Here’s a look at this week’s hottest culinary happenings:
Orin Swift Cellars Dinner at Brasserie 19
Brasserie 19, 1962 West Gray, is hosting its first wine dinner of the year with Orin Swift Cellars beginning at 6:30 p.m. Highlights include rock dish crudo, hot smoked arctic char, cabbage stuffed with foie gras and duck, ribeye in cardamom jus and chocolate vacherin.
The Truffle Masters at The Revaire
DR Delicacy’s highly anticipated truffle competition, The Truffle Masters, is going down at The Revaire, 7122 Old Katy, from 7 to 10 p.m. (6 p.m. VIP). The event will feature the city’s top chefs and eateries — including top talent like Le Jardinier’s Felipe Botero, 5Kinokawa’s Billy Kin and Street to Kitchen’s Benchawan Painter — preparing truffle dishes to be sampled by attendees, all to raise funds for the Houston Symphony. Musicians from the Houston Symphony will also delight guests with their musical stylings throughout the evening. Tickets are $295.00 for GA and $395 for VIP.
Wednesday, March 8
Casa del Sol Tequila Dinner at Hugo’s
Hugo’s, 1600 Westheimer, will present a Casa del Sol Tequila Dinner starting with a reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by the dinner at 7. Cost is $125 per person and highlights include crispy duck in mole poblano, lime-cured shrimp with chile canario, lamb tacos de birria, braised short rib over creamy corn rice, and tequila syrup-soaked baba cake with salted caramel, yuzu gel and Mexican vanilla cream.
Wednesday–Sunday
Holi at Pondicheri
Pondicheri, 2800 Kirby, will feature Holi specials created by chef Anita Jaisinghani and available Wednesday, March 8 through Sunday March 12. Each day will feature a different special, beginning with the Holi Dosa Dreams (crispy dosa with beet chile, turmeric, and fresh herbs) and followed by a Traveling Holi Chaat (lentil dumplings in spirulina-tinged yogurt, hot potato cake, chaat sauces chile masala), Holi Pizza (lamb keema, gruyere) and finally the Holi Shrimp Biryani (Gulf shrimp, moong sprouts, fresh herbs, blue spirulina). Finish with the Holi Cheesecake – flavored with rose, coffee, blueberries, cardamom, saffron and turmeric. All specials are offered dine-in or takeaway.
Thursday, March 9
Paul John Whisky Dinner at Musaafer
Paul John Indian Whisky returns to Musaafer for an exclusive dinner pairing by chef Mayank Istwal, offering six courses of traditional Indian classics — think kebabs, curries and biryanis — complemented with a variety of specialty selections from the award-winning family of whiskies made on the Arabian coast of India. The evening kicks off with a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. Seats are $170 per person plus tax and gratuity. To book, visit Resy or call 713-242-8087.
Balboa Wine Dinner at Backstreet Cafe
Backstreet Cafe, 1103 South Shepherd, will host a Balboa Wine Dinner with special guest Thomas Glase owner and winemaker. The evening begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by a seated dinner at 7, with highlights including lamb chops and mushroom risotto, short ribs in demi glaze and almond financier cake with brown butter, cherries and hazelnut-orange ice cream. Cost is $120 per person plus tax and gratuity.
Friday, March 10
Fish Fridays
Check out our Fish Fridays Lent Guide for the scoop on Houston restaurants offering fish sandwiches, seafood specials, and meat-free options this Lenten season.
Bollywood Burnout at Musaafer
Musaafer’s seasonal Bollywood Burnout night returns for Holi weekend, starting with a special menu by chef Mayank Istwal before post dinner dancing to Bollywood music and beats by music producer and international DJ Sandeep Sulhan. Bollywood Burnout’s evening of cocktails, live entertainment and dancing begins at 10:30 p.m. on Friday, March 10. Tickets are $35 each with table service options ranging from $300 to $1500. Reserve a table by calling 832-400-9266 or emailing reservations@musaaferhouston.com.
All month long
Women’s History Month at Central Market
Central Market, 3815 Westheimer, has sourced a diverse collection of top-rated women-owned products from around the world in celebration of Women’s History Month, available throughout March. The specialty grocer will also feature a stellar lineup of cooking classes led by female chefs at selected locations, including A Tribute to Edna Lewis (March 23) and Cheese, Please with Mozzarella Company Founder Paula Lambert (March 24) classes in Houston.
Kenny & Ziggy’s Cakeworks
Kenny & Ziggy’s, 1743 Post Oak, continues its Cakeworks Cake of the Month, offering a specialty cake each month with discounted prices for slices or whole cakes (order two days in advance). Closing out February is the three-layer Carrot Cake with fresh grated carrots, walnuts, brown sugar and cream cheese icing; while The OMG Cheesecake is up for March, featuring a brownie-based cake with Snickers, chocolate mousse and whipped cream layering around the deli’s famed house-made cheesecake.
March Specials at Kolache Shoppe
This month, Kolache Shoppe will feature Frito Pie Kolache (a collab with Tex-Mex icon Molina’s Cantina), Cherries & Cream Kolache and Biscoff Lattes. Grab the specials Thursday-Saturday at the Greenway Shoppe and Friday-Sunday at the Heights and Kingwood Shoppes.
New and ongoing specials
Extended hours and new menu at The Lounge at MARCH
The Lounge at MARCH, 1624 Westheimer, launched a food menu to pair with its extended hours to reflect the traditional mezze style of dining in Greece. Reservations start at 7 p.m. in The Lounge Tuesday-Saturday for a communal experience of shared snacks, Greece-inspired cocktails and wine list. Highlights include caviar service with avgolemono yolk, boukovo chickpeas, tzatziki, caper red onions and pita; A5 wagyu and pita with tzatziki and pickled onion and fennel, foie gras loukoumades and more.
https://www.marchrestaurant.com/lounge/
The Ranch Saloon + Steakhouse at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo
Berg Hospitality Group has brought back The Ranch Saloon + Steakhouse to this year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Located at NRG Park on the southwest corner of NRG Astrodome, The Ranch will be open the duration of Rodeo season (February 28-March 19), offering both casual and formal sit-down dining experiences. The Saloon is a first come, first served upscale casual dining experience featuring a large main bar with nightly live music entertainment, along with the Porch, a covered outdoor patio with cocktail tables; while The Steakhouse offers fine dining by reservation. New to 2023 is “The Ranch After Dark,” where DJs will spin tunes for rodeo goers to dance the night away. Table reservations available.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
