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    Good Vibes

    Gift great food, wine, and times this holiday with these delicious ideas

    CultureMap Create
    Dec 13, 2023 | 4:30 pm

    One of the best parts about the holidays is the food and wine — and family and friends you get to enjoy it with.

    The Big Vibe Group keeps this spirit going all year long, but its restaurants get especially festive this time of year. Here's how to gift delicious experiences to be savored:

    Bottaio Wine Shop
    A new dimension has opened inside of Coppa Osteria, and wine lovers will cheer.

    Bottaio Wine Shop only stocks wines from small, boutique vineyards, about 90 percent of which qualify as biodynamic, natural, and/or organic wines.

    Even better, the retail wines are sold at 10-15 percent below the already low wine list price — that's a major steal. Bottles are also listed online and available for pick up, so just call ahead to order.

    Since you can never go wrong with a nice bottle of wine, pick up one (or several) for hosts and hostesses, colleagues, and friends.

    Bottaio Wine Shop holiday gifts

    Photo by Rebecca Wright Photography

    Wine is always the perfect gift.

    Dining together
    Whether you're planning the office holiday bash, a fun family get-together, or intimate dinner with close friends, consider private and group dining at The Big Vibe Group's restaurants.

    Each restaurant has to capacity to host a crowd — all you need to do is determine how many.

    Enjoy semi-private dining on the patios at Gratify, surrounded by lush greenery, bold wallpaper, and atmospheric hanging lights, or reserve the whole restaurant for an all-out experience.

    The Dough Room at Coppa Osteria comfortably fits 20 guests, while the Frida room at Flora can comfortably fit 40 seated and 50-60 cocktail-style. The interior offers stunning chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling windows for a truly unforgettable meal, or expand the guest count and rent the surrounding patio space.

    However long your guest count might be, you'll find the right fit at one of these restaurants.

    Gift cards
    You know what pairs really well with a bottle of wine from Bottaio Wine Shop, or even on its own? A gift card that can be used at any restaurant in The Big Vibe Group: Gratify Neighborhood Bistro, Coppa Osteria, Flora Mexican Kitchen, and Graffiti Raw.

    Plan brunch with a good friend, happy hour with coworkers, or date night with your special someone and give the gift of great food, wine and craft cocktails, and time together.

    Mucho merch
    Hats off to the holidays with The Big Vibe Group merchandise, which includes T-shirts, hats, and brass keychains. Allow three to five business days for shipping or pick up at one of the restaurants, and then get ready for year-round big vibes.

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    What's Eric Eating Episodes 516 and 517

    Food experts draft the best dishes at Vietnamese restaurants in Houston

    CultureMap Staff
    Dec 12, 2025 | 5:15 pm
    Moon Rabbit food spread
    Moon Rabbit/Facebook
    Two panelists selected dishes from Moon Rabbit in the Heights.

    On this week’s episode of “What’s Eric Eating,” CultureMap editor Eric Sandler recruited five of his friends and colleagues to select their favorite dishes at Vietnamese restaurants in Houston via a fantasy football-style draft.



    The panelists — Stevie Vu of the Chowdown in Chinatown Facebook group and Asia Society, Texas; Chelsea Thomas of Local Foods Group; Heights Grocer and Montrose Grocer owner Mary Clarkson; Have A Nice Day AAPI pop-up market co-founder Isabel Protomartir; Houston BBQ Festival co-founder Michael Fulmer — joined Sandler to draft Vietnamese dishes and restaurants in six categories. They are:

    • Appetizer/Salad
    • Entree
    • Sandwich
    • Soup
    • Viet-Cajun
    • Wildcard

    In the first round, Vu kicked things off by selecting the sandwiches from Chinatown institution Nguyen Ngo. Thomas followed with the duck salad at Thien An. Clarkson took the mango-papaya salad from Old Saigon Cafe, and Sandler scored the Beef 7 Ways at Chinatown favorite Saigon Pagolac. Protomartir took the Duck House’s crispy egg rolls, and Fulmer closed round one with the beef rolls at Nam Giao, which holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide.

    Sandler shared the full results on Instagram.


    View this post on Instagram
    A post shared by Eric Sandler (@ericsandler)


    As he noted, the draft results include some of Houston’s most prominent Vietnamese restaurant as well as a few under-the-radar choices that will give listeners some new options to try. Listen to the full episode on any podcast platform to hear the panelists explain the choices and recommend a few places that they could have drafted instead.



    In this week’s second episode, chef Christine Ha and her husband John Suh join Sandler to review the results and pick a winner. Since no one selected their restaurant The Blind Goat, each drafter is on an equal footing.

    Listen to the full episode to hear who won. Ha and Suh also share thoughts on their favorite selections by each panelist. They also catch us up on the latest happenings at both The Blind Goat and Stuffed Belly, their sandwich shop, including the recent addition of a gumbo pot pie to The Blind Goat’s menu.


    View this post on Instagram
    A post shared by The Blind Goat (@theblindgoathtx)


    -----

    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.

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