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| Discover Divine Dining in Houston |
One of the best things to do in the Houston area is check out the diverse and innovative dining scene found all throughout the city and the region. An ever-growing and expanding industry, something new and deliciously tasty is opening all the time, so first check out some of the newest ways to tempt the taste buds. Then take a look at some of Houston’s finest restaurants that let your group seamlessly transition from work to happy hour to an elegant dinner. Finally, take a look at the trends appearing and extending into 2013 when it comes to fine dining and get a refresher course on how to effectively select the proper wine at a corporate dinner.
Houston's new dining digs
Houston’s fresh and dynamic culinary scene draws talented chefs from all over the country and the world who want to capitalize on the energetic and progressive dining atmosphere the city provides. In this quickly evolving dining scene, new restaurants with bold new concepts are debuting all the time, so take a look at some of Houston’s newest additions.
In March 2013, restaurateur Hank Fastoff opened Batanga, a 5,000-square-foot Latin American restaurant just off Market Square Park in Downtown Houston. The spot features Latin American tapas, exotic drinks and live music as well as a large grassy patio overlooking the park. Customers enjoy a mix of dishes from various regions in Latin America, such as Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Colombia, as well as dishes from Spain and Portugal. The restaurant is open seven days a week, including Sunday brunch, and it also offers take-away and catering services.
Coltivare is a rustic Italian trattoria in the Heights that was opened in spring 2013 by Ryan Pera and Morgan Weber, the chefs behind the popular Revival Market. This sister property continues its devotion to using local and regional ingredients for salads, house-made pastas, wood oven–fired pizzas and succulent entrées. Coltivare also offers “private club” membership with access to a unique wine list and full bar. Chef Pera’s Italian heritage and preference for family-style dining inspires the menu while Chef Vincent Huynh of Revival oversees day-to-day kitchen operations. The new property also includes a 3,000-square-foot garden that provides both restaurants with fresh seasonal vegetables, fruit and herbs.
Chef Jean Philippe Gaston has launched Cove Cold Bar—a certified-green restaurant-within-a-restaurant in the stunning 5,200-square-foot space once serving as the bar area of Haven in the Upper Kirby area. A self-contained mini restaurant, Cove Cold Bar offers a globally inspired farm-to-market menu of seasonal food from the sea and land, but none of it is cooked. The menu is divided into four sections—the first three filled with seafood from around the world and the fourth with land-based selections, such as Italian lamb carpaccio and Japanese tataki of raw veal. The intimate space features artichoke and plum accented décor, high ceilings, energy-efficient lighting and an open kitchen plus a covered patio in front that provides guests with al fresco dining under an eye-catching trellis of reclaimed cedar.
Drawn to Houston by its vibrant culinary scene, notable San Diego Chef Philippe Verpiand closed up shop out west and now graces the Bayou City with his new establishment, Étoile Cuisine et Bar. The restaurant is located in the old Andre Tellier pâtisserie in Uptown Park just a few blocks from Philippe Restaurant + Lounge, owned by Veripand’s longtime culinary friend and colleague Philippe Schmit. Étoile Cuisine et Bar offers traditional and modern interpretations on French cuisine in a farmhouse-inspired space that features cream, azure and brown décor highlighted by a dramatic bar and light fixtures. Popular dishes include classics like duck leg confit and Escargot Bourguignonne as well as Wild Boar Bolognese.
Opened in March 2013, The FEDERAL American Grill in The Heights is the new concept in the former location of the much loved Branch Water Tavern. Great whether you dress up or down, drink a bourbon or beer or dine on a rib-eye or burger, The FEDERAL Grill mixes all that taste with a little Sinatra for a signature experience. Matt Brice has taken over the restaurant and plans to keep some of Branch Water’s more popular dishes on the menu while adding some new shining stars. The FEDERAL Grill is adapting its lunch menu to allow diners to get in and out within 30 minutes, and the bar has gotten more tables and televisions to provide a pleasant spot for happy hour. The new restaurant is open seven days a week and offers brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Plus private dining options are available inside and out for groups from 18 to 60 with customizable menus and audiovisual capabilities.
Exciting changes are coming to The Palm Restaurant Houston, including a fresh new look and expanded space. It closed for remodeling mid-February 2013 and held a grand reopening in July, now expanded to 8,800 square feet with seating for 322 in the restaurant and bar. The remodeled space features three private dining rooms that give guests a number of layout options for both intimate to large-scale event. All rooms also have a range of audiovisual services available.
Located in Midtown, The Pass and Provisions is a new dual concept from Chefs Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel-Gardner in the space formerly home to Gravitas. Provisions is built around a mammoth focal point: a wood-burning oven that produces pizzas and delicious food with savory smoky traces. The well-lit and vibrant industrial space has a community-style table in the bar, which serves creative cocktails and wines. A spacious patio rounds out this casual half of the duo. Its more refined partner, The Pass, has a stark, intimate setting with only 36 seats and only one seating each evening. “The pass” in professional kitchens is the area where cooks, chefs and servers converge to finish plates and get them to diners. The experimental, avant-garde menu is served by the chefs who describe the foods that often taste very little like the way they look and answer diners’ questions, thus emphasizing the transitioning process of “the pass.” It gives diners an experience similar to dining at a chef’s table as they connect with the chef’s inspiration behind every dish in an upscale, casually elegant atmosphere unlike anything else in Houston. A private dining area is available for intimate parties and large groups with one-on-one service where diners experience each dish fully, privately and completely.
