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    Rocking the Night

    Chic new club raises the glam quotient for nightlife in Midtown, plenty of moola required

    Marcy de Luna
    Marcy de Luna
    Sep 17, 2015 | 8:01 am

    Club Clé (French for key), the posh new nightclub in Midtown, is upping the nightlife ante with 9,000 square feet of high-roller glam and glitz.

    Night owl hedonists can thank Zack Truesdell (Christian’s Tailgate, Saint Dane's), Salim Dehkordi and Dallas Rodriguez (both of Avenue Night Club) for the hotspot where lines for entry form early and the partying continues into the wee morning hours.

    The sexy space, with room for 1,200 (600 inside and 600 outside) revelers, boasts sleek décor in black, rich red and gold, sparkling chandeliers, a central dance floor and a trendy crowd of social movers with plenty of discretionary income.

    The hotspot is is quickly becoming known for its VIP bottle service and a Sin City vibe — all for a price.

    Book it, baby

    Twenty-eight plush booths line either side of the dance area. But you'll need to break out the credit card and commit to the high-end bottle service package in order to secure one of the coveted spots.

    Pricing starts at $300 for a perch in the rear corner of the club. Highly coveted tables, located closest to the DJ booth, require a heftier minimum bottle guarantee, which tops out at $5,000.

    Partying like a rock star at your own table, no matter which price point, will score you a bottle (or bottles) of booze delivered straight to your seat, ensuring you won’t have to fight for the bartender’s attention at the crowded bar — and you can keep the party going without interruption.

    Love the champagne girl

    Spend the big bucks and your bottles will be delivered Sin City-style by a bevy of beauties carrying sparklers and letters that spell out your name as well as by a skimpily-clad champagne girl perched atop a giant gold key that's carried in by four hunky guys.

    The perks that come with table reservations are plenty. You will be greeted at the front door and escorted past the doorman as you bypass the line of common folk waiting to get in. During the evening, no less than four helpers will check in on your table, ensuring that your every booze filled need is met and your table stays serviced and clean.

    For those trying to budget, you can skip table service all together, but you'll have to brave the line to enter and fetch your own drinks. The line starts early for the 10 p.m. opening. We recommend arriving when the doors open. Two bars are located in the front of the club, one dark and mysterious, the other decked out in all white with cushy leather sofas.

    The cool kids

    Get your social game on hobnobbing with your neighbors. High-profilers like Chandler Parsons, Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and former Houston Rockets’ player Robert Horry have been spotted among the crowd.

    In between mingling, make your way to the dance floor as a DJ spins an up-tempo mix of house music, hip-hop and Top 40 tunes over a state-of-the-art sound system and LED screens deliver graphics that sway to the music.

    Poolside manners

    Step outside for a breath of air, take a puff from a rental hookah and hang by the newly added pool. Although it's connected to the patio and accessible during all business hours, hold your swim trunks and bikinis for Sundays — that's the only day you’re allowed to take a dip, 4 to 10 p.m.

    Reserved seating for six daybeds and 10 private cabanas on the open-air party deck is available only to those booking bottle service, of course, which ranges from $300 to $1,500 on Sunday Funday.

    The 40-foot outdoor bar features five flatscreen TVs, 15 beers on tap, shareable punch and eight creative cocktails. Don't skip the Clé De La Ville made with whiskey, citrus fruit and botanical Spanish liqueur, cherry bitters and an orange twist.

    Also exclusive to Sundays is a menu of bites from now-open Pan-Asian neighbor, Tarakaan. Expect ceviche, fish tacos, chicken strips, sandwiches and more.

    The sexy space boasts sleek décor in black, rich red and gold, sparkling chandeliers and a trendy crowd.

    Houston, Club Cle, August 2015, dance floor
      
    Courtesy photo
    The sexy space boasts sleek décor in black, rich red and gold, sparkling chandeliers and a trendy crowd.
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    CULTUREMAP EMAILS ARE AWESOME
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    and the winner is...

