Brews and Bowl Season

Location: St. Arnold Beer Garden and Restaurant

Preferred time: Saturday afternoons

The Perfect pair: Mucho Meatcho Pizza and a Christmas Ale (because it’s practically Christmas)

The weather has been Auuuhhh-mazing lately and every Saturday has us looking for a place to spend all day outside. The past few weekends that we’re not outside on our patios drinking wine, going on walks, or playing Spikeball, we’re at Saint Arnold’s Beer Garden and Restaurant drinking beer and watching football with friends.  If you haven’t been there since they recently opened the new outdoor beer garden portion, you are missing out. It really is an amazing setup and the view of downtown Houston is STUNNING. They have long tables, small tables, beer barrels to stand around and honestly little places to post up all over the place. There is also plenty of parking, which is a plus. They’ve even got lawn games like cornhole and Bocce ball, which are so fun when your with a group of friends, or if you want to make some new friends.

One con is that they don’t have tv’s all over the place to watch multiple games at the same time. But we feel this could also be a pro. There are not tv’s all over the place crowding or clouding the incredible view of downtown. Also, it helps you really enjoy your time there with friends, catering your time together to great conversation. There is one massive screen though towards the far side of the space. They always have the biggest game for Houstonians on and we’ve found it so fun to be watching the same game as everyone else there creating a great atmosphere.  

Now for the good stuff. Food and Drink. We honestly love all of Saint Arnold’s beers. Right now, the favorite is the Christmas Ale because it is seasonal and wonderful. Some classics are the Fancy Lawnmower and Santo and are worth a try if you haven’t yet. We also just found out (probably late to the news because…wine is our thang) but Weedwacker has been packaged for the last time. Get it while you can if you can find some still in stores! We ordered pizza because it is the greatest (because cheese), filling shareable and it was so good! We chose the Mucho Meatcho and the Flanders. Both so yum. Would recommend. We also ordered the queso and some good ole french fries and they were great as well. You can walk up to the bar to order, or wait for a waiter or waitress to come to your table. Tabs are on the mobiles they carry around and it is so easy to close out. They also send your order as soon as you place it and it comes to the table way faster than you would expect for the crowd that is there. Makes a huge place like this way less stressful.

If you’re looking for a place to spend a wonderful afternoon one day during your upcoming time off, then this is the place. Have family coming into town and want a place to watch a bowl game and play some lawn games with a beer in your hand while showing off your beautiful city? Also a great place for that. You’ll have a blast.

Peace & Pinot,

The Perfectly Paired Pals

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A Throwback to the Good Old Days

The Perfect Pair

Location: BCK Kitchen & Cocktail Adventures

Recommended Time: Happy Hour!

Perfect Pair: Dr. Feelgood and Mac N’ Cheez It®

Happy Hour is one of our favorite times of the week, but this place really out did themselves. BCK’s whole goal is to make you remember your childhood, whether it is from the menu items that make you feel a little nostalgic or the old movies they have playing in the background. We absolutely loved going to happy hour here! Not only did we leave thinking we needed to come back to try everything on the menu, but it was so fun! The nostalgic menu choices brought about great conversation about our childhood, and let us get to know each other even better than we already did. The servers were also super friendly and had great recommendations on what to order for our first visit. We took all of his suggestions and boy were we satisfied! Our strategy for Happy Hour this week was to order drinks and food that were included in the happy hour specials and then move on to those that weren’t included when happy hour ended. This seems to be a super logical strategy, but this might have been the first time that we really planned this out before ordering.

Happy Hour Drinks!

So let’s get down to what even is on the menu. We ordered the Sweet n’ Sour Meatballs and the Street Corn from the starters during happy hour. The tastes were super different, but oh so good. I’m not usually a huge fan of meatballs, but the sweet and sour sauce on them made them extra tasty. The street corn was absolutely to die for, great flavors of corn and cheese and whatever cream they put on top. When happy hour ended (at 6pm), we switched to items that were not included in the happy hour specials. We ordered what quickly became our favorite side, the Mac N’ Cheez It. It was so good we ordered 2 of them. Think your favorite creamy, cheesy macaroni and cheese topped with a classic childhood snack of Cheez It’s®. We also ordered the burger to round out our “super healthy” meal. It was a good old fashioned burger, nothing too fancy about it, but you don’t need to mess with a classic burger. We were too full to try anything else, but there was so much more we wanted to try – especially some of the desserts.

