Monday, May 18

Dinner Before Bette Midler Concert At Quattro At Four Seasons

(Going to Rush instead? The special repeats on Thursday.)

Quattro is having another of its clever pre-concert dinners that include free parking within walking distance of Toyota Center. Dinner options are for either one or two courses and there's a to-go dessert add-on for $8. For the “one course,” choose between potato gnocchi with Akaushi meatballs or seafood Cioppino stew. For the two-course, select the Rebecca Creek Braised Short Ribs with heirloom carrots or lightly smoked, roasted Verlasso salmon, diver scallops and baby beets. You're even entitled to a free glass of wine at the Lobby Bar after the concert. Just show your concert ticket stub and dinner receipt. Reservations are required. Call 713-276-4700 to make one. 1300 Lamar. $29 or $32 plus tax and gratuity.

Vintage Focus On Bordeaux At l'Alliance Française

(This class was originally slated for last week but had to be rescheduled.) Join Spec's fine wine buyer Bear Dalton at the Wine School at l'Alliance Française for a Vintage Focus on Bordeaux 2010. It's considered by many to be one of the three great vintages of the 2000s. The discussion will include details of the vintage and how the wines are developing. 12 wines will be tasted. To reserve your spot, please contact Susan at 713-854-7855. 427 Lovett. 7 p.m. $120 (cash or check).

Tuesday, May 19

Spring Lamb Dinner at Prohibition

Resident chefs Ben McPherson and Matt Wommac join forces with guest chef Daniel Chance of Atlanta's James Beard Award Winning Restaurant Bacchanalia and Houston chef Chris Zettlemoyer of The Barry Farm and Boudreaux's Cajun Kitchen to celebrate one of the finest dishes of spring: lamb. The chefs are preparing whole pasture-raised Dorper lamb from The Barry Farm in Needville along with veggies from Three Sisters Farm. Hors d'oeuvres will start the evening followed by a four- course meal paired with carefully-selected wines from Burgundy. Call 404-514-9862 with questions. 1008 Prairie. 7 to 10 p.m. $90 plus tax & gratuity.

“Crafted” Cocktail Competition At Mr. Peeple’s

This cocktail battle, sponsored by Ketel One, promises to be “a night full of creative elixirs.” Competing bartenders are Jessie Porter from Shamrocks in Humble, John Stewart from 3rd Floor in Humble, Robert Glenn of Pier 36 in Richmond, Andres Chapa with forthcoming Lili and Bloom and Jonathan Gallardo from Prohibition Supperclub + Bar. Expect cocktail specials with complimentary tapas and samples of the competing cocktails. The “PEEPLES Choice” winner will land $150 and the judges’ pick gets $250. 1911 Bagby. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Wednesday, May 20

Annual Sip and Stroll at Nino’s and Vincent’s

Enjoy the landscaped patio scenery at Nino’s and Vincent’s while 16 unique varietals of wines from different regions of Italy. There are also tasty bites and live music by Silver Shoes in store. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling 713-522-5120. 2817 West Dallas. 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. $30 plus tax and gratuity.

Field Recording Wine Dinner At Mockingbird Bistro

An elegant evening at Mockingbird Bistro will start out with rose wine and passed canapés before transitioning to a four-course dinner and intermezzo with pairings. The focus of the night are Andrew Jones’ “Field Recordings” wines, which are made in small batches from underappreciated fields on the Central Coast. Pairings include Rohan Mesquite-smoked Duck Breast with faro and cherry gastrique with 2013 Fiction Red and Bittersweet Chocolate Pudding Tart with spiced blackberries and currants topped with Pernod cream alongside 2012 Koligan Vineyard Chorus Effect Bourdeaux Blend 6:30 p.m. 1935 Welch. $125 inclusive.

Dinner Before Rush Concert At Quattro At Four Seasons

See Monday's Bette Midler listing for a description of Quattro's pre-concert dinner specials. 

Thursday, May 21

Guest Bartender Series At Yellow Rose Distilling

Guess what? This is the last featured bartender before all of them come back for a head-to-head competition next Thursday! Yellow Rose Distilling has waived what was already a nominal entry fee for this event, so there’s really no excuse to not go check out Rachel Hitteman’s entry. She’s with Onion Creek Bar & Lounge. She’ll create a signature cocktail that features Yellow Rose's whiskeys. Don’t forget about next week, when each featured mixologist will compete to win donations to their favorite local charity. 1224 North Post Oak. 4 to 7 p.m. Free.

Friday, May 22

Salsa Dance Lessons At The Downtown Aquarium

Downtown Aquarium is hosting a night of free salsa dance lessons from the Texas Salsa Congress’ professional dancers every Friday through August. A DJ will spin the tunes on The Plaza and there are drinks and food for sale by the Taco Me Crazy Food Truck. 7 to 11 p.m. 410 Bagby St.

Saturday, May 23

Spring Send-Off With R&D Barbecue

It’s hard to figure out how this happened so fast, but spring is already almost over. R&D Barbecue is having a send-off party for one of our favorite seasons at Liberty Station. They’re selling the smoked meats and Liberty has the brews. Nuomi Ice Cream will be on-hand for dessert. 2101 Washington. 12 p.m.

Sunday, May 24

“Unlock the States” Kickoff Party At Spare Key

A fun fact about Spare Key proprietor Chris Frankel: he has visited every state in the United States.  So, it makes complete sense that his summer cocktail menu focuses on every state in the nation. The menu will consist of 51 drinks, representing each state and the District of Columbia. To represent each state, Frankel is drawing from a from variety of influences, including vintage cocktail recipe books, industry colleagues in other states and bars he has personally visited. Customers can check off each state drink as they try it with a provided punch card and track their progress. Any person who finishes the menu over the course of the summer will receive a Spare Key cocktail booklet featuring the recipes for all the state drinks. The first to finish will also get to collaborate with the Spare Key staff on a custom cocktail that will be named after him or her and featured on the house menu for the rest of 2015. Other prizes will be offered for early finishers as well. 2416 Brazos, Floor 2 (above Cook & Collins). 4 p.m.

Mongoose Versus Cobra's Third Birthday Party and Prom Redux

Did your high school prom go wrong? Here’s a chance to make it right. Mongoose Versus Cobra is celebrating their third year of business. First, the causal part: from 2 to 7 p.m., party in the parking lot with Buffalo Bayou, Saint Arnold, Karbach and 8th Wonder. Afterward, head inside for Eighties Prom Night Redux. 1011 McGowen. 2 p.m. to 2 a.m.


Bands On The Bayou at Brenner’s

Every Sunday through June 14, Brenner’s On The Bayou is “Bands on the Bayou” at Blue Bar, one of the city’s top-rated patios. Some of the events will feature the up-tempo and funky tunes of Fidelity Maxx, among other Houston artists. There will be signature cocktails, Texas beers and small plate appetizers available for purchase. 1 Birdsall Street. 3 to 6 p.m.