Forget ice cream! Beat the heat with these cool dishes in Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The heat is on! So when hunger strikes, you don't want to be weighed down by hot and heavy foods this summer.

Several Houston restaurants are offing cooler and lighter, yet satisfying alternatives just in time for the warm weather season.

At Julep off Washington, try the Campechana. It's shrimp in a spicy cocktail sauce served ice cold with chips.

Be sure also to grab a drink! Julep has just been named one of the best bars in America by Esquire.

If you're a beef lover, try chilled beef carpaccio from Relish in the Upper Kirby Area. It comes with fried capers, Parmesan, and arugula.

Tomatoes are a quintessential summer ingredient and at the newly opened Mina Restaurant on West Alabama, you can enjoy a variety of colorful tomatoes with burrata cheese, served nice and cool.

Summer is watermelon season. Ouzo Bay in River Oaks District offers a cubed watermelon salad with feta, kalamata, and truffle vinaigrette.

Longtime Houston favorite Masraff's revealed a sneak peek at one of their Houston Restaurant Weeks dessert offerings. They will be serving up a chilled white chocolate mousse, topped with passion fruit gelee and fresh raspberries.

At Le Colonial in River Oaks District, order up some shrimp spring rolls with creamy peanut plum dipping sauce. It's the perfect complement to dinner and it's on the restaurant's happy hour menu, too.

Did someone say food?! Houston food lovers, unite!