Dining for a cause

Houston restaurants and bars think pink with cool cocktails and dishes for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

As we know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and restaurants and bars across the city are offering multiple ways diners can pay tribute to this important cause.

Proceeds from specialty dishes and cocktails will be donated to various breast cancer nonprofits (some listed below). Diners looking to support this important cause should check out these pink picks of fun dishes and drinks from a host of Houston restaurants, coffee bars, bars, and more below.

Amrina
The Woodlands hot spot is serving the Pink Ribbon cocktail this month. It's a blend of High West Double Rye, Amaro Nonino, fresh lime juice, and raspberry puree, topped off with a splash of lime-yuzu soda, making it a cool refresher for Houston's current patio weather. $1 from each drink will be donated to Houston Methodist Cancer Center.

Arnaldo Richards' Picos
The Upper Kirby Mexican favorite hosts a special Pink Ribbon Brunch on Sunday, October 15 from 9 am - 4 pm. The restaurant is donating $5 from every adult brunch and $2 from every child brunch to The Rose Breast Center of Excellence. The buffet includes options such as migas, ceviche, tamales, a carving station, and build-your-own waffle and omelet stations. The cost is $42 for adults and $30 for children. Learn more and make reservations online.

Can't make brunch? Stop in all month long for the signature Pico Rita and know that $1 from its sales are going to The Rose.

BB’s Tex-Orleans
All locations are taking part in supporting breast cancer awareness this month. Diners can purchase the Big Shrimpin' Platter, which includes a half pound of boiled shrimp, six fried shrimp, six grilled Creole lemon shrimp, shrimp and grits, shrimp cocktail, and corn and potatoes, for $34.99. BB's will donate $3 from every platter sold to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Bread Zepplin
Stop in for the Pink Lady Salad, a special creation for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It's a combination of Pink Lady apples with candied pecans, creamy goat cheese, tangy red onions, and grilled chicken, tossed with Arcadian salad mix and spinach, and crowned with a Champagne vinaigrette. Proceeds from its sales will go to The Rose.

Dessert Gallery
This sweet spot has created special confections in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Choose form Raspberry Sugar Cookies or Pink Ribbon Cookies, available for $4.95 each. A portion of the sales from the treats will go to Metavivor, an organization dedicated to advancing metastatic breast cancer research, providing essential support, and raising awareness.

Etoile
Diners who opt for the four-course, pre-fixe menu this month will be helping the restaurant support The Nancy Owens Breast Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit service that provides financial support to charities that are in the fight against breast cancer. The menu includes selections of appetizers, entrees, and desserts, featuring classic French fare. The cost is $74 per person and $8 will be donated to the nonprofit. Diners opting for the three-course brunch menu, which is $38 per person, will see $4 of their purchase donated.

J-Bar-M Barbecue
Head downtown for the restaurant's Rose Cinnamon Roll, a giant, gooey confection smothered with strawberry icing and crowned with a sprinkle of freeze-dried strawberries for $18. A portion of proceeds from this month's sales of the themed twist on a menu signature will be donated to The Rose.

Los Tios
Stop by any of the six Los Tios locations across the city this month and sample the restaurant's strawberry margarita. Los Tios will donate $1 from the sale of each cocktail, available frozen or on the rocks, to The Rose.

Marmo
Drink pink at the Montrose Italian chophouse throughout October. The restaurant is donating $1 from every glass of rosé sold this month to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Whether sipping the Cesarini Sforza Brut Rosé ($18 a glass), made from Chardonnay and Pinot Nero, with its hints of bright red fruit and a zesty ting, or the Scaia Rondinella ($12 a glass) noted for its bright bang of strawberries and lemon, or any other specials on the wine list, the result is the same: drinkers get a great wine, and a great cause is supported.

Ojo de Agua
The Mexico City newcomer in River Oaks District donates $1 from every bright pink Pitaya Bowl to The Rose. The dish is sorbet served with banana, raspberry, blueberry, plum, and topping of coconut flakes that costs $16 for one scoop or $23 for two.

Southside Sporting Club
The Stafford gathering spot offers a special Breast Cancer Awareness Month cocktail, the Drink Pink Rita. It's a frozen margarita infused with juicy watermelon and tropical pineapple. Proceeds from its sales will go to The Rose. The Sporting Club's sister establishments, KAMP Houston and Prospect Park, each have their own take on frose this month, and are also giving proceeds to The Rose.

