This week in eating

9 things to know in Houston food: Openings, bingo, and bourbon tasting

The World Cup festivities may be winding down, but Houston's restaurant scene is keeping the momentum going. From restaurant openings and drag bingo to an anniversary celebration and a bourbon tasting, here are the latest happenings on the city's culinary calendar.

Openings and Coming Attractions

Brazilian steakhouse Sal e Brasa has claimed the former Chacho's at 6006 Westheimer Road for a new location that will join its existing restaurant in The Woodlands, Chron reports. Renovations are underway, including the addition of private dining rooms, with the restaurant aiming to open by the end of 2026. Sal e Brasa is the sister concept to Avenida Brazil Churrascaria, which has locations in Clear Lake and Stafford.

Late night cookie cravings just got easier to satisfy in Sugar Land. Insomnia Cookies opened its 33rd location at 2270 Lone Star Drive. The bakery is known for staying open late, including until 1 am Sunday through Wednesday and 3 am Thursday through Saturday.

Original ChopShop, the fast-casual restaurant known for its bowls, salads, juices, and protein shakes, is coming to Memorial City. Patrons are invited to the cafe’s grand opening on Wednesday, July 22 at 10 am, with the first 50 receiving a tote bag with the purchase of any breakfast entree, bowl, salad, or sandwich. The business will also be donating 10 percent of its opening day proceeds to Mental Health America of Greater Houston. Original ChopShop’s new Memorial City location is at 10100 Katy Freeway in Suite 180.

Events

Thursday, July 23

Drag Bingo at Bar Daphne
Queen Persephone is taking over Hotel Daphne’s newly opened bar for a lively night of entertainment and drag bingo with prizes and themed rounds. 8 pm.

Friday, July 24 - Sunday, July 26

Bar Buena Anniversary Weekend
The River Oaks bar that's connected to Goode Company Kitchen & Cantina is marking its first anniversary with a weekend of happy hour specials. Friday and Saturday feature taco specials and $9 classic cocktails, $4 beers, and $5 micheladas from 3-5:30 pm, while Sunday has half off back-bar pours and food from 6-10 pm. Patrons can order featured dishes for the chance to win Lotería-inspired prizes.

Thursday, August 6

Bourbon Tasting at Truluck’s
Bourbon enthusiasts are invited to Truluck’s Westheimer location on Thursday, August 6, for an exclusive tasting with Stephen Beam, founder and master distiller of Yellowstone Bourbon. The $50 ticket includes four bourbon tastings, chef-curated pairings, and a signature cocktail. Attendees will also have the chance to meet Beam and hear about the 150-year legacy behind the historic bourbon brand. 5:30 pm.

Saturday, August 22

Mamma Mia! Brunch at Zanti Cucina Italiana
Mamma Mia, here Zanti goes again! Zanti Cucina Italiana has revived its Mamma Mia! Brunch, where fans can enjoy brunch while soaking in tunes by ABBA and ‘70s hits spun by a live DJ. The experience includes disco decorations, tableside service of themed cocktails, and mimosa specials. Patrons are encouraged to dress in their best disco or Greek island-inspired attire. Reservations are available via OpenTable. The Mamma Mia! 11 am.

Other news and notes

Escalante's Fine Tex-Mex has rolled out a limited-time summer menu inspired by the summer season. Items include stuffed plantain tostones, grilled street corn skewers, smoked pork belly enchiladas, a grilled shrimp salad with pineapple and mango, and the Summer Grill Feast — a $165, shareable platter that comes with beef and chicken fajitas, jalapeño sausage, bacon-wrapped cream cheese-stuffed jalapeños, and flame-grilled corn that's served with rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, and pico de gallo.

Houston mainstay Tony's is offering a limited-time, three-course menu that highlights the restaurant’s most requested dishes. The Off-Menu Icons menu begins with three appetizer options: grilled peppers and artichokes, lasagnette, or a warm spinach salad ($9 supplement). For entrees, choose from snapper Sheridan, veal cannelloni, and Steak Diane ($15 supplement). Dessert choices include zeppole, cannoli, and tableside bananas foster ($7 supplement). The $75 menu is available Thursday through Saturday for dinner during July and August. Reservations are recommended.

Photo by Andrew Hemingway

Tony's is bringing back fan favorites with its Off-Menu Iconic specials this summer, including bananas foster.

openings news-you-can-eat dinner cocktails

bring on the Bacalhau

Michelin-starred Houston restaurant heads to Portugal for new season

Photo by Zach Horst

No conversation about Houston’s best restaurants would be complete without mentioning March, Goodnight Hospitality’s Mediterranean-inspired, fine dining, tasting menu restaurant in Montrose.

For its 12th season, which begins this Friday, August 7, March will take a broad look at Portugal. Over the course of pre-dinner snacks in its lounge, seven courses in its dining room, and take away desserts, chef-partner Felipe Riccio and his team will guide diners through all aspects of Portuguese cuisine, including its trade routes with China, India, and North Africa.

Riccio tells CultureMap that Portugal was the logical follow up to March’s 11th season, which examined northern Spain. He began the research process a few months ago, drawing upon published literature, cookbooks, and his own experiences as a stage at a restaurant in Lisbon. More than a menu update, seasons at March also include changes to the beverage offerings and creating service touches that enhance the experience.

Photo by Zach Horst

Rabbit cozido.

“Portugal is so close geographically to the north of Spain, and there’s a lot of similarities,” he says. “The menu really explores a lot of places outside of the Mediterranean where the Portuguese had influence and were influenced by. It’s all these trade routes.”

Priced at $230 plus drinks, tax, and gratuity, a meal at March begins in the lounge with four snacks, including a peri peri-spiced duck rillette, a delicate tart with lobster and caviar, a tempura-fried fish (peixinhos da horta) and the Macau-inspired porcho balichao made with manilla clams.

As always, March brings premium ingredients to its take on classic dishes. For example, it sources Japanese Almaco Jack for a crudo that’s inspired by Portuguese salt cod (bacalahua). Cozido, a slow-cooked stew that’s a staple of Portuguese cooking, gets reinterpreted as a house made rabbit sauce with foie gras. Riccio acknowledges that diners expect a certain level of luxury at this price point, but diners may not always realize how valuable properly-sourced ingredients are.

“I don’t think it always has to be so overt. I think the majority of people, the experience as a whole delivers that value,” Riccio says.

Similarly, the Portugal menu continues March’s move to a set, seven-course menu instead of giving diners the choice of either six or nine courses. Riccio see that as another sign of the restaurant’s maturity.

“A tasting menu is restrictive. We needed to earn that trust and give people options. I felt like people trust us and we’ve proved we can create an experience,” he says.

Since part of the criteria for a Michelin star is consistency across visits, March’s ability to hold its star while still changing its menu twice a year is a testament to the kitchen’s skill. Add in the server’s deep knowledge of every dish on the menu, its comprehensive beverage offerings, and a dining room that features museum- quality art, and it’s reasonable to think that March might become Texas’ first restaurant to earn a two-star rating. For his part, Riccio would welcome the recognition.

“I think March as an entire experience, as a restaurant day-in and day-out, we can be at that level. We strive to give people that experience to where they have that menu and feel it’s well worth it,” he says. “That recognition. I’ve seen what it means for the team, for the guests, and for the validation of the experience, and, obviously, for my career and the restaurant as a business.”

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