Taste the Wild at Rainbow Lodge During Houston Restaurant Weeks!

Venison medallions with sauce and vegetables

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Houston Restaurant Weeks (HRW) is one of the biggest events in the city that offers diners a chance to eat terrific cuisine while raising money for a good cause. The extravagant, weeks-long affair runs from August 1 through September 2 and raises money for the Houston Food Bank. Participating local restaurants offer multi-course meals for a set price, thus granting diners a chance to sample multiple dishes without breaking the bank. It’s a perfect time to experience our beautiful setting at Rainbow Lodge at 2011 Ella, which features classic charm paired with upscale-rustic fare.

We’ve participated in Houston Restaurant Weeks every year since the campaign started in 2003 and raised over $19,000 in 2018. This year, we’d like diners to help us do even more good and hit our goal to raise $23,000 in 2019.

Fried green tomato slices layered with goat cheese
Find the Fried Green Tomato Stacker with herbed goat cheese and marinated heirloom tomatoes as a Sunday brunch, lunch and dinner starter during Houston Restaurant Weeks at Rainbow Lodge. Photo by Phaedra Cook

Rainbow Lodge has HRW menus available during its lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. An HRW menu ordered at dinner for $45 raises $7 and the $20 lunch and brunch raises $3 each. Stop in for dinner and enjoy some of Executive Chef Mark Schmit’s signature starters such as savory-spicy Smoked Duck Gumbo with Andouille sausage and wild rice pilaf and the Fried Green Tomato Stacker that pairs juicy heirloom tomatoes with creamy and tangy herbed goat cheese. Entrées include tender Coffee-Rubbed Venison Medallion with grilled summer squash, sweet potato puree and gluten-free Texas peach barbecue sauce. The delightful vegetarian option is Coconut Curried Bok Choy and Oyster Mushrooms with fried eggplant and Jasmine rice pilaf. Other entrées feature fish or duck.

Bowl of coconut curry vegetables
Not everything at Rainbow Lodge is game-centric. The Coconu Curried Bok Choy is a vegetarian-friendly option with oyster mushrooms and fried eggplant. Find it on the 2019 Houston Restaurant Weeks menu for lunch or dinner. Photo by Phaedra Cook

Dinner isn’t complete without a little sweet something and the HRW menu features our most popular desserts: Warm Croissant Bread Pudding, gluten-free Lemon Icebox Pie and Chocolate-Peach Mousse Tart. Extras and sides are available for additional cost and include luxuries such as buttered lump crab meat, butter-poached lobster tail and chili-roasted brussels sprouts.

In addition, beverage director Marc Borel has lined up multiple impressive wine pairings for every course that range from $25 to $135 depending on the selections. For example, the $25 pairings include Rose d’Or Sparkling Brut Rosé from Bordeaux, McPherson Vineyard’s Les Copains Viognier/Roussane blend from Texas or Marotti Campi’s Rubio Lacrima from the Marche region of Italy and, with dessert, Jorge Ordonez No 2 Moscatel from Malaga, Spain. The $135 pairings are 2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne, 2016 Cakebread Chardonnay from Napa or 2014 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley and a choice of Maynard’s 1934 Colheita Tawny Pork from Portugal or a half-ounce pour of Rémy Martin Louis XIII Cognac with dessert.

For a relaxed weekday vibe, visit for the $20 HRW lunch and chose two, flavor-packed courses. Starters include our famous gumbo and fried green tomatoes plus a Baby Gem Lettuce Wedge Salad with avocado-buttermilk dressing, sweet corn and peach pico de gallo and crisp bacon. Mains include Pan-Seared Gulf Redfish with crisp oysters and Tabasco butter sauce as well as a Lodge guest favorite, the Texas Fried Quail Bites. There’s also Beer-Braised Wild Boar Bratwurst and the vegetarian Coconut Curried Bok Choy. Add the daily Petite Sweet for only $3.

If Sunday brunch is one of your favorite meals, there are few better places to spend it than on Rainbow Lodge’s spacious deck overlooking a park-like backyard or in one of its numerous, hunting lodge-style rooms. Brunch is $20 per person for two courses and an additional $3 for the daily petite dessert. Begin the meal with the same selections noted at lunch or choose the Pesto Grilled Gulf Shrimp Bruschetta with lemon basil caper butter. Entrée choices include Gulf Redfish, Coconut Curry Bok Choy and hearty breakfast dishes like the Field Breakfast loaded with two fried eggs with ranchero sauce, venison and pistachio sausage patty, rösti potatoes with cheddar, Texas Toast and charred jalapeño and Braised Buffalo Short Rib Benedict with poached eggs, peppery arugula, brioche toast and jalapeño hollandaise. Add on pepper bacon or fried oysters for an additional charge.

Chocolat tart with vanilla cream accents
Rainbow Lodge has several desserts on offer during Houston Restaurant Weeks including a Chocolate-Peach Mousse Tart with stone fruit compote and vanilla cream. Photo by Phaedra Cook

With Rainbow Lodge offering HRW lunch, dinner and brunch, there are plenty of opportunities to visit and take in the relaxed elegant-casual atmosphere. We look forward to serving you!

Rainbow Lodge is open continuously Tuesdays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday dinner service is from 5:30 to 10 p.m. We are “Wild about Sundays!” “The Lodge” is open from 10:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. that day with $2 mimosas until 3 p.m. Visit our reservations page or call (713) 861-8666 for more information.

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