"The 16-seat, lounge-like Cherry Blossom room at French-influenced Asian restaurant Le Passage can host a formal sit-down dinner, but its separate bar and low round tables work even better for drinks and heavy snacks. When you book, ask the bar to have glasses of crisp sparkling sake ready to greet your guests, and choose your menu items ahead of time. The smart play here is to get the peking duck with thin, crispy skin, and tender chicken skewers with a sweet-salty peanut sauce that are easy to eat while standing and talking." - kevin gray
"The 16-seat, lounge-like Cherry Blossom room at French-influenced Asian restaurant Le Passage can host a formal dinner if you want, but its separate bar and low round tables work even better for drinks and heavy snacks. When you book, ask the bar to have glasses of crisp sparkling sake ready to greet your guests, and choose your menu items ahead of time. The smart play here is to get standout dishes like the peking duck with thin, crispy skin, and tender chicken skewers with a sweet-salty peanut sauce that are easy to eat while standing and talking. RESERVE A TABLE" - Kevin Gray
"The brunch menu at Le PasSage has some wonderful dishes, but there are two standouts: the Japanese soufflé pancakes, served with matcha tea sabayon as a kind of syrup substitute, honey butter, and fresh fruit, and the fried chicken and waffle, which has dribbles of hot honey chili sauce that gives it all a kick of heat and a side of Chinese pickles. Brunch here has been exclusively on the patio with views of the Katy Trail, although that is likely to change as we hit summer. There is valet out front and parking in the building’s underground lot." - Courtney E. Smith
"Inside this restaurant off the Katy Trail, find a design that mimics some modern version of the Orient Express — a fancy train car with cool lavender walls and velvet seats in deep purple. As a bonus, the lighting is flattering everywhere. It also has one of the city’s best patios, in blues and light wood, that faces into the greenery covering the trail. The layout of both spaces creates a natural aisle to walk and opens into a dance floor for a reception. Leave the doors in the dining room open to the patio for an indoor-outdoor feel. The kitchen serves South Asian foods prepared with French techniques, which covers plates of roast chicken with Thai flair, shaking beef, and five-spice duck breast." - Courtney E. Smith
"A brunch service recently accommodated a large private mahjong group by reserving a substantial portion of the dining room and accommodating an outside instructor, indicating the venue’s willingness to host organized, instructor-led social gaming events during daytime service." - Courtney E. Smith