Brunch, Happy Hour and A Date: Houston, Texas
I don't proclaim these three places to be the best in H-Town, but they're pretty awesome to me.
Brunch, Happy Hour and A Date is a recurring series where I journal the locales I visit in a particular city. I chose the three functions because they are a particular type of experience that you can likely relate to, and they can help you plan accordingly should you ever visit.
In this edition of the series, it’s time I talk about Houston. I relocated from Los Angeles to Houston in May, and so far, H-Town has been very good to me. It helps that the in-laws are 15 minutes away from our new home, which gives us ample opportunities to leave The Boy with his Grandmother while we gallivant through the streets of the 713.
Here are a few places I’d encourage you to go, and if you have some places you vouch for in Houston — PLEASE — drop them in the comments. Thank you.
Brunch: Daily Gather, Memorial City
Again, my philosophies on brunch seem to ruffle the feathers of others. (I think I’ll write this up in a future newsletter) One of my big sticking points is that brunch should never feel stuffy, complicated and pretentious. Going to brunch with The Wife and The Boy on an early Sunday afternoon was a breeze when we pulled up. Yes, various groups of stylish women were cobbled together in booths and tables, drinking mimosas and celebrating someone’s birthday, passing the bar or a new Beyonce song that dropped. However, it was also chill enough for folks to watch a football game, have a quiet meal at the bar or…bring their wife and kid to eat — my kind of place.
As for what you should order:
To drink: Juan Carajillo. I’m a fan of Licor 43, and the pairing of tequila and vermouth made this a fun sip. Get this over the mimosa, because you deserve better brunch cocktails.
To eat: Bison Hash. If I see “hash” on a breakfast/brunch menu, I’m probably ordering it. Bison and bacon over potatoes, green onions and sausage gravy? Yes, please.
To eat: Shrimp and Grits. I think this can be a bit of an overrated brunch dish, because some restaurants don’t put their foot into it. My wife finished her off in less than 10 minutes. She never eats that fast, so I’d assume it’s delicious.
Happy Hour: Bar 5015, Third Ward
Three years ago, this place was decimated as an arsonist did significant damage to the establishment. Three years later, your boy was eating chicken wings, smoking hookah, sipping cocktails, listening to divine R&B music on the patio, and enjoying the vibes. It's very good for happy hour and even better for evening kickbacks with friends.
As for what you should order:
To eat: Chicken Wings. We had lemon pepper wet and dry-rubbed cajun wings. They were delicious.
To drink: Jay and Bey. D’Usse and Lemonade? D’Usse and Lemonade.
To drink: Peach Smash. They use a peach jam along with Jameson to make a fun cocktail. Sit outside and sip this, on repeat.
A Date: Handies Douzo, Montrose
My wife loves sushi. She’ll eat five-star sushi. She’ll eat sushi from H-E-B. Anything that has rice rolled up in seaweed with various proteins, sauces and other ingredients in it, she’ll devour it. Naturally, I took her to this spot known in Houston for its handrolls. Their handrolls are delicious.
One note here. This is a great date spot because of the atmosphere and setup of the location. Its seating is traditional for a handroll spot, as the seats are barlike, with a direct view of the sushi makers. You and your partner will sit next to each other instead of across. This experience is more interactive, with each other and your servers. We asked our server to order for us, which I highly recommend you do. We had a blast and look forward to going back again.
As for what you should order:
To drink: Onikoroshi "Demon Slayer". Not going to lie; I ordered it because I thought it was named after the anime cartoon series Demon Slayer. It tastes nothing like something called “Demon Slayer”. Instead, it’s moderately sweet, floral and crisp.
To drink: Hot Girl Summer. Folks, if you’re out with your lady, make yourself look good and order this for them. Sake, watermelon and mint? Easy victory.
To eat: 5 Handroll set. In particular, you want the Kani roll with the crab because I ordered two more of those separately. If you come here for dinner, go ahead and order big.
To eat: Let them order for you. Tell them what you like and don’t like, and let them handle the rest. Then, if you find something you love, order that a la carte. You’re welcome in advance.