this week in dining

These are the 6 best food and drink events in Houston this week

Dine at popular Montrose spot Kau Ba and cheer on chef Nikki Tran during her Street Food appearance on Wednesday.

The biggest events this week pay tribute to teachers, and eateries around town have special deals as Teacher Appreciation Week kicks off. There’s plenty for the non-teachers out there, too, however, including the return of a popular steak night and a great dinner from Chef Monica Pope.

Here, then, are the best food and drink events of the week.

Monday, May 6 through Friday, May 10

Teacher Appreciation Deals Across Houston
Teachers who show ID at any Pei Wei location will receive 33 percent off a regular entrees (although some exceptions apply) for dine-in orders only. Meanwhile, at Ooh La La Dessert Boutique, teachers can get a free jumbo cupcake when they present their school IDs. And at all Grimaldi’s Pizzeria locations, teachers receive 15 percent off all week long. In addition, the chain will select one teacher from a school at each of its neighborhood locations to win a pizza party. Nomination forms are available on the Grimaldi’s site.

Wednesday, May 8

Street Food Viewing at Kau Ba Saigon
Chef and owner Nikki Tran is featured in the first season of the new Netflix series Street Food, from the creator of the popular series, Chef’s Table. She appears in the episode about Vietnamese street food, and is hosting a viewing part of that show at her Montrose restaurant, Kau Ba (which the Houston Chronicle named best new restaurant in 2018). Guests can see the episode, ask Tran questions, and partake in a special one-off menu comprised of Tran’s favorite Vietnamese street foods. All cocktails will also be half priced.

Steak Night at Goodnight Charlie’s
Houston’s chic honky tonk brings back its popular midweek promotion. Starting at 4 pm, get a strip steak with Tajin butter, elote-style creamed corn, and fried loaded potatoes for $20. The deal is available until the steak runs out.

Saturday, May 11

8th Wonder Distilled Spirits Launch Party at 8th Wonder Brewery
The popular local craft brewery has teamed up with Present Company to create its own line of distilled spirits. To mark the milestone, there’s a party from 1 to 6 pm, where guests can check out cocktails made with 8x Distilled Vodka and Hopped Gin, using Cascade hops. Look for plenty of swag items, and 8th Wonder resident artist, Donkeeboy, will be painting live starting at 2 pm.

Houston Tacos and Margs Crawl on Washington Avenue
Get your fix of a variety of tacos and margaritas from several Washington Avenue favorites such as Clutch Bar, Kung Fu Saloon and Daisy Duke’s. Seven spots are included on the crawl, with different selections available at each. Tickets are $17.99 per person. 2 pm.

Positive Table Dinner at LIFEHTX
Chef Monica Pope creates a curated, seasonal meal hosted by Define Body & Mind Owner, Henry Richardson and Justine Fanarof. The menu includes multiple courses of healthy fare prepared as only Pope can create. Tickets are $150 per person, and the evening begins with tonics at 6:30 pm; dinner follows, beginning at 7:15 pm.

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One Day Only

Chef of Michelin-starred Texas BBQ joint pops up at Houston crawfish favorite

Photo by Quit Nguyen

Join Lucas McKinney for a crawfish pop-up this Sunday, May 17.

The pitmaster behind one of Texas’ Michelin-starred barbecue joints will be in Houston for a one-day-only crawfish boil. Evan LeRoy, chef and co-owner of Austin’s LeRoy and Lewis Barbecue, will be at Josephine’s this Sunday, May 17 from 2-6 pm.

Part of the restaurant’s Backyard Boil pop-up series, LeRoy and Josephine’s executive chef Lucas McKinney have collaborated on a four dishes that will be served at the pop-up, which will take place on Josephine’s patio. They are:

Smoked Crawfish Boil Sausage on a Stick: andouille flavored pork sausage with crawfish, corn, and potatoes
Brisket and Cheddar Croquettes: Chopped brisket and cheddar cheese in a creamy bechamel. Scooped, breaded in panko, and fried til crispy
Oysters on the Half Shell: Pickled Onion Mignonette, Smoked Jalapeno Salsa, Kimchi Elote
Smoked Salsa Macha with Beef Tallow: Guajillo, ancho, and arbol chiles, lime, soy, garlic, onion, pepitas, and pecans

The pop-up is part of LeRoy’s tour for his new book, New School Barbecue: Recipes for Next-Level Smoking and Grilling, which he co-wrote with Texas Monthly restaurant critic Paula Forbes. Released this week, the book contains almost 100 recipes for mains, sides, and desserts.

LeRoy & Lewis Evan Leroy ATX Evan LeRoy is coming to Houston this weekend. Photo by Briana Balducci

“Lucas asked me to participate in a crawfish boil this year, and it happened to line up with the release of the book, so I said yes,” LeRoy tells CultureMap. “The event format centers around a crawfish boil, along with some fried items and oysters, so it doesn't necessarily reflect the recipes in the book. Instead, we decided to bring a few dishes we’ve been working on over the past year or so, including the brisket and cheddar croquettes — which will definitely make it into my next cookbook.”

McKinney has already hosted pop-ups with the likes of ChòpnBlọk chef-owner Ope Amosu and Mike Pham of Trill Burgers.

“With these crawfish boils, I want each chef to bring their own perspective and let the menu reflect their personal style of cooking,” McKinney adds. “Events like this are really centered around community, collaboration, and introducing something fresh and exciting to Houston each time.”

LeRoy and Lewis has earned wide acclaim for its “new school” barbecue. In addition to being one of only four Texas barbecue joints to hold a Michelin star, it ranked No. 2 on Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s 50 best barbecue joints. McKinney began patronizing the restaurant when his friend, pitmaster Cole Parkman, worked there.

“It’s incredibly good,” McKinney says. “Eating there feels like they’re telling you, ‘I know you think you like brisket, but this is what you should really like.’ I really respect that they’ve planted their feet firmly in the ground and committed to doing things differently. It all makes so much sense — and it’s delicious.”

Reservations (free) are required to attend the Backyard Boil at Josephine’s; both 2 pm and 4 pm seatings are available. Attendees will purchase food and drinks a la carte. Josephine’s regular menu will not be available at the pop-up. Copies of New School Barbecue will also be available for purchase.

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