Where to eat for Eat Drink HTX

Houston Restaurant Weeks debuts new charity dining event this week with lower price points

Houston’s newest charity dining event debuts this week. Eat Drink HTX will be held from Tuesday, February 15 through Monday, February 28.

Similar to its sister event Houston Restaurant Weeks, Eat Drink HTX provides diners with the opportunity to dine at restaurants serving prix fixe menus that trigger a donation to charity, in this case the non-profit Cleverley Stone Foundation that organizes the event. Where Eat Drink HTX sets itself apart is in its price points, which are considerably lower than HRW: $15 lunch and brunch menus ($1 donation) and $20 or $25 for dinner ($2 or $3 donation). Proceeds will benefit both the Houston Food Bank and Star of Hope, a local non-profit that provides services to homeless men, women, and children.

As of Monday, February 14, the Eat Drink HTX website lists almost 70 participating locations, which includes eight Thai Cottages and six Fadi’s Mediterranean Grills. Diners will find some gems among the offerings, including HRW regulars, exciting newcomers, and a few old favorites.

After looking through the menus, these 14 options look particularly promising.

93 ‘Til
The Montrose record bar will serve a two-course, $25 menu that features dishes such as fingerling potatoes, charred broccolini, Denver cut steak with beef fat rice, and its signature fried chicken sandwich.

Buffalo Bayou Brewing Company
After a successful stint during HRW, the Arts District brewery signs on to Eat Drink HTX with both brunch and a two-course, $25 dinner menu. At brunch, look for dishes like deviled eggs, mini kolaches, blueberry ham and grilled cheese sandwich, and a chicken fried steak Benedict. At dinner, the choices include a barbacoa samosa, chicken karaage, a double bone-in pork chop, and steak frites.

Craft Burger
The Katy burger joint is serving separate lunch, brunch, and dinner ($20) that offer a range of burgers and other entree choices. Regardless of when one dines, the second course is always a milkshake.

Craft Pita
This fast-casual Lebanese restaurant in Briargrove serves identical two-course menus for both lunch and dinner. Start with a dip like hummus, babaganoush, or labneh before selecting one of four bowls: chicken, beef, felafel, or veggie.

Da Gama Canteen
This restaurant in the M-K-T mixed use development serves a two-course lunch menu that features dishes such as little gem salad, tomato soup, butter chicken, and a cauliflower tartine.

Phat Eatery
Available daily for lunch or dinner, the Katy restaurant’s two-course, $25 menu features signature dishes like roti canai and chili prawns as well as salt and pepper calamari, sizzling beef with black pepper, and more.

Railway Heights Market
Three of the food halls vendors have joined the event. Heads & Tails Seafood’s lunch, brunch, and dinner menus all include choice of gumbo, boudin balls, or etouffee fries to start followed by various Cajun-inspired seafood entrees. Mac & Twist’s two-course lunch and brunch menus focus on its inventive riffs on mac and cheese. Mykuna Latin Asian Cuisine offers a variety of creative takes on South American fare, including lomo saltado, pork belly fried rice, and a salmon kama bowl.

Roost
The Montrose staple will serve a three-course, $25 dinner menu. Appetizer choices include soup of the day, tomato salad, and the signature fried cauliflower. For an entree, diners may select crispy fried chicken, pasta in a spinach and pistachio pesto, or a burger topped with buffalo mozzarella and black truffle aioli. Finish with one of three desserts.

Shoot the Moon
This self-serve bar and restaurant in Spring Branch offers both a two-course, $15 lunch and two-course, $25 dinner menu. Start with one of four half-sized salads. At lunch, choose from one of six pita sandwiches. Dinner entrees are three pizzas: meat lovers, margherita, or vegan.

Trash Panda Drinking Club
Chef John Lindauer will showcase his new pasta dishes at this bar in the Near Northside. The two-course, $25 menu includes dishes such as smoked sweet potato ravioli, butternut squash ravioli, linguini with bottarga, and tagliatelle with a pork and beef ragu.

Weights + Measures
The Midtown restaurant will offer both a two-course, $15 lunch and two-course, $25 dinner. At lunch, the offerings include choice of soup, salad, or hummus to start with entree choices that include a salmon burger, fried chicken, and fettuccine. At dinner, the entree choices consist of sweet potato gnocchi, salmon filet, and a winter vegetable calzone.

