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| Discover Divine Dining in Houston |
Julep is a new cocktail bar that opened in February 2013. Set in a reclaimed building on Houston’s hip Washington Avenue, Julep offers a dynamic food menu, posh table service, accommodations for private events and plenty of bourbon. While maintaining a strong emphasis on classic cocktails, Julep embraces the Southern drinking culture as referenced in the name. Julep fits nicely into its industrial space of exposed brick and wooden beams and a large covered patio that used to be a garage.
The Organized Kollaboration on Restaurant Affairs (OKRA), a group of Houston’s independent restaurant and bar owners, launched a unique concept—OKRA Charity Saloon, a bar at which 100 percent of the proceeds are donated to charity. Located near the historic Market Square Park in the former Red Cat Jazz Café, the saloon hopes to draw more nightlife patrons to this northern end of downtown. Since late 2012, each drink purchased gives guests a vote they cast that night for one of four selected charities. The charity with the most votes at the end of the month receives all of that month’s proceeds. Interested charities can submit applications on the OKRA website at www.friedokra.org/charity-bar.html. The OKRA Charity Saloon features a well-edited spirit selection, emphasizes local brews and industry favorites and includes a small collaborative food program from the group’s culinary members that include Revival Market, Oxheart and Paulie’s.
Truly community centered, the new and exciting options for dining in Houston just beg to be explored and enjoyed by locals and visitors alike who want a taste of the metropolitan Bayou City.
from work to dinner: upscale restaurant happy hours
After a long day of booth hopping with a convention group or sitting in meetings with out-of-town clients, you have the perfect opportunity to transition the group from the workday into a great business dinner at one of Houston’s celebrated restaurants. However, things may happen between work and dinner when a group disperses and then reconvenes later that result in people not showing. This potentially can derail the core effectiveness of the evening. One way to get around this issue is to host the group at an upscale happy hour, specifically at one of the amazing Houston restaurants where you have booked the dinner. This way, you create a seamless segue from workday to dinner and foster the best attendance. Luckily, throughout Houston many of the best restaurants feature spectacular happy hours that can let your group go with the flow for a perfect evening.
With locations in Rice Village and on Washington Avenue in The Heights, Benjy’s offers happy-hour specials every day from 4–7 p.m. that include $6 appetizers and select wines and cocktails for $5. Groups are then welcome to enjoy excellent dishes in the restaurant, which is famous for “serving fresh ingredients from farm to table.” With small and large plates, an array of vegetarian options and delicious pizzas baked in a wood-fire oven, Benjy’s cuisine turns locally sourced ingredients into delicious delights.
Every day, The FEDERAL American Grill in The Heights has a happy hour with private event options and specials on an array of handcrafted beers, boutique wines, American whiskeys and select appetizers. The dinner that follows at FEDERAL is always a great experience with classic presentations of succulent American dishes made from fresh seasonal ingredients through a modern point of view. Various private dining options are available inside for groups from 18 to 60 with customizable menus and audiovisual capabilities, or you can book the outdoor covered patio for up to 60.
With three locations in the greater Houston area, Fleming’s Steakhouse offers a “5 For $6 ’Til 7” bar menu that offers five delicious “dining room” appetizers, five premium cocktails and five specially selected wines by the glass, each for just $6 nightly until 7 p.m. After that, groups can head to the dining room to enjoy the finest USDA prime beef, aged to perfection and prepared to order, as well as exceptional entrées, generous sides, salads and decadent desserts. Private dining options vary by location, but they range anywhere from an intimate setting for 24 to a spacious venue for more than 100.
McCormick & Schmick’s is famous as much for its fresh seafood and aged steaks as it is for its well-dressed clientele. Moreover, the restaurant features a famous happy hour Monday through Friday from 4–6:30 p.m. with dishes under $5, select wines and cocktails for $6 and select beers for $3.50. Although menus may vary slightly by location, McCormick & Schmick’s maintains a fresh approach to dining that promotes healthy living and capitalizes on the best that the current season offers.
The Organized Kollaboration on Restaurant Affairs (OKRA), a group of Houston’s independent restaurant and bar owners, launched a unique concept—OKRA Charity Saloon, a bar at which 100 percent of the proceeds are donated to charity. Located near the historic Market Square Park in the former Red Cat Jazz Café, the saloon hopes to draw more nightlife patrons to this northern end of downtown. Since late 2012, each drink purchased gives guests a vote they cast that night for one of four selected charities. The charity with the most votes at the end of the month receives all of that month’s proceeds. Interested charities can submit applications on the OKRA website at www.friedokra.org/charity-bar.html. The OKRA Charity Saloon features a well-edited spirit selection, emphasizes local brews and industry favorites and includes a small collaborative food program from the group’s culinary members that include Revival Market, Oxheart and Paulie’s.
Truly community centered, the new and exciting options for dining in Houston just beg to be explored and enjoyed by locals and visitors alike who want a taste of the metropolitan Bayou City.
from work to dinner: upscale restaurant happy hours
After a long day of booth hopping with a convention group or sitting in meetings with out-of-town clients, you have the perfect opportunity to transition the group from the workday into a great business dinner at one of Houston’s celebrated restaurants. However, things may happen between work and dinner when a group disperses and then reconvenes later that result in people not showing. This potentially can derail the core effectiveness of the evening. One way to get around this issue is to host the group at an upscale happy hour, specifically at one of the amazing Houston restaurants where you have booked the dinner. This way, you create a seamless segue from workday to dinner and foster the best attendance. Luckily, throughout Houston many of the best restaurants feature spectacular happy hours that can let your group go with the flow for a perfect evening.
With locations in Rice Village and on Washington Avenue in The Heights, Benjy’s offers happy-hour specials every day from 4–7 p.m. that include $6 appetizers and select wines and cocktails for $5. Groups are then welcome to enjoy excellent dishes in the restaurant, which is famous for “serving fresh ingredients from farm to table.” With small and large plates, an array of vegetarian options and delicious pizzas baked in a wood-fire oven, Benjy’s cuisine turns locally sourced ingredients into delicious delights.
Every day, The FEDERAL American Grill in The Heights has a happy hour with private event options and specials on an array of handcrafted beers, boutique wines, American whiskeys and select appetizers. The dinner that follows at FEDERAL is always a great experience with classic presentations of succulent American dishes made from fresh seasonal ingredients through a modern point of view. Various private dining options are available inside for groups from 18 to 60 with customizable menus and audiovisual capabilities, or you can book the outdoor covered patio for up to 60.
With three locations in the greater Houston area, Fleming’s Steakhouse offers a “5 For $6 ’Til 7” bar menu that offers five delicious “dining room” appetizers, five premium cocktails and five specially selected wines by the glass, each for just $6 nightly until 7 p.m. After that, groups can head to the dining room to enjoy the finest USDA prime beef, aged to perfection and prepared to order, as well as exceptional entrées, generous sides, salads and decadent desserts. Private dining options vary by location, but they range anywhere from an intimate setting for 24 to a spacious venue for more than 100.
McCormick & Schmick’s is famous as much for its fresh seafood and aged steaks as it is for its well-dressed clientele. Moreover, the restaurant features a famous happy hour Monday through Friday from 4–6:30 p.m. with dishes under $5, select wines and cocktails for $6 and select beers for $3.50. Although menus may vary slightly by location, McCormick & Schmick’s maintains a fresh approach to dining that promotes healthy living and capitalizes on the best that the current season offers.
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