The week in eating

10 things to know in Houston food: Openings, closings, and Astros discounts

It’s a busy month for Houston restaurants, with festivals, menu updates, and even affordable Astros tickets. Read on to see what’s new in the city’s dining scene this week.

Openings and closings

Exilio Latin Flair has opened in the Harlow District. First announced in January, the new, Latin-inspired restaurant from the owners of Bari Ristorante and Georgia James replaces Verde Garden in the development that also includes Katami and La Griglia.

Inspired by the cuisines of Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Spain, the menu includes everything from empanadas, seafood cocktails, and ceviches to tacos, red snapper with Veracruz sauce, and an Argentinian ribeye with chimichurri. The restaurant will be open for dinner only through April 12. Lunch begins April 13, followed by weekend brunch on April 18.

McCormick & Schmick's has closed the doors of its Town & Country Village location, as reported by Chron. The restaurant's last day was March 27, leaving just two remaining Houston locations in Uptown Park and downtown.

Other news and notes

Doko, Duckstache Hospitality’s sushi restaurant in the Autry Park mixed-use development, has refreshed its lunch and dinner menus for the summer. For dinner, bluefin tuna stars in both a crudo and a spicy tuna roll. There’s also JFC (Japanese fried chicken) served with shirodashi and kaluga caviar, as well as an A5 wagyu donburi featuring Miyazaki wagyu tataki atop kimchi rice with Brussels sprouts. More casual fare appears on the lunch menu, including the Doko burgie with tonkatsu sauce and sunomono.

La Madeleine has partnered with Louis Jadot to launch a charcuterie board at select Texas locations. The board includes prosciutto, salami, brie, goat cheese, Swiss, cheddar, fresh grapes, candied pecans, sweet blackberry jam, and baguette crostini. Two Louis Jadot wines are available to pair with the dish by the glass, split, or bottle — a Mâcon-Villages Chardonnay and Beaujolais-Villages. Find it now, while supplies last, at both the Champions (5505-A FM 1960) and West Grand (23322 Mercantile Parkway, Katy) locations.

The Woodlands location of Truluck’s Ocean’s Finest Seafood and Crab is undergoing renovations, with the main dining room and bar closed through April 22. When diners return, they’ll find the restaurant has drawn inspiration from its Houston and Plano locations, with new flooring, tables, chandeliers, chairs, and drapery.

Scoring affordable Astros tickets just got easier thanks to Houston Chick-fil-A restaurants. Patrons who visit on Tuesdays can purchase two Astros tickets for $20 to select games, marking the 20-year partnership between the team and the fast-food chain. Tickets are limited to eight per transaction, and no Chick-fil-A purchase is necessary. The deal runs through September 15.

Upcoming food events

Saturday, April 11

Brenner’s on the Bayou’s Annual Wine Festival
The steakhouse’s annual festival takes on a French-American theme for 2026, with patrons invited to dress to impress for an on-site fashion contest. Expect French-inspired bites such as a seared NY strip with blue cheese mousse on a toasted pretzel with red wine reduction, alongside American flavors like bacon-wrapped quail. A dessert bar by chef Eunice Grassa will be stocked with sweets like caramel apple pie and profiteroles. The festival runs from 1-4 pm, with general admission priced at $150 and VIP tickets at $250.

Thursday, April 16

Turner’s Cut and Revana Family Vineyard dinner
Diners can enjoy a multi-course meal featuring Turner Cut’s dishes paired with Revana’s Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. The event begins at 6:30 pm with a reception. Tickets are $395 per person.

Saturday, April 18

3rd Annual Taste of Houston: Taste of Trill Charity Golf Tournament
Houston hip-hop legend Bun B is joining forces with Don Bowie, chef-owner of Taste Kitchen & Bar, to raise funds supporting youth development, mentorship, and golf programs through the Big Chef Bowie Cares Foundation. Expect appearances from stars like Tyron Woodley, D. J. Augustin, Amber Kuykendall, and Moochie Norris. The event at Hermann Park Golf Course will include breakfast, practice balls, and a shotgun start, followed by a “19th Hole” networking mixer to close out the day.

Pepsi Eats Fest Houston
Pepsi is hosting a food-focused event on the patio between Around the Corner and Leeland House. The first 100 patrons will receive free Pepsi BBQ sliders, while chicken tenders with gravy and flatbread bites will be served while supplies last. Other small bites will be available for $6 or less, and even cocktails, such as the STARRY Paloma, will receive the Pepsi treatment. The event runs from 5 to 9 pm.

