Houston Restaurant Week Menus

So many choices: More than 150 menus are unveiled on Houston Restaurant Weeks website

It's here. One of the most anticipated dates for any Houston foodie has arrived. The website for the 2014 edition of Houston Restaurant Weeks went live Tuesday morning with menus from more than 150 participating restaurants across the Houston metropolitan area.

By now, most people are familiar with the way Houston Restaurant Weeks works. From Aug. 1 through Sept. 1, diners who eat out at a participating restaurant and pick from the special menu will have a portion of that meal's cost donated to the Houston Food Bank. The options are two or three-course lunch ($20, $3 donation), three-course brunch ($25, $4 donation) and three or four-course dinner ($35/$45, $5/$7 donation).

From Sugar Land to Kingwood and Vintage Park to Clear Lake, restaurants across the city are participating. With such a wide variety of cuisines, almost anyone can find an appealing menu.

Last year's event raised over $1.2 million, making HRW the largest single fundraising event for the nation's largest food bank.

"I'm so excited. It feels like giving birth," organizer Cleverley Stone tells CultureMap. "I'm very excited about the way the new site looks. It's very easy to maneuver and search."

From Sugar Land to Kingwood and Vintage Park to Clear Lake, restaurants across the city are participating. With such a wide variety of cuisines, almost anyone can find an appealing menu.

Many restaurants that have opened in the past year are participating in HRW. They include Vallone's, Punk's Simple Southern Food, Coppa Osteria, Bradley's Fine Diner, the Heights General Store, 60 Degrees Mastercrafted, Luigi's Cucina Italiana and Osteria Mazzantini.

Meanwhile, some established restaurants that have sat out for a year or more are back. They include Tony's, Artista and Ara at the Royal Sonesta (remodeled and renamed). Stay tuned for a CultureMap-exclusive video preview of the Tony's menu with restaurateur Tony Vallone.

Several established restaurants are participating for the first time this year, including Pico's, Radical Eats, westside favorite Lynn's Steakhouse, Peruvian restaurant Piqueo and Vintage Park staple Peli Peli.

Stone adds that all restaurants agree to a minimum donation by participating. For dinner-only restaurants it's $1,000, $1,500 if two meals are offered and $2,000 if all three menu options are included.

Of course, CultureMap will be breaking down the options and offering suggestions all month of restaurants to try. Where will you be dining during Houston Restaurant Weeks? Share your favorites in the comments section below.

Old favorites like Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse are back.

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all grown up

Houston bakery rises with a new name, bigger menu, and matcha

Photo by Stephanie Lam

Becca Cakes is now Little Sister Cake Shop & Cafe.

A Garden Oaks sweets shop has a new name and an expanded menu. The bakery once known as Becca Cake is now Little Sister Cake Shop & Café.

Owner Rebecca “Becca” Pham rebranded her bakery for a few reasons. Most importantly, the shop underwent a physical expansion that doubled its size at Garden Oaks mixed-use development the Stomping Grounds. Originally a strictly grab-and-go bakery, Little Sister Cake Shop & Café now includes both seating and an auxiliary space called the “Sister Suite” that’s dedicated to cake consultations, decorating classes, and seasonal pop-ups.

Becoming a cafe also means serving an expanded menu. Now open at 8 am daily, Little Sister serves a rotating selection of breakfast pastries that includes butter croissants, fig and prosciutto brioche buns, coffee cake mini loaves, cinnamon rolls, and lemon meringue rolls. In the afternoon and early evening, selections include cakes by-the-slice, cupcakes, macarons, cookies, brownies, and blondies, as well as whole cakes to-go.

Little Sister also now serves coffees and teas, including a passion fruit matcha, caramelized

banana latte, and flavored milks for kids — all sweetened with house made syrups. Of course, since cake is an essential part of any celebration, the bakery also sells cake toppers, candles, party favors, and greeting cards.

Pham named the cafe in honor of her little sister Hannah and the bakery’s all-female team that helped her grow Becca Cakes, according to press materials.

“I wanted to grow my business into a brand that’s bigger than one name or face, but still has personal meaning to me,” Pham said in a statement. “Little Sister is something my whole team can be proud of every day. One day, I would love to open another location — we will see.”

While another location may be a ways off, diners can celebrate the reopening and rebranding at a grand opening party that will be held from 8 am-2 pm this Saturday, August 23. Shoppers will receive a surprise gift with purchase, such as a gift cards or swag. In addition, the “Sister Suite” will host pop-ups from fellow Stomping Grounds businesses, such as mimosas from Sonoma Wine Bar, a hair accessory bar from Flowe Studio, and dazzle dry manis from Polish Nail Bar. Finally, the first 20 customers will also receive a complimentary flower bouquet from Mibellarosa.