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    This Week In Dining

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

    Elizabeth Rhodes
    Mar 25, 2019 | 10:01 am

    Thanks to Houston's diverse culinary landscape, each week brings a fresh array of can't-miss events. To keep you up to date on the latest food and drink experiences, we've rounded up the best events of the week, including the 2019 Houston Whiskey Social, a can't-miss pop-up at Fluff Bake Bar, and, of course, the CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Awards.

    Monday, March 25

    Monthly Wine Dinner at Costa Brava Bistro
    Head to Costa Brava Bistro between 5 and 8 pm to enjoy a special wine pairing dinner event. The four-course dinner will feature wines from the Rhône Valley, carefully paired with dishes such as a beef filet with hen of the woods mushrooms, roasted wild boar chops, leek-fennel risotto with baby carrots, and seared foie gras with Granny Smith apples and brandy syrup. Sebastien Ramuscello, Brand Ambassador for Neal Rosenthal Wines, joins Costa Brava Bistro for this event. The dinner is $100 per person.

    Tuesday, March 26

    Spring Omakase Tasting at Tobiuo Sushi & Bar
    Taking place at 7 and 8 pm, Tobiuo Sushi & Bar presents their spring omakase tasting event to present all of their new seasonal menu items. Dishes include East Coast oysters with a cucumber champagne vinaigrette, an uni dish infused with seaweed smoke, Alaskan halibut with shaved asparagus and an applewood smoked white wine sauce, among many others. The dinner is $125 per person.

    Cakebread Wine Tasting at Jonathan's the Rub Memorial Green
    Join Jonathan's the Rub Memorial Green for a five-course wine-pairing event with award-winning winery Cakebread Cellars from Napa Valley. The menu features dishes like halibut in buerre blanc with asparagus, quail sausage with bourbon cherries and jalapenos, and a Denver roast with bourguignon sauce and mashed potatoes. The dinner is $125 per person, and reservations are required.

    Wednesday, March 27

    CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Awards at Silver Street Studios
    Drink, dine, and mingle with top local chefs, bartenders, and other culinary professionals at this year's CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Awards, presented by Woodford Reserve. Once again held at Silver Street Studios, two dozen restaurants nominated for Tastemaker Awards will present drinks and bites prior to the announcement of the 2019 winners by emcee Bun B. General admission starts at $60 and includes valet, light bites, and up to three premium beverages.

    Thursday, March 28

    Bourbon and Burgers with Morgan Weber at Revival Market
    Sip some of Weber's favorite bourbons, including all of his Wild Turkey private barrels, at this intimate gathering. The spirits will be paired with dishes such as the Revival Market burger and a charcuterie board. Tickets ($110) are available by emailing info@revivalmarket.com or calling 713–880-8463.

    Garrison Brothers Bourbon Brawl Houston Semi-Final Competition at Life HTX
    Join Garrison Brothers Distillery for their Bourbon Brawl Houston Semi-Final Competition, hosted at Life HTX from 6:30 to 10 pm. The interactive, spectator-focused event is part of a statewide bartender competition featuring a grand prize of $10,000. Houston competitors include Cody Northcutt of Ready Room, Rigo Aranguren of Mastro’s Steakhouse, Dakota Jones of Whiskey Cake Baybrook, James Conen of Wicklow Heights, and Will Wagner of Pinkerton’s BBQ. Tickets are $20 per person.

    Saturday, March 30

    Saturday Morning Bake Sale with Mason Hereford at Fluff Bake Bar
    Hereford, chef-owner of acclaimed New Orleans sandwich shop Turkey and the Wolf, guarantees to be one of this year's most memorable guest chefs at Rebecca Masson's Midtown bakery. His five dishes include: lamb neck croissant with harissa spices and lemony yogurt; everything zaatar bagel balls with labneh and good olive oil; not a Waffle House grand slam McMuffin with sausage, a hashbrown, onions, ketchup, and fromage Americain; trail mix cinnamon rolls with peanuts, raisins, and M&M's; and f'sho-nut with tahini and date molasses. Items priced individually. 10 am to noon (or sell out, which will definitely happen).

    Fourth Anniversary Party at Wooster's Garden
    Celebrate four years of craft cocktails at an anniversary party with Wooster's Garden from 4 to 8 pm. With local food and arts vendors, tropical cocktails from Pineapple Plantation, Hawaiian baby back rib plates, and live music, patrons can feel like they're on vacation while staying within city limits.

    2019 Houston Whiskey Social at Citadel Houston
    Get into the spirits at the Fourth Annual Houston Whiskey Social, hosted at Citadel Houston. As the largest annual whiskey tasting in Texas, the event features more than 400 whiskies and spirits from around the world, as well as select single barrel offerings and tasty bites. General admission tickets are $80 per person with entry at 6 pm. VIP tickets are $130 and allow for early entry at 5 pm.

