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Don't feel like cooking? Procrastinator's Guide to Christmas Eve and ChristmasDay dining out

Not in the mood to spend hours in the kitchen this holiday season? Or maybe, like me, you lack in the culinary skills department. Leave the cooking to the experts: We have your guide to dining out on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day.

Enjoy the cuisine at these local restaurants (and if you have suggestions for others, add to the comments section below):

CHRISTMAS EVE

Hotels

Bistro Alex located inside Hotel Sorella at CityCentre will be open for dinner from 6 to 9 p.m.
From 5 to 9 p.m., join Hotel Icon for an evening of holiday music and movies plus complimentary Christmas Eve treats from Line & Lariat like handmade tamales, eggnog and wassail. Line & Lariat will keep its regular hours: 6:30 to 11 a.m. for breakfast, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch, and 5:30 to 10 p.m. for dinner.
The Restaurant at the Royal Sonesta Hotel will feature a special, four-course prix-fixe menu for $70 in addition to regular a la carte offerings. Christmas Eve hours are 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Complimentary valet with dining validation.
Christmas Eve dinner at The Remington Restaurant at The St. Regis Hotel includes live music and a three-course meal for $65 per person. Seating is from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Quattro Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston will have a three-course, prix-fixe Christmas Dinner from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. The price is $58 per person and $29 for children ages 12 and under.
The restaurants at the San Luis Resort will be open on Christmas Eve. The hours for The Steakhouse are 6 to 10:00 p.m. The Cafe will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Notable hotel restaurants fully booked: Reservations are full for Christmas Eve at both at The Olivette and The Manor House at the Houstonian Hotel.

Restaurants

Nosh Bistro, open from 5 to 10 p.m., will be offering a four-course meal of South and East Asian fare for $65 per person.
Étoile Cuisine et Bar will be open from 5 to 10 p.m. and will have a 3-course prix-fixe menu for $56 per person. A children's menu will be available for $25.
Frank's Americana Revival will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. For dinner, select from the regular menu or choose the dinner-for-two option at $80 per person.
Philippe Restaurant + Lounge will be open for dinner service only, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., and will feature a special Christmas Eve Menu.
RA Sushi will be offering all day happy hour prices on December 24th from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Mockingbird Bistro will be open Christmas Eve for lunch and for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. offering a three-course menu for $65 per person, $95 per person with Sommelier’s wine pairing & $28 for children, all plus tax & gratuity.
Backstreet Cafe offers a three-course Christmas Eve dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. with complimentary amuse bouche, $48 per person plus beverage, tax and gratuity, Complimentary eggnog and live music by Bob Chadwick.
Hugo’s Buffet de Noche Buena ~ Christmas Eve Buffet with live music by Viento. Cost is $39 per person & $12 per child plus beverages, tax and gratuity
TQLA on Washington Avenue will be open for lunch and dinner service from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m
Straits Asian Bistro in CityCentre will be open for lunch service only, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Grotto near the Galleria will be open for business from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.\
Morton’s The Steakhouse will serve lunch and dinner and will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Arturo's Uptown Italiano will be open from 4 to 10 p.m. The regular menu plus nightly specials will be available.
Celebrating 30 years in 2013, Damian's Cucina Italiana will be open and serving a full menu. Lunch is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner is from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Kenny & Ziggy’s will be open on Christmas Eve until 8 p.m.
Prego will be open on Christmas Eve from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

CHRISTMAS DAY

Hotels

Bistro Alex at Hotel Sorella will be open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition to a la carte options, Bistro Alex will serve a holiday, three-course prix-fixe menu for $32.
Line & Lariat inside Hotel Icon will be offering a Christmas Day Buffet from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The cost is $42.50 per person, $15 for children. Kids 5 years and under eat for free.
The Restaurant at Royal Sonesta Hotel will feature a special, four-course prix-fixe menu for $70, in addition to regular a la carte menu items. The Restaurant will keep its normal hours of 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5:30 to 10 p.m.
Dine at Monarch Bistro at Hotel ZaZa from 11 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monarch will offer a four-course holiday menu for $55 per person.
The Remington Restaurant at The St. Regis Hotel will be Christmas Day and serving fare a la carte from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
For $58 per person and $29 for children 12 and under, Quattro Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel will have a three-course, prix-fixe available from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Christmas Day Brunch at The Café at the Hilton Americas is from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Adults are $34.95 per person and kids ages 7 to 12 years are $14.95. Kids under six are free. The three-course, prix-fixe Christmas dinner is from 5 to 9 p.m. for $32.95 per person.
The Cafe at The San Luis Resort will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Notable hotel restaurants fully booked: Reservations are full on Christmas Day at both at The Olivette and The Manor House at the Houstonian Hotel. Christmas Day Brunch at Quattro Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel is also full.

