HRW is here!

last night i attended the wonderful houston restaurant week kick-off party which was a restaurant crawl b/w del frisco's, the oceanaire, and gigi's asian bistro - all neighboring restaurants on the ground floor of the galleria. there were 200 attendees and boy does cleverley know how to throw a party! texas wine and beer flowed freely and included texas favorites such as llano estacado, messina hof, fall creek, and st. arnold's.

the spread was incredible: the oceanaire had jumbo shrimp cocktail, house smoked salmon, and seafood deviled eggs; del frisco's served stuffed mushrooms, beef tenderloin, their signature crabcakes, and lemon dovage cake accompanied by a lovely messina hof late harvest riesling. gigi's outdoor lounge was where everyone ended up. a DJ was spinning beats, servers were gracefully weaving through the crowd serving chicken potstickers, general (gigi's) chicken, fried phyllo wrapped shrimp, and lychee martinis. gigi herself was there offering metal steamers with hot assorted dumplings and meeting the crowd with a smile and her texas twang.

today marks the beginning of HRW! i will be going to *17, VOICE, americas - the woodlands, and le mistral this week with my chowhounds. have you made your reservations yet?

stay tuned for HRW reviews.