Check out these restaurants

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 theSan 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 Grilleat 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 Steakhousewill beopen 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.

unspecified

better than blini

Houston pizzeria unveils indulgent caviar pizza for the holiday season

Courtesy of Pizaro's Pizza

Get the Holiday Decadence pizza through the end of December.

One of Houston’s most well-regarded pizzerias is giving diners a way to splurge this holiday season. For a limited time only, Pizaro’s Pizza is topping one of its Neapolitan-style pies with caviar.

Called the Holiday Decadence, it’s a personal-sized, 8-inch, Neapolitan-style pizza topped simply with Pizaro’s housemade mozzarella cheese and seasoned with a little furikake. Alongside, the restaurant provides diners with lemon zest crème fraîche, a small bottle of prosecco, and a one-ounce jar of paddlefish caviar from Houston’s DR Delicacy. Priced at $59, it’s either an indulgent treat for one person or an extravagant appetizer for two.

Pizaro’s co-owner Nicole Bean tells CultureMap she sees the new pizza as an improvement on the caviar special the restaurant tried two years ago, which used its thicker, Detroit-style pizza.

“This year, we simplified things,” she says. “We made it more affordable. We added more caviar. The feature is the caviar, focusing on having a whole, one-ounce container either for yourself or to share with one other person.”

In this configuration, the pizza crust essentially serves as an oversized blini, with the furikake boosting the caviar’s oceanic flavors. Serving the caviar in the jar allows diners to add as much or as little to the pizza as they want. Introduced last week, Bean says the restaurant hasn’t sold that many caviar pizzas yet, but that doesn’t surprise her.

“People are a little hesitant with it being caviar and the $60 price point,” she says. “It’s not for everybody. It’s for people who are curious and want to try it or really love caviar and want to try it every way they can.”

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Imani Guillory (@the_imani_experience)

The restaurant always uses its monthly specials to experiment beyond familiar toppings like pepperoni and mushroom. Next month, Bean and her brother, co-owner Matt Hutchinson, will present dueling pies — his topped with crispy prosciutto, sautéed onions, and balsamic drizzle and hers a simple tomato pie, anchovies optional but strongly encouraged.

“The fun thing about pizza is you can literally do anything with it,” Bean says. “I want people to try different things on pizza. It can be decadent. It can be upscale. It can be fresh and new.”

The Holiday Decadence is available at both Pizaro’s locations through December 31. Find more details at the Pizaro’s Pizza website.

news-you-can-eat pizza caviar

Check out these restaurants

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

CHRISTMAS EVE

Hotels

PICK UP/ TAKE IT TO GO

CultureMap Emails Are AwesomeGet Houston intel delivered daily.

We will not share or sell your email address.

better than blini

Houston pizzeria unveils indulgent caviar pizza for the holiday season

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get Houston intel delivered daily.