This Week In Dining

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

From wine dinners showcasing the flavors of Austria and Spain, to festivals that celebrate vegan food and barbecue, there’s a full range of food events this week with something for every palate. Check out these 10 must-attend events, including a regional French dinner at Etoile, Tea + Victory’s first anniversary party, the Houston BBQ Festival, and Karbach Brewing Company’s crawfish fest.

Monday, April 8

Speed Rack Practice at Night Heron
Help CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Bartender of the Year Sarah Troxell get ready for the national finals of Speed Rack, the all-female bartending competition that raises money for breast cancer prevention, treatment, and awareness. For $25, she'll make four cocktails from the Speed Rack list. It starts at 7 pm, but get there early. Slots fill up quickly.

Tuesday, April 9

Spring Celebration at Costa Brava
This four-course dinner features a selection of wines from Baron de Lay of Rioja, Spain, hosted by Scott Folmar from the Spirivin Group. Pairings include seared cod loin and littleneck clams in a saffron-blood orange seafood broth served with a 2017 rose, and fideuà with suckling pig, lamb loin, green onion and Romesco sauce served with the Baron de Lay 2012 Rioja Reserva. Open seating begins at 5:30 pm, and the cost for dinner is $80 per person. Call 713-839-1005 for reservations.

Regions of France Dinner at Etoile
This four-course dinner is a culinary tour of France, beginning in the southwest (sud-ouest) with foir gras and ending in Brittany an orange crêpe cake. The event is the first in a series, and Chef Philippe Verpiand has created a menu that showcases the myriad styles of French cuisine, all of it paired with spirits curated by beverage manager Kimberly Paul. Dinner begins at 7 pm, and the cost is $98 per person; reservations are a must. Make them online or call 832-668-5808.

Wednesday, April 10

Chicken Salad Chick Grand Opening in Vintage Park
UPDATE: This event has been moved to April 17.
The Southern-inspired, fast-casual concept whose claim to fame is a menu featuring 12 kinds of chicken salad opens its third Houston location with goodies and giveaways. The restaurant opens at 10:30 am, and the first 10 guests over the age of 16 will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week for an entire year; the next 140 16-plus-year-olds receive a free large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month. Any guest not part of the first 150 in line can make a purchase and enter to win a drawing for free chicken salad for a year.

Friday, April 12

Glass of the Titans Wine Dinner at The Pass
Austrian wine legends Emmerich Knoll and Michael Malat create some of the world’s most sought-after creations. The Pass hosts the pair to discuss their processes and history, and will pair their wines with a host of menu items. Tickets are $150 per person, plus tax and gratuity.

Saturday, April 13

Houston Vegan Festival at the University of Houston
Hosted by How to Be Vegan, this afternoon event includes cooking classes, guest speakers, games, and dishes from some of Houston’s vegan and vegetarian restaurants. Gates open at 1 pm, and the celebration continues until 8 pm. Tickets are $20 each for adults and $5 each for children under five and seniors 65 or older.

Sunday, April 14

First Anniversary Party at Tea + Victory
The board game café celebrates its first year in business with a host of attractions and activities including a petting zoo in the parking lot, outdoor games and Moar beer. VIP ticket holders get special event access from 9 am to noon, a commemorative glass, a free drink, a 10 percent discount on food, free breakfast tacos and a cake cutting at 11:30 am. As an added bonus, each VIP ticket includes a free child’s admission (additional kids tickets are $10 each). VIP tickets are $25 and can be purchased online.

Crawfish and Riesling at Avondale Food and Wine
The restaurant hosts its first crawfish boil, featuring regular and spicy mudbugs. They’ll be paired with Von Winning’s Riesling Revolution and Infinite Monkey Theorem’s Riesling. Festivities start at noon, and tickets are $30 per person, including wine. In addition to the all-you-can-eat-till-its-gone grub, there will be specials on retail bottles of Riesling.

7th Annual Houston Barbecue Festival at the Humble Civic Center and Arena
Over two dozen of the Houston area’s best barbecue restaurants, including Blood Bros. BBQ, CorkScrew BBQ, Daddy Duncan's BBQ, El Burro & the Bull, Gatlin's BBQ, Killen's Barbecue, Pinkerton's Barbecue, Ray's BBQ Shack, Roegels Barbecue Co., Spring Creek Barbeque, and The Pit Room, will be offering unlimited sample portions at this event that's widely considered the city's best barbecue-centric meatfest of the year. The annual festival also features domestic and craft beers and live music by Folk Family Revival. General admission is $60 per person. VIP tickets are available for $120 per person and include early entry at noon, a T-shirt, and one free-drink ticket.

