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    HRW Newcomers

    Houston Restaurant Weeks dishes out fresh newcomers and to-go options

    Eric Sandler
    Jul 17, 2020 | 1:00 pm
    Loch Bar lobster roll
    Loch Bar's lobster roll is available for an additional fee.
    Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

    Houston Restaurants Weeks will operate a little differently in 2020 than it has in previous years. While the month-long dining event, which runs from August 1 to Labor Day, still features restaurants across the city serving prix-fixe, multi-course menus at set price points, HRW has had to adapt to the realities of the coronavirus pandemic.

    For the first time, diners will have the option to take their meals to-go. In addition, HRW has diminished the donation restaurants are required to make to the Houston Food Bank. Instead of the usual $3 to $7 per meal sold, restaurants will only donate $1. That change will undoubtedly cut the event’s usual donation to the Food Bank — an amount that’s exceeded $2 million the past few years — but recognizes that restrictions designed to slow the spread of COVID-19 have sharply diminished restaurants’ revenues.

    On another somber note, this year will be the first time Houston Restaurants Weeks happens without founder Cleverley Stone, the event’s founder and organizer who died in May. Stone’s daughter Katie will lead HRW in her mother’s stead.

    “It has been a great comfort to me to hear from so many of my mother’s friends and supporters as we gear up for this year’s restaurant weeks,” Stone said in a statement. “With COVID such an obvious factor in this year’s preparation and planning, we are still very hopeful that Houston Restaurant Weeks will benefit both the restaurant industry and the Houston Food Bank. This year’s donation of $1 per meal will allow many restaurants to participate, and adding take-out and delivery options makes it particularly appealing to diners who wish to partake at home.”

    The HRW website launches today, Friday, July 17 with over 150 individual locations that are each serving one or more of the usual prix fixe menus: lunch, $20; brunch, $20; or dinner, $35 or $45. As always, the event features a mix of returning favorites (Brennan’s, Hugo Ortega’s restaurants, Del Frisco’s, etc) as well as a few newcomers. Below, CultureMap takes a closer look at some of those first-time participants.

    BB’s Tex-Orleans
    All nine Houston-area locations of the Cajun-Creole restaurant are offering a four-course, $35 dinner menu. Start with a choice of gumbo, crawfish etouffee, or red beans and rice before choosing from two different salads or cold boiled shrimp. Entree choices include blackened redfish, shrimp and grits, or a fried seafood platter. BB’s offers three dessert choices, but keep things Tex-Orleans by opting for bread pudding.

    Carrabba’s
    Both the Kirby and Voss locations of Johnny Carrabba’s Italian restaurant are serving a three-course, $20 lunch and a three-course, $35 dinner menu. Highlights from the lunch menu include fried calamari, Carrabba’s signature Sicilian chicken soup, and chicken marsala. Dinner also features three savory courses; choices include fried shrimp in garlic-herb butter sauce, choice of soup or salad, meat ravioli, and chicken stuffed with sausage, spinach, and pecorino.

    Guard and Grace
    The downtown steakhouse will serve a three-course, $35 dinner meun that begins with choices such as a country ham “tartine,” chilled Gulf shrimp, or peach gazpacho. Entree options include beef short rib, grouper with salsa verde, or, for an $8 supplement, koji-cured New York strip. Peach melba, blackberry custard, or pot de creme end the meal on a sweet note.

    Kin Dee Thai Cuisine
    The recently-opened Thai restaurant in The Heights will serve a four-course, $45 HRW dinner menu. First course options include papaya salad and the “Golden Basket” of stir fried chicken and vegetables. From there, choose chicken satay, beef meatballs, or pork skewers before deciding on an entree of pad Thai, BBQ pork noodles, or two different curries. Finish up with mango sticky rice or one of two ice creams.

    Loch Bar
    The East Coast-inspired seafood restaurant will serve lunch, brunch, and dinner menus during HRW. Lunch choices (two courses, $20) include Caesar salad, gumbo, a cheeseburger, and fish tacos. Brunch (two courses, $20) options include deviled eggs and fried oysters; those willing to pay a little more may opt for chicken and waffles or a crab cake Benedict as their entree. At dinner (three courses, $35), we recommend opting for the fish and chips or paying the supplement for a lobster roll.

