A spirited evening

Open Christmas night: Houston bars continue the holiday spirit with festivecocktail specials

Bar Boheme is open Christmas
Courtesy photo
On tap at the West End: $15 bombers of Karbach's Fra Gee Lay, $5 pints ofBuffalo Bayou Brewing's cedar-aged 1836 and British mulled wine at $6 a glass.
The West End/Facebook
Under the Volcano will be pouring tasty cocktails to complement your uglysweater and are offering their normal happy hour specials.
Photo by Julie Soefer/Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau
The Harp is offering specials that will cap off your night better than an Irishlullaby.
Courtesy photo
Bar Munich offers $3 German bottle of beer.
Photo via Bar Munich/Facebook

When all of the Christmas gifts have been unwrapped and the Bûche de Noël and ham devoured, come out and find a sippable present that wasn't under the tree.

You can stay in the holiday spirit for a little longer because local watering holes will be offering festive cocktails at prices that agree with your post-Christmas-shopping wallet. Here are some Houston bars that are open Christmas night and most are offering specials:

The West End

The Galleria area’s resident craft beer and cocktail bar is getting into the spirit of giving at 7 p.m. Christmas night with $15 bombers of Karbach's Fra Gee Lay and $5 pints of Buffalo Bayou Brewing's cedar-aged 1836. If you’d rather honor the bar’s character, go for the British mulled wine at $6 a glass.

Marquis II

The Bissonnet location will be offering its usual $6 Texas tea and $7 flavored house teas from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Christmas night. If you’ve never had these legendary teas— have one. It’ll make for a Christmas to remember . . . or one to forget.

Brian O’Neill’s, Ginger Man and Little Woodrow’s

These Rice Village neighbors are open and pouring winter brews at discounted prices. Brian O’Neill’s continues its daily promotion "Name Night" for Christmas, which means that anyone named David (this night only) pays 25 cents for well drinks and drafts from 9 to 11 p.m.

Brian O’Neill’s continues its daily promotion "Name Night" for Christmas, which means that anyone named David (this night only) pays 25 cents for well drinks and drafts from 9 to 11 p.m.

Ginger Man will be tapping new winter beers to celebrate Christmas’ nightfall. Stop in, meet a David and walk over to Brian O’Neill’s to keep the deals going.

Under the Volcano

Christmas colors never tasted as good as the strawberry basil margaritas at this Rice Village patio bar. They’ll be pouring tasty cocktails to complement your ugly sweater and are offering their normal happy hour specials.

The Dirt

Just because popular musical acts (ahem, Lady Gaga) make this spot their post-concert must-visit destination doesn’t that mean you can’t stop in this Christmas for $4 cocktails and $2.50 beers. The downtown staple is open from 6 pm. to 2 a.m., and the deals go until 9 p.m.

Cottonwood

Make sure and fill up on your family’s home cooking before heading here for Christmas cocktails. The kitchen will be closed, but the bar and gaming patio will be ready to keep your holiday fun going.

Kung Fu Saloon

The arcade and drink specials at this Washington Avenue watering hole will make you as excited as a kid finding a Nerf Blaster under the tree. Plus, many other open are bars are all in walking distance and offering Christmas deals of their own.

Bar Boheme

Even though the kitchen is closed, cheese plates, hummus and their signature cocktails are up for grabs as early as 4 p.m. Get there for the muggy temps and stay until the 30-degree drop to enjoy the mulled wine.

The Harp

This Richmond drinkery is offering specials that will cap off your night better than an Irish lullaby. Starting at 7 p.m. you can get your fill of holiday drink specials at this low-key hangout and stay for Christmas trivia with friends.

Kenneally's Irish Pub

The Shepherd pub will be pouring Irish coffee and local brews alongside their famous paper-thin pizzas to help continue the holiday feasting with friends and family. After all, everyone’s Irish at Kenneally's, so technically family time continues here.

Bar Munich

The Midtown bar that never seems to close for any holiday won’t disappoint this Christmas. While goose is the traditional German Christmas fare, a $3 German bottle of beer might be more your speed. Get there as early as 5 p.m., and be back home in time for post-dinner conversation.

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firing up Montrose

New Houston seafood restaurant adds live-fire flair to Japanese flavors

Photo by Becca Wright

Spanish sea bass, scallop crudo, nigiri, bluefin binchotan, and bluefin crudo.

An ambitious new seafood restaurant is coming to Montrose next week. Casa Kenji will open on Tuesday, December 9.

Located in the former Andiron space (3201 Allen Pkwy), Casa Kenji is the first Houston project for New Orleans restaurateur Malachi DuPre, a former LSU standout who played briefly in the NFL before establishing Kenji and Kenji Kazoku restaurants in New Orleans. Together with former LSU teammate John “B-John” Ballis and Houston chef Bigler “Biggie” Cruz, Casa Kenji will blend Latin and Japanese influences while also incorporating live-fire elements into the restaurant’s dishes. Cruz, whose resume includes a lengthy stint at Uchi as well as working at critically acclaimed Houston seafood restaurant Golfstrømmen, tells CultureMap that Casa Kenji’s approach is the first time he can be himself in the kitchen.

“My perfect restaurant was always based on the live fire and sushi combination,” Cruz says. “My mom cooked with wood for my entire life. The live fire creates completely different flavors. The smoky flavors, the sear from the charcoal — they create a different type of memory for me.”

The use of live fire techniques will permeate Casa Kenji’s menus in ways both big and small. For example, diners will be able to feast on prawns grilled directly on charcoal and served with yuzu chili garlic, or savor lightly seared Japanese wagyu tataki paired with mushrooms. Even raw dishes will benefit from the restaurant’s wood-burning grill and stove.

“Every vegetable we peel, we make into an ash that’s a topping for the dishes. It adds a different layer of flavor,” Cruz says. Look for it in the scallop aguachile, among others.

Even vegetables get a smoky component, as in a cabbage dish that’s braised with dashi and soy sauce before being roasted and served with an onion soubise that Cruz says he developed based on techniques he learned from Golfstrømmen chef Christopher Haatuft.

“It’s rich, super savory, with smoky layers, and you get brightness from the shiso gremolata. I think it will be a signature dish for us,” the chef says.

One change to the interior is the addition of a six-seat omakase counter that looks into the kitchen. Cruz promises those diners will have an even more elevated experience than the restaurant’s regular menu, including ingredients such as Japanese wagyu and premium fish flown in from Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market.

Beyond its cuisine, Casa Kenji hopes to stand out with its spacious outdoor patio. Since very few Japanese-inspired restaurants in Houston offer outdoor seating, it should appeal to diners who want a little vitamin D along with their tuna crudo.

“We’re proud to showcase the craft and creativity that defines Casa Kenji,” co-founders Cruz, Ballis, and DuPre said in a statement. “With chef Bigler Cruz at the helm — blending live-fire technique with the discipline of Japanese tradition — we’re equally honored and excited to share a unique concept that is truly rooted in passion, culture, and community.”

Casa Kenji will be open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday beginning at 4 pm. Reservations are available on Resy.

Photo by Becca Wright

Spanish sea bass, scallop crudo, nigiri, bluefin binchotan, and bluefin crudo.