this week in dining

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

One Fifth Mediterranean Game of Thrones lamb shank

Dinner is coming: Order your Game of Thrones meal by Thursday at One Fifth Mediterranean.

Photo courtesy of Underbelly Hospitality

Wednesday is the big day for events this week, with two wine events and a seated dinner on the docket. But food lovers will find lots of other things to check out, including a party that showcases Heights restaurants and a vegetarian dinner at one of the city’s most popular restaurants.

And for those staying in this weekend to watch Game of Thrones, one Houston spot has the watch party meal covered.

Wednesday, May 15

Wines of South America at Xochi

The restaurant shines a spotlight on eight wines from Chile and Argentina, as Elizabeth Butler of Vine Connections discusses them during the casual reception. Bubbles, rose, reds, and whites are available to try. There will be passed light bites and food stations. Tickets are $29 per person, plus tax and gratuity. 5-7 pm.

Crawfish and Noodles Dinner at Central Market

Kicking off the grocery store’s Big Tastes of Texas event that runs until May 28, this casual, family-style dinner is hosted by the Central Market Cooking School staff and James Beard Award-Winning chef Trong Nguyen of Crawfish and Noodles. He’ll talk about the flavors that inspire him and showcase foods that blend his Vietnamese upbringing and Gulf Coast ingredients. On the menu are items such as shaken beef salad and Viet-Cajun crawfish, crab and shrimp. Tickets are $75 per person. Dinner starts at 6 pm.

French Wine Dinner at Café Benedicte

Join Jean-Philippe Guy, the proprietor of French Country Wines, as he walks diners through the wines of France at this seated, four-course dinner in one of the Energy Corridor’s hidden gems. The menu offers pairings such as bouillabaisse paired with Viognier, and grilled lamb chops and duck alongside Syrah. The cost is $75 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Dinner starts at 7 pm. To make a reservation, call 281-741-0853.

Saturday, May 18

Great Taste of the Heights at the All Saints Catholic Church Campus

Sample bites from 20 different restaurants from 5-10 pm at this fundraising event that blends food and entertainment. The Barking Pig, BCK Bosscat Kitchen and Libations, Dish Society, Juice Girl, Max’s Wine Dive, and Postino are just some of the restaurants participating. Checkered Past and the 2019 Heights High School Bulldog Jazz Band are providing music. Tickets are $25 in advance or $35 at the door as available.

Sunday, May 19

Dinner is Coming – Game of Thrones Take-Out Tour at One Fifth Mediterranean
For those opting to stay in and see who winds up on the Iron Throne, the popular Montrose restaurant has dinner covered. Order by May 16 to have a feast that will serve between four and six people ready for a DIY viewing party. The cost is $140 and breads and dips, a massive pomegranate-braised beef shank, and babka are just some of what’s on the menu. Pick up orders between 4-6 pm.

Vegetarian Dinner at Uchi
This all-veggie dinner is served in the private dining room at the Japanese favorite. Dinner begins at 6:30 pm and features six courses, including fermented cucumber sorbet, Kakiyagi daikon, kohlrabi stew, and Sunomono. Tickets are $75 each, not including alcohol, tax or gratuity. For reservations, call the restaurant at 713-522-4808.

news-you-can-eat

better than blini

Houston pizzeria unveils indulgent caviar pizza for the holiday season

Courtesy of Pizaro's Pizza

Get the Holiday Decadence pizza through the end of December.

One of Houston’s most well-regarded pizzerias is giving diners a way to splurge this holiday season. For a limited time only, Pizaro’s Pizza is topping one of its Neapolitan-style pies with caviar.

Called the Holiday Decadence, it’s a personal-sized, 8-inch, Neapolitan-style pizza topped simply with Pizaro’s housemade mozzarella cheese and seasoned with a little furikake. Alongside, the restaurant provides diners with lemon zest crème fraîche, a small bottle of prosecco, and a one-ounce jar of paddlefish caviar from Houston’s DR Delicacy. Priced at $59, it’s either an indulgent treat for one person or an extravagant appetizer for two.

Pizaro’s co-owner Nicole Bean tells CultureMap she sees the new pizza as an improvement on the caviar special the restaurant tried two years ago, which used its thicker, Detroit-style pizza.

“This year, we simplified things,” she says. “We made it more affordable. We added more caviar. The feature is the caviar, focusing on having a whole, one-ounce container either for yourself or to share with one other person.”

In this configuration, the pizza crust essentially serves as an oversized blini, with the furikake boosting the caviar’s oceanic flavors. Serving the caviar in the jar allows diners to add as much or as little to the pizza as they want. Introduced last week, Bean says the restaurant hasn’t sold that many caviar pizzas yet, but that doesn’t surprise her.

“People are a little hesitant with it being caviar and the $60 price point,” she says. “It’s not for everybody. It’s for people who are curious and want to try it or really love caviar and want to try it every way they can.”

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The restaurant always uses its monthly specials to experiment beyond familiar toppings like pepperoni and mushroom. Next month, Bean and her brother, co-owner Matt Hutchinson, will present dueling pies — his topped with crispy prosciutto, sautéed onions, and balsamic drizzle and hers a simple tomato pie, anchovies optional but strongly encouraged.

“The fun thing about pizza is you can literally do anything with it,” Bean says. “I want people to try different things on pizza. It can be decadent. It can be upscale. It can be fresh and new.”

The Holiday Decadence is available at both Pizaro’s locations through December 31. Find more details at the Pizaro’s Pizza website.

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this week in dining

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

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better than blini

Houston pizzeria unveils indulgent caviar pizza for the holiday season

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