 Bookend Tasting of Brune and Speciale Envy Wine Room, located in Old Town Spring, is known for their fabulous wine dinners. However, last week, Envy treated guests to a very special beer dinner featuring St. Feuillien Brewery. Our host for the evening was the highly entertaining and charismatic Chad Pilbeam, owner of Beer Logic. The food for the evening was thoughtfully paired with each course and prepared by Clay Alling of The Provisioner's Tale. St. Feuillien is a Belgian brewery known for making "abbey style" beer. Founded in 1873, St. Feuillien is a top-fermenting beer brewed with the purest water and highest quality hops and malt.
Our first course was a Saison (6.5%) paired with an arugula salad, goat cheese, and a walnut vinaigrette. Saison, known as beer of the terroir, is a farmhouse ale that is light with a dry finish. A very classic beer with a slight citrus taste. Next was a grilled chicken breast served over a pesto cream pasta paired with a Grand Cru (9.5%). The Grand Cru is hoppy in aroma, yet has a subtle and slightly fruity taste. It is reminiscent of champagne. The third course was a Triple (8.5%) paired with a prosciutto and mozzarella crostini. Rich, malty, and slightly effervescent, the Triple has a pleasant lingering taste. The next course was cocoa and coffee rubbed smoked beef paired with a Brune (8.5%) and the Speciale (9%). Both the Brune and Speciale are dark in color and full of spice. Excellent choices for grilled meats.
Dessert was a Bing cherry chocolate bar served with Kreik de Jacobins Cherry Sour. This was the first time I have ever tasted a sour ale and I was pleasantly surprised. It is highly carbonated with champagne like bubbles. Both a sweet and sour cherry taste is present and it paired well with the chocolate bar. St. Feuillien may be hard to pronouce, but the beers are easy to drink. My favorites of the night were the Saision, Grand Cru, and Speciale. This was definitely one of the most fun events I have attended at Envy Wine Room.
For information on future events at Envy Wine Room, visit www.envywineroom.com.
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 Spices, chilies, and herbs Owners Amy Karnani and Executive Chef Junnajet "Jett" Hurapan opened Songkran Thai Kitchen in Uptown Park in 2014. With the success and popularity of their Uptown location, the duo decided to open a second restaurant in Sugar Land Town Square called Songkran Thai Grill.
Songkran Thai Grill features Northeastern Thailand cuisine with a cooking style reminiscent of Chef Jett's home town. The menu features shareable dishes that encourage hands-on, family style dining. Chef Jett blends fresh and exotic ingredients to create food that is simple yet bursting with flavor.
The Sugar Land restaurant is a beautiful and elegant space. The sleek red and black decor is accented with art murals and brick walls. The bar program contains a nice selection of craft beer, sake, wine and hand-crafted drinks. The cocktails feature Thai ingredients that combine into unique flavor combinations. The Black Basil includes tamarind syrup and Thai basil. The Songkran Sour has a splash of lemongrass syrup and the spicy Kamala Beach uses fresh juices and Thai chilies.
Songkran is named after a famous three day water festival in Thailand. The Songkran Festival marks the beginning of the Thai New Year. This year it was celebrated April 13-15, 2016. Lucky members of the Houston Food Blogger Collective were invited to an exclusive cooking demo by Chef Jett. We learned how to make Goong Pao Shrimp and Angry Sauce. After marinating in fresh spices, the shrimp were grilled with heads on and the result was a delightful dish of flavorful succulent shrimp. This was one big shareable dish and as is encouraged at Songkran Thai grill, we ate together as a family - with our hands.
 Cripsy Fried Fish Bones
April is Autism Awareness month and many restaurants are taking part in the Dine Out for Autism program. PDQ (People Dedicated to Quality) and Autism Speaks have partnered together to raise $25,000 to help support continued research and advocacy for Autism Awareness. During the month of April, all Houston area PDQ restaurants will be donating $2 from every Spicy Buffalo Tenders Combo Meal sold. The sandwich includes two crispy chicken tenders on a brioche bun with lettuce and buffalo bleu sauce. The combo includes your choice of hand-cut fries or blueberry cole slaw and a beverage.
