Virtual Food & Drink Events in Houston: August 26 through 30

Adele Corrigan at 13 celsius

As Texas battles coronavirus, Houston-area restaurants and bars continue to adapt by utilizing online platforms, such as Zoom, to host virtual cooking classes, wine and spirit tastings, group dinners and more. Several have created recurring events, while others are organizing special virtual occasions. Here is this week’s schedule — which even features a restaurant that has yet to open — and be sure to check back for more events in the coming weeks.

Please note: several of these events include ingredients, wine or other items that will need to be picked up prior to the event, so be sure to check registration details for information regarding pickup times and locations.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26

13 Celsius: “Taste, Talk, and Travel” is a weekly virtual happy hour, hosted by Kristen Sandvig of Lionhound Travel and Adele Corrigan of 13 Celsius. On Wednesday, August 26 at 5:30 p.m., the pair is showcasing wines from Austria. The conversation goes beyond tasting notes to become a virtual travel guide, featuring knowledge of the region and ways to create travel plans, for the time when you might eventually visit. The third week in this series features wine from Italy. For registration, follow this link. Wines for the event can be purchased and picked up from 13 Celsius at 3000 Caroline.

Sean Beck
Sean Beck, beverage director of H Town Restaurant Group is hosting virtual Whiskey Wednesdays at Backstreet Cafe. Photo courtesy of H Town Restaurant Group.

Backstreet Cafe: Every Wednesday evening, Sean Beck of Backstreet Cafe (1103 South Shepherd) hosts an online beverage tasting and discussion. As the name Whiskey Wednesday suggests, the event is, more often than not, whiskey-centric. This Wednesday, August 26, the online experience will focus on the ”Art of Bartending,” and will feature local bar professionals, each crafting their own versions of three different cocktails. Orders include the cocktail tastings, a snack kit and a choice of entrée. To learn more about this experience, email Sean Beck for more details.

March: The upcoming modern Mediterranean concept from Goodnight Hospitality is hosting a blind tasting with Master Sommelier June Rodil on Wednesday, August 26 at 6 p.m. via Instagram Live. Click this link for purchasing information. Pick up is available on August 24 and 25, from 12 to 6 p.m. from Houston Cheese & Wine at 1618 Westheimer.

El Meson: The Spanish and Latin restaurant is hosting a virtual dinner and wine tasting on Wednesday, August 26 at 6:30 p.m. Part of the restaurant’s virtual wine dinner series, Lizzy Butler of Vine Connections joins chef Pedro Garcia and sommelier Jessica Garcia as they discuss wines from Chile’s Elqui Valley. For $70, you get a three-course dinner and two wines. You can purchase the dinner without the wine for $35. For purchasing and pickup information, follow the link here.

THURSDAY,  AUGUST 27

Bayou City Art Festival: Thursday, August 27 at 6:00 p.m., the Bayou City Art Festival hosts its second virtual happy hour on Facebook Live and YouTube Live. These events continue the buildup to this year’s virtual event that runs October 5-11. This week’s happy hour features New Orleans artist Amanda Bennett. The hour-long event features art trivia and a Q&A session. There is a suggested $10 donation. For more information visit the festival’s happy hour page.

ROMA virtual wine dinner
A recent Roma virtual wine dinner hosted over Zoom. Photo by Jeremy Parzen.

Roma: For this week’s virtual wine tasting and dinner event, the restaurant is hosting Brian Larky, who will be discussing Italian wines. The event is Thursday, August 27 at 7:30 p.m. The cost is $119 per couple or $89 for individuals and includes three courses, each paired with Italian wine. For more information or to reserve a spot, email Jeremy Parzen or call (713) 664-7581.

Saint Arnold Brewing Company: This godfather of local breweries is hosting a virtual barrel room tour and tasting on Thursday, August 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. The $50 virtual experience allows participants to tour the facility and enjoy three bottles of the brewery’s barrel-aged beers. Along with the beers, participants will receive two tasting glasses, two pretzels, and cheese from Houston Dairymaids. For detailed information about the included beers and information about registration, check out the event page. Packages can be picked up from the Saint Arnold beer garden the day of the event between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 2000 Lyons.

SUNDAY,  AUGUST 30

Smart In The Kitchen: Cooking instructor Marcia Smart is back with a new free webinar on creating a weekly meal plan. The webinar aims to ensure that participants are able to plan out their entire week’s meals in twenty minutes or less. This educational session takes place on Sunday, August 30 at 4 p.m. Register at the Smart In The Kitchen website.

More Upcoming Virtual Events to Look Forward to:

Menu of Menus: This annual event, which showcases Houston restaurants, has been rescheduled to an online format for this year, which takes place on Wednesday, September 2.

Chris Shepherd’s Book Club: Join Chris Shepherd as he cooks dishes from his favorite cookbooks. This edition features dishes from “Cravings” by Chrissy Teigen and occurs on Saturday, September 12.

Drinkin’ with Dusty and Brock: In the third installment of this series on Sunday, September 13, Dusty Brittain will be joined by Saint Arnold’s founder Brock Wagner.

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