The Dr. Feelgood!

Now onto the drinks, even these bring back your childhood! My favorite soda still to this day is Dr. Pepper, so when we saw a cocktail that had DP in it and came in a DP can – we could not resist. Sadly, the Dr. Feelgood, as BCK has cleverly named it, is not on the happy hour menu. We ordered things from the HH menu first, but then moved on to the fun twist on a Dr. Pepper. The happy hour menu includes classic cocktails like the Moscow Mule, Sazerac, Negroni, Old Fashioned, and some other staples. We went for the Mule and Negroni and enjoyed them a lot. For other drinks that are not included in Happy Hour, they throw it back to your childhood with an adult twist. One of these cocktails has Orange Crush, one with Captain Crunch Milk, and of course our favorite Dr. Pepper.

Cheers!

We absolutely loved BCK and can’t wait to go back. From the delicious menu items, friendly and helpful staff, and the atmosphere perfect for reminiscing on the good old days, this new Heights hot spot is for sure going to make the regular rotation.

Where are you going for happy hour this week?!

Peace and Pinot,

The Perfectly Paired Pals

A New Classic Houston Eatery

Location: The Classic All Day

Preferred time: A late happy hour that turns into dinner

The Perfect Pair: Black and White Hummus and a bottle of the Colomé Malbec

File_001The Classic All Day is a relatively new eatery in town located right on Washington Ave. It replaced Benjy’s, (don’t worry the Benjy’s in Rice Village is still open) as a new concept from the restaurateur Benjy Levit. He is also behind Local Foods, a lunch and dinner staple for us. Each place reminiscent of the other, but with different vibes. The Classic has a retro feel. The best way for us to put it into words is that we felt we needed a special occasion to go to Benjy’s for dinner, which is part of the reason we always just went there for happy hour, but Classic feels like it could be for a special occasion dinner OR a wonderful place to casually show up if you didn’t feel like cooking. The dishes at The Classic, although they have flavors from all over the world, feel homey and comfortable. You can order anything from a classic burger to Mushroom Casarecci to Steak Frites.

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The Pals went to the Classic for a happy hour that turned into staying for dinner… classic. For starters, we ordered the Black and White Hummus and the Crispy Brussel Sprouts. The hummus was wonderful! The pickled veggies on top really brightened it up and made it feel like a full fledged snack. The pita bread that it came with was also sooooo good. It also seems to have come with enough Pita. We hate when the ratio is off and it seems that it always is! Does anyone else hate it when there aren’t enough crackers, chips, or bread pieces to even finish the dip!?! It’s the worst and we’re so glad it didn’t happen here. Plenty of pita for all the yummy goodness. The brussels sprouts were fantastic. We know not everyone is a fan of brussels sprouts and until about 2 years ago we pretty much were stubbornly avoiding them at all costs. Now, we are obsessed and have them any chance we get. Bonus: ordering them at a restaurant is great because your house won’t smell from you cooking them! Okay, so back to their brussels sprouts. They are covered in yummy goodies like honey-balsamic, gruyere cheese, and pomegranate seeds. They are a little sweeter than anticipated, but we recommend you order them because they rock.

File_007Drinks. Of course we are going to talk about drinks. They have tasty cocktails that range from $9-$12, beer, and wine by the glass, 2 glass bottle, or bottle. Happy hour runs from 4-7pm.  The variety of drinks on their happy hour is great. They have glasses of wine, bottles of wine, beer, and cocktails all at reduced prices. We did end up ordering our bottle of wine off of the wine list and not the happy hour due to the two bottles on happy hour not fitting what we were looking for taste wise and we did want the full bottle. We will have to go back and order the Gin and Juice on the happy hour though, we are so intrigued!

For dinner, we split the classic burger.It was delicious and perfect for us to split after the shareables for the table. Delicious. It hit the spot for sure. We are big fans of a classic burger and this fit the bill.

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Peace & Pinot,

The Perfectly Paired Pals

A Trip to Germany while staying in Houston

Location: King’s BierHausIMG-0175

Recommended Time: Happy Hour of course!

Perfect Pair: Charcuterie Board and Frosé

 

This week we are taking you on a trip to Germany, and by Germany we mean a very German bar in the Heights. This place is authentic as it gets: the staff wear lederhosen, the owner is from Germany and has the coolest accent you’ve ever heard, and there are so many choices of beer you could stay there all night. And to make things even better, they have an awesome beer garden!