PDQ is fast casual type restaurant that features hand-breaded chicken tenders, hand-tossed salads, made to order sandwiches, and hand-spun milkshakes. They have a unique open kitchen which allows guests to see their order being prepared from start to finish. All menu item are under $10 and PDQ offers dine in seating as well as drive thru service. PDQ is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. Autism is a general term for a group of complex brain disorders and it is estimated that 1 in 68 children in the U.S. is on the autism spectrum. Founded in 2005, Autism Speaks, is dedicated to funding research for causes, prevention, treatment and one day a cure for autism. To learn more about Autism speaks, visit www.autismspeaks.org. We all know at least one person affected by Autism, so this month Go Bleu with PDQ.  Help make a difference in a child's life by dining at one of over 30 Houston area restaurants during the month of April, Child Abuse Prevention Month. The Blue Plate Special is a city-wide campaign designed to promote public awareness of the many children that suffer from abuse. Participating restaurants have each designated a "blue plate special" that will be offered during the entire month of April. A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to The Thread Alliance. The Thread Alliance was founded by Sheila Aron, author of the book I'm Glad I'm Me. The Thread Alliance is dedicated to preventing child abuse through education and community awareness. Their mission is to ensure that all children have a childhood free of abuse. The Blue Plate Special Kickoff party took place on March 31st at the Tasting Room in Uptown Park. Friends and supporters gathered as Sheila Aron spoke passionately about the upcoming campaign. To learn more about The Thread Alliance or to make a donation, visit http://www.thethreadalliance.org. Enjoy the following Blue Plate Specials at these Participating Restaurants in April 2016: Adair Kitchen – Waffles and Fried Chicken Armandos – Spinach Enchiladas topped with Mozzarella cheese and creamy leek sauce Beaver’s – 3 Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms with Marinara and Jewish rye bread Brennan’s of Houston – Froberg Farm Strawberry Shortcake Buffalo Grille (Bissonnet & Woodway) – Breakfast Special, 2 eggs, pancakes and bacon Caliente – Caliente Fajitas Carmelo’s Ristorante – Wagyu Beef with Black Truffles, Capellini Pasta and Asparagus Center Court Café (Houstonian Hotel) – Citrus Salmon – Salmon, Orzo Pasta, Tomato, Spinach, Citrus Vinaigrette Ciao Bello – Rainbow Trout Corner Table – Paleo Short Ribs: Smokey, Sticky Short Ribs, stir fried Cashew Spaghetti Squash and Fava beans CRÚ Wine Bar – Fried Pork Belly with collard greens, whipped horseradish cream, pickled shallots, pork and Cider D’Amico’s Italian Market Café – Nash Pizza and Bubby Pizza Dessert Gallery Bakery and Cafe – dine-in only lunch orders Epicure Café – Salmon Caesar with Fresh Avocado Étoile Cuisine et Bar – Pre-fixe Menu Frank’s American Revival – Meatloaf, Beef Stroganoff or Chicken Pot Pie Giacomo’s Cibo e Vino – Linguini Giacomo Holley’s Seafood Restaurant – Hot Chicken “Catfish” Sandwich, Texas Toast, Remoulade, House Pickles,Cole Slaw Line & Lariat (Hotel Icon) – Fisherman’s Pasta – Crawfish Tails, Gulf Shrimp, diver Scallops with Mardi Gras Sweet Cream MAX’s Wine Dive (Fairview & Washington) – Rotating Specials Neiman Marcus (Mariposa) – Andean Dream Quinoa Spaghetti Peli Peli (Galleria) – Bone-In Ribeye Steak Prego – Pan Seared Gulf Grouper Puttanesca Ragin’ Cajun (The Tunnel, The Original, Sugarland, & Woodlake Square) – Fried Shrimp Po-Boy, Cup of Gumbo & drink Steamboat House – Louisiana Shrimp Cocktail, 8 Jumbo Shrimp Sud Italia – Branzino Al Forno – Whole Mediterranean Seabass The Burger Joint – Turkey Burger with Pesto aioli, Provolone, Arugula, tomato and shaved red onion The Del – White Chocolate and Blueberry Buckle The Tasting Room (Kings Harbor & Uptown Park) – Rotating Special The Tipsy Dessert Bar – Alcohol Infused Ice Cream The Union Kitchen (Memorial) – Doris Truffle Mac Tony Mandola’s – Snapper Phylis (blackened filet topped with blackened shrimp, oysters and jumbo lump crab meat) Tony’s – Snapper Francese Triniti – Filet & Frites
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About the AuthorI like eating, traveling, and enjoying liquid libations. I'm all about great wines, signature cocktails, and local brews. 
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