Some things have started to get back to normal, a month after Hurricane Harvey hit our city. For some of us, nothing has changed but unfortunately there are many who are still working to get back on their feet. The weather forced the canceling of Houston Chronicle's Culinary Stars event, but lucky for all of us the event was rescheduled!
If you follow me on instragram, you probably got a nice behind the scenes look at Cirque du Soleil's newest production, Kurios - Cabinet of Curiosity. I still get excited 'til this day when I am invited to a special event, whatever it may be. I was invited by Cirque du Soleil to attend the opening night event at Sam Houston Race Park, on opening night April 6. I know I'm a bit late, but better late than never am I right?
On Saturday, October 22th, Houston Press will be hosting their Inaugural Houston Press Tacolandia. Tacolandia is an outdoor taco-sampling event and festival that will feature Houston’s best TACOS, ranging from urban contemporary to authentic street style. The event will have live music, a cash bar with beer and cocktails, as well as awards for best tacos in various categories. Brunch & Conversation is proud to be working with Houston Press to give you a chance to purchase pre-sale tickets starting today until 10pm Sunday. Be sure to get your tickets so you can get your taco eating on, Saturday, October 22, 2016 from 4PM – 7PM at The Water Works at Buffalo Bayou Park as we celebrate the Inaugural Houston Press Tacolandia.
Last year was really delicious, and a great turn out to add to that. The entertainment was great, the food and drinks and off course great company. You don't want to be the only person sitting at home wishing you had gone to the event, so make sure you grab your tickets before they sell out.
Tickets: http://microapp.houstonpress.com/tacolandia/2016/tickets.php With today being #TACOTUESDAY, I wanted to do something exciting. I have partnered with Houston Press to give one lucky Brunch & Conversation follower a chance to attend the event( Fo' Free!). All you have to do is; 1. Follow BrunchandConversation on Instagram 2. Comment your favorite place for tacos ( yes, this part is for my personal eating pleasure) 3. Extra Points: Post/regram on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram & tag @brunchandconversation
On Saturday, October 1, 2016, Houston Press will be hosting their inaugural Morning After Brunch event at the Bayou Event Center. The Morning After is a Brunch sampling event that will feature bites from local brunch hot spots, alongside drink samples and music. What does this mean for you and I? Well, we'll have the opportunity to sample items from some of the city's finest, drink in hand. Gather up the squad, sink-up your devices, update the calendars, set your alarms or whatever you have to do to make sure you don't miss out on this event.
Tickets are already on sale, so head over to The Morning After to purchase.
Brunch & Conversation is proud to have partnered with Houston Press to give one lucky brunch lover a chance to win a pair of tickets to this lovely brunch. To enter you must be 21+, and follow the directions below.
1. Follow @BrunchandConversation on Instagram 2. Comment your favorite brunch spot in H-Town 3. Extra points if you share the link to this post on facebook or twitter & tag me in it
What are you doing next week? Well, if you're looking for something fun to do, the 12th annual Wine & Food Week celebration will be take place June 6-12 in The Woodlands(Yes, I capitalized "the"). This year's event will be celebrating "A New York State of Mind," and feature Houstonian Tristen Epps as this year's Wizard Gourmet. Epps was a finalist in Season 3 of " The Taste," and will be participating in this year's signature big 3 events.
Wine & Food Week is a week long culinary and wine celebration produced by Food & Vine Productions. This event is the first comprehensive destination culinary and wine event to promote locally sourced and sustainable products through the education of attendees.
The big 3 signature events include;
H-E-B Wine Walk @ Market Street - A taste and stroll experience in a European-style center featuring wine and light bites at more than 40 tasting stations. Sips, Suds & Tacos - a Texas-sized celebration featuring live music, craft beers, value wine and a gourmet "Taco Takedown" competition . The Wine Rendezvous Grand Tasting & Chef Showcase - Guests sample delectable cuisine and hundreds of wines as chefs representing more than 50 restaurants, compete for the Wine & Food Week's Waterford Crystal Chef of Chefs Award & a $5,000 cash prize.
Wine & Food week attendees can also choose from favorites such as " It's A Guy Thing, Women & Wine and All Things Fashionable and The Ladies of The Vine Luncheon." The "New York State of Mind" theme entertainment throughout the week will include rat pack- era music, decor and much more. This year's event and auctions benefit Signature Series Literacy Education effort of the John Cooper School and New Danville, a self-sustaining, master-integrated community for adults with intellectual disabilities. To find out more and also purchase tickets to the weekly events, visit www.wineandfoodweek.com.
Since I love TACOS, it is only right that I give one taco loving foodie a chance to wine 2 tickets to Sips, Suds, & Tacos. Your ticket includes: Tacos from competing chefs, 5 drink tickets good for 5 samples or 1 glass of beer or wine, live music and more. To enter you must be a resident of the greater Houston area. Follow directions to apply. Courtesy of Wine & Food Week.
I learned a supper awesome recipe while cruising in Mexico last month, and I thought I'd share it with you all in time for Cinco De Mayo. Many of you, including myself, will likely be out and about, at a bar or restaurant enjoying great food and drinks as we recognize and help celebrate Mexico's victory over France. But for those who will be home(I may end up staying in, who knows), I want to share this recipe that was shared with me. It's easy to make and you can enjoy it with some chips or over tacos, while watching a fabulous movie or show on Netflix...Or in my case, catching up on the latest episode of Empire on Hulu. Spiked Guacamole Ingredients:Diced Tomato, chopped avocado, diced onion, diced cilantro, pinch of salt, Tequila, and you favorite hot sauce, lime juice, pepper. For directions, visit and watch my video on Instagram. Enjoy!
