This week in dining

These are the 10 best food and drink events in Houston this week

The week's events feature a grand opening celebration, the return of an epic whiskey party, and a taco and wine happy hour. Diners can also grab 50-cent kolaches from the Kolache Shoppe and take part in a couple of chef and cocktail takeovers.

Tuesday, February 4

Taco and Friends at Politan Row
This pop-up event invites talented local to put their spin on tacos, to be added to Politan Row vendor Cochinita and Co.'s menu for the day. Today's installment features the creative stylings of Tipping Point owner David Rodriguez, who will be serving carnitas paired with a mezcal paloma, 11 am to 10 pm.

Wednesday, February 5

50th anniversary 50-cent kolaches at Kolache Shoppe
The local favorite marks its golden anniversary on April 1. But guests can get in on the celebration on the first Wednesday of each month in 2020, with small sausage, small sausage and cheese, peach, and cream cheese kolaches available for $0.50 at both the Greenway Plaza and Heights locations, while supplies last. There's also a special blueberries and cream kolache available today.

Wine and Taco Happy Hour at Hugo's
Jesse Bates of Oregon's Trisaetum Winery teams up with sommelier Sean Beck to lead this tasting which features a flight of grilled fish, wild mushroom and beef tacos, along with a sampling of four Trisaetum's Pinot Noirs, including the 2017 Willamette Valley and the 2015 Coast Ridge Pinot from the Yamhill-Carlton region. Happy hour is from 5 to 7 pm. Tickets are $34 per person and can be ordered here.

Thursday, February 6

JuiceLand Grand Opening
The juicery's newest spot is at 1709 Dryden Rd., and today's grand opening features specials like half-off drinks all day, the chance to win a JuiceLand tumbler, half-off of JuiceLand purchases in 2020, and more. Doors open at 7 am.

Dave Phinney Wine Dinner at Piatto
The winemaker renowned for his "Locations" series has hand-selected wines to pair with selections from Piatto's menu. Courses include spaghetti Bolognese paired with Locations "I" from Italy and a pork chop Milanese paired with Locations "TX" Texas red blend. The cost is $59 per person, plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 713-871-9722.

Saturday, February 8

Wine and chocolate tasting at French Country Wines
Stop in from Noon to 6 pm for this free wine tasting that pairs a variety of red, white, and sparkling wines, with samples of an equal number of chocolates and chocolate treats.

5th Annual Houston Whiskey Social at The Citidel
The yearly bash starts at 6 pm, featuring more than 400 whiskies and spirits from around the world, along with select single barrel offerings and fine food to match. Look for selections from Glenfiddich, Laphroaig, Woodford Reserve, Elijah Craig, Macallan, and more. General admission tickets are $90 per person and include entry from 6 to 9 pm, gourmet hors d'oevres while they last, access to a masterclass and a tasting glass to sample the night's selections. Those who buy a $140 VIP ticket can enter at 5 pm, in addition to tasting from a Limited Edition list, and a VIP swag bag. Buy tickets online.

Sunday, February 9

Booze Can Sunday at Riel
The monthly event, named after the Canadian slang for a nightclub or bar, is a casual, fun afternoon of food, drink, and art. Guest chefs Erin Smith and Patrick Feges of Feges BBQ will provide menu selections, while art work from Be Someone, Franky Cardona, W3r3 On3, Robert Hodge, Donkeemom, and Noke will be on display. There's music by DJ Seek and specialty cocktails by Riel bar manager Derek P. Brown. Festivities kick off at 3 pm.

Jim Buchanan Kitchen Takeover at Wooster's Garden
The pitmaster, who recently closed his restaurant Buck's in Galveston, will serve his signature smoked meats alongside sides prepared by Kirby Group chef Brandon Silva. One and two meat combo plates will be available with brisket, pork ribs, or pulled pork paired with braised collard greens, potato salad, fried okra, cole slaw, and pimento cheese. Buchanan's signature brisket grilled cheese will also be available, 3 pm to 8 pm (or sell out).

Kindred Takeover at Two Headed Dog
Krisan Fromm and David Kinsey from San Diego cocktail bar Kindred turn up in H-Town, bringing with them their heavy metal soundtrack and creative cocktails. The partying happens from 9 pm to 2 am, with vegan food available from Somos Semillas Vegan Kitchen.

