As our sister blog Eating... Our Words does, from time to time Rocks Off will be giving you our picks for the top taverns in various Houston-area neighborhoods. Of course, the lines can be porous, but here anything with a TABC license that cannot reasonably be considered either a restaurant, coffeehouse or live-music venue is fair game. One little confession to make, though. Ignore the steaks being served around you and go straight for the liquid diet at those bars. You won't regret it. Look, we don't know why. We don't know how. All we know is that every time Rocks Off has gone to Howl at the Moon, we've been impressed by the fact that there are so many cougars on the prowl. Even if it wasn't filled to the brim with the Mrs. Robinson types, it would be worth a shot. But luckily, it is full of cougars on the hunt. These cougars are relatively harmless unless you're a handsome young gent, in which case you're on your own against those claws. The cougars at this little chill wine bar are of the refined sort, so put on your big-boy pants, comb your hair, and brush up on your wine-ordering skills to make sure you look like a good catch when you saunter up to the bar. Classic-rock covers busted out via dueling pianos? How could the more refined ladies not want to hang out here? This small ish bar is always packed with cougars and piano-bar fans alike, and it can get pretty rowdy, but really that's a good thing. There lack of space ensures you'll brush up against one of the ladies you're lookin' for at some point during the night. It's a cozy little bar, full of an older, more refined crowd, but younguns are still welcome to join in and appease the cougars who prowl this place. Just don't order anything that involves Jagermeister -- it's whiskey or nothing here. It's like the cougar version of warm milk. Comforting for the soul. We aren't here to talk about food, though. We're looking for cougars, and you'll find them in Fuad's back bar, which is the closest you'll come to watching a live scene from Dallas in the '80s. The big hair, oil money, and cougar antics are the best part of this place. Whenever we eat here, we ask for a table by the bar to observe. Maybe one of these days we'll be brave enough to just go to the damn bar instead, but until then we'll just watch the cougar hunt go down. We've literally never been in this bar without spotting at least one table of cougars on the prowl, and the bar stays open quite late, so we can imagine it only gets better as the night goes on. Lots of good wine and an interesting crowd keep these ladies coming back night after night, we'd guess. Happy hour at The Palm is something that everyone should experience at least once; happy hour for cougar hunters is something that needs to be experienced weekly, because it is the pinnacle of the Houston cougar dens. The crowd at The Palm is older in general, which makes sense given its expensive wine and expensive steaks and all, but The Palm's bar is dripping with the best kind of cat around. The competition is hardly stiff, either, considering that this place does attract a more refined crowd. Just try to act a bit cultured, or you'll look way out of place in this Cheers for the elite.
