Mr. Peeples will host a Mixology Contest on Monday, September 8, from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. The evening's competitors include Ricardo Guzman of Skinny Rita's Grille, Ryan Perry of Sundance Cinemas, Michael Rioas of Beaver's, Kristine Nguyen of Lei Low Bar, Prisilla Maldonado of The Refinery Burgers & Whiskey and Carla Espinoza of Cyclone Anaya's. These six bartenders will duke it out to see who can make the best cocktail -- there will only be one winner. Tickets cost $12 and include access to the cocktail tastings, live entertainment from DJ Tiffany and light bites from Mr. Peeples.
Taste Around Town Houston kicks off on Monday, September 15. It's a two-week event similar to Houston Restaurant Weeks, but participating restaurants will offer wine specials, flights and pairing menus. Some of the participating restaurants include Ouisie's Table which will feature a $60 three-course prix fixe menu featuring items such as quail, antelope loin and strawberry salad with wine pairings; Max's Wine Dive has a $15 wine flight plus a prix fixe menu with tastings of three wines and three small bites of items such as truffle fries, bison sliders and oysters. Other restaurants involved in Taste Around Town Houston include Cru Wine Bar, The Bird & The Bear, Tommy Bahamas in The Woodlands and Jasper's. Simply make a reservation at the participating restaurants and let your host or hostess know that you would like the Taste Around Town Houston menu.
Celebrate Mexican Independence Day at El Big Bad on Tuesday, September 16, from 5 p.m. until midnight. The evening includes Lotteria, aka bingo, which will be played from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. If you win, you could walk away with a prize or gift card. Chef Jonathan Jones will be whipping together some delightful food and drink specials for everyone to enjoy throughout the evening too.
Beginning Wednesday, September 17, Bradley's Fine Diner will host Neighborhood Night Happy Hour from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. in the bar area. Drinks will be available at happy hour prices, including draught beers, such as No Label El Hefe, Lone Pint Yellow Rose and Firestone Walker Pivo Pils for $4; house sparkling, white and red wines cost $6 per glass and specialty cocktails such as the Melon Mule with melon vodka, ginger beer and lime cost $6 as well. The special happy hour will be tapas-style, so if you purchase a drink, you get a complimentary hors d'oeuvre. Other small bites include Pacific cod fish sticks with house-made tartar sauce for $6, southern fried tomatoes with house-made buttermilk ranch for $5, popcorn shrimp with cilantro and chili-lime aioli for $7, as well as a Sloppy Joe biscuit slider with house-made slaw for $6.
On Wednesday, September 17, at 6 p.m., you can attend The Great Banh Mi Cook-Off on the rooftop of Khon's Wine Darts Coffee Art. The competition begins at 6:30 p.m. and features a multitude of chefs entering their version of the Vietnamese banh mi. Some of the competitors include Pak Tsui of Fat Bao, Hoi Fung of Fung's Kitchen, LJ Wiley of Taco Nuts, Ben Rabbani of Flying Saucer and Dale Ellington of R&D Barbecue. Tickets cost $30 and give you access to samples of the bahn mi sandwich entries so you can vote for people's choice. Caphin Coffee will also be in attendance. How about a banh mi with cafe sua da? Chamak Chocolates will provide the sweets and DJ Victor will provide the music entertainment for the evening. You can also take some pictures at the Cheers and Cheese Photobooth. Uber will be on-site to provide rides to and from the event.
