this weekend in dining

These are the 8 best food and drink events in Houston this weekend

The Perry's pork chop costs $39 on Sunday night.

Courtesy photo

This weekend’s best pop-ups and restaurant discount deals include the return of a classic dish, care packages for hospitality workers, and the provisions to make blood orange margaritas. Most of these events feature curbside pickup or other procedures that promote social distancing, so put that mask on and get out there.

Thursday, April 23

Food truck pop-up at The Annie Café & Bar
Get a taste of chef Robert Del Grande’s elegant cuisine, as prepared on The Annie’s food truck, at this pop-up taking place Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Thursday’s menu includes Del Grande’s signature coffee-crusted filet mignon (served with choice of vegetable and soup or salad). On Friday, get prime rib, chicken paillard, and bacon-wrapped quail breast. Saturday’s lunch menu features barbecue ribs, chicken and dumplings, and a roast beef sandwich. Pre-order available via The Annie’s website. Hours are 4-8 pm Thursday and Friday and 12-4 pm on Saturday.

Beef Wellington special at Tony’s
Chef Austin Waiter will serve this classic dish — two, 10-ounce beef filets wrapped in puff pastry with mushroom duxelles and pâté — Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The $95 meal feeds two and comes with bordelaise, a mixed green salad, and Italian-style vegetable medley. Tony’s regular to-go menu will also be available. Free delivery available within 5-miles for a minimum of $75. To order, call 713-622-6778, 3-8 pm.

Friday, April 24

Care Package Distribution at Ouzo Bay
The River Oaks District restaurant will distribute food boxes with ingredients sourced in collaboration with local non-profit Urban Harvest, plus recipes that offer guidance with how to use them. The boxes are free to unemployed hospitality workers and first responders (2020 paystub or other proof recent of employment required), 10 am - 12 pm or until all are distributed.

Curbside pop-up at La Grange
The Mexican-themed, Montrose patio bar has been temporarily closed, but it will return for one night only with a menu of family-style meal packs. Get 3-pound fajitas packs (choice of beef, chicken, tilapia, or mixed), beer-battered fish and shrimp, quesadillas, and more. Beer, wine, and cocktails will also be available. To order, call 832-962-4745, 3-8 pm

Taco and Margarita pop-up at Johnny’s Gold Brick
The popular Heights cocktail bar has teamed up with A Comer Tacos and upcoming cocktail bar Night Shift to sell taco packs and blood orange margarita kits on both Friday and Saturday. Choose from chicken tinga, green chile pork, or the vegetarian rajas con queso (roasted poblano, corn, calabaza squash) tacos plus margarita ingredients with or without a bottle of tequila. Must order in advance online for pickup between 5-9 pm.

Saturday, April 25

Khói Barbecue pop-up at Baileson Brewing Company
The Vietnamese-influenced barbecue pop-up will serve its signature smoked meats from 12-3. Some of the specialty items have sold out, but brisket, beef ribs, and pork ribs are still available. Order in advance online.

Dumpling Magic cooking class
Learn the secrets of dumplings from chef Evelyn Garcia (Decatur Bar, Kin at Politan Row) at this online cooking class that’s sponsored by I’ll Have What She’s Having. In addition, bartender Sarah Crowl (Penny Quarter) will teach participants how to make an original cocktail. Kits with ingredients have sold out, but participants may watch the presentation for $10.

Sunday, April 26

Pork Chop special at Perry’s Steakhouse
On Sunday nights, purchase the restaurant’s signature pork chop — plus choice of salad and dessert — for just $39. Available at all locations. Order online for curbside pickup.

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at your service

First look: Drake's Hollywood owner dishes on new members-only club

Photo by Becca Wright for Vandelay Companies

Maître D opens Saturday, January 17.

By any measure, Drake’s Hollywood has been one of Houston’s most successful restaurants since it opened in the summer of 2024. Beginning this Saturday, January 17, the restaurant’s most passionate fans have a new opportunity for an even deeper connection to the restaurant when Maître D, its new private club, opens for the first time.

Photo by Becca Wright for Vandelay Companies

Maître D opens Saturday, January 17.

Located next to Drake’s Hollywood in the former Hay Merchant space, Maître D is an invite-only private club that’s intended to offer a more refined experience compared to Drake’s lively atmosphere.

“Due to the explosive popularity of Drake’s and the snowballing narrative of members’ areas in restaurants across the country, we thought this was a natural fit as we expand into other markets,” Vandelay Companies CEO Hunter Pond tells CultureMap.

“There was just a giant appetite for it. We floated the idea around Houston. Everyone just freaked out. We got a glowing response.”

From Pond’s perspective, the ideal members are people who are already Drake’s regulars. They’ve also got to be capable of paying an annual fee of $3,000 for an individual, $5,000 for a couple, or $2,000 for people under 30. Pond says they’ve already received more than 500 applications, which will take them six months or so to evaluate.

“We’re looking for people who are giant fans of the genre and the brand and are looking to expand on their existing experiences,” he says.

That experience starts with Maître D’s distinct look. Instead of Drake’s oversized murals of Hollywood legends and red leather booths, members of Maître D will find a more subdued interior that’s inspired by some of Pond’s favorite hotel lobby bars. Think brown leather chairs, polished wood, and brass accents.

“It still adheres to a timeless Old Hollywood theme. It has the same connective tissue, but it feels like a totally different world,” Pond says.

Members have access to the full Drake’s menu as well as some unique shareable bites such as snow crab hand rolls, chips with French onion dip and caviar, and filet mignon sliders. Entree choices include an expanded selection of wagyu steaks and the “Private Cheeseburger.”

In addition to a full range of cocktails, Maître D will offer a limited selection of premium wines by-the-glass which will poured via a Coravin, the device that uses argon gas to keep wines fresh. They range from a $20 glass of Orin Swift Sauvignon Blanc all the way to a $300 glass of Hundred Acre Wraith, a highly coveted Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley.

While Maître D is new, Vandelay already operates a members-only club at Tei An, its sushi restaurant in Dallas. Pond offered one example of the sort of premium experience that his team can create for members.

“Just last month, someone asked to do a suckling pig roast for their birthday party with a DJ on the rooftop. We made it happen. We enclosed the patio. We had a pretty famous DJ come in from Las Vegas. It was epic,” he says.

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