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Tag: seasonal

  • Best Of Houston® 2025: Best Dessert Service – Houston Press

    Best Dessert Service: Camaraderie

    Camaraderie proves chef Shawn Gawle didn’t leave his sweet tooth at March, where he was executive pastry chef. The buzzy Heights newcomer splits its personality between a tasting-menu dining room and a laid-back lounge and patio, but both end with show-stopping, whimsical desserts that are almost too pretty to eat (we said almost). Think froyo with stone fruit, granola and olive oil, “Milk & Honey” with beeswax gelato and candied almonds, a miso-butterscotch bombe with toasted buckwheat gelato, and a peachy melba pavlova. Come for dinner, stay for dessert — or skip straight to the sweets with a fancy cocktail in hand.

    608 West 11th 

    camaraderiehtx.com

    This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.

    Houston Press

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  • Dunkin’ announces menu change

    Dunkin’ has officially signaled the arrival of the festive period by announcing its new holiday menu, which includes a range of new and returning seasonal food and drinks, and is set to launch in stores nationwide on Wednesday, November, 5. 

    Why It Matters

    The company’s annual holiday menu is a major event for Dunkin’ customers who, each year, eagerly anticipate which old favorites might be back and what exciting, new additions might be on the menu to try. 

    As an example of this level of fandom, one customer posted this on X just as the 2024 seasonal menu was announced: “1st day of the best month of the year. Dunkin’s holiday menu dropped.”

    What To Know

    Dunkin’, the largest coffee and doughnut chain in the United States, with over 14,000 locations worldwide, has announced five new festive items and the return of two classic fan-favorites for this year’s holiday season. The new menu items will be served in limited-edition packaging that’s illustrated with gingerbread-style Munchkins, which are storybook-style characters of Dunkin’ Munchkin donut holes, but are wearing seasonal outfits.

    Dunkin’s new holiday-inspired additions 

    Cookie Butter Cloud Latte: This is an iced espresso drink that incorporates brown sugar and baked cookie flavors. It’s topped with cold cookie butter foam and finished with cookie crumbles.

    Berry Sangria Refresher: This is Dunkin’s first holiday-themed refresher drink, which is designed to taste like a festive punch that combines red berry flavors with the customer’s choice of green tea, black tea, lemonade, or sparkling water.

    Raspberry Striped Croissant: This is an all-butter croissant with a raspberry fruit filling and ribbons of raspberry baked into the croissant dough.

    Ultimate Bacon Jam Breakfast Sandwich: This is a new savory croissant that’s filled with bacon, white cheddar cheese, a fried egg, and all-new sweet-meets-savory bacon jam.

    Bacon Jam Grilled Cheese: This is a piece of sourdough toast topped with bacon strips, melted white cheddar and American cheese, and all-new sweet-meets-savory bacon jam.

    Dunkin’s returning festive favorites 

    Peppermint Mocha: This classic drink combines mocha and peppermint flavors with coffee, and comes in iced and hot versions.

    Toasted White Chocolate Signature Latte: This is a hot or iced toasted white chocolate-flavored latte that’s topped with whipped cream and a caramel and cinnamon sugar, designed to taste like a crème brûlée.

    Dunkin’ will also run its annual “Joy in Childhood Foundation Give Joy fundraiser” from November 5 to November 30. A $1 donation will reward customers with a coupon for a $1 Medium Hot Coffee, and a $16 donation will get them a special-edition Dunkin’ x BARK Chocolate Frosted Sprinkle or Cold Brew dog toy, with all proceeds going toward children who are hungry or ill.

    What People Are Saying

    According to the official press release, “The holiday magic at Dunkin’ is just beginning, with more exciting news brewing in the weeks ahead.”

    Food reviewer Snackolator said on X: “I am READY for the holiday magic and Dunkin’ is bringing it with a new Cookie Butter Cloud Latte, Wicked Collab, and more! Check out the menu that drops Nov 5th and Christmas donuts arriving Dec 3rd.”

