Foodie News

Houston Chef's Table: Sugar hooker Rebecca Masson can't get enough of Catalan's"cake"

Rebecca Masson — aka the Sugar Hooker — appreciates a good burger too.
Photo by Kimberly Park
Sweets have been Masson's life.
Masson doesn't discriminate when it comes to good cupcakes.

No one knows Houston restaurants better than the people who run them, own them, and work in the kitchens. In this continuing series, CultureMap is asking our favorite foodie personalities around town where they go for great eats when they're not working.

Known around town as the sugar fairy — or occasionally the sugar hooker — Rebecca Masson makes the most exquisite desserts this side of the Mississippi, as evidenced by a Houston Culinary Award for Best Pastry Chef and an underdog victory at the Houston Chowhounds' Shroom (mushrooms) Throwdown in February, earning a victory with a divine icebox pie with a porcini-chocolate crust, candy cap mushroom custard and toasted meringue.

After years of working at and consulting with some of the best restaurants in town, Masson's treats are available for order at trailerparkbetty@gmail.com. She talks to CultureMap about unconventional birthday cakes, burgers and brunch.

Restaurant for a special occasion: "Catalan. Chris Shepherd is my unofficial birthday cake maker. He makes me a candied pork butt with brown sugar and puts it on a platter with tongs sticking out. He's been making my cake for three years."

Favorite meal: "I am obsessed with the burger at BRC and the pickle jar. It is so good — greasy, but in a good way. And Yelapa is a close second, with the Mexican fried rice. I think (L.J. Wiley) puts kimchee in it. They tried to take it off the menu, but they got so many people asking for it they had to bring it back."

Breakfast/Brunch favorite: "The brunch at Beaver's is really good. Sometimes my family goes for the 99-cent mimosas at Rainbow Lodge, but usually we are more about the food."

Dessert: I like the cupcakes at Ooh La La. Vanessa (O'Donnell) makes really, really good cupcakes. It's amazing. And the vanilla cupcake with the milk chocolate frosting at Sprinkles is a really good cupcake. That's not a popular thing to say but I have to give credit for a good cupcake where I find one."

Other articles in the Houston Chef's Table Series:

Lee Ellis loves Le Givral

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2 staples shuttered

Downtown Italian restaurant and Upper Kirby wine bar suddenly close

Photo by © Chinh Phan/Fotowerk Group

Cru, seen here in happier times.

Inevitably, the end of the year brings a surprise closure or two, and 2024 is no exception. Both a staple downtown Italian restaurant and an Upper Kirby wine bar have quietly closed this week.

Sambuca closed after service on December 16, owner Kim Forsythe shared on Facebook. Open for 22 years in downtown’s The Rice apartment building, the restaurant was well known for its live music and lively atmosphere. While the restaurant had long been a staple for both downtown office workers and residents, it never fully recovered from the lingering economic changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In recent years, we've faced challenges that have tested our resilience,” Forsythe writes. “The changing climate of our city, with rising homelessness and crime, coupled with the lingering impacts of COVID and the resulting empty office spaces, has created a perfect storm that we could not weather. Though we fought with everything we had to keep our doors open, we're choosing to close this chapter with gratitude, carrying countless memories over the past 22 years.”

Crú Food & Wine Bar has closed its location in Upper Kirby’s Shops at Arrive development, according to a post former managing partner Annette Amaya on Instagram. In addition to the post about the closure, it is no longer accepting reservations via Open Table.

First opened in 2011, Crú earned a following for its eclectic wine list and a food menu that focused on familiar fare such as cheese and charcuterie boards and pizzas. Its location in The Woodlands remains open.

The Shops at Arrive have been busy this year with new openings. Staples such as Eddie V’s and Pondicheri have been joined by PostScript, a female-focused restaurant inspired by Dallas’ XOXO Dining Room, and Kira, an intimate hand roll bar from the team behind upscale omakase counter Neo.

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