    Mastrantos
    The South American-influenced restaurants in The Heights will serve both a $20, two-course brunch menu and a three-course, $45 dinner menu. At brunch, the choices include the restaurant’s signature Texqueño, fruit parfait, tostadas, and a Caesar salad with salmon. Dinner starts with salad, crudo, or carrots followed by linguini carbonara, salmon with black beans and corn, or pork with baked root vegetables.

    Mastro’s
    No, the HRW menu at Tilman Fertitta’s ultra-luxe steakhouse doesn’t include its signature seafood towers, but the three-course, $45 menu does give people a taste of what the hype’s all about. Start with French onion soup, mambo salad, or tuna sashimi. Entree options include a six-ounce filet, blackened salmon, pork chop, and lemon pepper chicken. Three dessert choices are available, but the butter cake is the only correct one.

    Ouzo Bay
    Like its sister restaurant Loch Bar, this upscale seafood restaurant is also serving lunch, brunch, and dinner during HRW. Highlights from the lunch menu (two courses, $20) include lamb meatballs, a Greek gyro, and a salmon BLT. Brunch (two courses, $20) options feature spanakopita, short rib hash and eggs, and avocado toast. Dinner (three courses, $45) entrees include grilled salmon and lamb osso bucco, but it’s hard to resist paying the supplements for lamb chops ($18) or branzino ($12).

    Safina
    This Mediterranean restaurant inside the Medical Center’s InterContinental Hotel will serve both a two-course, $20 lunch and a three-course, $45 dinner. Appetizer choices are the same for both meals: salad, hummus, or Brussels sprouts. Lunch entrees include chicken shawarma and cacio e pepe ravioli; highlights from dinner consist of short ribs with sweet potato and broccoli rabe or seafood cioppino. Dinner concludes with cheesecake or a chocolate crunch strip.

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    news/restaurants-bars

    Drop it like it's hot

    Houston farmers market adds new indoor pickleball court with food and cocktails

    Brianna Griff
    Jun 18, 2025 | 1:00 pm
    Drop Shots HTX indoor pickleball courts
    Photo by Abante Photography
    Drop Shots HTX celebrates its grand opening this Saturday, June 21.

    Pickleball isn’t going anywhere — the racquet sport continues to score with Houstonians. The newest player on the city’s crowded court, Drop Shots HTX, stands out for one big reason: it’s entirely indoors.

    Drop Shots HTX indoor pickleball courts
      

    Photo by Abante Photography

    Drop Shots HTX celebrates its grand opening this Saturday, June 21.

    Opening June 21, Drop Shots HTX is the brainchild of hospitality veterans Roveen Abante (Conservatory Galleria, Duchess), Chase Lovullo (Conservatory Galleria), and Shawn Outlaw.

    “We didn’t just want to open a bar,” co-founder Roveen Abante said in a statement. “We built a space where people connect, whether they’re playing or not. There’s something for everyone here.”

    Drop Shots HTX is marking its grand opening on June 21 from 12-11 pm, offering all-day open play for $5 along with $5 food and drink specials. Live DJs and giveaways will add to the experience.

    Patrons can soak up the A/C while slapping balls across one of the six professional-grade indoor courts. Off the court, guests can engage in friendly competitions of skee-ball, ping pong, arcade basketball, and cornhole in the second-floor lounge. Nine screens make up one wall in the mezzanine, ideal for catching the latest game, or can be expanded into one 195-inch television.

    Clutch City Kitchen will keep the players' appetite at bay with pizzas, sandwiches, and acai bowls. For hydration, an indoor/outdoor full bar will have 10 signature pickleball-themed cocktails, mocktails, and fresh juices crafted from local fruits and veggies.

    “Some venues lean into serious competition, we lean into fun,” added co-founder Shawn Outlaw. “We’re the only indoor pickleball facility inside the Loop with a full bar, kitchen, lounge, and patio. But more than that, we’re the only one that feels like your new favorite neighborhood hangout, even if you never touch a paddle.”

    Events like Glow-in-the-Dark Fridays, Tacos and Tequila Saturdays, and Pancakes and Pickball mornings add a twist to the typical pickleball match. Bring the kids—the venue is family-friendly until 10pm.

    “We created Drop Shots HTX because we fell in love with a game that brings generations together,” Outlaw said. “From our 10-year-olds to our 65-year-old parents, pickleball is for everyone. And so is this space.”

    Drop Shots HTX is located at 2520 Airline Drive, Building A, Suite 100. It’s open Monday through Thursday from 12-11pm, Friday from 12 pm-12 am, and Saturday and Sunday from 11 am-11 pm.

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