And now, guess what? We've got another festival on the horizon...Don't we all love festivals? Especially when they involve, food, booze, and grooves(see what I did there?) There's a new festival in town. The Houston Fajita Festival is here to help us celebrate Mexican culture, food, drinks and entertainment. You'll enjoy a variety of different fajita choices and crafted cocktails and drinks, you name it, it'll be there. There will be live entertainment of all sorts, so you're guaranteed a good time.
I'm giving away 4 tickets, meaning there will be 2 winners. To enter follow the instructions below. The more times you enter, the more chances you have of winning. Good Luck!
This weekend I had the opportunity to attend a cultural community experience at the 2nd East End Table( EET) event. EET hosts unique pop-up dinners showcasing the neighborhood's notable chefs and creative talents, and also preserve the culture of Houston's East End. The event is hosted by the East End Foundation, and looks to celebrate the history, culture and neighborhoods of the east end while strengthening and enhancing the community.
The feast took place at Last Organic Outpost, one of the city's biggest community gardens, on Saturday from 2p-5p. This farm-to-table dinner offered guests a unique outdoorsy dining experience, as we were all in tune with the food we ate. Guests had the opportunity to tour this huge garden led by head farmer Joe Icet, followed by a unique diner prepared with seasonal farm produce and locally sourced meats, all prepared by Chef Gina Lopez of Black Hill Meats, who recently won an award at the " Go Pig or Go Home" cooking competition. As we ate, we enjoyed sounds from a local artist Myrna Garibay.
The dinner consisted of a deliciously creamy sweet potato soup(which I confused with pumpkin for their somewhat similar tastes). Followed by a spring salad made with organic vegetables, oranges, and cacti mixed in with a light vinaigrette. Then a light pasta salad, which I unfortunately didn't get to eat much of as we ran from the rain. The experience continued with Roasted green vegetables prepared with coconut milk, habanero, and topped with cilantro and pickled carrots. The dish of the evening was the roasted Pig( from Black Hill Meats), sauteed with ground bacon, garden greens, brown sugar and whisky glaze.
Proceeds from the event will support cultural projects in the East End Cultural District.
Earlier this year The Balvenie, the world's most handcrafted scotch whisky company, collaborated with chef, author, and TV personality Anthony Bourdain to bring attention to some of the country's best craftsmen and women. The collaboration included and series of short films hosted by Bourdain, entitled Raw Craft( which you can watch online here), as well as the Balvenie Rare Craft Collection multi-city tour, exhibiting some of the country's best makers. One of the stops on this tour was our very own city, Houston.
The event took place last Wednesday through Thursday, and attendees had the opportunity to "meet the makers" and watch live demonstrations and presentations from a metalsmith Elizabeth Brim, Sculptor Sebastian Martorana, Watchmaker Roland Murphy, and Cooper Ian McDonald. These craftsmen, and women might I add, are ordinary people against the mainstream way of doing things. Taking the traditional routes in creation, they are able to fabricate authentic work. Their workmanship, patience and good eye for great work sets them apart from other creators.
If you missed it, The Balvenie experience took place at Silver Street Studios, the week of November 2nd. Starting on November 3rd and concluding on November 5th. I was fortunate to be among the group invited to the press preview with Anthony Bourdain.
One of my favorite beers,
I would say cider but it's not a cider. Well, one of my favorite adult
beverages has launched a nationwide Taco truck tour. HOLLER!!! Redd's Apple Ale
will travel around the country offering tastings of their Apple Ale and Tacos.
Notice I capitalized Tacos? Yeah, it's a big deal. Their 14 city tour
started in this Summer, with stops in some fabulous cities like HOUSTON,
Dallas, San Antonio, Los Angeles, New Orleans, San Diego and San
Francisco.
Legal-aged consumers will
have the opportunity to eat complimentary tacos and sample Redd's Apple Ale
while enjoying an array of games at this weekend's UH tailgate. For those of
you who don't know, Redd's Apple Ale is an apple-flavored beer with 5% alcohol
per bottle. Be sure to follow @brunchandconversation,
for updates.
I had the pleasure of spending my Saturday morning making lunch bags with #HashTagLunchBag and the Hive Society. #HashTagLunchBag is a social organization whose purpose is to bring awareness to and fight hunger in local communities. The organization was started in 2012 by a group of friends in Los Angeles, California, and has taken over the nation. I first heard of this organization through a celebrity's Instagram profile, but once I learned that Houston had its very own #HashTagLunchBag group, I was even more excited. A group of over 100 volunteers gathered at Grooves of Houston on December 13, 2014, on the same mission. To tackle hunger in Houston. The volunteers made a total of 807 lunch bags, which were given out to the homeless around the city of Houston. It's amazing what a group of dedicated individuals can come together and do. For the friends who started this organization just a few years ago, they probably didn't see what a huge impact it would have. I'm beyond grateful to have spent my weekend with people who share in the same beliefs, people who believe in giving back and helping others. We are all busy(supposedly), but no one is ever too busy to lend a helping hand. I look forward to the many #HashTagLunchBagHou events to come, and also to meeting other great people of Houston. For more information: hashtaglunchbag