Photo by Studio Rivera

Doko has updated its menu to include the Doko burgie with tonkatsu sauce and sunomono.

news-you-can-eat openings closings

chefs vs somms

Chris Shepherd introduces a new party game for food and wine lovers

Courtesy of Chris Shepherd

Maneet Chauhan, Cassidee Dabney, and Chris Shepherd represented the chefs.

I have a new game for you! A few years ago I wrote a piece — that some of you still talk to me about — about a game called Wine Club Death Match! Now, here is a new one for a group of friends that get together. Take this one and run with it and have an absolute party!

Are you ready? Let’s get into it.

Last month, I was asked to take part in an event during Aspen Food & Wine called Chefs vs Somms. This event pairs three chefs vs three sommeliers in a battle of smell, taste, and a good amount of smack talking. The premise of this challenge is finding the best pairings for four snacks from a group of 10 wines.

Here is the low down on how we did it:

The Teams

Chefs: Cassidee Dabney, Chef at The Barn at Blackberry Farm; Maneet Chauhan, Chef, Restauranteur, and TV personality; Me

Sommeliers: Arjav Ezekial, Birdie’s; Amanda McCrossin, sommelier and wine personality (if you like wine, you should follow her!); Chris Dunaway, wine director of The Little Nell.

Four snacks

Deviled egg
Prosciutto wrapped Granny Smith apple
A spiced samosa
Caramelized fish sauce chicken wings

Ten wines

IWA Sake Assemblage 5
2023 Domaine du Cellier aux Moines Aligoté Sous les Roches
2024 Tiberio Pecorino
2023 Vietti Timorasso Colli Tortonesi
2024 Soalheiro Primeiras Vinhas
2023 Guigal Tavel
2022 Analemma Trousseau
NV Lini Labrusco Lambrusco Rosso
2024 Giant Steps Circle of Fifths Pinot Noir
2022 Cume do Avia Colleita 10 Red Ribeiro

The game

Each team deliberates separately to pick the best pairing to go with the first snack, the deviled egg. The competitors have to get into the details of each dish. For this one, we had to consider how much mustard there is versus the mayonnaise, sweet or dill relish, how much onion, salt, and pepper. Then, we went through the 10 wines to see what our team likes best.

Courtesy of Chris Shepherd

Maneet Chauhan, Cassidee Dabney, and Chris Shepherd represented the chefs.

We had to sell our pick to the rest of the group (ours was an audience of 100 people) to convince them that we chose the best pairing. Once a wine is chosen from one team, it’s off the board, which means it can no longer. We had to plan our attack — and sabotage when we must! We had to think about what really does pair well and what we thought the other team might want to use in the future, so we can mess with their heads and shake things a bit.

For the deviled egg, we picked the 2023 Guigal Tavel. We thought that rosé and deviled eggs would make people think about spring time, sitting on a patio enjoying a beautiful brunch with friends. At the same time, the Somms were plotting away at their pick. They chose the Tiberio Pecorino, which is a super crisp floral white wine. After the somms made their case, we verbally battled back and forth like a bunch of lawyers in a courtroom. Was rosé the best pick? We tried to sway the jury, but the chefs lost round one. It’s ok though, it’s a game of strategy, and we had more rounds to go.

We battled each round, blow by blow, trying to get our opinions in. The chefs are very matter of fact about things because well, that’s what we do. The somms would argue their points: “The floral notes of this….” Blah blah blah. As the chefs would say, “What grows together goes together...” Blah blah blah. As the rounds go on, the more you taste, the better the verbal battle becomes!

In the end, we tied, which is how it was supposed to be. Two teams giving it their all and having a blast with friends.

One thing that really resonated was that the two teams need each other to run successful operations and to be better for our guests. We work together to provide hospitality and a true vision of what we think a restaurant service can be. It’s emotional and beautiful all at the same time. When everything clicks, the guest has the time of their life.

The reason I am write about this is that you and your friends can have these same experiences together — as well and form a bond that no one can dispute. Hospitality calls in many ways, not just in the walls of a restaurant, but in the walls of your own home.

How you choose to engage in those moments is what defines us as humans and as friends. Battle it out on a Saturday night. You will find that a bond forms, because you were together learning, tasting, and possibly a little shit talking. That’s what friends and hospitality are all about.

wine chefs