    What Happens Next

    The 2025 holiday menu will launch in Dunkin’ locations on November 5 and is expected to remain available until the end of the holiday season, subject to product availability. If customers want to stay updated with new seasonal incentives and menu changes, Dunkin’ advises them to subscribe to the Dunkin’ blog.

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  • Food Events: Game Dinners, Saint Arnold Brews and Opera at the Deli – Houston Press

    Mark your calendars, because you don’t want to miss these deliciously fun culinary happenings:

    Ouisie’s Table, 3939 San Felipe, is serving up a weekly series of imaginative game dinners, offering everything from venison and fowl to elk, now through November 26. Each week brings a new off-menu prix-fixe special, like Seared 5 Spice Duck Breast with black currant sauce, Venison Backstrap Chicken Fried Steak, and Braised Wild North American Elk Osso Buco, with suggested wine pairings available for an additional cost. 

    On Saturday, October 12, honor Filipino American heritage with a special full-day Filipino American History Month Celebration at POST Houston, 401 Franklin, from noon to 9 p.m. Folks can enjoy a bustling marketplace of Filipino vendors, traditional cuisine, live performances and more. 

    State Fare Kitchen and Bar, 947 Gessner, 15930 City Walk, 1900 Hughes Landing, celebrates fall with a three-course Saint Arnold beer pairing dinner, offered from October 13–31. For $55, enjoy dishes like Cocoa-Chili Braised Short Rib, Brown Butter Pierogi and Texas Pecan Tart, each paired with Saint Arnold seasonal brews including its iconic Pumpkinator. 

    On Wednesday, October 15, highly anticipated Energy Corridor concept Kirkwood is teaming up with The Lymbar for an exclusive multi-course wine dinner featuring the wines of DAOU Vineyard. The special evening will be held at The Lymbar, 4201 Main, beginning with a reception at 6 p.m., followed by the wine-paired dinner at 6:30. Highlights include a decadent Lobster Ballotine, richly layered Braised Short Rib and a trio of sweet and savory bites, including Sticky Toffee Pudding and Roquefort blue cheese. Tickets are $110 per person, plus tax and gratuity.

    Lyric Market, 411 Smith, has a series of events in its fall lineup, including Cocktails For A Cause on Wednesday, October 15, featuring a special Happy Hour and Silent Auction in partnership with the Lupus Foundation of America – Texas Gulf Coast; a Sip & Bloom Floral Workshop on Thursday, October 16; the Tastes & Treasures Pop-Up Artisan Market (Halloween Edition) on Friday, October 18;  Ravioli Making Class on Thursday, October 23; and more.

    Kenny & Ziggy’s New York Delicatessen, 1743 Post Oak, teams up with Houston’s innovative opera company HOPERA for Divas at the Deli, an evening of food, song and laughter for one-night-only on Saturday, October 18. The 6:30 p.m. dinner features a buffet of East European favorites like Beef Mouton Rothchild, Chicken Breast with Cherry Roman Sauce and Snapper Isabelle, plus Kenny & Ziggy’s legendary cheesecake for dessert. While you dine, HOPERA co-founder Brennan Blankenship and contralto Davia Bouley perform famous operatic arias with live musical accompaniment. Tickets are $75 per person, including tax and gratuity, and must be purchased in advance by Tuesday, Oct.ober 14, by calling 713-871-8883.

    This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025.

    Brooke Viggiano

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  • Taste Fall at Farmhouse, Descanso Gardens’ Seasonal Restaurant

    The farm-to-table restaurant is serving comforting autumn flavors, just in time to watch the leaves change in the gardens

    Descanso Gardens’ restaurant celebrates the season with new menu offerings.
    Credit: Farmhouse at Descanso Gardens

    Descanso Gardens’ farm-to-table restaurant, Farmhouse, debuted a new fall menu Friday, with dishes and drinks inspired by the very best of Southern California’s autumn flavors. 

