Brennan’s, 3300 Smith, has brought back its September Wine and Dine special, offering guests the chance to dine from a three-course prix fixe menu priced at $123 for two. Choose one bottle or four glasses from Brennan’s wine guy selections (or get $30 off any bottle), then dig into choices such as snapping turtle soup, post oak grilled filet and Creole bread pudding.
Bourbon Heritage Month at Eight Row Flint
Eight Row Flint, 1039 Yale, is celebrating Bourbon Heritage Month all September long, with specials rotating weekly, including specials on Old Forester (Week 1), Elijah Craig (Week 2), Sazerac Rye (Week 3) and ERF Solera Blend house-blend (Week 4). In addition, there will be a fire sale of summer cocktails the week of September 25.
Charity menus at Etoile Cuisine et Bar
This September, Etoile Cuisine et Bar, 1101-11 Uptown Park, has chosen Tex US Too as its charitable foundation of the month. Chef Philippe Verpiand has created special prix fixe menus for dinner (four courses for $74 with $7 going to charity) and weekend brunch (three courses for $38 with $4 going to the program for each one sold). Tex Us Too has a mission to help men diagnosed with prostate cancer lead healthy and productive lives by offering unbiased information, peer counseling, fellowship and emotional support.
September Flavors at Kolache Shop
Kolache Shoppe, 1031 Heights, 3945 Richmond, will offer its September monthly kolache specials at both locations (Thursday through Saturday at Greenway Plaza and Friday through Sunday at the Heights location). Enjoy the Burger-Chan Cheeseburger Kolache developed in collaboration with hometown burger heroes and fellow Greenway Plaza operation Burger-chan ($4.75, with ten percent of proceeds donated to Food is Love); and the Peaches & Cream Cheese Kolache ($1.95). Guests can also enjoy the Jasmine Matcha Latte, made with sweet jasmine simple syrup and earthy matcha tea in a creamy latte ($4.75, available daily at the Heights location only, while supplies last).
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2022.
