fall food events

8 festive fall food events in Houston showcase BBQ, caviar, tailgating, and more

Butcher's Ball 2019 Bobby Matos State of Grace La Lucha

Chefs celebrate live fire cooking at the Butchers Ball.

Photo by Emily Jaschke

This week’s milder temperatures and decreased humidity have Houstonians thinking about fall’s inevitable arrival. The end of summer’s intense heat means it’s finally safe to gather outdoors again.

For the first time since 2019, fall also brings a full slate of food events. With options designed to appeal to all tastes and price points, the next couple of months will see events devoted to barbecue, tacos, and, for the first time, caviar. While most feature local favorites, a few draw on top culinary talent from Texas and beyond. Here’s a look at some of the season’s most exciting events.

Pitmaster Party, September 17
Dozier’s BBQ in Fulshear will host this event devoted to making dishes with smoked wild game. Pitmaster Jim Buchanan has invited 14 top Texas pitmasters, starting with two of the top five in Texas Monthly’s list of the state’s 50 best barbecue joints: No. 2, John Bates of Interstellar BBQ (Austin), and No. 4, Ernest Servantes of Burnt Bean Co. (Seguin). Other restaurants from the magazine’s list include: John Brotherton of Brotherton’s Black Iron Barbecue (Pflugerville); Patrick Feges of Feges BBQ (Houston); Quy Hoang of Blood Bros. Barbecue (Bellaire); and Scott Moore of Tejas Chocolate & Barbecue (Tomball). A portion of proceeds benefits the Fulshear Police Foundation. Tickets, $75, include samples from the participants and live music by Morgan Obenhaus (beverages purchased separately). Buy them here.

Karbachtoberfest, beginning September 23
Held at Karbach’s brewery near Spring Branch, this three-weekend event features live music, wiener dog races, a stein holding competition and more. The brewery will feature its seasonal marzen that pairs well with German fare like pretzels and sausage. See the event’s website for performers and other details.

La Nuit du Caviar, October 3
This celebration of everyone’s favorite high-priced ingredient comes from DR Delicacy, the luxury foods retailer behind the popular Truffle Masters chef competition. Held at the Astorian near Sawyer Yards, the event will feature caviar dishes created by more than a dozen local chefs, including Jassi Bindra (Amrina), Roberto Crescini (Davanti), Nikki Vongthong (Hidden Omakase), Luis Roger (MAD and BCN), Alex Au-Yeung (Phat Eatery), and CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Rising Star Chef of the Year winner Benchawan Painter (Street to Kitchen). A portion of proceeds will benefit the Houston Symphony League. Tickets start at $450.

Two Saints and a Taco Tasting, October 14
Named for two of Houston’s favorite saints, St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Arnold, this event features more than a dozen local restaurants — confirmed participants include Chilosos, Chuy’s, and Velvet Taco — competing for the title of “Best Taco” from both attendees and a panel of media judges. Organized by St. Thomas University alumni, proceeds benefit a student scholarship fund. Tickets, priced at $50 until October 4 ($75 after), include tacos and drinks.

Southern Smoke Festival, October 21-23
For its first in-person event since 2019, Southern Smoke has transformed into a three-day affair: the H-Town Welcome Wagon on October 22, the intimate Southern Smoke on Ice on October 23, and the energetic East Downtown Throwdown on October 24. Southern Smoke Foundation co-founder Chris Shepherd has recruited more than 60 chefs that include many of his fellow James Beard Award winners, Top Chef fan favorites, and plenty of local talent to serve at each event. The weekend raises money for the Southern Smoke Foundation, the non-profit Shepherd started to provide cash assistance to hospitality workers in crisis situations like medical emergencies, natural disasters, lost wages, and other unexpected events. Find full details about times, tickets, and VIP packages at the event’s website.

The Tailgate, presented by CultureMap, October 27
A new signature event for CultureMap, The Tailgate celebrates the culture of sports and the fans who cheer them on. It will feature chef-driven food and signature cocktails, plus game-day-inspired activities, entertainment, and a spotlight on local sports-related nonprofits. Participating restaurants include past Tastemaker winners like Street to Kitchen, d’Alba Kitchen & Cocktails, Pizaro’s Pizza, and many more. Local athletes will be present to spotlight their favorite charities. It'll all take place at Silver Street Studios. General admission and VIP tickets ($60-$99) are on sale now.

