Date Night: Downtown Houston

When I first moved to Houston, longtime residents would lament about how great downtown “used to be”. “There used to be so much more to do!” is something that I would hear a lot – and frankly, not really understand!  Due to a thriving Theater District, Minute Maid Park (home of the Houston Astros), Discovery Green, top-notch shopping, and a host of great restaurants and fun bars, we frequently reserve Friday night for Date Night: Downtown.  Here are a few of my favorite combos, but you can mix-and-match to create your ideal date night.  Downtown might just be the best-kept secret in Houston right now.

Date Night A: A Game and a Bite

My husband loves to go to Astros Games.  A huge Yankees fan, he’s adopted the ‘Stros as his home team and he roots for them with enthusiasm (though not as much enthusiasm as he shows when we’re watching the Yanks on television).  Since Minute Maid Park is a quick, 10-minute walk from the city’s light rail train – a ground-level public train that only costs $1.25 each way to ride – we frequently take the train so we can enjoy a few beers during the game.  Afterward, we love to grab a late, light dinner at Mia Bella Trattoria on our way home.  Mia Bella is right next to the Preston Street Station platform, so the post-meal stroll back to the train is a short one.

The dining room, late night, at Mia Bella.

Minute Maid Park is located at 501 Crawford St. (map).  Call 713-259-8000 for more information.  Get to the park early if you want to watch beat the long concession lines or watch batting practice.  Since we usually go out for a late dinner after the game, we’ll grab a dog and a couple of beers early in the game and let ourselves get hungry again (dogs and beer are around $8 each).  I get my dog plain, and add onion, jalenpeno, and mustard but you can also get them full-on with chili and cheese.  Hunt around to find the cart selling Chicago dogs – if you’re not doing dinner later – mmmm!  You can find all kinds of food at the ballpark, so don’t feel limited by hot dogs: pizza, burgers, fries, snowcones, nachos, and more are available; check the online concession list for more details.  Schedules and tickets are available online.

Mia Bella serves Italian classics with modern twists, and they are open Sunday-Monday 11 AM – 11PM; Friday & Saturday 11 AM – Midnight.  Our favorite on the entire menu are the Croquettas di Risotto ($6.95).  We usually order croquettas, a salad, and another appetizer or a pasta dish to share with a bottle of wine for the perfect, late-night dinner date.  Doing three appetizers and a bottle of wine usually keeps our bill in the $100 range (for two).  Pasta entrees start at $9.95, protein entrees start at $12.95.  Mia Bella Trattoria is located at 320 Main St. (map). Call 713-237-0505 for more information or to make reservations.

Date Night B: Dinner and a Dive

I like to contrast a high-end dinner with a less-formal environment for the post-meal digestif.  It’s kind of fun to get dolled up for dinner and then hit the bars a little more dressed up than the rest of the crowd.  My Dinner-and-a-Dive combo recommendation: dinner at 17 in the Alden Hotel (formerly the Sam Houston) followed by drinks at Houston’s oldest bar, La Carafe.

17 Restaurant at the Alden Hotel is a current participant in Houston Restaurant Week, and a really lovely date-night dinner pick.  The atmosphere is the perfect blend of modern and retro, and the food is both high-concept and delicious; important, since I find that overly sculptural food can sometimes lack other essential things – like taste.  No worries, 17 delivers; we last noshed on steak, snapper, and a crabmeat gazpacho that knocked my stilettos off.  17 Restaurant at the Alden is located at 1117 Prairie St. (map) and is open for dinner Monday-Saturday, 5:30 PM – 10 PM.  Call 832.200.8800 for reservations.

Ok, La Carafe really isn’t a “dive” but it’s a low-lit, low-key, low-maintenence place to be.  A cash-only establishment, this is what I usually call “my kinda joint”.  The crowd was mostly locals, but ages range from young to not-so-young, and it’s my new go-to bar downtown because of the laid-back clientele and the off-the-beaten-pathness of it.  Repeat – bring cash!  Your ATM card will do, there’s a machine in the back.  A round of drinks for four is about $20-$25.  La Carafe is located at 813 Congress St. (map); open Monday-Friday Noon-2 AM, Saturday & Sunday 1 PM – 2 AM.

Guitar atop the House of Guitars, Houston.

Date Night C: Shop and Eat (Alternate Title: Eat and Shop)

I’m a lucky gal – my husband is usually willing to go shopping with me.  Before you get too jealous, please see “Date Night A: A Game and a Bite”, wherein I attend baseball games.  Anyway, I try to reward Josh with a meal and a glass of wine (or three) when he goes along for the retail ride … and especially if he buys me something pretty!  Hit the Houston Pavilions and Macy’s, located right along Main St., or walk a couple of blocks to the Shops at Houston Center.

Macy’s is located at 1110 Main St. (map).  Store hours: Monday-Thursday 9:30 AM -6 PM; Friday 8 AM – 8 PM; Saturday 9 AM – 7PM.  Call the store at 713.405.7035.

Shops at Houston Center are located at 1200 McKinney St. (map) and are open Monday-Friday 10 AM – 6 PM, Saturday 10 AM-3 PM.

For dinner, you’ve got your choice of plenty of great restaurants.  You can stick to something quick and easy at the food courts, or find a table for two and have a sit-down.  Try House of Blues if you want to throw a little music into the mix.  House of Blues Houston is located at 1204 Caroline St. (map).  Dinner service starts at 7 PM; call 713.652.5837 to make reservations.

Date Night D: Dinner and a Show

Houston has an incredible Theater District, right in the heart of downtown.  Not only is it easily accessible by the light rail, it (somewhat miraculously) has great parking, too!  Parking in downtown Houston is notoriously bad, but the Theater District makes it easy with their own garage, located at 511 Rusk St. (map).  Theaters include, but aren’t limited to, the Alley Theatre, the Houston Ballet, and the Verizon Wireless Theater.  If a quiet, romantic dinner for two a la Mia Bella isn’t what you have in mind, I recommend something a little more fun and upbeat at the Hard Rock Cafe.  Located on the same block as the Verizon Wireless Theater and easily identifiable by the giant guitar on top, the Hard Rock Cafe Houston is located at 502 Texas St. (map) and rocks Sunday-Thursday 11 AM – Midnight, Friday & Saturday 11 AM – 1 AM.  If you’ve done Hard Rock, try nearby Sambuca Dinner Club at 909 Texas St. (map) for live music, dancing, plus dinner and drinks.  Dinner hours for Sambuca are: Monday-Wednesday 5 PM – 10 PM, Thursday 5 PM – 11 PM, Friday & Saturday 5 PM – Midnight, and Sunday 5 PM – 11 PM.

Photo 1, SXC; additional photos from the personal collection of Christina Uticone & Joshua Payne.