3 HRW Alternatives

3 Houston restaurants dish out new charitable promotions for generous diners

Frank's Americana Revival Italian summer menu

Sample Italian-inspired dishes at Frank's Americana Revival.

Photo by Forward Social

Houston Restaurant Weeks may be the most prominent charity dining event taking place during August, but it isn't the only one. Three Houston restaurants have used the charitable feelings created by HRW to launch their own events that support equally worthy causes.

Kenny & Ziggy's chef-owner Ziggy Gruber has recruited some of the country's most prominent delis to participate in National Deli Month. Similar to HRW, each participating establishment offers a prix-fixe menu that includes some of the restaurant's most popular items. Locally, Kenny & Ziggy's will donate 10 percent from each three-course, $45 menu to the Holocaust Museum Houston.

The available selections feature a number of Gruber's signature dishes. Appetizer options include chopped chicken liver, matzo ball soup, and knish, which is puff pastry stuffed with potato, spinach or kasha. Entrees, which include a choice of one or two sides, include Eastern European specialities such as Hungarian goulash and Roumanian steak, as well as classic Jewish brisket with a potato latke. Finish with one of three desserts.

At The Union Kitchen, August is the "Month of Gr8 Giving." Each of the restaurant's five Houston-area locations will serve a three-course, $22 lunch menu and a three-course, $35 dinner menu that will prompt donations of $2 and $4 respectively to Casa de Esperanza. Long supported by Union Kitchen owners Doris and Paul Miller, Casa de Esperanza is a local non-profit that "provides safety, hope, and a home to children whose families are affected by domestic violence, substance abuse, poverty, homelessness and mental illness,' according to its website.

Choices on the lunch menu include mango shrimp egg rolls, seafood chowder, chimichurri steak sandwich, and herb-crusted chicken tortellini. At dinner, look for selections such as roasted vegetable bruschetta, pecan-crusted flounder, and a surf and turf of grilled Gulf shrimp with pepper-crusted filet medallions. In additions, diners will receive a free order of beignets when they donate items such as diapers, baby wipes, baby food, or toys (newborn to 3 months).

In River Oaks, Frank's Americana Revival is celebrating an "Italian Summer Holiday" with a three-course, $49 dinner menu of Italian-inspired dishes (also available at lunch without dessert for $39). The restaurant will donate $5 from each meal sold to No Kid Hungry, a nationwide program that aims to end childhood hunger.

"I have been personally involved with No Kid Hungry for more than 20 years," Frank's owner Michael Shine said in a statement. "My family and I have a tremendous passion for kids, and we believe working to end childhood hunger is extremely important."

The four appetizer choices include fried calamari and meatballs made with a mixture of pork and beef. The three entree choices consist of gnocchi marinara, pork chop milanese, and smoked salmon pasta. For dessert, select either strawberry rhubarb sorbet or apple crostata with vanilla bean ice cream.

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8 miles high

Houston chef's menu takes off on United's premium business class offering

Courtesy of United

Justin Yu, far left, is one of 11 participating chefs.

United Airlines has shared more details about its new partnership with Chef’s Table, the acclaimed Netflix documentary series, including the menus created by the 11 participating chefs for travelers flying its premium Polaris business class seating.

For flights departing from Houston, United and Chef’s Table recruited Justin Yu, the James Beard Award-winning chef behind Theodore Rex, a fine dining restaurant in downtown that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. In addition, Yu and his business partner Bobby Heugel own Houston hospitality group Thorough Fare, which operates bars and restaurants including Anvil, Better Luck Tomorrow, Squable, Donna’s, and a new, still-unnamed restaurant in Montrose that’s slated to open later this year.

Beginning August 1, people departing from George Bush Intercontinental Airport will be able to dine on Yu’s three-course menu that consists of:

Appetizer: Deviled eggs with white soy, aged cheddar, and chives
Salad: Chicory salad with spiced bacon, chickpeas, cucumber, onion, and oregano mustard vinaigrette
Entrée: Braised Texas short rib with ragout of mushrooms, red miso, and black eyed peas

“I wanted that slightly Texan touch,” Yu told CultureMap in March. “To me, the Houston part of it is the most important. There’s such a level of diversity. Introducing light touches of that to the meal was something I considered.”

Other participating chefs include Nancy Silverton (Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles), whose menu includes an appetizer of burrata with braised leeks, shaved Brussels sprouts salad, and beef brasato with garlic mashed potatoes; Jenner Tomaska (Esmé, Petite Edith, and The Alston in Chicago), who has created a braised leeks appetizer, an arugula salad, and halibut with sauce matelote; Tomos Parry (Mountain and Brat in London), whose menu includes an appetizer of grilled beef filet, lobster salad with grilled peach, and slow-roasted lamb with smoked potatoes.

Chefs representing United’s destinations in Newark, Denver, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., São Paulo, and Tokyo are also participating. The menus will be available through September 2026. They’ll be updated with new seasonal items beginning in October. Customers may opt for the Chef's Table meals beginning five days and up to 24 hours prior to departure.

"At its core, this collaboration with Chef's Table is rooted in a shared ambition to redefine what inflight dining can be," said Aaron McMillan, United's Managing Director of Hospitality Programs, in a statement. "Because our leading global network reaches into the world's greatest food cities, we're able to work hand-in-hand with world-class chefs and translate their points of view into dishes intentionally designed for the realities of travel and inspired by destinations we serve."

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