This Week in Food: What’s New and What to Do

This Week in Food: What’s New and What to Do

Crawfish at Orleans Seafood Kitchen

GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY Attention, mudbug lovers! This year’s conditions were perfect, and crawfish season has arrived. Orleans Seafood Kitchen, a Katy neighborhood restaurant that expands with a Fulshear location later this spring, has live crawfish fresh from Louisiana. Order by the pound for dine-in or to-go, and tack on a frozen hurricane for a real Cajun experience.

Meanwhile, at Monkey’s Tail, boiled crawfish come in two flavors, regular and jalapeño. They’re available by the pound on Thursday and Fridays from 4-10pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 11am-8pm.


Stephen Conklin, the new chef at Uchi

Indulge at Decadent Omakase Feasts Hai Hospitality is behind some of the most anticipated openings of the year, and to help celebrate the new restaurants, two collaborative omakase dinners are planned. Shaun King, previously with Uchi, will lead the kitchen at Uchiko, which opens this spring on Post Oak. Taking the reins from King is Stephen Conklin, who comes to Uchi from his post at still-new Café Leonelli and was previously at La Table. The two chefs have planned a 10-course feast, served during an intimate dinner in the private dining room on Jan. 23 and during regular seatings on Jan. 24. Expect treats like oysters with koji creamed spinach, and a chive crepe with lobster, caviar, yuzu and potato. Reservations required.

Propsperity Toss at Phat Eatery

Ring in the Year of the Tiger It’s not too early to make a reservation for Phat Eatery’s annual Chinese Lunar New Year celebration. There will be three seatings from Feb. 1-6, each with a six-course menu of family-style dishes — lump-crab-and-bone-marrow fried rice, a dim sum platter with dumplings of steamed lobster and crispy shrimp — and a performance by Lee Golden Dragon. Pre-paid reservations are available on Phat’s website.

Dine in the Dark at Mastrantos

Dine in the Dark A unique event returns to Mastrantos. During Dining in the Dark, guests are blindfolded while they enjoy a multicourse meal, resulting in an interesting 90-minute sensory experience. The idea is that without sight, other senses — taste, smell — are heightened. The first of the individually ticketed dinners takes place Jan. 27, with others on Feb. 10, Feb. 24, March 10 and March 24.

Whole Hog Plate at Feges BBQ

Rethink Barbecue at Feges Feges BBQ in Spring Branch rolled out a new happy hour menu last week, with $10 plates like barbecue-stuffed quesadillas and a smoked-turkey-salad sandwich, and $3 beers and half-price wine. Other new menu items (not on HH special) include the barbecue bowls — think burrito bowl, but with a different flavor profile. The Chef Bowl has elote, spiced squash, carrots, radish and green onion; the Feges Bowl boasts elote, sour cream, avocado, pickled red onions and jalapenos, and cracklin crumble. Top either with chopped brisket, pulled pork or smoked chicken — and don’t forget the healthy drizzle of barbecue sauce to finish it off.

Food
Spa-tacular Getaway Opportunity: Retreat to Mexico this Fall with a Houston Wellness Expert

Palmaïa The House of AïA

THIS SUMMER, LEBRINA Jackson, owner of Escape Spa in Cypress, is taking her wisdom and joie de wellness to the jungle. Far beyond the walls of her beautiful spa, she’s aiming to create a quiet space for people to work on their personal growth in a community-centric atmosphere. She shares what participants will get out of the trip and why it’s important to take time for self-care in 2025.

Why is it important for people to “retreat”? Life can feel like a non-stop marathon, and sometimes we forget to just... breathe. Retreating offers a chance to step off the treadmill for a bit and hit the reset button. It's about giving your body and mind some much-needed TLC, allowing for genuine relaxation and rejuvenation. Beyond the personal perks, retreats often create a cool sense of community, connecting you with others on a similar path. By carving out space for self-reflection, you can recharge and return to your daily life with a clearer head and a bit more pep in your step.

Keep Reading Show less
Wellness+Giving Back

Heather Almond and Zinat Ahmed

NEARLY 1,700 GUESTS headed to Cotton Ranch in Katy for Cotton Holdings’ 13th annual CrawFest — a Texas-sized evening of food and music. The event raised a record-breaking $768,000 for the Cotton Foundation, which supports families facing disaster, illness and hardship.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties

Maddy and Patrick Moffitt and Christina and David McAllen

A DERBY WATCH party was so much more than the fastest two minutes in sports! The Post Oak Hotel hosted the Hats, Hearts & Horseshoes event benefiting Bo's Place, and the most fashionable and philanthropic Houstonians turned out.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties