Where to Eat Drink HTX

Houston Restaurant Weeks’ casual offshoot kicks off with diverse new dining options

Houston Restaurant Weeks’ more casual sibling kicks off this week. Eat Drink HTX runs from February 15-28.

Similar in style to Houston Restaurant Weeks, restaurants that participate in Eat Drink HTX serve prix fixe menus at set price points for brunch, lunch, and dinner. Whereas HRW prices are $25 for lunch and brunch and $39 or $55, Eat Drink is much less expensive — $15 for lunch and brunch and $20 or $25 for dinner.

As with HRW, participating restaurants will donate a fixed amount of money per meal sold to a local charity — $1 per $15 meal, $2 per $20 meal, and $3 per $25 meal. In 2023, the event will benefit the Houston Food Bank and Children at Risk.

This roundup shines a spotlight on some of the newer restaurants participating in this year’s event. Many opened in the fall, while others are either new locations or rebranded spots in familiar locations. All offer tempting choices and a good value.

Adair Kitchen
Both locations of the neighborhood restaurant, including the recently-opened West U outpost, are serving EDH menus for both lunch and dinner. Look for lunch options such as lemon artichoke soup, a sirloin burger, and the power bowl (brown rice, kale, avocado, and more with choice of protein). At dinner, the choices include chips and dips, parmesan truffle fries, pesto grilled salmon, and Korean glass noodles with choice of protein.

CounterCommon Beerworks and Kitchen
The Bellaire brewpub’s $20 menu starts with three different salads — wedge, Asian slaw, or mixed greens. Entree choices consist of a Korean fried chicken sandwich, Thai-style pad see ew, or a trio of grilled maitake bao. Add a pint of beer for $5.

Dinette
This Vietnamese restaurant in the Heights is serving a a two-course lunch menu. Choose from five starters including summer rolls, vegetarian egg rolls, and pork rinds with honey-fish sauce. Entree choices include pho nachos, lemongrass chicken roulade, and tofu and mushroom curry.

Figo Sugo
Bravery Chef Hall’s Italian restaurant is offering both lunch and dinner menus. At lunch, the choices include Caesar salad, mozzarella sticks, spaghetti, and two slices of pizza. Dinner options include short rib lasagna bites, baked goat cheese, parmesan-crusted chicken, and spaghetti and meatballs.

Gatsby’s Grill
This casual sibling of Gatsby’s Prime Seafood in the former Acadian Coast space on Navigation is serving both lunch and dinner menus. At lunch, diners will find options such as a burger, pasta, or fish tacos with choice of dessert. Dinner choices include seafood pasta, chicken fried steak, and salmon — or upgrade to either an 8-ounce filet mignon or 10-ounce redfish for $10.

Low Tide Kitchen & Bar
This Spring Branch seafood restaurant from the team behind Harold in the Heights is serving lunch, dinner, and brunch. Dinner options include gumbo, she crab soup, fried chicken, and shrimp and grits. At brunch, the choices include hush puppies, beignets, crab cake benedict, and a shrimp po’ boy.

Ribeye & Rye
This restaurant in Lazybrook/Timbergrove is serving a two-course lunch menu that includes a 12-ounce New York strip. Those looking for something a little lighter than steak for lunch may choose either a blackened chicken Caesar salad or pesto chicken pasta.

Rooster & Rice
The Garden Oaks location of this San Francisco import is serving two-course lunch. Start with larb popcorn chicken, sweet potato fries, or spicy cucumber salad. Entree choices feature variations of the restaurant’s signature chicken and rice, including the original, chicken cutlet, or chicken sandwich.

Taste of Mulan
Formerly known as One Dim Sum, the Midtown Chinese restaurant still features dumplings on both its lunch and dinner menus. Entree choices lean towards Sichuan dishes such as Kung Pao chicken, spicy green beans, stir-fried chicken, and soft shell crab.

Photo by Raydon Creative

Gatsby's Grill is serving both lunch and dinner.

The Upside Pub
Garden Oak’s casual watering hole is serving both lunch and dinner. During the day, the choices include potato latke balls, small queso fries, kale Caesar salad, and a “super bomb” patty melt. For dinner, choose from dishes such as wings, a California-style burrito, and a BLT.

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What's Eric Eating Episodes 518 and 519

Meet the men behind River Oaks' new destination for bowls and broth

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” Honest Mary’s founder Nelson Monteith and COO Andrew Wiseheart joined CultureMap editor Eric Sandler to discuss the Austin-based restaurant that just opened its first Houston location in the River Oaks Shopping Center (2047-A West Gray St).

Monteith shares that he started the restaurant in 2017 in order to fulfill his vision of a restaurant which could serve food that’s fast, fresh, and affordable. A trained chef who operated pioneering Austin restaurant Contigo, Wiseheart joined the group to bring both culinary expertise and operational acumen to the grouping company.

Part of what sets Honest Mary’s apart is that diners can add cooked vegetables to the rice and proteins at the heart of every bowl. The “Market Sides” section includes an array of roasted vegetables — including sweet potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, beets, and Brussels sprouts — as well as black beans, maple-glazed carrots, and green lentils. Bowls can be further enhanced with toppings such as Texas pecans, crispy chickpeas, goat cheese, avocado, and apples as well as sauces such as creamy poblano, cashew lime crema, sesame vinaigrette, spicy peanut, chimichurri and apple cider vinaigrette

Monteith explains that looking at the ingredients on display usually inspires him when he’s deciding what to eat at Honest Mary’s.

“I will almost always look at the line and see what looks fresh and good,” Monteith says. “Today, I got the salted kale with white rice. Then, I got garlic-pepper steak. I added on lentils — they’re my go-to in the winter. They blend everything together, and I love it Then Brussels sprouts looked green. I got some jalapenos. Avocados, cause that’s healthy. Then I got the chimichurri sauce.”

Honest Mary’s is also known for its hearty broths, a classic chicken and a vegetarian option made with seaweed and mushroom. Sandler raves about the chicken broth to Wiseheart, who shares how it’s made.

“We spent six or seven months testing recipes and drinking it ourselves to see if it’s a good idea,” Wiseheart says. “I talk about it as a great complement to the menu. It’s healthy. It’s really simple. Most of the kitchens I came up with were rooted in French cuisine. This is just chicken stock with salt in it.”

Listen to the full episode to hear more about Honest Mary’s plans for additional locations in Houston and Dallas. Then Monteith asks a Sandler a few questions about the Houston dining scene.

In this week’s other episode, Sandler and co-host Mary Clarkson discuss the news of the week. Their topics include Home Slice Pizza opening a new location in the Heights; the closures of Brett’s BBQ Shop in Katy and Killen’s Barbecue in The Woodlands; and Esquire including ChòpnBlok on its list of America’s best new restaurants.

In the restaurant of the week segment, the two friends discuss their recent meal at Hypsi, the Italian restaurant in the newly-opened Hotel Daphne. Listen to the episode to hear their favorite dishes and other thoughts on the meal.

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Subscribe to "What's Eric Eating" on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. Hear it Sunday at 9 am on ESPN 97.5.

Photo by Becca Wright

Find Honest Mary's in the River Oaks Shopping Center.

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