HANC Tapas on the Trails: A Valentine’s Evening at the Arboretum

Title: HANC Tapas on the Trails: A Valentine’s Evening at the Arboretum
Location: Houston Arboretum & Nature Center
Link out: Click here
Description: Leave the sequins and stilettos at home and Walk on the wild side with your Valentine!

Celebrate a very special Valentine’s Eve with gourmet food and wine in Houston’s premier venue for natural beauty. Meander from one delectable table to the next along the recently restored Willow Oak Trail. Dine on delicious tapas created by Chef Randy Ruckerl complete with wine pairings for each food selection.

Your culinary adventure culminates at the Meadow Deck with sparkling wine, gourmet Starbucks coffees and desserts prepared by Chef Dan Budd.

Tapas Cheese and Fruit StationChef Randy Rucker credits his mother for his passion for food, and looks to his culinary peers and love of Third Coast produce and cuisine for inspiration. Rucker has an extensive culinary resume, ranging from positions at Mark’s American Cuisine to Quattro at Four Seasons Hotel Houston to the Rainbow Lodge, where he received a rare four-star review from Alison Cook. In 2011 he was named a Houston Rising Star by Starchefs.com as the chef-owner of Bootsie’s in Tomball, Texas. Rucker also received two nominations from the James Beard Foundation for best new restaurant and best chef in the southwest region of the United States. He is in the process of opening his latest venture, Restaurant conat in the Museum District of Houston. Rucker expresses his philosophy—that food should represent an unrepeatable time and place – in the foraged ingredients that inspire his daily-changing menus.

Chef Dan Budd has been the pastry chef at such famous New York eateries as The River Cafe, The Peninsula Hotel and Park Avenue Café. He was named twice as “Top Ten Pastry Chef in America” by Chocolatier magazine, was nominated for pastry chef of the year by The James Beard Foundation and currently owns Taste Budd’s Chocolate and Coffee Cafe of Red Hook, NY.

Chef Dan Budd will be teaching a class “Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate” on Friday, Feb. 10.

Date:

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Time:

Arrive anytime between 5 and 8 p.m. to start your stroll. Last admission on the trail is 8 p.m. Event closes at 9 p.m.

Cost:

$75 per person for Arboretum members; $85 per person for non-members.
Childcare for ages 5 and up at a fee of $10 per child. Reservations are required; limited spaces are available.

Deadline:

Pre-registration is required! Limited spaces still available – Registration will close on Friday, February 10 at 4 p.m., or when event is sold out.

Special note:
Dress comfortably for your walk through the woods. Trail to Meadow Deck is approximately 1/4 mile and is wheelchair accessible. In case of inclement weather, event will be held in nature center building.
Start Time: 17:00
Date: 2012-02-11
End Time: 21:00