Houston Restaurant Weeks are coming to an end so make sure you get in those last minute reservations while you can! We wanted to highlight a few of our favorite spots to give you a little inspiration when deciding where you’ll dine! Enjoy!
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Bistro Menil, the beautiful space, located in lush green surroundings, on the Menil Collection campus, was designated by its original architect 25 years ago as the perfect dining space. This bungalow was transformed into a sleek, contemporary but warm interior space with state of the art green and sustainable touches throughout. It is divided into three main dining spaces….the “Vue”, its main dining room, the “Prive” room which can be converted to private dining space and the beautifully landscaped outdoor space, which opens this weekend, just in time for the touches of Fall weather, that we Houstonians cherish when we receive it! If you’ve been there and noticed the “noise level”, it has been addressed by the owners and has been approached in a fitting “artistic manner”. Adding felt clouds on the wall, purchased locally at West Ave’s Ligne Roset, to absorb sound and carpeting have also been added to select areas of the restaurant. The Cafe is located at 1513 West Alabama and is open Wed. thru Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sundays from 10:00 a.m till 9:00 p.m. Read more about Bistro Menil here.
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What if we told you that you could feel like you’re dining in Italy without having to leave Houston? While you won’t be sitting by the sea in Portofino, you will be eating authentically delicious Italian food in a warm and inviting neighborhood feel, Taverna. With other locations in Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Mexico, and Laguna Beach, Houston is the newest spot for the Lombardi group to land. We’re thrilled to welcome this fantastic little slice of Italy into our city and what makes it even more special was to taste the many dishes created by a former Houston favorite chef of Hotel Granduca, Renato Depirro, who has been taken on as the Lombardi group’s Executive Chef over all 14 restaurants. Read more about Taverna here.
Image: Houston Press
Tony Vallone and his collection of fine restaurants have totally embraced Houston Restaurant Week through their participation. At his Tony’s Restaurant, where you dine in a high-end Italian eatery serving sophisticated dishes amidst white cloths and impressive art, dinner, only at $45 is his offering. At Ciao Bello, your neighborhood Italian restaurant, Tony’s newest menu is referred to as ‘Italianissimo’ plus there is a new Italian brunch menu that is getting rave reviews. Here for Restaurant Week, the offering is $20 brunch and $45 dinner. Lastly is the restaurant group’s newest addition, Vallone’s, opened in late 2013, where the manager, Annie Balest, has been recently nominated for Houston Culinary Awards prize for “service person of the year” and the HRW menu includes their classic wedge salad and Tony’s meatballs made from a cherished family recipe. At Vallone’s the offering is a $20 lunch and $45 dinner menu. Whichever you choose, any of the Vallone restaurants are excellent choices for your final days of Houston Restaurant Week.
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And then there’s the Lombardi Group’s second entry into the Houston market with Toulouse, which will instantly take you to a street side Parisian cafe, a sophisticated French brasserie atmosphere with divine food and the most stylish crowd. Based in Dallas and now Houston, you’ll find the freshest of ingredients on this menu to make the best of French fare. While the Eiffel Tower might not be in your distance, you’ll still feel oh so Parisian when you’re here. Read more about Toulouse here.