Last call for HRW

Procrastinator's Guide to Houston Restaurant Weeks: Where to eat a great steak for $35 or less

With Houston Restaurant Weeks winding down for 2016, diners only have a few more days to take advantage of the specially-priced menus that raise money for the Houston Food Bank. While steakhouses remain some of the most popular restaurants in the event, the choices can be a little limited.

Even at the $45 price point, it's hard to find a steakhouse serving anything other than a 6-ounce filet, which is not exactly a cut that makes true beef lovers salivate. Consider Vallone's, which doesn't even offer a steak on its $45 menu without charging a supplement (at least it's four courses!).

For those who want the beefy flavor that can only come from cuts like ribeye or the texture that comes from hanger or skirt, consider the following list of restaurants that are offering intriguing steaks at either the $35 dinner or $20 lunch price points.

Churrascos
As the vice chair of the board for the Food Bank, owner Michael Cordua feels a special obligation to raise as much money as possible during HRW, which means Churrascos offers one of the event’s most diverse menus. The three-course, $35 dinner menu includes the restaurant’s signature churrasco steak as an option, and diners can opt for a larger paying for a small upcharge. Go discover why it’s one of Houston’s most popular steaks. Just save a little room for tres leches.

Pappas Meat Co
By serving USDA Choice instead of Prime, this casual steakhouse from one of Houston’s most successful restaurant groups can offer diners larger portions and a more diverse array of options than its upscale competitors. The three-course, $35 menu offers a choice of a 10-ounce filet, a 17-ounce ribeye, a 13-ounce NY Strip, or an 18-ounce T-bone, and that includes a choice of a side or potato.

The Union Kitchen - Bellaire
All three of the restaurants in this growing, locally owned mini-chain are running different, three-course, $35 menus during HRW. Steak lovers will find the most appealing option at the Bellaire location, where the restaurant is serving an 8-ounce, peppercorn-crusted sirloin with grilled asparagus and sweet potato mousse topped with a house made bourbon sauce.

Vic & Anthony’s
The downtown steakhouse offers a fairly conventional menu at dinner, but the two-course, $20 lunch menu offers an opportunity for two people to team up and splurge. For a $20 upcharge, diners may order a 16-ounce prime ribeye that’s not available to HRW diners at dinner. If the second person at the table orders a crab cake as an entree, two people can split the steak and crabcake for $60 total (plus tax, tip, and beverage). It’s a very satisfying, if somewhat decadent, way to spend an afternoon.

Frank’s Americana Revival
The River Oaks restaurant is serving a three-course, $35 menu that includes some of its most popular dishes like gumbo, fried chicken, and roasted drum, but steak lovers will want to focus on the 8-ounce hanger steak with kale salad and pommes frites. An optional wine pairing only costs $20, which adds to the overall value.

Anejo
Since it opened last year, Anejo has incorporated more interior Mexican food into its upscale Tex-Mex menu, and diners can choose to mix and match on its four-course, $35 menu. Among the entree choices is a 6-ounce carne asada served with huitlacoche jam and chipotle mashed potatoes. Start with lengua tacos and guacamole with a chicharron for a complete, multi-meat experience.

Charivari
Charivari’s classic dishes may not be trendy, but they are delicious. The three-course, $35 dinner menu includes an 8-ounce hanger steak with chimichurri sauce and garlic herb roasted potatoes as one of its entree options; the schnitzel that’s stuffed with foie gras also makes a tempting option. Start with a classic crab cake and finish apple strudel to complete the old school experience.

Frank's American Revival serves a hanger steak on its HRW menu.

Frank's Americana Revival, Interior, Dining Room

Photo courtesy of Frank's Americana Revival

Frank's American Revival serves a hanger steak on its HRW menu.

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Goldee's and Barbs Go North

2 Michelin-recognized pitmasters cooking up Texas barbecue joint in NYC

Photo by Will Milne

Kirbee's will stay true to the menus at the two barbecue joints that came before it. (Pictured: A tray at Goldee's Bar-B-Q)

Two important restaurants in the Texas barbecue scene have spawned a new project in a less-expected locale: New York City. Barbs B Q owner Chuck Charnichart and former Goldee's Bar-B-Q partner Jonny White will open Kirbee's, a restaurant combining classic dishes from both of its progenitors, at 55 McGuinness Blvd. South in Greenpoint (a neighborhood in Brooklyn) in about four to five months, White says.

Both White and Charnichart have led two of Texas's most well-regarded barbecue joints. Located in Fort Worth, Goldee's ranked No. 1 on Texas Monthly's list of the state's 50 best barbecue restaurants in 2021 and ranked No. 3 on the 2025 list. Charnichart, who worked at Goldee's, opened Barbs B Q in Lockhart in 2023. Earlier this week, Barbs earned an impressive three-star review in the New York Times. Both restaurants hold Bib Gourmand designations in the Michelin Guide.

Eater New York broke the news on February 24, and White caught CultureMap up with some additional written details.

As Eater points out, Charnichart brings creative dishes from her Lockhart restaurant like pork ribs with lime zest, Mexican-spiced brisket, and the famous "green spaghett" made with poblanos and cilantro. White brings lauded barbecue from Fort Worth that's more fit for purists, including smoked turkey, brisket, and classic sides.

For many, Barbs B Q represents the Texas barbecue vanguard. Now New Yorkers will be in on it, too.Photo by Bryce Gilbertson

White further tells CultureMap that the menu will probably be organized into plates and trays so that guests can sample one barbecue joint or the other.

White has been in New York for seven months after selling his shares of Goldee's. He's secured a building and is working with contractors to convert it for barbecue greatness. The two pitmasters will get to work together physically soon — although White doesn't spill the beans about whether Charnichart plans to move there or just visit.

Kirbee's exterior New York Kirbee's will take over this cheerful space.Photo by Jonny White

"Chuck is one of my best friends and an amazing chef," White says. "I’m super excited for us to be working together again and we are excited to be in New York!"

One of the adjustments the duo had to make to thrive in the Big Apple is to make do with a smaller smoker setup. Instead of traditional offset smokers — the large barrels Texas foodies are used to seeing out back at their favorite barbecue joints — Kirbee's will use smoker ovens. White confirms the decision was about space, but he's hopeful the more consistent cooking process will actually be better than the Texas norm. "I think it will be interesting for people to compare," he says.

The real question for barbecue-lovers who are in it for the culture: How will New Yorkers deal with the lines?

"I think they’re used to long lines and being served to order because of Katz," White says, referring to Katz's Delicatessen, an ultra-famous New York deli since 1888 that's known for its gigantic pastrami sandwiches. But if it's not the brisket that transports Yankees to the Southwest, the Texas pitmaster looks forward to introducing them to Waco's own Big Red.

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