calling all wine lovers

Chris Shepherd recommends 13 delicious Houston food and wine events

What’s happening, team! Let’s talk about cool stuff to look forward to this month. All sorts of food and wine events give us a chance to eat and drink delicious things! Let’s get your calendar booked up, here we go!

There are lots of great wine events coming up this month that you should have on your list.

November 7 - Iron Sommelier
Lindsey and I love this event and make it out almost every year. Sommeliers from all over the city battle it out gladiator-style for bragging rights and the Iron Sommelier title. The auction is always fantastic, and they have a wine pull that is one of my favorites! Iron Sommelier supports the Periwinkle Foundation that provides a community of healing for kids with cancer through camps, arts, and survivor programs.

November 13 - Wine dinner with Ray Isle at Marigold Club
Ray Isle is the wine editor for Food & Wine magazine and a good friend. His palate is awesome, and his wine knowledge is off the charts. His book, The World in a Wine Glass, is one of the best books on wine out there. Let’s just add the talented skills of chef Austin Waiter, master sommelier June Rodil, and the Marigold Club team, and you will be in for an amazing evening.

November 14 - Fireside chat with Ray Isle, Julie Dalton, MS, and Keith Goldston, MS at the Post Oak Hotel
If you didn’t get to the dinner on the November 13, then head out to this! It should be the ultimate way to nerd out on wine with some of the smartest wine pros in the business, as Ray Isle talks to two master sommeliers, Keith Goldston and Julie Dalton. It’s your opportunity to get a book signed by Ray, taste fine wines, and enjoy light bites. RSVP to postoakhotel@nextjenpr.com. Space is limited.

November 14-15 - Holiday Champagne Tastings at Pappas Bros. Steakhouse
I love a good tasting, and I can’t think of a better pairing than Pappas Bros. And champagne. Heck yes! Steven McDonald, MS always holds It down when it comes to tastings. I looked at the lineup of Champagne he’s selected, and this is no different. They will have a Special Club table, so you know where to find me! The restaurant will be serving snacks, but make sure you make reservations for dinner after the tasting.

November 16 – Spain Wine Class at 13 Celsius
13 Celsius is holding a beautiful Spanish wine class with Cyrus Tolman of Rootstock Wines. Tempranillo, Granacha, and Albarinio will be flowing.

November 19 – Gundlach Bundschu Wine Dinner at Brennan’s
Brennan’s of Houston will be hosting a wine dinner with Gundlach Bundschu Winery, and I’m going to say that the menu looks amazing! Gundlach Bundschu is the oldest, family-owned winery in Sonoma. You’ll have the opportunity to taste their Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Estate Cab along with a four-course dinner at Brennan’s.

November 23 - Holiday Shopping at AOC
Who doesn’t love a good shopping trip, especially to AOC where Brandon Kerne, MS puts together a heck of a list!

One of my favorite wineries Miner Family Winery is offering 20-percent off all large format bottles aka A BIG BOTTLE SALE! We all know I love a big bottle especially when showing up to Thanksgiving and all the holiday parties. Let’s just say you look like a rock star when you roll in with a big ass bottle of Gary’s Vineyard Pinot Noir in your hands. They make the most memorable gifts as well — how about a 3 Liter bottle of Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot?

Use the code BIG20 at checkout. Shop wines here.

November 24 - