Photo by Brooke Viggiano

Italian-style tapas (please ignore the creep in the background).

​I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I like my Friday nights to come with two things; a bit of romance and a whole lotta cocktail. With an open-air patio and fully stocked bar, Grappino di' Nino's makes a very suitable date night spot. Tack on live music (Tues-Sat), a menu of small plates for sharing, dim lighting, and the rustic feel of an old Italian villa, and you've got yourself a winner.

Part of the trio of Mandola family restaurants sharing a courtyard (with a gelato cart!) in Montrose, Grappino di' Nino offers the most laid-back, casual ambiance of the three. It's the perfect place to linger over light bites on a night when you want to relax, wine, and dine without getting too stuffed and having to be rolled home.

My fiancé and I recently visited on a gorgeous Friday night. For a little "country-side" Italian joint, this place was poppin'. Tables were packed with guests chatting, clinking glasses and grooving to the slow rhythm of the music coming from a live duo at the end of the patio. We were seated by a charming, sputtering, fountain, further adding to the relaxed vibe of the courtyard.

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Chuck Cook Photography

A photographer and his show

​Alex Gregg is not only an award-winning bartender at Anvil; he is also a professional photographer, and he recently put his skills to work last October at the very popular Les Sauvages Supper Club dinners. The fruits of his labor are now on display at Catalina Coffee on Washington Avenue.

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Photo by Brooke Viggiano

I can haz hot rock for beef?

​I'm all for a sushi and sake night, so when a few of my friends invited my man and I out to Azuma's downtown location last Friday, we didn't even blink an eye before jumping in a cab and heading to meet them. It was a gorgeous night and our friends were already sitting at a large table outside on the beautiful patio when we arrived. My two girlfriends, being the gems that they are, had two glasses of sake and Sapporo waiting for us. Guess I'm starting dinner off with a sake bomb - thanks, ladies!

After ordering a few more warm sakes and drinks, we were ravenous. Diving into the huge menu, I immediately ran into trouble. This was my first time here...and I wanted everything. Luckily, through years of practicing Jedi mind tricks on my fiancé, I now possess the ability to convince him to split almost anything and make him think it was his idea. #gurlpower

We started light with a bowl of steamed edamame ($4) -- fresh, warm and lightly heavily salted soybeans the perfect companion for my light, crisp Sapporo. Next, we tried the Lady Dragon Roll ($13), one of the restaurant's Specialty Rolls that certainly lived up to the hype. Spicy tuna and avocado are wrapped inside pink soy paper before being ingeniously flash-fried and topped with a sweet unagi (eel) sauce, spicy mayo and an Alaskan mix (I'm still not sure what that is, but it's damn good). Did you get all that? They were so delicious, my friend pushed her sushi aside and ordered a second round.

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Photos by Troy Fields

Portugallia's patio is always inviting.

​Last year, my favorite Houston restaurant in which to take a staycation -- you know, pretending you're out of town on some food adventure when in fact you've really got $20 in the bank once the meal is over -- was Cafe Mawal.

At this little converted house near the Galleria, it always feels like being invited to a Jordanian family's home for a barbecue complete with skewers of fresh-off-the-grill kebab followed by shisha on the sprawling patio. There's even a large Bedouin goat-hide tent in which to take your meal if you're feeling exceptionally traditional.

These days, I like my staycations at Portugallia, which is also the subject of this week's cafe review. The west Houston restaurant is close enough to Phoenicia Specialty Foods to keep the vibe going after you leave, too. Or, if you choose, you can spend a long afternoon in the sunshine on Portugallia's lush patio, where palm trees provide shade and a tall waterfall disguises the roar of traffic from Westheimer.

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Photo by Bill Dorris

​In January, we brought you a Month of Oatmeal in honor of National Oatmeal Month. That was nice and all, but February's here. And in February, it's all about the chocolate baby. From complimentary s'mores at a poolside bar to a Snickers beignet (is this real life?), here are 29 ways to indulge:

Wed. Feb. 1: Swap your regular cup of Joe for a Cinnamon Spice Mocha at Inversion Coffee House.

Thurs. Feb. 2 : Warm up with Quattro's S'more Winter Happy Hour. Head to The Four Seasons' fourth-floor pool bar for cocktails and two complimentary s'mores.

Fri. Feb. 3: Sip on a Godiva Chocolate Martini and enjoy the artsy, European vibe at Zimm's Martini & Wine Bar.

Sat. Feb. 4: Celebrate Valentine's Day early with a trip to the wineries. The Blue-Bonnet Wine & Chocolate Trail offers two wine tastings paired with a chocolate delicacy at 10 different wineries for only $25 (or $45 for two!).

Sun. Feb. 5: Pick up Superbowl treats at Crave Cupcakes. The store is offering Giants vs. Patriots cupcakes for game day.

Mon. Feb. 6: Wash down some Bangers and Mash with a Chocolate Stout at Red Lion Pub.

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Char Sui.

​After a long day of fighting the crowds at the Galleria, my dining companion and I were left tired and hungry. Katharine Shilcutt's first look at E Tao and the sheer convenience of not having to leave the mall to get what I was craving sealed the deal. I wanted Chinese food, but not just your average mall food court Chinese.