Xin Chào
Winner of the Best New Restaurant title at last year’s CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, this restaurant offers a two-course, $25 dinner menu. Start with Vietnamese egg rolls, grilled beef skewers, or an arugula and cabbage salad. Entree choices include Texas BBQ fried rice, braised pork and crispy rice, or Five Fungi Congee.

Shoot The Moon will showcase its pizzas.

Shoot the Moon 3 Taco Strangelove Margherita pizzas

Photo by Amy Scott

Shoot The Moon will showcase its pizzas.

news-you-can-eat fundraisers charity

water, water everywhere

The quest for a Topo Chico replacement — we rate 9 sparkling waters

Photo by Eric Sandler

We purchased sparkling water at five stores across the inner loop.

Topo Chico drinkers nationwide are in a bit of a tizzy. Coca-Cola, which acquired the cult-favorite sparkling mineral water in 2017, announced that the product will be unavailable for at least the next few months.

CNN reports the shortage is due to “facility upgrades at the water source and production facilities in Mexico.”

“We are now making further investments at the source to improve source stability and quality and enable increased production, requiring us to temporarily stop production,” Coca-Cola said in a letter to CNN.

For Topo Chico fans, the shortage brings an obvious question. What should a person drink until the supply is restored? Or, what’s a permanent replacement that will avoid this issue altogether?

After collecting suggestions from people via Instagram, I went to Spec’s and inner loop grocery stores to purchase nine varieties of sparkling water with one goal in mind — find something that’s similar enough to Topo Chico that it will earn a spot in my refrigerator.

In the interests of science, I only included sparkling water brands that are similar in size (approximately 12-ounce bottles) and price (between $1 and $1.50 per bottle). Whenever possible, I purchased glass bottles instead of cans or plastic. Although many are available in flavors, I only purchased unflavored waters. All waters were chilled overnight in a refrigerator prior to tasting.

Sparkling water taste test Each water was chilled overnight prior to tasting.Photo by Eric Sandler

Not surprisingly, my top three choices came down to two other Mexican sparkling waters and a convincing dupe from H-E-B.

Most Similar to Topo Chico

Agua de Piedra
Purchased from Spec’s (can also be found at La Michocana), this water from Nuevo Leon, Mexico can be found at several restaurants and coffee shops around town. It offers both strong carbonation and just enough saltiness to satisfy a Topo craving. As long as I can source it reliably, this will be my new house water.

Mineragua
Available at both Whole Foods Market and H-E-B, this water from Jarritos is almost as carbonated as Topo Chico. Its flavor profile is salty with a slight, citrus-style acidity. I prefer the flavor of Agua de Piedra, but others may like this more.

1877 Mineral Water by H-E-B
H-E-B’s house brand sparkling mineral water is sourced from Texas, in Mineral Wells. It has carbonation that persists from opening until finishing. Its slightly salty flavor will be welcomed by Topo Chico drinkers. Overall, it’s probably the best choice for more people, since it’s so readily available.

Less Like Topo, but Still Tasty

Rambler Sparkling Water
This mineral water from Austin is available everywhere, including many restaurants and bars. Since it's only available in cans, its more mild carbonation doesn’t match Topo Chico’s; however, it has a lightly salty taste that makes it very refreshing. This is a good option for those who find Topo to be too fizzy.

Tehuacan
Purchased at Central Market, this water is sourced from springs within Citlaltépetl, Mexico’s highest mountain. The mountain’s volcanic rock gives the water a noticeable saltiness with a slightly sour taste. Although it wasn’t quite to my taste, its strong carbonation and distinct flavor could appeal to other Topo devotees.

Private Selection Sparkling Mineral Water
Available at Kroger, this water is neither as carbonated nor as salty as Topo Chico. Still, it has enough fizz and minerality to do in a pinch, particularly for people who prefer shopping at Kroger over other grocery stores.

Your Mileage May Vary

Richard’s Sparkling Rainwater
Admittedly, a non-mineral water was unlikely to emerge as a favorite in this taste test. Since it’s made with filtered rainwater, Richard’s has a very clean taste and a mild level of carbonation.

Saratoga Carbonated Spring Water
Like Richard’s, this water is too lightly carbonated and too mildly flavored to satisfy a Topo craving. Still, it’s clean and refreshing, which could appeal to non-Topo drinkers.

I’ve Had Better

Liquid Death Mountain Water (Sparkling)
Bland and flat-tasting, this water was the only one I wouldn’t purchase again. Maybe the flavored versions are better.

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