<p>It's been a fantastic four years and I'd like to hear about a fun place for our last dinner! We won't be renting a car so likely a Rice Village spot would work best. My son will eventually take the lead on this -- but I'd love to hear where you'd like to celebrate the Friday night before graduation.</p>
<p>Congrats to all the new Owls who will soon discover what makes Rice such an ideal school!
Congrats to all the Class of '12 Owls who i will soon see in cap and gowns!
Congrats to all the people who make this forum such a wonderful place to visit!</p>
<p>oooh I’m also looking for suggestions for a fancy place a in Houston. My parents want to have a really fancy dinner and since I’m a poor college student, I haven’t been frequenting those sorts of places over the years. I have a car so anywhere in the surrounding area works for me.</p>
<p>This question is right up my alley. In Rice Village, I’ve always enjoyed Benjy’s – good food, good service and a beautiful upscale vibe. Prego’s is also good, but not quite as special for a celebratory dinner.</p>
<p>sffhgoalie – restaurants in Houston can get more expensive, but they typically don’t get “fancy,” as you’d be hard pressed to find a restaurant in town that requires men to wear a jacket. I just ate at Haven for the first time and it was a fair more expensive than I usually go, but it was a beautiful environment, with wonderful food and service. It’s not too far from Rice either (just north of the Southwest Fwy off Kirby). It has locally sourced food with a southern slant. I know of someone who went to Eddie V’s last year after the Rice graduation and thought it was wonderful. If you like seafood, Reef is really nice (in midtown). If you tell me the type of food your family likes, I’m happy to make other suggestions.</p>
<p>And congratulations to the graduates!!!</p>
<p>Best really fancy place in Houston - RDG + Bar Annie. Last time I went with a date (during Houston Restaurant Week with mega discounts, haha), President Leebron coincidentally sat down at the table next to us.</p>
<p>Other good fancy places around town: Hugo’s, Backstreet Cafe, Reef.</p>
<p>For the village, I also recommend Benjy’s! It’s a tad longer walk than most places in the village but should be worth it. It’s also not terribly expensive.</p>
<p>(P.S. As a senior, it kind of makes me laugh that I probably know all the kids of parents posting here. Small school problems. Congrats!)</p>
<p>Another nice restaurant is Americas (on West Gray). It’s a very cool place with interesting decorations. Hugo’s has an amazing brunch buffet for those who will still be in town on Sunday. [Brunch</a> at Hugos Mexican Restaurant - Houston, TX](<a href=“http://www.hugosrestaurant.net/brunch.html]Brunch”>http://www.hugosrestaurant.net/brunch.html)</p>
<p>Thanks, silentsailor and blackeyedsusan, for your great tips! </p>
<p>Blackeyedsusan, thanks so very much for all your help from Owl Days on! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Rice Moms are the best!</p>
<p>Reef Reef Reef. That place is so good, and it’s where I had my parents take me for graduation.</p>
<p>If you want up scale and fancy - Mark’s would fit the bill. we had a lovely graduation dinner there. [Mark’s</a> American Cuisine, Houston, Texas](<a href=“http://www.marks1658.com/]Mark’s”>http://www.marks1658.com/) It is not in Rice Village.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone! I’m going to note all these restaurants for a celebratory (or will it be consolatory … sniff, sniff) dinner with my husband after we drop off our new Owl in August!</p>
<p>Reef sounds really interesting, Dorian. Thanks. And while fancy could be the right target, I guess I still remember how much fun we all had when we celebrated graduation with two other families in a very quirky Philly restaurant, where we laughed out loud and told lots of stories. (Reminder to self: This is my son’s celebration!) Thanks, again, for all the suggestions!</p>
<p>NoviceMomma,</p>
<p>We ate in Ruggles after dropping off our once-new, now-almost alum Owl! Very comfy, great desserts, and an easy walk from campus and our hotel. Welcome to the Rice Family, NM – I’ve learned so much here and can only imagine that you will, too. Have you put your Rice sticker on your car yet – my husband keeps saying that it has to come off after graduation. We’ll see!</p>
<p>Prego, in Rice Village. Upscale but not pretentious creative Italian fare. I’ve eaten there a handful of times both on business and with family when we checked out Rice for my son. We are foodies from CA and I have never been disappointed with any of my meals at Prego.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all the suggestions guys! (and sorry Ottoline if I kind of hijacked your thread…) I am a little disappointed because I got all excited about Reef and then tried to make a reservation and found that it was booked for my party size pretty much all night. Why did my parents have to have 3 kids haha. Oh well, plenty of other suggestions here!</p>
<p>Sffgoalie – No hijacking in the least. Just added to our thread! My son just told me where he and his friends and their families want to go for the big celebration. My lips are sealed. I wish every graduating Owl much joy and can’t wait to get my feet back on campus!</p>
<p>Sffgoalie - you should check out Haven. It’s really as nice as Reef.</p>
<p>Often the best things in life aren’t planned. After making and breaking reservations (with good time for both places to fill our tables) at Prego’s and Benjy’s, we ended up having a very noisy dinner at the Rice Village restaurant where our journey began. And we had lots of spoons to enjoy Ruggles’ scrumptious Charlotte’s Web dessert together. We were noisy, laughed, and sighed – and our boys were still in the dressy gear they wore for the Phi Beta Kappa ceremony. Graduation was tops – Khan gave a lively speech that resonated well, and tipped his hat to Ann Doerr, one of Rice’s most generous alums. It was great meeting my son’s friends and the profs we’ve heard about over the past four years! I send a hug to another Class of '12 Rice Mom, PG, who must be feeling just as proud as I do! What a grand commencement weekend! Thank you, Rice! And I’m so glad the rain stopped for us – just like it did for move-in in '08!</p>