Sugar Frk
The new dessert café in Midtown's Post Midtown Square development has two specials created to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The Double Strawberry Glaze Donut is a strawberry glaze doughnut striped with strawberry caramel and strawberry buttercream sprinkles. The Frosé is a frozen, blended rosé wine concoction. Sugar Frk will donate a portion of the proceeds from sales of each to The Rose.

Tacos A Go Go
All locations of the fast casual favorite are serving up a special taco for the month of October. The Ta Ta Taco is served in a vibrant pink corn tortilla, colored with beet juice, and filled with shredded chicken, julienne carrots, crispy jicama, pickled onions and radish, and cilantro, then topped with xoconostle cactus fruit sauce. Proceeds from sales of the dish go to The Rose.

Taste Kitchen + Bar
The Blood Orange Lemon Drop Bold Martini was created in honor of the bold women and men battling and surviving breast cancer. Throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Taste will donate a portion of the proceeds for every Bold Martini sold ito The Rose.

Three Brothers Bakery
Inspired by a family member's battle against breast cancer, all of the bakery's locations will donate 50 percent of the proceeds of its pink ribbon delicacies to Janice's Race for the Cure fundraising efforts on behalf of the Susan. G. Komen Foundation. Some of the options include a pink ribbon petit four pack of six for $15.99, a six pack of pink ribbon gingerbread men for $34.99, or a pink ribbon cake for $49.99.

Truluck's
The upscale seafood spot is partnering with winemaker J. Lohr this month for a program the restaurant is calling "parings with purpose." For each bottle of J. Lohr Carol’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon sold, Truluck's will donate $20 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s breast cancer education and early detection programs. Priced at $138 per bottle, the Napa wine has notes of dark berry and spice, according to Truluck's.

Wild
The Montrose coffee shop, bar, and dispensary has crafted a special cocktail for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It's the Wild Dragon, made with Diplomatico Mantuano, Cointreau, Falernum, "Dragon’s Blood," and lime and pineapple juices, creating a multilayered drink. Proceeds from the drink will benefit The Rose.

Photo by Steven Cromer

Proceeds from the Wild Dragon cocktail at Wild go to The Rose.

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FM Kitchen closes

Inner loop pickleball bar expands into neighboring burger joint

Photo by Becca Wright

PKL Social has expanded into FM Kitchen & Bar.

One of the inner loop’s most popular pickleball destinations is getting a makeover. PKL Social is expanding its footprint by claiming the space formerly occupied by FM Kitchen & Bar.

Since both PKL Social and FM Kitchen share ownership and management, the name change unites the property under one brand. It focuses on PKL Social’s success in its first year-plus of operations and sheds the FM Kitchen brand that’s been serving up burgers, comfort food, craft beer, and cocktails since 2017. Although the change won’t officially take place until July 26, the building’s exterior is already sporting a fresh coat of paint with PKL Social’s branding.

“It’s a direct response to the demand for more,” operating partner Jason Mok said in a statement. “We’ve conceptualized everything people have loved about FM Kitchen & Bar and PKL Social by creating a single concept and venue that brings it all together in an exciting, more seamless way.”

Open since March 2024, PKL Social has four pickleball courts, big screen TVs for watching sports, and two, 140-inch LED video walls for big games and other events. The rebranding brings upgrades in the form of Full Swing golf simulators that will allow people to play golf and other games for an hourly rental fee.

Some things will remain the same. The new PKL Social will still serve many of FM Kitchen’s most popular dishes, including its signature cheeseburger, smash burger, and weekend brunch items. Additions include on-trend items such as a chopped chicken Caesar wrap and a Buffalo chicken wrap, a fried shrimp basket, and a California-style burrito.

Beverage options include cocktails, craft beer, and wine. Non-alcoholic options include beer, cocktails, oat milk lattes sourced from Tenfold Coffee, and a frozen strawberry lemonade.

In terms of the venue’s layout, the patio bar and restaurant area that had been home to FM Kitchen will remain family-friendly. The court area around PKL Social’s original footprint will remain adults-only.

“PKL Social is becoming so much more than a pickleball destination. It’s a sports bar and event-centric destination with high energy and excellent food,” Mok added. “With our new upgrades, we can offer customers everything from corporate events and happy hours to social events such as our game day and reality TV watch parties, popular bingo nights, and cold plunge socials. We are excited to expand these options even further to be a true social destination for all.”

PKL Social will celebrate its expansion on July 26 with drink specials, raffle prizes, giveaways, a DJ, sips from brands including LALO Tequila, Athletic Brewing Co., Beam Suntory, and more.

Photo by Becca Wright

PKL Social has expanded into FM Kitchen & Bar.

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