Houston's new dining digs
Houston’s fresh and dynamic culinary scene draws talented chefs from all over the country and the world who want to capitalize on the energetic and progressive dining atmosphere the city provides. In this quickly evolving dining scene, new restaurants with bold new concepts are debuting all the time, so take a look at some of Houston’s newest additions.
In March 2013, restaurateur Hank Fastoff opened Batanga, a 5,000-square-foot Latin American restaurant just off Market Square Park in Downtown Houston. The spot features Latin American tapas, exotic drinks and live music as well as a large grassy patio overlooking the park. Customers enjoy a mix of dishes from various regions in Latin America, such as Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Peru and Colombia, as well as dishes from Spain and Portugal. The restaurant is open seven days a week, including Sunday brunch, and it also offers take-away and catering services.
Coltivare is a rustic Italian trattoria in the Heights that was opened in spring 2013 by Ryan Pera and Morgan Weber, the chefs behind the popular Revival Market. This sister property continues its devotion to using local and regional ingredients for salads, house-made pastas, wood oven–fired pizzas and succulent entrées. Coltivare also offers “private club” membership with access to a unique wine list and full bar. Chef Pera’s Italian heritage and preference for family-style dining inspires the menu while Chef Vincent Huynh of Revival oversees day-to-day kitchen operations. The new property also includes a 3,000-square-foot garden that provides both restaurants with fresh seasonal vegetables, fruit and herbs.
Chef Jean Philippe Gaston has launched Cove Cold Bar—a certified-green restaurant-within-a-restaurant in the stunning 5,200-square-foot space once serving as the bar area of Haven in the Upper Kirby area. A self-contained mini restaurant, Cove Cold Bar offers a globally inspired farm-to-market menu of seasonal food from the sea and land, but none of it is cooked. The menu is divided into four sections—the first three filled with seafood from around the world and the fourth with land-based selections, such as Italian lamb carpaccio and Japanese tataki of raw veal. The intimate space features artichoke and plum accented décor, high ceilings, energy-efficient lighting and an open kitchen plus a covered patio in front that provides guests with al fresco dining under an eye-catching trellis of reclaimed cedar.
Drawn to Houston by its vibrant culinary scene, notable San Diego Chef Philippe Verpiand closed up shop out west and now graces the Bayou City with his new establishment, Étoile Cuisine et Bar. The restaurant is located in the old Andre Tellier pâtisserie in Uptown Park just a few blocks from Philippe Restaurant + Lounge, owned by Veripand’s longtime culinary friend and colleague Philippe Schmit. Étoile Cuisine et Bar offers traditional and modern interpretations on French cuisine in a farmhouse-inspired space that features cream, azure and brown décor highlighted by a dramatic bar and light fixtures. Popular dishes include classics like duck leg confit and Escargot Bourguignonne as well as Wild Boar Bolognese.
Opened in March 2013, The FEDERAL American Grill in The Heights is the new concept in the former location of the much loved Branch Water Tavern. Great whether you dress up or down, drink a bourbon or beer or dine on a rib-eye or burger, The FEDERAL Grill mixes all that taste with a little Sinatra for a signature experience. Matt Brice has taken over the restaurant and plans to keep some of Branch Water’s more popular dishes on the menu while adding some new shining stars. The FEDERAL Grill is adapting its lunch menu to allow diners to get in and out within 30 minutes, and the bar has gotten more tables and televisions to provide a pleasant spot for happy hour. The new restaurant is open seven days a week and offers brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Plus private dining options are available inside and out for groups from 18 to 60 with customizable menus and audiovisual capabilities.
Exciting changes are coming to The Palm Restaurant Houston, including a fresh new look and expanded space. It closed for remodeling mid-February 2013 and held a grand reopening in July, now expanded to 8,800 square feet with seating for 322 in the restaurant and bar. The remodeled space features three private dining rooms that give guests a number of layout options for both intimate to large-scale event. All rooms also have a range of audiovisual services available.
Located in Midtown, The Pass and Provisions is a new dual concept from Chefs Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel-Gardner in the space formerly home to Gravitas. Provisions is built around a mammoth focal point: a wood-burning oven that produces pizzas and delicious food with savory smoky traces. The well-lit and vibrant industrial space has a community-style table in the bar, which serves creative cocktails and wines. A spacious patio rounds out this casual half of the duo. Its more refined partner, The Pass, has a stark, intimate setting with only 36 seats and only one seating each evening. “The pass” in professional kitchens is the area where cooks, chefs and servers converge to finish plates and get them to diners. The experimental, avant-garde menu is served by the chefs who describe the foods that often taste very little like the way they look and answer diners’ questions, thus emphasizing the transitioning process of “the pass.” It gives diners an experience similar to dining at a chef’s table as they connect with the chef’s inspiration behind every dish in an upscale, casually elegant atmosphere unlike anything else in Houston. A private dining area is available for intimate parties and large groups with one-on-one service where diners experience each dish fully, privately and completely.
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