2019 Karbach Crawfish Festival
Houston's beloved brewery is throwing a big beer, crawfish, and music bash for a worthy cause. Aside from the refreshing brew and cajun 'dads, entertainment will include artists G. Love & Special Sauce, Bob Schneider, Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, Bayou City Brass Band, and Boomtown Brass Band. All profits will support The Robert Garner Firefighter Foundation, a Houston-based educational firefighter organization that supports, inspires, and educates future and current firefighters. Early bird general admission are $15 (limited supply), while general admission tickets are $25. VIP tickets ($135) include: three pounds of crawfish, three beers, access to VIP deck, access to the pub (with air conditioning and private bathrooms), and an RTIC bag with Y-shirt and a koozie. Event starts at noon.

Feast on bites from over two dozen barbecue joints at the Houston Barbecue Festival.

Courtesy of the Houston Barbecue Festival

Feast on bites from over two dozen barbecue joints at the Houston Barbecue Festival.

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Coming soon to Fredericksburg

Houston restaurant vet serves up Roman-style eatery in the Hill Country

Photo courtesy of Bottega Salaria

Valerio Lombardozzi is opening Bottega Salaria in the former home of La Bergerie.

Valerio Lombardozzi’s culinary career has taken him to the world’s finest kitchens, including restaurants owned by icons like Alain Ducasse, Giorgio Locatelli, and Joël Robuchon. In Houston, he led La Table and Tavola, where he earned a reputation for being one of the city's most engaging front of the house personalities.

But his latest project might be his biggest accomplishment yet. The hospitality veteran is opening Bottega Salaria, a homey Italian osteria and artisan market, in the former home of La Bergerie at 312 E Austin St in his adopted home of Fredericksburg.

Lombardozzi says the restaurant, expected to arrive in winter 2026, fills a gap in the Hill Country dining scene, but, more importantly, it's a reflection of his personal history and time spent working at his family’s restaurant in Rome.

“[It’s about] where I grew up, how I grew up, and how I eat,” he shares.

The three-concept experience is inspired by Italy’s Via Salaria, the ancient route Italians used to transport salt from the Adriatic Sea to Rome. The menu acts as a sort of travelogue, borrowing from the different cultures along the road, and the way village fishermen and shepherds ate.

Lombardozzi is quick to say he didn’t want to open a chef-driven restaurant. Instead, the osteria will serve traditional Roman staples such as cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara, saltimbocca with sage and prosciutto, and branzino carved tableside.

“I was one of the last to be exposed to the old generation of professionals who knew how to carve elegantly for the guests,” he says.

The adjacent bottega will stay open during restaurant hours, offering fresh pasta made on-site, house-made sauces, imported Italian pantry items, cheeses, salumi, breads, and biscotti. Patrons will be able to shop for individual items or put together custom gift baskets.

Outdoors, La Fraschetteria will debut a new hospitality experience in the U.S. The self-guided experience invites diners to grab wine directly from garden shelves, gather a spread of meats, cheeses, bread, or pasta, and linger around long communal tables lit by string lights.

Keeping the chit-chat going will be a thoughtful beverage program anchored by a primarily Italian wine list and imported beer. Lombardozzi says the cocktail menu might be a surprise, offering only gin and tonics, spritzes, and negronis. The latter has been made into a game where diners roll dice to determine the evening's combination of gin, vermouth, and bitters.

After dinner, guests can select an amaro from a rolling cart, sip grappa and limoncello, or sip a neat whiskey.

Lombardozzi shares that he wants Bottega Salaria to be just as comfortable for Fredericksburg locals as it is for destination travelers. Beyond daily service, Bottega Salaria plans community events such as garden wine nights with live music, Sunday movie nights, and hands-on cooking classes.

The space is designed for ease with a warm palette combining olive green and pomegranate reds. The decor blends heritage and modernity, bringing in objects like antique mirrors, plates, custom-made lamps, and even old tablecloths and curtains for an Old World feel.

"We’re not just opening a restaurant,” Lombardozzi says. “We’re creating a gathering place. A home for everyone who loves Italian food, culture, and the joy of sharing a meal with others.”

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