Restaurants

Christmas Day brunch at Kiran's near Highland Village, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., order the prix-fixe meal for $45 per guest. $19.95 for children.
In addition to the regular menu, 024 Grille at the Westin Memorial City will have a prime rib dinner for $39 per person.
The hours at The Tasting Room Uptown Park are noon to 10 p.m. and the Christmas Day Buffet will be available from 2 to 7 p.m. $29.99 per person, $7.99 for children 12 and under.
RA Sushi will be offering happy hour prices from 6 p.m. to midnight. Appetizer, sushi and drink selections range from $2.25 to $7.25.
All Luby's Cafeteria locations are open until 5 p.m. and offer a prime rib special for $12.99 per person and a holiday entree special for $10.99 per person.
McCormick & Schmick’s will be open from 11 a.m. to midnight.
Saltgrass Steakhouse will be open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
The doors will be open at Harlow’s from 2 to 9:00 p.m.

PICK UP/ TAKE IT TO GO

Restaurants

From now through Dec. 29, Philippe Restaurant + Lounge will sell their Christmas Log desserts, a mousse of dark chocolate and caramel milk chocolate layered with vanilla crème brulee and gingerbread sponge cake (good for 4 people) for $40. They'll also be selling dark chocolate truffles (10 pieces) for $20.
Get 'em while they're hot. Molina's Cantina's 100% pork butt tamales are available for $10.95 per dozen.

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Houston's smallest restaurant?

Michelin-recognized Houston sushi chef fires up 4-seat Japanese skewer spot

Courtesy of Sip & Skewer

Diners sit in front of chefs cooking on a grill.

The team behind one of Houston’s Michelin-recognized sushi restaurants is opening an intimate new izakaya. Sip & Skewer is the newest concept from Hidden Omakase owner Tuan Tran and chef Marcos Juarez.

Opening Friday, February 13, Sip & Skewer is a four-seat restaurant devoted to skewered meats that’s located within Sushi by Hidden, the group’s affordable omakase restaurant in Rice Village. At Sip & Skewer, diners sit across from the chefs as they cook a 10-course, $90 meal on a Japanese binchotan grill.

“Sip & Skewer is small, loud, and intentional. The kind of hidden experience you’d find in Tokyo,” Tran said. “And with Chef Marcos guiding the team at Sushi by Hidden, this space is getting new energy from every angle.”

A four-seat restaurant within a 10-seat restaurant might seem kind of superfluous, but Tran explains that it’s part of a larger plan for his group of restaurants, which also includes West U. hand roll restaurant Norigami. It also builds on the success of Hidden Omakase, the Galleria-area sushi counter that earned a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide.

“Sip & Skewer is part of a larger vision. It’s designed as a stepping stone toward our next concept, Kōri, a new hand roll and craft cocktail bar opening in the Heights. Our plan is to open Sip & Skewer directly next to our hand roll spot, creating a small alley of Japanese concepts that feed into one another,” Tran explains.

“This allows us to build awareness, train our team in a new format, and introduce guests to Japanese charcoal grilling in a very personal way before we scale the idea into a larger setting with Kōri. The four-seat format keeps overhead extremely low while serving as a live test kitchen and brand builder for what’s coming next,” he adds.

On a related note, Juarez and the other chefs at Hidden Omakase are dividing their time between all three restaurants. Tuam explains that it’s a deliberate strategy to ensure a consistent customer experience.

“The same team that works Michelin-recognized omakase service also runs the grill here, which keeps quality and execution consistent while allowing the chefs a creative outlet in a very different format,” Tran said. “Because Sip & Skewer is only four seats and reservations only, it does not require a dedicated full-time staff. It’s an extension of the team rather than a separate operation.”