• Romantic bistros in Houstonwine image by Fotocie from Fotolia.com
  
  If you're looking for the perfect spot to take that special someone, Houston offers an array of romantic bistros from which to choose. The city offers a host of cuisines served in such intimate settings as tree-covered courtyards, creek-view patios, or tables in quiet corners of a renovated church. Dine on spicy South American fare, innovative nouveau American cuisine, or even savory wild game in front of a rustic, stone fireplace. Houston is home to several top-notch chefs and restaurateurs, which creates intimate dining experiences for your romantic evenings out on the town.
  
  

Mark's American Cuisine

• Located in a gorgeous 1920s church, Mark's American Cuisine has been voted both "Houston's Most Romantic Restaurant" and "Best Interior Design." Serving nouveau American cuisine prepared by chef Mark Cox, the restaurant offers four menus, including "seasonal" "recommended" and "verbal," a menu of the freshest options created for your enjoyment. Though the menu constantly changes, popular selections of the past have included spiney lobster tail, Kobe beef osso bucco, and grilled Texas red snapper.
  
  Mark's American Cuisine
  1658 Westheimer Road
  Houston, TX 77006
  713-523-3800
  marks1658.com
  
  

Peli Peli

• Voted Houston's most romantic restaurant by the readers of Urban Spoon, Peli Peli offers South African cuisine surrounded by avant garde decor. Diners unwind beneath an illuminated sky under the branches of a stylized Acadia tree. The restaurant offers live jazz to set the mood, and signature dishes such as Chef Paul Friedman's flame pepper chicken. The chicken is marinated in guava, grilled over an applewood-smoked grill and served with a variety of dipping sauces--some sweet, some tangy, some spicy. Peli Peli also offers intimate patio dining, and a full lounge and bar.
  
  Peli Peli
  110 Vintage Park Blvd., Suite P
  Houston, TX 77070
  281-257-9500
  pelipeli.com
  
  

Backstreet Cafe

• Offering a quiet, intimate environment in a renovated 1930s home, Backstreet Cafe serves slowly braised oxtail, crispy pan-seared duck and lobster pot pie, among other creations in the restaurant's selection of intimate dining areas. The favorite is the lovely tree-canopied backyard, perfect for early summer evenings under the stars. Backstreet also offers a vine-covered solarium, intimate upstairs tables in front of its beautiful marble-faced fireplace, and a lovely front patio.
  
  Backstreet Cafe
  1103 S. Shepherd Drive
  Houston, TX 77019-3609
  713-521-2239
  backstreetcafe.net
  
  

Rainbow Lodge

• For the romance of a wilderness lodge in the middle of bustling Houston, Rainbow Lodge is located in a 100-year-old cabin on a lovely acre of land. Chef Mark Schmidt serves up delectable wild game and seafood dishes in the lodge's selection of intimate dining areas. Signature dishes include the wild game medley, incorporating venison, wild boar, elk and duck into one savory dish. Other house favorites include the slow-smoked duck gumbo, 15-hour smoked lamb tacos and the crispy rainbow trout filet. Dining room settings include patio dining, creek-view tables, and dining in the midst of one of the lodge's three signature stone fireplaces.
  
  The Rainbow Lodge
  2011 Ella Blvd. at East TC Jester
  Houston, TX 77008
  713-861-8666
  rainbow-lodge.com