Here's a look at this week's hottest culinary happenings:

All month long

Houston Restaurant Weeks

Houston Restaurant Weeks is back, running now through Monday, September 2 and with a growing list of 255 restaurant expected to participate. The annual fundraiser, which benefits the Houston Food Bank, has raised over $14.7 million to date, as restaurants offer preset menus for brunch and lunch ($20) and dinner ($35 to $45) with a portion of the proceeds going directly to the charity. New to the lineup this year are popular spots like Bisou, Indianola, Tris and La Lucha. 

National Deli Month

Kenny & Ziggy’s, 2327 Post Oak, 5172 Buffalo Speedway, will join over 30 Jewish delis across the nation in National Deli Month, a month-long effort to bring attention to the historically American New York-style delicatessen and raise funds for local charities. Both locations will offer a multi-choice, three-course menu during lunch and dinner for $38, with ten-percent of each meal sold going to the Holocaust Museum Houston.

Wurstfest at King’s BierHaus and King’s Biergarten

Throughout the entire month of August, Wurstfest is going down at King’s Biergarten, 1329 East Broadway, and King’s BierHaus (Heights and League City), 2044 East T C Jester, 828 FM646 West, with an impressive 12+ lineup of specialty sausages offered in an All-You-Can-Eat promotion starting at $9.95. Guests can enjoy flavors from the traditional, like the “Scharfe Kase Wurst” (hot smoked pork and beef sausage with red pepper and cheese), to the exotic and plant-based, including Wild Boar (with blueberries, merlot wine and brown sugar) and Smoked Apple Sage (hickory smoked with Yukon gold potatoes, apples and sage).

All week long

13 Year Anniversary Menu at Alicia’s Mexican Grille

Alicia’s Mexican Grille is celebrating 13 years in Houston with a 13-day, off-menu anniversary feature at all five locations. Guests can enjoy $10 Pomegranate Mango Margaritas ($10) made with custom-aged Herradura Double Barrel Reposado Tequila; and Alicia’s Anniversary Taco Plate ($14) featuring four al pastor tacos (pork) served on scratch-made flour tortillas, with pineapple, onion, avocado and queso fresco, along with elote street corn and a side of charro beans. The specials run now through Sunday, August 18.

Hatch Chile Festival at Central Market

Central Market, 3815 Westheimer, has kicked off its 24th annual Hatch Chile Festival, running now through Tuesday, August 20. During the two-week craze, the market will celebrate the coveted green chile pepper with a variety in-store events, cooking classes, products, recipes and more. Featured items include hatch guacamole, bacon-wrapped hatch cream cheese poppers, hatch marinated meats, seafood hatch stuffed mushrooms and hatch pepper kolache, to name a few. Look out for in-store events like HATCHSTERIA self-guided tour (Thursday, August 15 from 5:30 -7 p.m., free), when you can stroll through the store to find all kinds of hatch-flavored and hatch-infused delights; and Baking with Hatch (Saturday, August 17 from noon to 2:30 p.m., $60), you’ll learn to make hatch tortillas, focaccia, queso blanco cornbread and more.

Monday, August 12

Grand Opening Party at Torcy’s Tacos West U

Torchy’s Tacos is just about set to open a new West U restaurant location, 5537 Weslayan, and to celebrate, it’s hosting a grand opening party on Monday, August 12 (note: the actual opening will be on Wednesday, August 14). Guests are invited to join the grand opening party and enjoy free tacos, drinks and entertainment from 5 to 8 p.m.

Grand Opening at One Fifth Houston Gulf Coast

One Fifth Houston, 1658 Westheimer, opens its’ fourth concept, One Fifth Houston Gulf Coast, this week (with brunch service to begin in September. The opening menu will represent the diversity of the terrain and the waters in the Gulf Coast states, with shareables like hearth-charred okra with pimento cheese, muffalatta salad, hush puppies and pork belly with Steen’s cane syrup; shellfish
raw, cold, roasted, smoked, cured and fried shellfish; “big things” from hearth-roasted flounder almondine and blackened ribeye to jambalaya to order; and classic desserts with a twist from pastry chef-director Victoria Dearmond.

Tuesday, August 13

Live Fire Tuesdays at Eight Row Flint

Eight Row Flint, 1039 Yale, continues its Live Fire Tuesdays series, as guest chefs take over the patio for $15 dishes from 5 p.m. until sold out. This week features chef Benchawan Jabthong Painter of Street to Kitchen Pop-Up as part of Eight Row’s Asian BBQ Series. The Thailand native grew up cooking in her grandmother’s restaurant and has since worked with some of Houston’s best chefs, including Justin Yu and Brandi Key.

Thursday, August 15

Julia Child Birthday Specials at Bistro Provence

Bistro Provence, 13616 Memorial, is wishing a happy 106th birthday to the iconic Julia Child by offering a few of Child’s favorite classic French dishes, among them – Vichyssoise and Coq au Vin. The dishes will be offered in addition to the regular menu.

All About That Bubbly at The Houston Zoo

Guests are invited to enjoy the zoo after dark at an All About That Bubbly event at The Houston Zoo, 6200 Hermann Park, from 6 to 10 p.m. Guests can enjoy Champagne or Prosecco and bites like chicken and waffles, pastrami fries and champagne cupcakes in an outdoor lounge at the Zoo’s reflection pool, plus exclusive access to up-close animal experiences and fun photo ops.

Burgundy Wine Dinner at Sonoma in the Heights

Sonoma in the Heights, 801 Studewood, invites guests to enjoy guided flight of six wines and four-course pairing menu (think burgundy snails, pan-seared scallop with bruinoised apple jus, and wild mushroom and lamb ragout. Featuring special guest Sien Brown with North Berkeley Imports, the wine dinner runs from 7 to 9 p.m. Cost is $60 per person (plus tax and gratuity).


Saturday, August 17

Grand Opening of the Northeast Community Farmers Market

Urban Harvest will debut its newest market, the Northeast Community Farmers Market at Kashmere Gardens Elementary School, 4901 Lockwood, Operating on every first and third Saturday of the month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the market will provide a source of healthy, local produce to the Northeast Houston area, a food desert continuing to recover from Hurricane Harvey. The new market will accept SNAP benefits (formerly known as food stamps), increasing food access for communities in need. Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner will be at the farmers market kickoff, along with live music, family-friendly activities and a lineup of fresh, local food.

Sunday, August 18

Back to School Party at UB Preserv

Chef Nick Wong will be adding a twist to the regular Dim Sum Style brunch service at UB Preserv, 1609 Westheimer, roasting a Cuban style whole hog outside and offering brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Guests can enjoy dishes from Spam musubi and Dr Pepper ribs to teriyaki wings and pretzel Jell-O. Reservations can be made via Resy.