bites and beyond

New Houston food festival reveals stacked lineup of restaurants and music

The new festival will take over Discovery Green on November 8.

Photo by Katya Horner

Houston’s newest food festival is beginning to take shape. Coming to Discovery Green on Saturday, November 8, the Bites & Beyond Festival will give attendees a full day of food and music at a manageable price.

Unlike all-in events such as Southern Smoke or Chefs for Farmers, Bites & Beyond will use an a la carte model that’s similar to LA’s Family Style Festival or the beloved Houston International Festival. Attendees pay $30 for a general admission ticket that comes with access to the festival’s musical acts, vendor market, and photo-worthy installations.

Those looking for something to eat or drink will be able to choose items from more than 20 vendors (with more to be announced), all of which will be available a la carte and priced per item. Here’s the initial list that includes a mix of Houston classics and up-and-comers:

HA K Bann Thai
Jamaica Pondi Road
Best Street Tacos
Bonfire Wings
Cheaters Creamery
Cosmic Ice Cream
Frost and Fantasy
JQ’s Tex Mex BBQ / Now Tacos Los Authenticos
Lemond Kitchen
May’s Crepes
Pino 3 Boy Hot Sauce
Planet Churro
Southern Jerks
Stick Talk Cajun Hibachi
Sweetie Fruit
Tina’s MexCocina
YoYo Drinks

In addition, a separate VIP area devoted to barbecue and bourbon will feature bites from Gatlin’s BBQ and Goode Co. Barbeque, as well as the following:

Bonfire Wings
Crawfish Café
Conrad Hilton College at the University of Houston
Houston Community College Culinary
JW Marriott Houston by the Galleria
Lemond Kitchen
Pho Saigon
Saint Arnold Brewing Co. Culinary
The Laura Hotel
The Lymbar

Organizers have also arranged for special collaborations, including one that unites buzzy ice cream concept Cosmic with Karbach and another that teams up students from the University of Houston’s Conrad Hilton College and HCC Culinary with two luxury hotels — The Laura and the J.W. Marriott by the Galleria — as well as Hood River Distillery and Trails End Bourbon.

With a roster of beverage sponsors that includes Saint Arnold, Karbach, Modelo Especial, Stella Artois, and BeatBox Beverages, attendees will have plenty of ways of stay hydrated. Other sponsors include the Houston Hospitality Alliance, Metro by T-Mobile, Black/Latin Restaurant Weeks, and KHOU-11.

Performers include Demola the Violinist, Big Freedia, and local DJs spinning everything from house and disco to Latin and Afro beats.

As noted above, tickets start at $30 for General Admission. VIP tickets that come with a separate entrance, VIP restrooms, a dedicated seating area, and access to the bourbon and barbecue tasting are priced at $135. Get more details here.

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Kirby Ice House 5

Houston's modern ice house plans fall opening for new Clear Lake outpost

Courtesy of Kirby Ice House

A rendering previews Kirby Ice House's Clear Lake location.

Houston’s growing chain of modern ice houses is heading to the Bay Area. Kirby Ice House will open a Clear Lake outpost in September.

Located near the Johnson Space Center and Space Center Houston at open at 530 Bay Area Boulevard, the new Kirby Ice House will build on the brand’s winning formula — a huge indoor-outdoor bar with an extensive selection of beer and cocktails, lawn games, space for food trucks, and plenty of TVs for watching sports. The Clear Lake location will also offer Kirby Ice House’s daily specials and happy hour discounts.

The bar is customing its interior for Clear Lake. For example, the design will nod to NASA with a neon sign that depicts its signature cowgirl riding a rocket.

“One of the things we enjoy most is creating spaces that reflect the communities they serve,” co-owner Danny Evans said in a statement. “We never want our locations to feel copied and pasted. We want them to have their own personality, and we hope guests feel that from the moment they walk in.”

While the construction team is building the bar, Kirby Ice House has already begun recruiting the 100 or so employees who will be necessary at opening by setting up a hiring facility adjacent to the construction site.

Those employees will be pouring beers from dozens of taps alongside wines by-the-glass or bottle. Kirby Ice House also serves cocktails such as a cucumber-lime Moscow Mule, blood orange paloma, and lemonade Old Fashioned. A rotating roster of food trucks serves customers who want a bite with their beers. Taken together, the extensive selection and massive footprint have helped each location of Kirby Ice House rank among the highest’s grossing bars in Texas.

Over time, the concept has grown to four Houston-area locations in Upper Kirby, Memorial City, The Woodlands, and a Heights-adjacent location that opened last year.

“The Kirby Ice House team is excited to become part of Clear Lake’s vibrant, historic culture,” added vice president of operations Margo Axton. “We’re looking forward to being a neighborhood gathering place that supports local businesses, welcomes casual groups, and gives the community an easy place to meet up before, during, or after whatever the day has planned.”