    Chef Partner Rich Mead and Executive Chef Adam Cherney crafted a menu that highlights fresh, comforting fall ingredients: seared salmon with butternut squash puree and persimmon, a market salad layered with Pink Lady apples and dried cranberries, and grilled pork tenderloin paired with apple compote, sausage bread pudding and dandelion greens. Seasonal starters such as acorn squash with salsa macha and heartier main dishes like seafood pasta in a tomato-based cioppino broth round out the menu.

    The acorn squash features theachapi grain project red fife wheat, black currants, pine nuts and salsa macha.
    Credit: Farmhouse at Descanso Gardens

    Two specialty drinks add a festive flair, perfect for Halloween. Sip on the Drunken Pumpkin, a spiced, bourbon cocktail with pumpkin, lemon and cinnamon, or the Black Lagoon, a fruity blend of rum, pineapple and lime. The secret to the Black Lagoon’s dark, spooky hue? Activated charcoal.

    Since opening in May, Farmhouse has embraced local ingredients from California’s boutique farms. The restaurant’s indoor-outdoor space includes a wraparound bar with garden views, just the place for admiring Descanso Gardens’ ginkgo trees as they turn a rich gold color this season.

    The new menu arrives just in time for Carved, Descanso Gardens’ family-friendly Halloween experience, which runs Oct. 3-30. The event features a mile-long trail with a hay maze, giant hand-carved pumpkins and a Día de Los Muertos installation at the Amphitheater. Descanso Gardens’ iconic railroad with be specially lit for Carved, making each ride a little more eerie. 

    As summer turns to autumn and new crops start to flourish, Descanso Gardens’ seasonal flavors and festive programming is something to savor.

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    Alia Yee Noll

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  • Best Of Houston® 2024: Best Seafood

    Best Of Houston® 2024: Best Seafood

    Best Seafood: Little’s Oyster Bar

    With year one under its belt, Pappas Restaurant group’s first chef-driven concept has built a major following among seafood fans. Evenings find the dining room and patio full of diners happily slurping down freshly shucked oysters on the half shell, lobster on ice and gorgeous stone crab claws slathered through Creole mustard aioli. Then comes the finest chargrilled octopus in town, a lobster gnocchi dish you never knew was missing in your life, seasonal delights like blue crab stuffed squash blossoms, and mains from a beautiful King Salmon to chicken-fried American red snapper. Pro-tip that has nothing to do with seafood at all: pair something, anything, with the housemade Dill Breaker cocktail.

    3001 South Shepherd
    713-522-4595
    littlesoysterbar.com

    Houston Press

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  • Best Of Houston® 2024: Best Italian

    Best Of Houston® 2024: Best Italian

    Best Italian: Coltivare

    Houston seems to be having a renaissance when it comes to Italian restaurants; with a growing number of classic red sauce joints, fancy Italian steakhouses and friendly trattorias with scratchmade pastas and pies entering the dining scene over the last few years. With so many new faces in town, it sometimes feels right to revisit something tried and true; especially when that old favorite refreshes its menu to put out fresh-from-the-garden bangers year-round. Celebrating a decade earlier this year, Coltivare is a masterclass in seasonal dining (its name is Italian for “to farm,” “to cultivate,” or “to grow”), with a few menu staples —garlicky drunken mussels, spaghetti with black pepper and parmesan, wood-grilled chicken with pickled grapes — along with rotating specials from gnocchi with sunflower and mint to blistering pizzas topped with roasted duck, charred spring onion and fennel.

    3320 White Oak
    713-637-4095
    agricolehospitality.com/coltivare

    Houston Press

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  • 5 Businesses That Are Winter-Focused But Yield All-Year Results | Entrepreneur

    5 Businesses That Are Winter-Focused But Yield All-Year Results | Entrepreneur

    It’s cold outside. Maybe there is snow on the ground, or decorations on homes and buildings. It’s winter, after all. And while most people may be thinking of their vacation, sitting by a fire sipping cocoa or scraping the ice off their cars, others are thinking of starting a franchise.

    While certain franchises are exclusively tied to winter, such as holiday-themed stores or outdoor sports outlets, we’re highlighting five franchise opportunities uniquely positioned to thrive during the winter months and beyond.

