If Nicholas Hall's post on foraging, "Indigenous Bounties," piqued your interest about scouring your own back yard (or front yard) for tasty treats, pay attention. Meriwether's Foraging Texas will be teaching a class on foraging at the Houston Arboretum on October 15 and 16.
Merriwether has been teaching at the Arboretum since 2008, and each class sells out quickly, prompting the addition of a second class the next day. If that class is sold out by the time you get around to booking your spot, don't fret: There's another class being offered in December.
Earlier this week, we told you about the various restaurants and food purveyors in Houston who are stepping up to help the Texas wildfire victims, and now there's one more to add to the list: Yelapa Playa Mexicana. The restaurant is donating 25 percent of each diner's bill to the Texas Wildfire Relief Fund when you eat lunch there starting next Tuesday, September 20, through Friday, September 23.
Just released this week is the full list of all the upcoming "Where The Chefs Eat" Houston culinary tours from the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. The inaugural tours showcased some of the lesser-known pockets of the city, while subsequent tours spotlighted some of the city's core cuisines, like barbecue. Former Houston Press food critic Robb Walsh will once again be joining the crew for three different tours: The Americas (with chef Hugo Ortega), which is already sold out; World Barbecue (with chef Chris Shepherd); and an Oyster tour (with chef Bryan Caswell), which will undoubtedly end the day at Gilhooley's.
Other chefs have joined the line-up, too, and it's great to see new faces on these popular tours: Justin Yu, David and Michael Cordúa, Seth Siegel-Gardner, Terrence Gallivan, Bobby Heugel, Kevin Floyd, Mark Holley, Rebecca Masson, Avi Katz and more are all scheduled to lead tours of their own. The tours aren't cheap -- nearly $200 a pop -- and they sell out the day the tickets are announced, but having been on two myself, I'll vouch for the fact that they're worth every penny if you're looking for guides to help you explore the city's vast dining scene at a leisurely pace.
This weekend, Discovery Green is launching its new series of monthly flea markets, called -- simply -- Discovery Green Flea. The market will run from noon to 6 p.m. this Saturday, September 17, and features a host of food-related vendors: It's a Wrap food truck will be there as well as Nisha's Quick N Ezee Indian Food, Grizzaffi Coffee, Texas Hill Country Olive Oil, and more.
Also at Discovery Green this weekend will be its first Gospel on the Green brunch, starting at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, September 18. It will also run on September 25 and October 30, so now you have two options for gospel brunch downtown on Sundays, counting the House of Blues's long-running series.
Can't wait until our next Menu of Menus event? Then head to the Houston Museum of Natural Science for Big Bite Night, a similar event that takes place among T-rex skeletons and the Hall of Gems. I'm constantly surprised each year by which restaurants bring their A game to these events. Notably, it was Cova that impressed the most at last year's Big Bite Night. Who will top them this year? Find out next Thursday, September 22, from 6 to 9 p.m.
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