Welcome to DiningOut’s Plate Full of News, where you’ll get a plateful of restaurant, bar, and chefs happenings each week.
The 411
Slowpokes is opening its new East End location at 3401 Canal Street on Thursday, June 5. Along with its robust coffee program and all-day menu of sweet and savory offerings, the budding chain has introduced summer specials likethe shaken peach tea lemonade; a bananas foster cold brew; and a matchachana, an iced matcha green tea latter with banana cream cold foam.
Botonica, a new Latin-rooted cocktail bar from Alexis Mijares, bartender and owner of beverage consulting firm Slit Base Creative, is now open at 2031 Westcreek Lane, on the ground floor of SkyHouse River Oaks. Like its name suggests, the dark and moody lounge is decorated with lush botanicals against its black walls and gothic elements. Botonica’s beverage program honors Latin culture by incorporating Latin spirits, ancestral ingredients, and cocktail traditions in drinks like the Chamuyera, a blend of Zapaca rum with coffee, banana, amaro, dulce de leche, and coconut; and a rotating selection of Latin wines and beer. A menu of pan-Latin small plates like caviar and chicharrones and rum cake with a Bacardi rum glaze round out the menu.
Happenings
Chapman and Kirby is hosting Latin Nights with Latin Dance Factory on Fridays, June 6 and June 20. The cost is $20 for singles and $30 for couples, with tickets available at the door, and include dance lessons. Food offerings and drink specials are available from Private Client until 11 p.m.
PKL Social is hosting Jet Set Bingo on Friday, June 6 at 7 p.m. Bingo is free to play, with cards available on a first come basis, and participants can compete for prizes like $50 gift cards to PKL Social, Target, and Amazon and a $250 Southwest Airlines credit. RSVPs can be submitted via Sweatpals.
Zanti’s River Oaks location is hosting its first ever wine dinner, featuring a full selection of Alma Rosa specialty wines, on Monday, June 9 at 7 p.m. The cost is $180 per person, and includes a welcome drink, hors’deouvres, and a four-course meal with wine pairings. Reservations can be made via OpenTable.
Aya Sushi is hosting a whole tuna breakdown of Date Bluefin tuna from Ehime, Japan on Thursday, June 12 from 5 to 9 p.m. During the one-of-a-kind experience, guests are treated to unlimited servings of tuna and can sip on curated cocktails from Joto Sake and Suntory Whiskey. The cost is $400 per person and tickets can be purchased via Eventbrite.
Prime 131 is hosting a six-course Diageo scotch tasting dinner on Wednesday, June 18 from 6 to 9 p.m. The evening will feature dishes like burrata and Japanese peach salad, miso-marinated black cod, and smoked prime tenderloin, alongside cocktails like the coconut highball and Lagavulin Islay old fashioned. The cost is $150 per person, with reservations available via OpenTable.
Sixty Vines is hosting a summer solstice celebration at its Rice Village and Woodlands locations on Saturday, June 21. Along with the restaurant’s signature brunch, the day-long celebration will feature an Aperol spritz station, frosé pouches, live DJ, flower pop-up, and seasonal swag. Guests that purchase a wine flight will be gifted a take-home wine charm.
On the Menu
The Marigold Club has launched fried chicken and champagne Sundays, with reservations available from 5 p.m. each week. A menu of fried chicken prepared from farm-raised birds from Deeply Rooted Ranch is complemented with dishes like whipped potatoes, aged cheddar scones, minted peas, and housemade sauces like the foie gras sauce supreme. Guests can pair their meals with champagne, offered for half-off by the bottle during this time.
Hot off the heels of being named among North America’s Best Bars, Bandista has unveiled its new menu featuring 13 original cocktails. Created by Bandista’s team of bartenders, Josh Alden, Sam Ruiz, Zachary Churbock and Beverage Manager Johnathan Jones, drinks like the Hill Country highball and the malty Hunter’s Holiday are made using a variety of spirits and are a splurge, with price points ranging from $24 to $68 each.