    These franchises offer a diverse range of services and products that cater to year-round needs, ensuring a steady stream of customers and revenue beyond just the winter season. And as a franchisee, this versatility can help minimize the impact of seasonal fluctuations, providing a more stable and sustainable business venture.

    Related: 6 Questions to Ask Before You Begin Your Franchise Search

    Barebones Workwear

    Do you enjoy spending time outdoors in the winter? Barebones WorkWear strives to prepare its customers to take their outdoor job or adventure to the next level with high-quality clothing and gear.

    As a growing brand in northern California, BareBones has been in the franchising world for the last decade. Their commitment to quality ensures that customers are equipped with durable, weather-resistant apparel tailored for rugged environments in all seasons.

    Franchisees not only tap into a thriving market for durable outdoor gear but also benefit from comprehensive support systems, including training, marketing assistance, and a proven business model, paving the way for success in today’s lucrative outdoor industry.

    Shredder

    Enjoy the winter season all year long with a Shredder franchise. Shredder is the first franchisable indoor ski and snowboard facility. So no matter the weather, winter-sport enthusiasts can gear up and shred.

    Shredder offers multiple revenue streams, such as lessons and classes, open ski hours, parties, rentals and retail, so franchisees have several opportunities to diversify their income. With the franchisor’s support, you can work toward proper site selection, training and inventory, bringing winter cheer to all climates.

    Related: Busting Franchising Myths and Choosing the Right Opportunity

    Clintar Commercial Outdoor Services

    Clintar Commerical Outdoor Services is a Canada-based grounds maintenance company that has been operating for 50 years. Their services include landscape installation and maintenance, road maintenance, irrigation and snow and ice control.

    In the winter months, customers especially look to Clintar for their snow and ice removal services. Not in Canada? Clintar is expanding their franchises into the United States and are looking for passionate franchisees to train and deliver quality services in the winter and beyond.

    Midtown Chimney Sweeps

    Millions of households in the United States have at least one fireplace. And given that fireplace usage ramps up during the winter months, it is important to maintain and clean them regularly. This is where Midtown Chimney Sweeps comes in. They offer chimney sweeping services for residential and commercial unites. They also provide installation and repair services to accommodate winter fireplace needs.

    To set their franchisees up for success, Midtown Chimney Sweeps offers protected territories, SEO marketing, access to a scheduling center and guided support with the business model and day-to-day operations.

    Related: Franchise Legalese Defined — A Deep Dive Into Franchising Definitions

    One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning

    Imagine sitting at home in the winter with a broken heating system. One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning is just a call away to provide HVAC services around the clock. Starting a One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning franchise means you join a nationally trusted brand with ongoing support and low startup costs.

    Whether it is to keep your customers warm in the winter or cool in the summer, franchisees can look forward to a wide customer base year-round.

    Clarissa Buch Zilberman

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  • This DIY Caramel Apple Bar Is the Best Way to Serve Dessert on Halloween

    This DIY Caramel Apple Bar Is the Best Way to Serve Dessert on Halloween

    We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

    Bobbing for apples at a Halloween party is so 2019 (hello, germs) — and it’s also a big, wet mess. Instead of getting water everywhere, opt for a beloved fall treat from childhood for kids and adults alike: caramel apples. For your next party, tap into your guests’ sense of nostalgia with a build-your-own caramel apple bar. From the supplies you’ll need to tips and tricks to prevent sticky messes, here’s how to do it — and be the host with the most this autumn:

    What You’ll Need for a DIY Caramel Apple Bar

    How to Set Up the DIY Caramel Apple Bar

    DIY Caramel Apple Bar Techniques and Tips

    In my years of hosting DIY caramel apple bars, these are a few best practices that can make this Halloween treat mess-free and more entertaining.

    Did you try this for your Halloween party? Let us know how it went in the comments below!

    Jennifer Billock

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  • August used to be the best month for the stock market. Then it became the worst.

