Where Our Houston Editor Has Been — And What She Has Her Eye On This Weekend: April 11

Two Houston restaurants we absolutely can’t stop thinking about and other things to eat this weekend

Eater Houston is trying something new. Each week, we’ll provide a trusty list of recommendations to answer the most pressing of questions: “Where should I eat?“ Here are four places to check out this weekend in Houston. And if you need ideas on where to drink, here’s our list of the hottest places to get cocktails in town.

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For a very Houston experience: the Lineup Party or the VIPit lounge at Art Car Parade

The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art is hosting the 38th annual Art Car Parade, a showcase of all the wackiest, wildest, and very Houston mobile art. While there are restaurants along the route of the parade, which stretches from Allen Parkway to Downtown Houston, there are some closer options that will give you great views of these tricked-out cars. The Saturday parade will have its own shaded VIPit lounge that will feature some of the best seats in the house and complimentary bites from Houston’s newest and best restaurants and most talented chefs. Featured restaurants include Brasserie 19, Perseid, Saint Arnold Beer Garden and Restaurant, Tavola, Local Foods, and Barbacana. The price tag is pretty steep ($250 for adults and $100 for children), so if you prefer to sit this one out (literally), opt for one of the $50 reserved seats at the Heritage Society, which will get you a good view of the parade. Or, get in where you fit in and head to the lineup party, which starts at 11 a.m. The route should be peppered with food trucks and plenty of food and drink options.

The Lineup Party (free) begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 12, and is located on Allen Parkway from Bagby to Taft. The VIPit Lounge is open from noon to 5 p.m. at Hermann Square at City Hall, 901 Bagby Street. Tickets can be purchased online. Funds will go to the Orange Show’s mission to provide free and low-cost access to creative arts and arts education.

For an affordable tasting menu that exudes spring: Camaraderie

608 West 11th Street, Heights

Chef Shawn Gayle’s new restaurant in the Heights opened last month, and it proves to be a perfect restaurant to usher in the spring season. Every dish on the very affordable tasting menu ($75 per person) is a hit, starting with cute cacio e pepe madeleines as a warm snack, followed by the beautifully cold and refreshing apple-topped, salt-baked celery root with a pop of chili crisp and yuzu; a light lettuce salad; and the Dauphiné ravioli served with comte and caramelized onions. Diners can then choose their own entrees: Order the halibut, smothered in a clam chowder sauce with smoked potato, or the rich veal osso buco wrapped in bucatini, both served with roasted broccolini and a divine milk bread-style ube bread with butter presented in a fancy design to share. Try the raspberry frozen marshmallow sorbet for one of Gayle’s most treasured desserts. Reservations for the tasting menu are encouraged and are going fast for the weekend, but diners can also opt to sit in Camaraderie’s separate dining room, patio, or bar area, which features an a la carte menu with some of the hits from the tasting menu.

For a Downtown dining experience that feels like a discovery: Barbacana

907 Franklin Street, Downtown

Most reports about this restaurant tout it as a fine dining restaurant with a tasting menu, which immediately made me think of a small and moody space. It’s certainly not that — well, not completely. Barbacana is spacious and multi-dimensional, with counter and bar areas offering a more intimate ambiance, and plenty of room for groups and a more casual experience it the larger dining area. And while chef Christian Hernandez does offer a tasting menu, the dishes are also offered a la carte, meaning you can sort of choose your adventure, and it is an adventure, indeed. Building off of Hernandez’s upbringing in Houston and a resume that includes stints in New York and Mexico City, the menu features tapas-style dishes like the seared duck and dates, a delightful vermillion snapper with black lime, a buttered onion tart with jumbo lump crab, and sides like Greek potato pave with whipped ricotta and seeded sourdough with a whipped butter dotted with honey.

Do not skip the desserts. The s’mores ice cream cookie sandwich was an absolute delight, with the char of the toasted marshmallow offering a bit of nostalgia for those who have had campfire marshmallows, a pecan entremet with warm caramelized apples and brown butter ice cream (Make sure you get your spoon all the way in there), and a creamy strawberry-thyme semifreddo with freeze-dried strawberries and a fun dash of pop-rocks for some extra action for your tastebuds. Downtown needed something like this.

For crawfish, because it’s peak season: Crawfish Shack

5822 FM 2100, Crosby

Here’s a friendly reminder that Houston is in peak crawfish season. I have rarely seen the crawfish as big and juicy as they are right now, and a recent visit to this crawfish OG proved why it’s still one of the most beloved crawfish spots in the Houston area. Yes, you have to travel up to Crosby, and the line will likely be long, but it moves pretty fast. There’s also the option to sit at a table with other people, which is likely to get you in the dining room sooner. If you’re afraid of flinging shellfish juices on your neighbors, or you just want a veil of privacy, there’s an option to have clear dividers at the table.

The most important part: the food. Load up on the crawfish and seafood with fix-ins — mushrooms, corn, potatoes, sausage, boiled eggs, and garlic, if you please — but do it a little differently. Instead of the dry spice, order the crawfish wet or saucy, which comes dripping in its own broth spiced to your preference. Remember to bring your own beer or drinks. Crawfish Shack is BYOB and only serves select soft drinks, and if you really like what you’re tasting, consider taking home the signature spice blend they use to coat the crawfish.