    Fundraising Dinner for B's Cracklin' BBQ at Truth BBQ
    Truth BBQ is hosting some of America's most-acclaimed pitmasters to raise money for B's Cracklin' BBQ, the Atlanta barbecue joint that suffered a devastating fire. The six-course collaborative dinner will feature dishes from acclaimed cooks including: Leonard Botello IV of Truth BBQ; Matt Horn of Horn BBQ in San Francisco; Wayne Mueller of Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor; Elliott Moss of Buxton Hall BBQ in Asheville, North Carolina; and Burt Bakman of Trudy's Underground/SLAB BBQ in Los Angeles. Beer and wine are included, and tickets are $175 per person.

    Enjoy drinks and bites at the 2019 CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Awards on Wednesday.

    Tastemaker Awards 2018 Margarita Fuksman, Samantha Walter, Brenda Sosa, Lacee Wilke
    Photo by Emily Jaschke
    Enjoy drinks and bites at the 2019 CultureMap Houston Tastemaker Awards on Wednesday.
    news-you-can-eatchefswinebarbecueawardsfundraisers
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    we gotta go

    Beard Award-winning Houston chef's new restaurant now open in Montrose

    Eric Sandler
    Oct 1, 2026 | 2:12 pm
    House of Louie
    Photo by Kirsten Gilliam
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    Houston may be home to an ever-increasing number of James Beard Award-winning chefs, but a new restaurant from a JBA winner is still a special moment in the city’s culinary landscape.

    Which means the city’s dining enthusiasts are undeniably excited to welcome House of Louie, the new project Justin Yu, winner of Best Chef: Southwest in 2016 for Oxheart, his groundbreaking, vegetable-focused tasting menu restaurant. He placed it with Theodore Rex, a modern American restaurant that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. Part of Thorough Fare, the company he co-owns with Anvil founder Bobby Heugel, House of Louie is the group’s first new restaurant since Squable opened in 2019 and first opening since Heights cocktail bar Donna’s debuted last year.

    As Yu explained on a July episode of CultureMap’s “What’s Eric Eating” podcast, the decision to open House of Louie came about from the opportunity to buy the property at 1931 Fairview that had been home to the original location of healthy-eating concept Vibrant.



    “The real estate came at the right time. The space is beautiful. We’re so lucky to be part of this neighborhood,” Yu explained.

    As for the name, Yu is honoring a Chinese restaurant his aunts operated in Southern California for more than 30 years. The original House of Louie hosted many family celebrations, and it’s also the first restaurant he worked in as a dishwasher.

    “It was one of those places where there was a little more to it than what you expected. That’s the restaurant I want to have here,” Yu said. Later, he added, “It’s how I fell in love with restaurants.”

    Inspired primarily by French and Italian cuisine, meals at House of Louie begin with cold dishes such as the house salad with lettuce, cheese, charcuterie, and quail eggs; marinated plums; yellowtail crudo; or “Nervetti,” thinly-sliced beef tendon with onions that’s finished with sherry and vinegar.

    “I think beef tendon is really accepted in Houston, especially because we have a strong pho culture. Tendon can be a little out there, but it has a beautiful melting texture,” Yu said.

    From there, diners may choose from a selection of shareable small plates such as mushroom and peppers with spicy ratatouille, squash with king salmon, or one of three pastas, all of which are made in house. The pici pasta is a thin, handmade pasta that gets some crunch from crispy chicken skin.

    Entrees lean classic, with items like red snapper with beurre blanc, grilled duck that gets a boost of umami from colatura (an Italian take on fish sauce), and a Texas wagyu couotte that’s served with a sauce of madeira and onions. The French dip from Yuston’s, Yu’s homage to celebrated American grill Houston’s, is also available.

    “The type of place we want to be is — if you feel like you’re a little underdressed, it’s okay to come in and get amazing service and great food. And also spend hours ahead of time picking out your outfit and coming out for a date night or a friend’s night or a night out with the guys,” Yu said.

    “It’s a place that’s going to have a sandwich and makes its own fries. We’re also going to have really aggressive dishes that swing for the fences and push the limits of creativity, even though its slightly rustic.”

    Yu worked with Garnish Design (Milton’s, Tiny Champions), ObjektFab, and Ford Design Finishes to transform Vibrant into House of Louie. Overall, the room has a modern feel — almost like your cool uncle’s living room. The design speaks to the kind of atmosphere Yu is aiming to achieve.

    “More than anything, I want people to connect with the restaurant. If we accidentally get a Michelin Star because we do all the things the right way, and cook excellent food, and take care of all the little details . . . I wouldn’t be mad. That’s our goal in the first place,” he said.

    Joining the project are general manager Tyler Jay Wang (most recently of Donna’s) and executive chef Kirk Thompson, who worked for various Underbelly Hospitality concepts and served as the executive chef at Leo’s River Oaks when it won Best New Restaurant in the 2025 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. Diners may also recognize bartenders Lainey Collum (most recently of Monkey’s Tail) and Máté Hartai (Lee’s, Refuge).

    House of Louie is currently open for dinner daily beginning at 4:30 pm. Friday lunch and weekend brunch service will begin in the coming weeks.



    House of Louie
    Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

    House of Louie is now open in Montrose.

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