 

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This is the perfect place for large groups because the tables both inside and outside are large picnic tables that are great for any size group. And hey, if your group is small then you can make some new friends at the other end of the table!

 


Happy Hour lasts from 3pm to 6pm Monday thru Friday, and offers some great deals for you to enjoy. $5 Specialty Bites, $6 Beers, and $7 Cocktails. You can’t get much better than that. The Pals always order the Giant Bier Pretzel, but this time we tried something new but not all that surprising for us – the charcuterie board. This charcuterie board is not your average board, it is served on the giant bier pretzel! How cool is that!? The cheeses IMG-0178were all delicious, and while the meats were not our absolute favorites, the ratio was perfect. They also include their famous spread that is to die for. The charcuterie board is not a part of happy hour but at $18 it is a pretty good deal for the amount of food you get. This week we also ordered the fried mac and cheese balls. You can never have too much cheese, and these were absolutely worth any extra carbs with the perfect ratio of mac to cheese. Since we are typically wine girls, we started with the Frosé, which is a staple in our rotation, and then moved to trying things off the vast list of beer options. They have options that most everyone would like, even those of you who don’t like beer at all. And back to how authentic King’s is, here is a pic of one of the pals enjoying the same beer in Germany at
Hofbräu.

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King’s also has themed trivia nights which are so much fun! Last fall, we went for Harry Potter trivia night and loved every minute of it. People were so into it with costumes, all while drinking their authentic butter beer While we thought we were Harry Potter experts, we quickly learned that there were a lot of things that we didn’t know and that there were a lot of other people that did. This didn’t stop us from having a great time. Check King’s calendar to find out when the next trivia night is!

 

We hope you have a great week and spend some time outside in the beautiful weather!

 

Peace and Pinot,

 

The Perfectly Paired Pals

Happy Hour on the Patio

Location: Calle OnzeIMG-0004

Recommended Time: Happy Hour!

Perfect Pair: House Margarita and Guacamole

 

Tried a new hot spot this week and we were not disappointed! While we didn’t have wine or cheese at happy hour this week, we enjoyed our time outside on the most perfect outdoor patio. Some things never change. The temps are FINALLY cooling down here in Houston, and we couldn’t be happier. As you know we LOVE sitting outside, so this spot is perfect for us! If you like places with a trendy vibe and great cocktails then you have to go to Calle Onze!

 

IMG-0003Happy Hour lasts from 4-6 every day and there are some great deals you won’t want to miss. The basic cocktails are only $6 during happy hour. These include the House
Margarita, Frozen Margarita, Mexican Mule, Mojito, Paloma, Sangria, and a Calle Onze specialty. We tried the margaritas and palomas; and boy were we pleased. Based on these two drinks we don’t think you can go wrong with any of their cocktails. Next time we want to for sure try the Sangria.

 

While the food is not on special during Happy Hour, it is a must to have something to IMG-0008snack on while having a delicious drink. Calle Onze does a great job making sure all their food pairs well with the plethora of drink options. We ordered a few different things that were all crowd pleasers. First we ordered the guacamole, because come on it seems wrong to have a margarita without some guac. Even with a smaller group, we finished it off in what seemed like 30 seconds. If it doesn’t last longer than 1 minute on the table, that’s when you know it’s good. Next we ordered the quesadillas. Fun fact about me, my absolute favorite food is quesadillas. I could eat them every meal for the rest of my life. So for that reason, I feel I am a bit of a snob when it comes to my favorite food. These were really good! The portion is a little small so you may be best to have it as an app and not your whole meal, but if you weren’t starving it would be enough for a light dinner! The last thing we ordered was the oysters. We know not everyone is a fan of oysters, or you have a particular way that you like them cooked, and oysters can be very expensive. We found these to be reasonably priced and quite delicious. There were lots of other things in the dinner menu we want to go back and try!

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If you’re looking for a great outdoor patio for the beautiful fall weather that will eventually make its way to Houston, check out Calle Onze. This is different than our normal spot, but just may have earned a place in the happy hour rotation.

 

Where are you going to Happy Hour this week? We are always looking for new places to try!

 

Peace & Pinot,

 

The Perfectly Paired Pals