an HRW appetizer

Houston Restaurant Weeks reveals highly anticipated partial list of participating eateries

B&B Butchers was one of last year's top-donating restaurants to HRW.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

Houstonians ready to dine out and do good can now plan accordingly, thanks to Houston's most popular charity dining event.

Houston Restaurant Weeks revealed a partial list of menus of participating restaurants on Friday, July 15. More restaurants and menus will be added to the official website through August 1, the organization announced. This year, more than 250 restaurants are expected to participate.

The always-buzzy dining event will follow its usual schedule — August 1 through Labor Day weekend (Monday, September 5). That means Houstonians will have 36 days to dine out and do good.

Founded by media personality Cleverley Stone, Houston Restaurant Weeks offers diners two-, three-, and four-course prix fixe menus at set price points for brunch, lunch, and dinner. Over 200 restaurants from across the Houston area participate in the event, which raises money for the Houston Food Bank.

Stone, who passed away in 2020 after a lengthy battle with cancer, liked to characterize Houston Restaurant Weeks as a "win, win, win" for customers, businesses, and the non-profit. Diners get a good meal at a discounted price. Restaurants turned a historically slow time of year into a busy one, and the food bank receives much-needed funds to aid needy Houstonians.

Now administered by Stone's daughter, Katie Stone Cappuccio under the auspices of the non-profit Cleverley Stone Foundation, HRW has announced new price points for its prix fixe menus.

Instead of last year's $35 and $49 dinner menus and $20 lunch and brunch menus, diners will have the options of $39 and $55 dinners and $25 for lunch or brunch.

Restaurants will donate $1 more to the Houston Food Bank at each price point than they did in 2021: $2 per $25 meal, $4 per $39 meal, and $6 per $55. The price increases reflect the higher costs restaurateurs are paying for labor and ingredients than in prior years, as CultureMap previously reported.

Held during the Delta wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, HRW raised $933,820 in 2021. Overall, the event has contributed $17.6 million to the food bank since 2003. Last year, the top donating restaurants including B&B Butchers, Brennan's of Houston, Eddie V's, and Traveler's Table.

Along with new price points, Houston Restaurant Weeks also announced that Houston-based construction firm Tellepsen will be one of the event's sponsors. The firm is a longtime supporter of the Houston Food Bank.

This story is an update to CultureMap food editor Eric Sandler's original reporting.

news-you-can-eat

Melrose place

Clarkwood owner dishes on opening Houston's buzzy new cocktail lounge

Clarkwood owner dishes on Houston's buzzy new cocktail lounge

Montrose’s next destination-worthy cocktail bar and lounge is already drawing crowds. The word is out about Melrose, which quietly opened at the end of December in the former La Grange space.

As CultureMap reported last summer, Melrose unites Clarkwood co-owner Army Sadeghi with Brandon Duliakas and Dan Wierck, the duo behind Washington Avenue hotspots such as Clutch and Concrete Cowboy. Together, the trio transformed the former Mexican-inspired patio bar into a sleek, modern space inside and a lush, landscaped outdoor courtyard.

“What drew me to the location is the gorgeous outdoor space with a mezzanine bar and an outdoor bar. There’s nothing else in town that can deliver both an indoor and outdoor experience,” Sadeghi tells CultureMap.

Located above the courtyard, the mezzanine has an intimate, 12-seat bar that will offer spirits lockers available for rental by the bar’s most engaged fans. An outdoor bar will eventually serve the courtyard, helping to provide patrons with a distinct experience from the indoor lounge.

The partners recruited Tatemó chef-owner Emmanuel Chavez to develop a menu of elevated bar fare. The results include dishes such as Kampachi Tiradito and Spicy Tuna Rice Crisp that might be expected from Chavez, who earned one of Houston’s five Michelin stars for his intimate tasting menu restaurant. It also includes more playful comfort food such as a pigs in a blanket made with smoked beef sausage, buttermilk-brined chicken tenders, and a burger made with beef from Texas ranch 44 Farms. A brunch menu built around shareable items will follow in the coming weeks.

“Working with Emmanuel was fantastic,” Sadeghi says. “He’s very passionate about the project. It’s been such a great ride, with all of us dialing it in to what we can deliver.”

Along with opening Melrose, Sadeghi is also launching a hospitality company called Sadeghi Concepts. The goal is to apply Clarkwood’s sleek aesthetic to a range of other projects in Houston and beyond.

“The mission would be to craft unforgettable experiences, engaging with exceptional design, culinary artistry, and genuine hospitality. It’s to create a collection of spaces that redefine luxury,” Sadeghi says about his plans. Later, he adds, “I want to continue to curate a combination of of locations with all different concepts that I feel passionate about.”

Melrose is open daily from 4 pm until 2 am. Happy hour, available Monday-Friday from 4-6:30 pm, features $10 cocktails, $5 beers, half-off bottles of wine, half-off charcuterie boards, and $15 burgers.

Photo by Michael Anthony

Aloe and rose gin and tonic.