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    Becca's 100 Best Buddies

    Sheriff & socialites: New Washington Avenue steakhouse rocks with two killer preview parties

    Shelby Hodge
    May 21, 2015 | 1:13 pm

    B&B Butchers and Restaurant owner Benjamin Berg couldn't have asked for a more power-packed preview. His private party for investors and friends upstairs and Becca Cason Thrash's chic bash downstairs filled the historic building on Washington Avenue to overflowing. (The restaurant officially opens on May 26.)

    While the new sheriff in town Ron Hickman, private investigator John Moritz and wine connoisseur Denman Moody were among Berg's guests, it was the party kids on the ground floor that set the eatery rocking. The first floor bash was a tribute to Becca and patrons of one of her favorite charities, Best Buddies.

    The invitation-only (free) seated dinner with wine flowing was a thank you to those who have supported Becca's charitable activities on behalf of the non-profit founded by Anthony Shriver for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

    She revealed that her next Best Buddies fundraiser is Nov. 7, headlining Oscar-winner, House of Cards star Kevin Spacey.

    But the big burning question of the night: Can Houston support yet another steak house? "Definitely," said Berg, "definitely a local steak house . . . I felt like the butcher shop with the restaurant was just right with this neighborhood that's up and coming. It just fit. It wasn't cookie cutter. It was a lot of work to put this together."

    After two years of working on the project, Berg launched the upscale eatery/butcher shop with a duo of longhorn steers stationed at the entrance to welcome guests.

    The big burning question of the night: Can Houston support yet another steak house? "Definitely," said Berg, who explained why.

    Becca filled the dining room, designed for 80, with 100 of her best buddies, an incredible cross-section of Houston that would be coveted by many a hostess. From the sports world, she had Houston Texans GM Rick Smith and retired Houston Astro Jeff Bagwell. From fashion Tootsies' Fady Armanious, Sloane Hall's Shannon Hall and LVMH's Rhonda McDonald. From TV land Dominique Sachse and Ernie Manouse.

    Add popular plastic surgeon Dr. Steve Hamilton, real estate's Neal Hamil and Sabiha Rehmatulla, United Airlines attorney and bombshell Jessica Rossman, Tenenbaum's Kevin Black and Tony Bradley and on and on. Of course, John Thrash was there to cheer on his wife.

    Inspite of the crush, both upstairs and down, it was thumbs up for the new hot spot. Guests dined on sliced filet mignon with au poivre, truffle mac and cheese, broccoli floret and cheesecake, all served family style.

    Becca's impressive coterie also included Sara Dodd and Gregory Fourticq, Courtney and Jason Fertitta, Chris Brown, Monsour Taghdisi and Henry Richardson, Claire Cormier-Thielke, Lindley and Jason Arnoldy, Joan Schnitzer, Richard Flowers, Courtney and Bo Hopson, Lora and Dr. John Clemmons, Susan and Mike Plank, Hugh Echols, Tiffany Smith and so many more.

    Tiffany and Rick Smith.

      
    Photo by Michelle Watson CatchLightGroup.com
    Tiffany and Rick Smith.
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    Pas de Deux Dining

    Houston Ballet's gourmand bash delights with chef-dancer collabs

    Eric Sandler
    May 23, 2025 | 11:30 am
    Houston Ballet Raising the Barre 2025
    Photo by Melissa Taylor
    Houston Ballet danced united with some of Houston's top chefs for Raising the Barre.

    What began as a young professionals’ soirée has gracefully pirouetted into one of Houston’s most anticipated culinary-meets-culture nights.

    And this year’s Raising the Barre delivered a standing ovation-worthy performance. Hosted at Caracol, the fan-favorite tasting event drew nearly 160 guests on May 4, where balletomanes (and those who love them) mingled, noshed, and toasted to an artful cause.

    Co-chaired by Duyen and Marc Nguyen and Dr. Tatiana Sorkin and Michel Coret, the springtime soirée raised nearly $110,000 for Houston Ballet, supporting its mission to inspire a lasting love for dance through performance and education. But this wasn’t your typical rubber-chicken charity dinner. Here, dancers became muses and sous chefs, joining forces with Houston’s culinary stars to serve up an inspired four-course meal, each dish a storytelling moment in its own right.

    Each course hit the table like a pas de deux.

    Chef Aaron Bludorn kicked things off with soloist Danbi Kim, channeling her Korean childhood through a delicate sesame-crusted hamachi, balanced by gochujang vinaigrette and marinated cucumbers. Chef Chris Williams and demi-soloist Estheysis Menendez served a soul-warming lobster stew with plantain fufu and jalapeño pesto, a dish rooted in global tradition and personal memory, honoring the dancer’s Cuban heritage and her mother’s love of herbs and wellness.

    Then came the entrée: Chef Hugo Ortega teamed with principal Chase O’Connell for picanha a las brazos, a coulotte steak celebration dressed in pasilla mole and earthy mushroom zacahuil. The duo riffed on Chase’s ritualistic pre-performance steak dinners, adding Ortega’s signature Latin American soul.

    Pastry powerhouse Rebecca Masson of Fluff Bake Bar partnered with first soloist Gian Carlo Perez to close out the show with a guava pastelillo topped with cream cheese ice cream and honey, a nod to his Cuban childhood sweets.

    Adding to the evening’s thoughtful twist, those lush floral centerpieces didn’t just wilt away post-party. Thanks to Houston nonprofit Bloom Again, the arrangements were repurposed and delivered to local hospitals and care facilities, offering cheer beyond the ballroom.

    Among those soaking up the delicious scene were Beth Muecke, Patti Murphy, Ann Bean, Dr. Patrick Benge, Susan Binney, Jennifer Kushner, Kristy Bradshaw, Lindsey Brown, Andrea Medina, Lenni and Bill Burke, Anne and Albert Chao, Jo Furr, Mitchell George and Stanley Curtis Jr., Paula Whitten-Doolin, Victoria Gutierrez and Nick Pierce, Carey Kirkpatrick, Deborah and Edward Koehler, S. Shawn Stephens and Jim Jordan, Liliana Soltero and Mike Hawkins, Yana and Warren McFatter, Kris and Richard McGee, Teal and Jeffrey Reamer, Julie Kent, Jim Nelson, Melissa Reihle, and Laura and Brannon Robertson.

    Houston Ballet Raising the Barre 2025
      

    Photo by Melissa Taylor

    Houston Ballet danced united with some of Houston's top chefs for Raising the Barre.

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