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World-Class Dining Experiences in Houston
At Ruggles Green, guests are treated to a menu that’s created with organic, all-natural, hormone-free and preservative-free products for a truly fresh and savory taste unlike any other. The menu is made up of American standards, approaching them with a health-oriented perspective rare among Houston restaurants. Appetizers include Hi-Protein Hempanadas™, house-made organic hummus and organic spinach dip. The sandwich, burger and Panini selection includes the Ruggles Green Veggie Nut Burger, Chef Bruce’s Smoked Holmes Farm All Natural Chicken Sandwich, the Ruggles Green Turkey Rueben, Hatterman’s Organic Egg Sandwich and the Veggie Sourdough Panini. This is just a fraction of the great food options Ruggles Green has to offer. The menu also features a number of great tasting soups, salads, wood-fried pizzas, pasta and desserts.

The restaurants green program even extends to its wine offerings. Ruggles Green’s wine offerings are produced by organic farms, which use renewable resources and focus on the conservation of soil and water. To comply with USDA organic standards, grapes are grown without the use of convention pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or ionizing radiation. The result is wine that is not only of excellent quality, but is pleasing to even the most sophisticated of pallets.

Servicing the Clear Lake area, Cullen’s Upscale American Grille is also among the elite group of GRE-certified restaurants. Event planners looking to incorporate green elements into their itinerary should note the many eco-friendly procedures Cullen’s employs on a daily basis. The facility uses energy-efficient lighting, makes use of in-house washing practices and carefully monitors overall water consumption. The building itself was constructed with biodegradable materials, reducing its carbon footprint from its initial stages of operation.

To reduce the need of reprinting the ever-changing wine list, guests are invited to make their selections from an electronic touch-pad wine list, which can sort vintages by price range and region of origin. Cullen’s also uses local produce and sustainable products to create their menu, making it an ideal destination for environmentally-conscious organizations to host their functions.

The 38,000 square-foot facility features seven different dining areas and a stunning ballroom that can seat 160 for a banquet or can accommodate groups of 200 for a reception-style event. Every area of the restaurant can be utilized simultaneously for groups of up to 1,000 attendees. Aside from the ballroom and the main dining hall, Cullen’s features several lounges, a main bar, an outdoor dining area, an outdoor patio and a game room. Cullen’s Live is a full-scale nightclub that includes a stage, DJ area and balcony lounge. In short, Cullen’s Upscale American Grille comes highly recommended for full-scale corporate dining events that incorporate the industry’s green efforts.

Haven is another Houston dining concept that is contributing to the green movement by using local ingredients to craft its iconic menu of regional favorites. Chef Randy Evans prides himself on his culinary creations that have been described as Texas Regional cuisine. Just browsing the appetizer menu is like reading a list of dishes that perfectly describe the state: free range deviled eggs, seared pork belly, shrimp boudin, jumbo lump crab cakes and whole okra. For the main course, guests can enjoy any of the Gulf Coast’s hallmark offerings, including free range chicken, gulf fish, peanut crusted soft-shell crab, pork chops and akaushi steak. So what do local ingredients have to do with going green? Not only do local ingredients provide better taste, they also reduce the restaurants carbon footprint because they don’t have to be transported for long distances.

Haven is truly a haven for the refined foodie. It’s not only a great place to eat, but a wonderful space to just relax. A beautiful contemporary ambiance is set off by light hues and sleek geometrical furnishings, and an enclosed patio provides enjoyable al fresco dining in one of Houston’s most desired neighborhoods. Haven may be billed as a season restaurant, but it’s one that Houston diners will want to revisit all year around.

   
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