On The Radar: Hot New Sips & Bites In Houston—Updated

Burger Chan

New Namesake Burger At Burger Chan In Greenway Plaza

Burger Chan, 3 Greenway Plaza: The restaurant formerly known as Kuma Burger, headed up by Oxheart alumnus Willet Feng and wife Diane, has a new, petite-sized burger to go along with the name change. The Burger Chan sandwich is “sort of a cross between Shake Shack and In-And-Out” according to Willet. The $5.50 burger sports two, 2-ounce patties, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, caramelized onions and thousand island dressing on a potato bun. Also, the excellent corn shake is back.

Marcus Gausepohl
Brennan’s of Houston sommelier Marcus Gausepohl has selected dozens of rosés for guests to try during June. Photo by Solaris Studios

Rosé On Display At Brennan’s Of Houston

Brennan’s of Houston, 3300 Smith: This classic midtown restaurant is offering a Midday Rosé Menu that features 14 different kinds for the month of June. It’s available at the Courtyard Bar Mondays through Saturdays from noon to 7 p.m. The pricing is friendly; glasses range from $5 to $14 and bottles start at $18. Selections include the 2014 Domaine Dupuy de Lôme Bandol, Smith Story Rosé of Pinot Noir from Rheingau and Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé.

The month cumulates in a blow-out event called FriYAY Rosé on June 30 from 4 to 7 p.m. Sommelier Marcus Gausepohl will offer 35 selections, and attendees dressed in pink get a complimentary frosé (frozen rosé cocktail) as well. The cost for the FriYAY event is $25 per person plus tax and gratuity. Tickets are available online.

Wine Flight at The Tasting Room
A flight of wine at The Tasting Room. Photo courtesy of The Tasting Room

Wine Flights and Frosé 

The Tasting Room, 1101-18 Uptown Park and 818 Town and Country: Speaking of frosé, The Tasting Room is debuting its own offerings for the summer. Made with rosé wine, strawberry puree, fresh lemon juice and simple syrup, it’s available for $8 per glass and $5 during happy hour from 4 to 6 p.m. The CityCentre location has also rolled out “Flight Night” every Tuesday evening from 4pm to close. Available only on the patio, Flight Night features a rotating selection with three 2-ounce pours of various wines. One example is a sparkling flight with Prodige, Raventos and Lovo Prosecco. Prices range from $10 to $30.

New Juice Bar Debuts In Greenway Plaza Area

Nékter Juice Bar, 3800 Southwest Freeway: The company was originally founded in Santa Ana, California, but someone with close ties to Houston is overseeing the new locations here. Andrea Young’s is the CEO of Sam Houston Race Park and this is her first dive into Houston’s food and beverage industry. The Greenway Plaza-area location opened on May 13 next to a Mercedez Benz dealership. Nékter serves juice, smoothies, juice cleanse packages and “acai bowls that are made without processed ingredients artificial flavors, added sugars, and unnecessary fillers.” Expect several more Nékter Juice Bars in the Houston area; Young plans for up to 14 more. A Montrose location is already in the works on Gray Street and the hope is that it will open in June, and a third in a to-be-announced location in July.

green juice sorbet at Amarino
If “green juice” isn’t your thing, perhaps you’ll like it better delivered as a sorbet with a macaron on top. Photo courtesy of Amarino

Or, Get Your Juice In Gelato Form

Amorino, 4444 Westheimer: Speaking of juice, this River Oaks District gelato shop, known for serving cones of flower-shaped ice cream, has a better way of getting the good-for-you-stuff. Their new “green juice” sorbet is made of organic kale, pineapple and cucumber puree. It can be ordered as a cone or as a sorbet drink. Like Amorino’s other offerings, this good-for-you treat can be made a little more sinful when topped with a macarons stuffed with gelato. New, gluten-free cones are now available as well.

Fusion Taco steak and eggs
Steak and Egg on a taco at Fusion Taco’s Heights location. Photo by Dragana Harris

If Everything Is Better As A Taco, This New Brunch Is For You

Fusion Taco, 4706 North Main: The new Heights location now offers all-day brunch on the weekends and features many breakfast classics on housemade tortillas. (Please note that these are not available at the original downtown location.) The taco-fied versions include steak and eggs, a riff on Eggs Benedict, and a BLT with pork belly and a fried egg. There’s also a taco that sports deep-fried avocado and egg, while the Little Mexico has chorizo, a fried egg, black beans, roasted salsa and crema. Brunch cocktails are available by the glass or by the pitcher. Brunch hours are on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Liberty Kitchen happy hour bites
A spread of happy hour bites at Liberty Kitchen at The Treehouse. Photo courtesy of Pop Ratio

Head West For A Bargain-Priced Happy Hour 

Liberty Kitchen at the Treehouse, 963 Bunker Hill: This relatively new addition to the Liberty Kitchen family, which debuted last fall, now offers happy hour Mondays through Fridays from 3 to 6 p.m. and an extended one on Sunday from 5 to 9 pm. Nothing on the happy hour menu—food or drinks—costs more than $6. These include small bites like the popular JN’ B Tacos (two for a mere $1.49) and pimento cheese with ranch-seasoned Ritz crackers for $2.49. Wash it down with a Pure Vida Gold Margarita or a H-Town Mule for only $6 each. Check out the current list of offerings online.

chicken fried steak bites at Killen's Steakhouse
A mini cast iron pan of bite-sized chicken fried steaks at Killen’s Steakhouse, with gravy, of course. Photo by Kimberly Park

Or, Head To Pearland For A Relaxed Happy Hour At Killen’s Steakhouse

If lounging with sips and nibbles on a shady patio on luxe patio furniture in Pearland sounds unlikely, guess again. It’s a feature of the new extended happy hour menu at Killen’s Steakhouse, which is offered Monday through Friday from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. The menu includes mini lobster tacos, chicken fried steak bites, shrimp poboy sliders and prime steak quesadillas. For drinks, choose from interesting cocktails that include the Stay Gold Pony Boy with Gosling’s Gold Seal popcorn-infused Rum, Golden Falernum, lemon and honey.

Weights + Measures doughnuts
Buy-one-get-one-free doughnuts at Weights + Measures is like a double-dose of happiness. Photo by Becca Wright

Update, 6/1/2017

One Day Only: Buy One Doughnut, Get One Free In Midtown

Friday, June 2 is National Doughnut Day, so Weights + Measures BakeShop is offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal. Choose from citrus glazed, powdered sugar, chocolate coconut and chocolate with sprinkles. The deal is good from 7 a.m. until the doughnuts are all gone.

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