Houston Food Finder’s 5 Things to Do This Week — March 17, 2025 Edition
Pastrami at Feges BBQ. Photo by Sydney Cooper.
Houston’s food and beverage scene always has a lot going on — but how to choose what to spend your time and money on? Houston Food Finder editor Phaedra Cook and associate editor Mario-Sebastian Berry are sharing their personal picks below to help you decide.
Submit your upcoming special or event for consideration in a future “5 Things” by emailing us.
Follow the Smoke to Greenway Plaza
Mario says: “Feges is known for its creative Texas barbecue specials, and this week’s menu is a doozy!”
The original location of Feges BBQ in Greenway Plaza, located at 3 East Greenway Plaza, is celebrating its seventh anniversary on Wednesday, March 19 with a duo of mouthwatering specials available from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. or while supplies last. For one day only, guests can enjoy the Feges Reuben with slow-smoked brisket pastrami, Russian dressing, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese on toasted rye from Three Brothers Bakery for $20, and carnitas tacos with salsa verde, salsa roja, onions and cilantro on housemade corn tortillas for $4.50 each, or $12 for three. The pastrami, which is brined for two days, is also available by the half-pound for $17.
Additionally, the rotating weekly specials through Friday, March 21 include Smokehouse Nachos and the Southwest Burger. Two-hour validation for parking in the underground garages is given upon request with any order.
Chef Mark Holley Welcomes a Fellow Brennan’s of Houston Alum to Davis St.
Phaedra says, “Chef Mark Holley, who has a storied career in Houston that probably doesn’t get talked about enough, frequently welcomes fellow Black chefs and offers them a guest platform at Davis St. at Hermann Park. This is so important for those who might not have their own restaurants yet deserve greater exposure and have much to share with Houston diners. This is also a reasonably priced prix fixe dinner!”
Over its 58-year-history, Brennan’s of Houston has spurred the careers of many chefs, and those chefs often still help each other out long after their tenure there has ended. Executive chef Mark Holley of Davis St. at Hermann Park is showcasing a menu by fellow former alum chef Fitzgerald Dodd on Sunday, March 23. Seatings are available between 5 and 8 p.m.
According to his bio, Dodd is now based in Dallas and his former restaurant, Screendoor, was named one of the “Best New Restaurants 2009” in D Magazine and “Best Southern Restaurant” in the Dallas Observer. He left for Miami for four years to be the private chef for Miami Heat basketball star Chris Bosh, then returned to Dallas in 2015 to be the opening chef of Ida Claire.
Dodd’s five-course menu for Davis St. guests on March 23 will include multiple entrée choices such as Trini-Spiced Game Hen with Curry Brown Butter and Boneless 72-Hour Short Rib rubbed with chicory coffee. Sides will be served family style, with selections like Collard Greens “Callaloo” with jowl bacon and Roasted Thumbelina Carrots with peri-peri yogurt and carrot-ginger glaze. The cost is $70 per person; 20% gratuity will automatically be added to checks. Go online to view the full menu and make reservations.
A Singaporean-inspired Pop-Up Comes to The Heights
Mario says: “The cure for FOMO is to pre-order and plan ahead! This delicious pop-up menu is sure to sell quickly, so you’ve got to be quicker!”
On Tuesday, March 25, chef-owners Diane and Willet Feng of burger-chan, the acclaimed Galleria-area burger joint, are taking over the kitchen at Plume cocktail lounge in the Heights under the banner of their new Singaporean-inspired dinner pop-up series, Borrowed Goods. The one-night-only menu is available from 4 to 9 p.m. for dine-in only. It includes garlicky cucumbers with garlic, vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, peanuts, peppers and orange zest for $8, hamachi crudo with ponzu, Granny Smith apples, serrano, Marcona almonds, lemon zest, micro greens and crispy taro chips for $20, kaya toast, a Singaporean breakfast toast with coconut and egg jam and whipped cream for $9 (with the option to add Kaluga Hybrid caviar for $30), scallion oil noodles (available vegetarian or with soy-braised pork belly) for $16 and curry pan — fried panko bread filled with Japanese curry, beef, potato, cabbage and tonkatsu sauce for $10. Secure your spot ahead of time and pre-order online.
Rabbit’s Got the Free Crawfish
Mario says: “Free ‘Mexi-Cajun boiled crawfish on the weekends? ‘Nuff said.”
Rabbit’s Got the Gun, the neighborhood craft cocktail bar featuring premium spirits, house-made syrups, and fresh-squeezed juices, is offering a free boiled crawfish promotion this month on the weekends. The bar is giving away 1,000 pounds of ‘Mexi-Cajun’ mudbugs to hungry patrons every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in March at its Near Northside location at 708 Hogan and at its north Houston outpost at 2236 Farm To Market 1960 Road East. Times vary, but announcements are made via the bar’s Instagram page, along with announcements of the weekend’s live music and DJ performances.
West U Mexican Canteen Adds Brunch & a Tasting Menu
Mario says: “It’s Maximo Overdrive in West U with brunch service and a five-course Maximomakase for only $45!”
Maximo, the progressive Mexican canteen from the Local Foods Group, has debuted two new menus. Led by 26-year-old executive chef Adrian Torres, the West University restaurant rebranded earlier this year, and is continuing to grow by offering brunch service on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The focus remains on nixtamalized corn masa with new items such as Masa Cornbread Benedict loaded with tender short rib and mole hollandaise, cinnamon-sugar-coated Masa Waffles with cheesecake whipped cream, Japanese peanuts and agave syrup, and huevos ahogados with mushrooms, quelites, tomatillo salsa, Oaxaca cheese, avocado and corn tortillas. There are new brunch cocktails from director of bars Máté Hartai as well, with creative new entries like the Java-Horchata Flip with sake, coffee liqueur, horchata, whole egg and peanut chili crisp.
Also new to Maximo is a five-course tasting menu available for $45, with the option to add beverage pairings specifically crafted for each course, for $30. It’s available during dinner service Wednesday through Sunday. The menu will be changing often, making it a great way for the team to flex their creative muscles and for diners to explore everything the restaurant has to offer at a fantastic price. It includes exclusive dishes and beverages not found on the regular menus — such as the nixtamalized truffle sope with short rib, huitlacoche purée, black truffle mole negro and pickled celeriac that earned Torres the second place spot at The Truffle Masters 2025. All guests at the table must order the tasting menu to participate. Reservations are highly recommended and can be made on OpenTable.
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