“A tasty preview of the items to be featured on Eat Drink HTX menus from MKT Bar and RADO Market. Katie Stone chats with Haig Tcholokian at MKT Bar in downtown Houston and with Chris Williams and Chef Jaden Gaines at the RADO Market in Third Ward.
Get ready Houston – the previews are starting, menus go live February 1st, but before then Foodies and Friends is featuring some of the participating restaurants and highlighting dishes that will be on the Eat Drink HTX menus in 2026.
In this episode of Foodies and Friends Katie goes to the markets- well – MKT Bar in downtown Houston and talks with Haig Tcholokian and visits with Chris Williams ( Lucille’s Hospitality Group) and Chef Jaden Gaines at the RADO Market and Cafe.
Located inside Phoenicia Specialty Foods at 1001 Austin Street in downtown Houston opened its doors in November 2011 and became Downtown Houston’s first grocery store in over 40 years. Urban residents and workers are now joined by customers who drive in to the city to visit this one-stop shop stocked with all of the market’s signature food favorites. These include prepared meals, sandwich station, salad bar, olive bar, espresso bar and a bakery with European and Mediterranean desserts and breads, prepared daily by experienced chefs. The market also features a fresh pizza corner, quality meats and cheeses, and gourmet gelatos
. MKT BAR, is an in-house gastro-pub that accommodates as many as 260 guests.. Phoenicia Foods Downtown is a unique destination for Houstonians, foodies and visitors alike (with the convenience of a complimentary, onsite-parking garage
Plantain chips with 2 dipping sauces, skewered chicken and lamb meatballs join luscious desserts on the Eat Drink HTX menu.
Named for its historic location beneath the Eldorado Ballroom, Rado Cafe & Market is a hybrid all-day cafe and neighborhood market for the Third Ward community — bringing culturally-conscious prepared foods, fresh groceries, locally-sourced products and a bistro-inspired menu to the Emancipation corridor.
From the Pound Cake Waffle to the Philly Cheesesteak, Chef Jaden puts her spin on classic dishes for both breakfast and lunch patrons.
Eat Drink HTX menus go lie on line February 1st and the event runs from February 15 through the 28th. 2 weeks of eating out and doing good, before you get back to your new year’s resolutions!
Eat Drink HTX is the sister event to Houston’s most popular foodie event, Houston Restaurant Weeks, produced by The Cleverley Stone Foundation. The lower price point event designed for casual dining concepts was conceived by HRW founder Cleverley Stone in the final years of her life, launched in 2022 with 91 participants and benefited the Houston Food Bank and Star of Hope Mission in Houston. Similar to HRW, Eat Drink HTX offers specially priced, prix fixe brunches, lunches and dinners along with a corresponding donation. Participating restaurants make donations based upon how many Eat Drink HTX meals they sell during the event; diners are not solicited for donations. The event includes restaurants located in Harris, Galveston and Montgomery counties. The Galveston County Food Bank and Montgomery County Food Bank are part of the Houston Food Bank’s Partner Distribution Organizations (PDOs). The Houston Food Bank provides food to these smaller food banks, which in turn distribute the food to hunger relief charities in a portion of HFB’s service area.
Produced by the Cleverley Stone Foundation, Foodies and Friends is available on demand on FOX Local on your smart TV, and on the FOX 26 YouTube channel.
Affectionately called “The Diva of Dining,” Cleverley Stone made it her life’s mission to beat hunger in Houston Restaurant Weeks. “Dine Out & Do Good” was Stone’s mantra, and her tireless efforts spurred an annual citywide boom in restaurant revenues and contributions to The Houston Food Bank.
Cleverley Stone passed away on May 28, 2020, following her battle with cancer. She was 68 years old.
Stone’s final wish was that Houston Restaurant Weeks Restaurant Weeks continue in perpetuity in her name.
The Cleverley Stone Foundation was created by Cleverley’s daughter, Katie Stone, to continue her Mother’s mission and legacy of supporting Houston Restaurant Weeks benefiting the Houston Food Bank, which takes place August 1st through Labor Day each year. Together Houstonians and Houston restaurant owners have raised more than $22 million over the past 21 years to support the Houston Food Bank and the hunger needs of our community.
Houston Restaurant Weeks and its sister event Eat Drink HTX is the largest annual fundraiser for the nation’s largest food bank. The Houston Food Bank services an 18-county area in southeast Texas
Eat Drink HTX – February 15- 28, 2026
Houston Restaurant Weeks- August 1 – September 7, 2026
More about the foundation https://thecleverleystonefoundation.org
Houston Food Bank – houstonfoodbank.org