    Innovative Houston chef is the city's newest James Beard Award winner

    Eric Sandler
    Jun 17, 2025 | 6:00 am
    James Beard Awards 2025 Thomas Bille Belly of the Beast
    Photo by Getty Images for James Beard Foundation
    Thomas Bille is Houston's newest James Beard Award winner.

    Add another Houston chef to the city’s growing list of James Beard Award winners. Thomas Bille, chef-owner of Belly of the Beast in Spring, earned Best Chef: Texas at the James Beard Foundation’s Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony.

    Held at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on Monday, June 16, Bille was one of five finalists for the award, along with fellow Houstonian Emmanuel Chavez (Tatemo), Emil Oliva (Leche de Tigre in San Antonio), Regino Rojas (Purépecha in Dallas), and Michael Anthony Serva, (Bordo in Marfa). Neither of Houston’s other finalists — Mexico City-inspired cafe Casaema (formerly known as Ema) for Best New Restaurant and fine dining tasting menu restaurant March for Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program — earned awards in their categories.

    A Los Angeles native who moved to the Houston area to be closer to his wife’s family, Bille took a winding path to his James Beard Award. He opened the first iteration of Belly of the Beast in 2020 as a chef-driven taqueria that was known for its ceviches and birria tacos. He then spent about a year at Chivos, an ambitious but short-lived Mexican-American restaurant in the Heights.

    In late 2023, he and his wife Elizabeth opened a new version of Belly of the Beast in a Spring shopping center. It showcased a broader array of Bille’s skills, with a wide-ranging menu that pulled from global flavors — lamb shank rendang, anyone? — that included meat, seafood, and pastas. The new restaurant quickly earned wide acclaim, including a Bib Gourmand in the 2024 Michelin Guide and CultureMap Tastemaker Award nominations for both Restaurant of the Year and Chef of the Year.

    “I feel a depth of gratitude,” Bille tells CultureMap in a text message. “Knowing that my wife and I were able to reopen on our own terms. Gratitude for my family, staff, and guests to give us love and support. It is much appreciated.”

    In an interview from the ceremony shared by the James Beard Foundation, Bille paid tribute to his wife, Elizabeth, for her role in the restaurant’s success.

    “The risk that my wife and I took to open this restaurant is more than worth it. My wife left her industry, she was a national director for nonprofit organization,” he said. “I said, ‘We’re going to reopen Belly of the Beast. I need you with me side-by-side the whole time.’ The first iteration she held down her job and supported us. With her at my wide, I’m able to focus on the kitchen, on the food, and mentoring my cooks. Able to see the bigger picture instead of just being in the weeds all the time.”

    Bille is the second Houstonian to win Best Chef: Texas, joining Street to Kitchen chef-owner Benchawan Jabthong Painter, who won in 2023. Since the category of Best Chef: Texas has only been awarded since 2022, Bille is the first man to earn the title. Prior to being its own region, the James Beard Foundation included Texas in the Southwest, where chefs Robert Del Grande (Cafe Annie), Chris Shepherd (Underbelly), Justin Yu (Oxheart), and Hugo Ortega (Hugo’s) all won awards.

    The only other Texas finalist to win his category was Arjav Ezekiel of Birdie's in Austin, who became the first winner of Outstanding Professional in Beverage Service, one of three beverage-oriented categories the foundation added for 2025.

    In addition to Bille and Ezekiel, Texam Chad Houser, founder of Cafe Momentum in Dallas, received the Humanitarian of the Year Award. Toni Tipton-Martin, a Houston-based author, scholar, and journalist, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Houstonian Alba Huerta, who won Outstanding Beverage Program for her bar Julep in 2022, presented one of the night’s awards.

    “It’s with deep celebration that we congratulate the 2025 Restaurant and Chef Award winners — distinguished culinary, beverage, and hospitality leaders whose talent and vision are shaping our dining landscape,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO, James Beard Foundation, in a statement. “These outstanding professionals are the epitome of ‘Good Food for Good,’ elevating our industry’s standards and redefining what’s possible in American cuisine.”

    James Beard Awards 2025 Thomas Bille Belly of the Beast
      

    Photo by Getty Images for James Beard Foundation

    Thomas Bille is Houston's newest James Beard Award winner.

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