    August used to be the best month for the stock market. Then it became the worst.

    August the best month for average stock market performance? Or is it the worst?

    The answer depends on the period of stock-market history you examine. Over the 90 years from the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s
    DJIA,
    +0.50%
    inception in 1896 until 1986, August on average was far ahead of the other months — more than four times larger, as you can see from the table below. August outperformed the other months’ average by 1.4 percentage points. This difference is significant at the 95% confidence level that statisticians often use when determining if a pattern is genuine.

    In the years since then, in contrast, August has been the worst month for the stock market, on average, lagging the other months’ average by 1.7 percentage points. Since 1986, in fact, August has been a worse month for the stock market than even September, whose reputation for stock market losses is widely known.

    August’s average DJIA return

    		 Average return of all other months

    		 August’s rank among all 12 months
    1896 to 1986

    		 +1.8%

    		 +0.4%

    		 1st
    After 1986

    		 -0.8%

    		 +0.9%

    		 12th

    If the 36 years since 1986 were all that statisticians had to go on, they would conclude that August’s underperformance was significant at the 95% confidence level — just the opposite of the conclusion that emerges from the 90 years prior. But when analyzing the Dow’s entire history since 1896, August’s performance is no better or worse than average.

    This August, in order to use history as a basis for investing, you’d first need to come up with a plausible explanation of what changed in the 1980s that caused August to swing from best to worst.

    Though I’m not aware of any such explanation, it’s always possible that one exists. To search for it, I analyzed monthly values back to 1900 for the Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU) index that was created by Scott Baker of Northwestern University, Nicholas Bloom of Stanford University, and Steven Davis of the University of Chicago. We know from Finance 101 that the stock market responds to changes in economic uncertainty, so we’d be onto a possible explanation of August’s seasonal tendencies if the EPU underwent some fundamental change in 1986.

    But no such change shows up in the data. August’s average EPU level is no different than for any of the other months of the calendar, either before or after 1986.

    Another possible explanation might trace to investor sentiment. To investigate that possibility, I analyzed stock market timers’ average recommended equity exposure levels, as measured by the Hulbert Stock Newsletter Sentiment Index (HSNSI). I was looking to see if, after 1986, the HSNSI was significantly different at the beginning of August than in other months, on average. The answer is “no.”

    A plausible explanation might still exist for August’s change of fortune beginning in the mid-1980s, notwithstanding my inability to find one. But absent such an explanation, the most likely explanation is that it’s a random fluke.

    It would hardly be a surprise if randomness is the culprit. Most of the patterns that capture Wall Street’s attention are in fact nothing more than statistical noise. The reason we nevertheless insist that significant patterns exist is because — as numerous psychological studies have shown — we’re hardwired to find patterns even in randomness.

    That’s why your default reaction to all alleged patterns, not just those involving August, should be skepticism. The odds are overwhelming that they aren’t genuine. Only if those patterns can survive the scrutiny of a skeptical statistician should you even begin to be interested.

    Mark Hulbert is a regular contributor to MarketWatch. His Hulbert Ratings tracks investment newsletters that pay a flat fee to be audited. He can be reached at mark@hulbertratings.com

    More: Puzzled by the stock-market surge? Overshoots are the new normal, Bank of America strategist says

    Plus: Here’s how long the stock market rally may last

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  • Must Read: How Climate Change Has Affected Shopping Habits, Getting to Know Twitter’s ‘Menswear Guy’

    Must Read: How Climate Change Has Affected Shopping Habits, Getting to Know Twitter’s ‘Menswear Guy’

    These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Friday.

    How climate change has affected shopping habits
    Forecasting shopping trends has never been harder, due to the unpredictable weather the world has been experiencing in the face of climate change. And it’s made merchandising seasonally and managing inventory more difficult for retailers, as Sarah Kent writes in Business of Fashion. These shifts are leading to retailers seeking out seasonless products, to help navigate the unforeseeable future — and, naturally, that’s had an impact on consumers. {Business of Fashion}

    Brooke Frischer

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