Whether you want to eat well or do good, Houston Restaurant Weeks is for you! Every foodie’s favorite month of the year is here. Between August 1 and September 7, almost 400 area restaurants are participating in the largest annual fundraiser for the Houston Food Bank.

In the Energy Corridor District, Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen, District 7, and Cafe Benedicte are all offering special menus for HRW.

Enjoy a 3-course dinner for $55 at Cafe Benedicte, where you can choose from two salads, a pepper-crusted tenderloin or seared scallops as an appetizer, then follow it with your choice of four entrees. Dessert choices include a banana Foster bread pudding, chocolate cheesecake, crepe brûlée or acai berry sorbet.

Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen is serving a 3-course dinner menu for $39/person. Choose from four appetizer selections, followed by six entree selections — everything from Chilean sea bass to North of the Border or South of the Border combinations. The dessert selections do not disappoint — tres leches, chocolate tres leches, flan or sopapillas.

And District 7 is offering two prix fixe menus. Dinner is available seven nights a week for $55/plate, featuring your choice of osso buco, lamb chops, maple glazed salmon and red fish. Dessert offerings include a pizookie, tres leches and vanilla creme brûlée. Meanwhile, a special brunch menu is available Friday through Sunday for $25/person. The brunch menu features two courses with entree choices of an open face rueben, chicken & waffles, French toast or an all American breakfast.

Hungry yet? Make plans now to eat at one of our participating restaurants. They’ll donate $1 from every brunch meal served, and up to $5 for each dinner meal served. This marks the 23rd year of Houston Restaurant Weeks and during that time, more than $22 million has been raised for the Houston Food Bank, which equates to 66 million meals that have gone to help those with food insecurity.

Each year, Energy. Corridor District donates thousands of dollars to non-profit organizations whose efforts benefit communities in the District and surrounding area as part of its 12 Days of Christmas initiative.

Grant recipients in 2025 included: Bayou Preservation; ECHO Orchestra; Keep Houston Beautiful; The Jolly Trolley Foundation; Outreach Center of West Houston; and Ray Daily Elementary School.

To be eligible for the grant, applicants must be a registered 501(c)(3) organization whose mission and services impact the Energy Corridor community and surrounding ares — specifically zip codes 77079, 77084, and 77077.

The application is available online. All submissions must be received by October 31 to be considered. The grants will be presented at the Energy Corridor Tree Lighting event on December 3. Thanks to ConocoPhillips, whose presenting sponsorship supports both the tree lighting and the 12 Days of Christmas grant program.

The Forge Hobbies &. Games has found a new home — and Houston’s gaming community has followed.

The specialty gaming store moved into its new Energy Corridor location at 15123 Memorial earlier this year, just 1½ miles west of its previous storefront. The larger space gives gamers plenty of room to shop, build collections and, most importantly, play.

About 40% of The Forge’s business comes from Warhammer 40,000, a tabletop game that pits miniature armies against one another on elaborate battlefields. The store offers everything players need, from miniature warriors and specialty dice to paints and other supplies. A spacious game room features a dozen tabletop boards, along with two private rooms for more competitive play.

The Forge also hosts games including Age of Sigmar, Marvel: Crisis Protocol and Star Wars Shatterpoint, along with Board Game Nights and special themed events.

Not a gamer? No problem. Staff members offer tabletop demonstrations for beginners and are happy to introduce newcomers to the hobby.

As The Forge continues to expand into adjacent space, its role as a gathering place for Houston’s gaming community is growing, too.

A new opportunity to connect, serve and give back is taking shape in the Energy Corridor District. A new Energy Corridor Rotary Club is forming, bringing together like-minded adults who want to make a difference in their community while building meaningful relationships along the way.

Those interested in learning more are invited to an exploratory meeting on August 13, when organizers will share more about the club, including membership opportunities and plans for the future. The meeting will be held at 12 pm at Sylvia’s Enchilada Kitchen, 1140 Eldridge Parkway.

Once established, the club will meet over lunch on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at Sylvia’s, with a monthly third-Friday happy hour at Pho Ben. The goal is to create a welcoming group where members can exchange ideas, build connections and put those ideas into action through community service.

If you’ve been looking for a way to become more involved in the Energy Corridor — or simply want to meet people who share your commitment to giving back — this is a chance to be part of something from the beginning. Come to the August 13 meeting and see where it leads.

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