Sure, you can get your General Tao's and Sweet and Sour Chicken here, but after perusing E Tao's menu I found they also have Shanghai noodles, Char Sui, scallion pancakes, BBQ pork buns and even dim sum -- all foods I'd have to drive into the heart of Chinatown Houston to get.

A small line had formed, as the narrow dining space had filled up during the lunch hour -- I watched as the cooks formed and steamed the dumplings -- definitely a good sign. I decided to try them.

We were seated after a short wait, and service was prompt and friendly. I really wanted see how the Char Sui ($10.95), Chinese barbecued pork, stood up to its outer loop counterparts. We added a side of sauteed green vegetables in garlic sauce ($10.95) and the dim sum platter ($11.95).

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Pictured on this week's cover: Fellow 2012 MasterMind winners from the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum.

​This time last year, our third annual MasterMind awards was recognizing the new Foodways Texas organization for its work in preserving Texan food history and traditions in the same way that Southern Foodways Alliance has done for a dozen years. It was the first time that a MasterMind award -- which carries $2,000 in prize money with it -- had been given to a food-oriented group.

And it wouldn't be the last.

This year, the 2012 MasterMind awards recognize the talented duo of Pilot Light chefs, Terrence Gallivan and Seth Siegel-Gardner.

The pair of adventurous chefs were recognized this year for creating astounding meals from temporary bases throughout the city while they marshal their money and resources to find a more permanent home. The two chefs left worthy jobs in New York City to make a go of it here in Houston, betting on the city as the next new frontier for talented young chefs with progressive ideas like themselves.

"We would be foolish if we didn't have some trepidation," Gallivan says in this week's cover story, "but we're both really confident that Houston is the place to do this."

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Photo by Beaver's

It sounds so wrong but it feels so right.

​I've been exploring The Best Things I Ever Ate around town. This time, I was on the hunt for Houston's best dips: creamy avocado ranch, Buffalo chicken, spinach and artichoke - you name it, I've tried it. All while looking for the city's best. And I certainly found it in the Smoky Queso "Knocked Up" by the Bar-Bar at Beaver's. When you can order something "knocked up," you know it's gonna be damn good.

When my fiancé and I first moved to Houston a little over a year ago, we stumbled upon Beaver's by accident (literally stumbled -- we were slightly intoxicated). Our friends had come to visit from New Jersey, and not knowing the lay of the land, the four of us had cabbed it to a wine and pizza joint that we found online. Unfortunately (or as it turns out, not), that pizza joint didn't exist. Instead we ended up at a random bar on Washington, loaded up on some Jack and Cokes, and upon our bartender's suggestion, headed over to Beaver's on Decatur St. (Thank you, bartender, whoever you are and wherever we were; I can't remember exactly).

As we walked up to Beaver's, I experienced a "Land of Oz" moment. According to its website, Beaver's is a "Gastropub Meets Texas Icehouse," but that meant absolutely nothing to me at the time. I knew that we had found the restaurant suggested, as I saw a giant Beaver's sign, but it seemed we were in a cutesy neighborhood. We stepped inside the restaurant, with its walls covered gloriously in beavers (stop it, you sicko) and the sweet scent of smoky barbecue piping through the air. Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Jersey anymore.

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Photos by Troy Fields

I love any place that encourages you to openly smoke and curse.

​Glenn Livet and I both unwittingly covered two South Houston classics this week: He in a dive bar post about Bonnie's and me in a review of City Cafe.

Both establishments are notable for several reasons: they are long-lived, they are full of character (and characters) and they both still allow smoking inside.

Normally, I'm not a fan of establishments that allow smoking. Over the weekend in Lafayette, I complained after leaving The Green Room -- downtown Lafayette's smoky craft beer bar/Saints-watching headquarters -- that I smelled like an ashtray, having forgotten what it's like to spend a few hours in a hazy, cigarette-filled room. But the cigarette smoke at City Cafe has never bothered me.

For one, there's a separate smoking section that keeps the cigarettes firmly on one side of the house. And considering how easily smoke can drift over, it's surprisingly effective -- so don't let the smoking ordinance in the City of South Houston affect your decision to eat at the diner. You'd miss out on some very fine chicken-fried steak, and even better hash browns, malted waffles and grits.

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​My ideal Friday night is simple - I don't ask for much: All I want is a delicious meal with my man... accompanied by an even more delicious bottle of wine (or two)... in a softly lit room...somewhere not too far...with a bill that won't break the bank. See, I'm easy (restrain yourselves, Michael Scotts of the world).

I've been around town (sorry, too easy), and I've definitely found a number of restaurants that meet my criteria. One of my hands down favorites? Ibiza Food & Wine Bar on Louisiana Street in Midtown. This place is special enough for birthdays (ask and they'll bring out a plate of cotton candy with a sparkler!), but this past weekend, we went to celebrate something perhaps even more special: a Friday.

With a backlit wall filled entirely by bottles of wine, Ibiza and I were fast friends. We were even closer once I checked out the prices (the Clark Cooper Concepts restaurant prices wine just above retail). Being Malbec lovers, we chose the Navarro Correas Alegoría Gran Reserva Malbec ($21), a bright, medium-bodied red from Argentina with accents of blackberry, chocolate and cherry.

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