Get $0.50 kolaches on Wednesday.

Photo by Carla Gomez

Get $0.50 kolaches on Wednesday.

news-you-can-eat

Rising Star

Houston restaurateur dishes on swapping Tex-Mex for new retro steakhouse

Photo by Eric Sandler

Star Rover is now open in the Heights.

Restaurateur Ford Fry surprised Houston diners when he announced in January that he was closing his Tex-Mex restaurant Superica and replacing it with Star Rover, a casual, family-friendly steakhouse. With Star Rover now open for dinner and weekend brunch, Fry — who also owns Star Rover's neighbor La Lucha, casual taqueria Little Rey, and River Oaks fine dining restaurant State of Grace — explains that the decision came down to both economics and his own desire to provide the Heights with something he thought was lacking.

“This was our smallest Superica. Superica for us takes so much — every day you’re making salsas, tortillas, it’s so prep heavy,” Fry says. “We weren’t big enough to be that successful. We didn’t have enough seats to make the labor make sense.”

Rather than compete against Houston’s seemingly limitless roster of Tex-Mex restaurants, Fry saw an opportunity for a steakhouse that occupied a space somewhere between chains like Texas Roadhouse and Outback and fine dining staples like Pappas Bros. Enter Star Rover, which already has a popular location in Nashville.

Just as La Lucha channels Fry’s childhood memories of the San Jacinto Inn, Star Rover takes some inspiration from iconic Houston restaurant Hofbrau. Diners of a certain age will see places like Hofbrau in the restaurant’s design. The walls are adorned with framed pictures, taxidermy, vintage advertising, and more.

“The inspiration is if you were some old Texas dude who wanted to start a steakhouse you’d find a bunch of crap and put it on the walls,” Fry says. “We want to make it cool, but it’s got to take you away from what it was. Did we achieve that? I hope so.”

Fry tasked chef Bobby Matos with updating the Star Rover menu for Houston. It starts with a selection of steaks — chopped, filet, T-bone, ribeye, or skirt — along with a half-chicken, blackened redfish, and chicken fried chicken. All of them come with milk rolls, salad, fries, and onion rings. Diners who want a little surf and turf can add either a crab cake or a fried lobster tail.

The appetizer menu is similarly tidy, consisting of shrimp cocktail, oysters (raw or fried), potato skins, and vegetable crudités. Desserts include a selection of pies as well as soft serve ice cream.

Since the steaks are thinner than those served at upscale steakhouses, they’re cooked hot and fast on a plancha and basted in butter.

“We control the costs by the size of the meat,” Fry explains. “Meat is so expensive, how do you do a family-friendly steakhouse? It’s a 12-ounce ribeye and it’s choice. We put the right amount of age on it.”

Tucked away in the corner of the menu is text that reads “Cheeseburger?! Just ask!” People should, because it’s a hearty half-pound, New York tavern-style burger that sits on grilled onions, is topped with cheese and mayonnaise, and is served on a classic potato bun. Think of it as the thick-patty counterpart to La Lucha’s thin-patty Pharmacy Burger.

“I call it a lowbrow steakhouse burger,” Fry says. “It’s not a Peter Luger, but it may be better and it won’t cost as much.”

Star Rover’s weekend brunch menu features the same pancakes that had been a staple at Superica. They’re joined by some new items, including baked-to-order cinnamon rolls, breakfast tacos, and kolaches that use sausage from Houston’s Roegels Barbecue Co.

Photo by Eric Sandler

Star Rover is now open in the Heights.

The restaurant has one other old-school touch in the form of an eating challenge called the “I Ate the 76er.” Available with 24 hours notice, diners who finish a 76-ounce steak, milk rolls, salad, onion rings, and fries in under an hour will receive the meal for free, plus a t-shirt and the opportunity to sign a winners’ wall. The challenge reflects the spirit Fry is bringing to Star Rover.

“A lot of it is scratching that itch of something fun I want to do versus what I think the neighborhood will like,” he says. “We did a version of this in Nashville with a stage. It’s where I eat when I’m in Nashville, because it’s what I want to eat when I’m there.”

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Rising Star

Houston restaurateur dishes on swapping Tex-Mex for new retro steakhouse