With Restaurant Weeks Already Rolling, Here Are Our Picks for Not-to-Miss Discount Dishes

With Restaurant Weeks Already Rolling, Here Are Our Picks for Not-to-Miss Discount Dishes

Tres Leches at Auden (photo Jordan Hughes)

EVERY SUMMER, HOUSTONIANS save up their dining-out appetite for Houston Restaurant Weeks (Aug. 1-Sept. 2), when new restaurants and old favorites offer special pre-fixe menus with gentle prices to benefit The Houston Food Bank. Brunch, lunch and dinner menus are now live on the website, so you can reserve your table lickity-split. From French, Asian and Creole, to steakhouse and Indian-inspired, here are our top picks!


Artisans

If you need an excuse to check out the new Artisans, which relocated a few months ago to posh Galleria-area digs, its HRW menu is a great one: Winning combos include a portabella mushroom starter featuring bruleed-goat-cheese croutons, and duck confit with orange sauce; or maybe corn-and-potato soup with pistachio-crusted sea bass for something a touch lighter.

Auden

This stylish haunt in Autry Park has a following for its eclectic menu. Husband-and-wife chefs Kirthan and Kripa Shenoy will craft punchy Indian-inspired dishes on their brunch and dinner HRW menus: We have our eye on the beef short ribs and sauteed spinach, Masala shrimp with curry velouté, and tres leches.

Bloom & Bee

It’s a scene for a girl’s night out, to be sure, but the pre-fixe dinner menu at this Post Oak Hotel hot spot has something for every appetite: Start with the clever ceviche roll before moving on to a main course of Gulf redfish with white-wine butter and focaccia — or risotto with seasonal veggies and mascarpone.

Brasserie 19

Trout almondine, French onion soup, and vanilla bean crème brulee are dinner classics worth relishing during HRW. The festive bar and popular sidewalk café — yes, Fido is invited! — feels a little like Paris in River Oaks.

Brennan's of Houston

It doesn’t get classier than this iconic Downtown Cajun-Creole favorite. Don’t miss the crab cakes, signature turtle soup, or stuffed quail on the month-long, multi-course lunch and dinner menus.

Graffiti Raw

Linguine alla Vongole at Graffiti Raw (photo by Becca Wright)

Red snapper ceviche, linguini with clams, and beet cake are a few California-inspired dishes to snatch up on the three-course dinner menu. Don’t skip the “surfboard” potato chips and caviar! The Big Vibe Group’s Coppa Osteria and Flora will also offer multi-course HRW dinner menus.

Makiin Thai

Thai one on and eat like a king at this luxe romantic spot in Hanover River Oaks. Plush banquettes are a cozy dining option, or hit the huge center bar to sup and sip on specialties like soft-shell-crab-papaya salad, Flavors of Siam (filet mignon with Thai-style sauces), and “coconut ice cream fantasy.”

MAD

Brunch and dinner menus boast a feast of avant-garde Spanish riches. Last year, special four-course menus offered more than 20 different dishes to choose from! Start with pork empanadilla and paella Valencia and end with Basque cheesecake brownie. Our brunch pick? Watermelon burrata and tortilla Espanola.

Prime 131

At this Korean steakhouse, guests watch their meal being cooked at the table on grills while snacking on sushi and other delicacies. We can’t wait to try the grilled bone-in short rib or grilled head-on shrimp with charred garlic vinaigrette. Like other Berg Hospitality concepts, sister resto The Annie Cafe & Bar will serve lunch and dinner comprised of ample choices, with options to pay a tad more for items like a Wagyu filet or crab tostadas.

Tonight & Tomorrow

Take in the artistic splendor of the historic La Colombe d’Or hotel while dining out on a dime. European-inspired lunch and dinner dishes like Ahi Tuna Nicoise and Butcher’s Steak Frites tempt.

Toro Toro at Four Seasons Houston

This sleek hotel restaurant offers pan-Latin flavors on its three-course lunch, brunch and dinner menus — think Kurobuta pork chop with Argentinian chimichurri barbecue sauce, Peruvian ceviche and housemade churros. The hotel’s casual Bayou & Bottle is also dishing out HRW menus with stacked burgers and creative salads!

Food
Fall Philanthropy Report: Easter Seals of Greater Houston ‘Impacts Where People Need Us the Most’

What year was your organization launched? Founded in Houston in 1947, as the Cerebral Palsy Treatment Center, the organization provided services to individuals with disabilities living in Houston and Harris County. In 1989, the organization changed its name and greatly expanded its services to meet the needs of its clientele. Today as Easter Seals Greater Houston, the organization provides multiple outstanding service programs to children, adults, veterans, and service members with all types of disabilities and their families in Harris and sixteen surrounding counties.

Keep Reading Show less

Out magazine cover and Avery Belyeu

ONE OF CITYBOOK'S ‘Cool 100’ has been named to another top 100 list!

Keep Reading Show less
People + Places

AS WE MOVE into Movember, men’s mental health is a big topic. In fact, men can get a lot of benefit, both mentally and physically by taking advantage of everything a spa has to offer. LeBrina Jackson, owner of Escape Spa, has the answers

How does Escape Spa cater to men? We designed Escape Spa to ensure both men and women feel comfortable and welcome. From our earth tones to our luxury brown unisex robes, this is not a pampering palace but a rejuvenation destination.

Keep Reading Show less