Spring for These New Tasting Menus!

Robin Barr Sussman

FEELING JADED BY the same ole restaurant menus? Whether you’re curious about all things beef, seeking the perfect wine pairing, or craving to know more about the culinary regions of Mexico, this roster of new tasting menus should quell your craving for an epicurean adventure.

Trend Alert! Move Over Espresso Martinis, Carajillos Are Taking Over H-Town

Patrick Magee

ON A RECENT trip to the bar at Washington Ave.’s B&B Butchers for a nightcap of espresso martinis, the bartender suggested his guests try a carajillo instead. The Spanish cocktail is made of espresso and Licor 43, the latter of which is named for its 43 ingredients. And, while the exact recipe is guarded by the Spanish family that distills it, it is known to contain citrus and vanilla, the two most prominent flavors. Many of Houston’s hottest restaurants are putting their own twists on this cocktail that’s giving espresso martinis a run for their money!

Buffalo Bayou Lights Up with New Art — and Food Trucks! — for One Night Only

Chris Becker

HAVE YOU NOTICED more people are outside lately? As April approaches, the sunshine has been spectacular, giving Houstonians even more reason to leave behind the comfort of the screen and enjoy outdoor events like Night Light, an epic new site-specific event along Buffalo Bayou. The unpretentious, audience-friendly multimedia event will illuminate three surprising locations along the trails of Buffalo Bayou East. The free event takes place April 2 (7:30pm-10:30pm), and trail entrances are located 333 S. Jensen Dr. or 700 N. Live Oak St.

Rachel Willis-Sorensen (photo by Olivia Kahler)

THIS WEEKEND, ON June 1 and 2, the Houston Symphony celebrates the work of Richard Strauss with a concert of two very different works: An Alpine Symphony (Eine Alpensinfonie), an epic tone poem completed by Strauss in 1915 that depicts a dawn-to-dusk Alpine mountain ascent and includes subtle references to the music of his close friend Gustav Mahler, who died in 1911; and Four Last Songs, which Strauss completed in 1948 at age 84 and was destined to be the composer’s final completed work. HGO Studio alum Rachel Willis-Sørensen, now one of the world’s most in-demand operatic sopranos, joins Music Director Juraj Valčuha for a performance of these majestic, sublime compositions for voice and orchestra.

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Art + Entertainment

Októ will have a lively bar like the one at Doris Metropolitan, pictured here. (photo by Kirsten Gilliam)

AFTER YEARS OF operating solid, Israeli-influenced concepts — Doris Metropolitan on Shepherd, and Badolina and Hamsa in Rice Village — Sof Hospitality is set to debut its latest concept in Montrose Collective this summer. Surprise, this time it’s Mediterranean cuisine!

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Food