Mo’s... A Place for Steaks supplements its succulent steak and dining options with its lounge that opens daily at 4:30 p.m. for cocktails and socializing while settling into a leather chair, listening to the baby grand or relaxing on the patio. After happy hour, flow into a sexy yet sophisticated ambience with great food and unmatched service to dine on wet-aged steaks that arrive beautifully cut, cooked and plated, and select from an extensive wine list. For private dining, Mo’s offers two rooms for business gatherings and special occasions.
French techniques blend with Texas twists to create subtle comforts and culinary flair in the casual and energetic
Philippe Restaurant + Lounge. Sit down with a private event or a few friends and enjoy an accessible menu, gracious hospitality and an extensive wine program that inspires life’s memorable moments. The weekday happy hour in Phil’s Wine Lounge from 4–6:30 p.m. is the perfect spot to begin before dining. Try fun fresh drinks like the French Cowboy, enjoy as well as upscale classics or tackle the list of 88 wines by the glass while sampling selections from the menu.
RDG + Bar Annie in the Galleria/Uptown area is the newest evolution of the legendary Café Annie. Monday through Friday from 4–7 p.m., customers enjoy a happy hour that features wines, cocktails and select appetizers for $6 plus select beers for $3. After warming up in the bar, diners slide on over to dine on a wonderful menu of classic and innovative dishes that focus on fresh seafood, timeless classics and even less common game meats like rabbit and pheasant. Private dining options are available in several indoor and outdoor areas.
Sambuca hosts Rush Hours on weekdays from 4:30–6:30 p.m. with a selection of appetizers up to $5 and various drink specials, such as $3 domestic and $4 import beers, $4 house wine and $5 house martinis. After enjoying that for a while, you can rock your dinner event with Sambuca’s fine selection of seafood, meat and so much more while listening to live music in an energized atmosphere. Intimate and private event areas are available for groups as well.
The bar at the famed steakhouse
Smith & Wollensky offers a savory happy-hour menu under $8 as well as select beers and wines for only $3 from 4–8 p.m. on weekdays and 11:30 a.m.–10 p.m. on Sundays. Then it’s a fantastic idea to stay for a dinner of the restaurant’s famously mouthwatering steaks and seafood in an elegant atmosphere perfect for the corporate set.
The bar at
Sullivan’s Steakhouse in Houston offers daily happy hour drink deals and food specials that your group won’t want to pass up before they head into the dining room to enjoy savory seafood and steak creations known nationally for their superb quality and taste. Sullivan’s Steakhouse also offers a variety of private and semiprivate dining and reception spaces perfectly suited for special occasions or business gatherings.
With one of the earliest weekday happy hours around,
Tony Mandola’s features several dishes for under $7, domestic beers for $3 and wines for $5 from 2–6 p.m. The customers can enjoy a deliciously diverse menu in the main dining room or one of Tony Mandola’s dedicated private dining areas for a special event. The diverse spaces include a flexible and technologically wired banquet room, a private outdoor courtyard and a patio perfect for happy-hour cocktail parties or dining.
The sophisticated
Truluck’s, known for its fantastic seafood, steak and crab, offers a fabulous half-price cocktail and appetizer happy hour every day from 4:30–6:30 p.m. in the Stone Crab Lounge. Other features are 25 percent– discounted wine bottles and $1 off specialty cocktails. After that, diners head to the dining room to enjoy the signature cuisine that makes Truluck’s a nationally known culinary experience.
So next time you want to transition smoothly from the workday to an excellent opportunity for a corporate dinner, consider hosting the group at one of these fine restaurants and take advantage of their excellent happy-hour deals and the socialization that they encourage.
corporate restaurant trends for 2013
Dining in an elegant restaurant for a nice evening with clients or associates should be an experience above the common meal that is geared to indulge and impress. In many ways, the industry is facing a decline in the demand for fine dining because of the cost and the more casual younger generation, so with that comes changes in trends throughout the dining world. Take a look at what experts and the National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) survey of 1,800 fine-dining chefs say about trends showing up in 2013.
Rising Costs, Maintaining Prices: With the economy the way it is, the price of ingredients fluctuates, and some used by fine-dining establishments are on the rise. For chefs and restaurants to continue offering their elevated cuisine at a reasonable fine-dining price, they must make adjustments in how they operate to maintain a healthy balance between the business and beauty of their craft. According to the NRA survey, only 4 percent of chefs said they will be raising prices to compensate. Instead, 32 percent will be massaging menus to use more affordable ingredients and 24 percent are exploring new, more economical and local sources.
Streamlining Technology: Mobile and wireless technologies are found more frequently in restaurants every day, with some new developments integrated directly into the customer interface. According to the survey, more than 70 percent of restaurants will be employing some kind of new technology for easier and more efficient customer service. The top three technologies were using tablet computers to take orders, employing smartphone apps for reservations and enabling mobile pay-at-the-table opportunities.
Eating Healthier Overall: Also in the NRA survey, 55 percent of chefs said they were adjusting dishes to be more healthful in a variety of ways. The farther food has to be shipped, the less fresh it is when presented to the diner, so to serve better, healthier food, many chefs are using locally grown and sourced produce, meats and seafood that also promote environmental sustainability. Even children’s menus are getting an overhaul for the better as chefs deliver great flavors that kids will love while keeping them nutritional and healthy. The health trend also is resulting in more food made from scratch with fewer preservatives and additives. In addition, most restaurants are adding gluten-free options to the menu since this special dietary market is projected to grow 30 percent each year through 2015.
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