The Butchers Ball, November 12-13
Chefs from across Texas will gather at Brenham’s Rockin’ Star Ranch to celebrate independent farmers and ranchers who are committed to sustainable practices. The two-day affair kicks off Saturday night with the Butcher’s Baller Farm-To-Table Dinner that will feature 10 chefs collaborating on a five-course meal; the evening also includes live music and a hay ride. Sunday’s Butchers Ball will see more than a dozen chefs competing for the coveted Golden Cleaver while another group show off their best live-fire dishes at the Ring of Fire. Tickets, priced at $200 for the dinner and $175 for the Butchers Ball, are available at the event’s website.

Houston BBQ Throwdown, November 20
The organizers of the popular Houston Barbecue Festival present this event where 14 restaurants will compete to create a dish that best demonstrates the future of Houston barbecue. Held at Saint Arnold Brewing Co., participants include Brett's BBQ Shop, Dozier's BBQ, Harlem Road Texas BBQ, Roegels Barbecue Co, The Pit Room, and more. Tickets ($75 for general admission, $130 for VIP) include samples from the participants and beer from Saint Arnold.

Chefs celebrate live fire cooking at the Butchers Ball.

Photo by Emily Jaschke

Chefs celebrate live fire cooking at the Butchers Ball.

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in like the rose

Mimo duo open tiny Italian sandwich and gelato shop in Houston's East End

Photo by Eric Sandler

Chef Fernando Rios and Mike Sammons recently opened La Rosa.

When sommelier Mike Sammons and chef Fernando Rios teamed up to open their East End Italian restaurant Mimo in 2023, they did so by serving sandwiches that eventually went away once the restaurant moved to only being open for dinner with full service.

Thankfully, the sandwiches are back at La Rosa, the duo’s new sandwich restaurant that, like Mimo, is located in the East End’s Tlaquepaque Market shopping center. Currently, it’s open Tuesday-Sunday with sandwiches for lunch (12-3 pm) and gelato until the early evening.

“I have always wanted to do a sandwich shop. That’s always been a weird dream since an experience I had in Italy when I was younger,” Sammons tells CultureMap. “Even back in the days at 13 Celsius, that was a big driver for the mortadella sandwich we still do there.”

La Rosa’s menu is as compact as its space, which has four indoor tables, a little dining counter, and a couple of outdoor tables. It consists of three sandwiches:

Mortadella, with fior di latte, arugula, pesto di pistachio, mostarda, and garlic aioli
Formaggio, a vegetarian sandwich with corn and zucchini fritters, arugula, pesto di pistachio, mostarda, and garlic aioli
A daily special that, on April 29, was made with bresaola, pecorino, horseradish crema, capers, arugula, and lemon.

Photo by Eric Sandler

Chef Fernando Rios and Mike Sammons recently opened La Rosa.

“We R&D’ed the hell out of them,” Sammons says about the sandwiches. “I can’t tell you how many mortadellas we’ve tasted and how many different kinds of fior di latte. Even the way we do the pesto di pistachio — dry as a bone or super wet with lots of olive oil.”

Alright, Mike, explain how nerdy you and chef got with the ingredients in the mortadella sandwich.

“First of all, when it comes to the mortadella, you have to be able to cut it so thinly you can look through it. It has to have a certain integrity and still have bite to it,” he explains. “The fior di latte has to be creamy and snappy. You have to be able to crush it flat so it oozes all over the sandwich. The pesto di pistachio has to have a real presence of raw pistachio.”

The duo applied a similar discipline to finding the right platform for La Rosa’s sandwiches. Sammons says he and Rios tried all kinds of bread, eventually settling on a telera roll from Houston favorite El Bolillo.

“It’s more of a vessel. Bread is always the star of a sandwich, but we want the star of the show to be almost a little hidden, like an uncelebrated special guest,” he says. “It’s crisp and crunchy with a toothsome bite that’s light and airy in the middle. It holds everything together but doesn’t dominate.”

Similarly, they’re sourcing gelato from Houston’s SweetCup Gelato. Sammons says he tried multiple vendors, but Sweet Cup’s lemon sorbet is the one flavor that most reminded him of Italy. In addition to classics like pistachio, chocolate, and strawberry, chef Rios can work with Sweet Cup on flavors that will be exclusive to La Rosa.

Rios is already rotating the specials. The opening weekend’s meatball sandwich quickly gave way to this week’s bresaola. Diners have plenty to look forward to, including favorites from the old days like Italian beef and chicken parm.

Sammons has some aspirations, too. He plans to add beer and wine to the current non-alcoholic offerings of soda and sparkling water.

The little shop has been surprisingly busy, he adds.

“We sold out Sunday, which was unexpected,” Sammons says. “If we keep doing that, we’ll make more. So far, everyone has been supportive. I’m really excited. I think it’s going to be great.”

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