The event, co-hosted by Houston First and taking place at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston, is your chance to experience the best in local culinary innovation and cutting-edge immersive art all in one luxurious place.
Emmanuel Chavez of Tatemó
The James Beard Foundation, which aims to showcase the country’s food culture, kicked off its annual culinary series in July. A few Houston talents who will be participating include James Beard Award-winning Hugo Ortega, Street to Kitchen’s Chef G, and two-time Beard-nominated Emmanuel Chavez, the chef behind the Mexican tasting-menu restaurant Tatemó. Chavez will lead Tasting America as host chef.
Attendees who opt for Premier tickets ($250) to Taste America will receive a gift bag, which sounds like it’s worth the ticket price alone. Each includes exclusive access to a sneak peek of Meow Wolf Houston before the new Fifth Ward immersive art museum opens to the public.
Starting at 6pm, ahead of the main event, Premier ticket holders will be served exclusive drinks and bites, including Champagne and caviar, and specially crafted Meow Wolf cocktails created to encapsulate the immersive art experience.
Premier guests don't get all the fun, though. General ticket ($175) holders will get something special from Meow Wolf, too. After enjoying food and beverage stations from Houston's most talked-about chefs (see menu below), guests will leave with a special take-home gift from Meow Wolf and other event participants.
Here’s a first taste of what will be served throughout the evening:
- Host chef and James Beard nominee Emmanuel Chavez of Tatemó will serve Hoja Santa ice cream
- James Beard semifinalist Ope Amosu of ChòpnBlọk will serve Agege Sliders with Nigerian eggs and Liberian greens aïoli
- James Beard semifinalist Dawn Burrell cooks up seared marinated duck breast with buckwheat kinche "grits" and berbere-spiced cream
- James Beard semifinalist Victoria Elizondo of Cochinita & Co. dishes masa cake with maracuyá passionfruit mousse, candied guava paste, caramelized pineapple, and coconut-amaranth tuile
- Sergio Hidalgo and James Beard nominee Chris Williams of Late August will serve a crudo of cobia with turnip mignonette, mole crunch, and shallots
- James Beard winner Benchawan Jabthong Painter of Street to Kitchen plates Nam Prik Noom Sai Oua with seasonal veggies
- James Beard winner Hugo Ortega of Xochi will serve slow-cooked, pork-stuffed plantain “torpedoes”
- Jason Ryczek of Little's Oyster Bar is grilling Spanish octopus with Schug and Little’s Pimenton
- Erin Smith of Feges BBQ puts together brisket "foldies" with pickles and sauce
- Sherman Yeung of Money Cat brings his sea urchin cream puffs with kaffir lime pastry cream and lychee syrup glaze
- Four Seasons Hotel Houston's own Jonathan Esparza of Toro Toro will serve Peruvian Ceviche of red snapper with leche de tigre, sweet potato, canchas and morita chile oil
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Inside Hearsay's new Levy Park restaurant
At this family-friendly gathering spot from Landmark Houston Hospitality Group, guests can linger on the lovely patio with park views while kids devour soft-serve ice cream (your furry friends are invited, too). The glossy, wood-paved space, which dangles with multiple chandeliers, is huge, with lots of elbow room — and a separate bar, which stays open until midnight on the weekends. Dishing up eclectic American cuisine, this is the seventh Houston-area location from the restaurant group.
“We chose Levy Park for its rich history, aiming to honor Hearsay’s legacy, which began with our first restaurant in the historic W.L. Foley building in 2008,” said Joseph Natale, CEO of Hearsay. “Hearsay Levy Park marks our brand’s evolution. It features elevated design elements, and our largest bar with views, high ceilings, and garage doors that open outdoors. We’ve also included two private dining rooms, expanded our culinary menu, and our diverse selection of handcrafted cocktails.”
Chef Carlos Bautista’s vast lunch, brunch and dinner menus offer shareable plates like the charcuterie board and the spicy Kung Pao shrimp and calamari. Anticipate about ten handmade pizzas, as well as salads, burgers, tacos, and a Chicago-style hot dog. Main plates range from an espresso-rubbed pork chop and beef short-rib braised in Shiner Bock with cheddar-cheese grits, to crab-crusted redfish with red-pepper coulis.
Vegetarians are not left out of the fun: Choose from the plant-based burger, pesto pasta primavera, and watermelon "poke" tostados. Besides cocktails, mocktails, wine and beer to sip, specially priced Houston Restaurant Weeks multi-course menus are on tap through September!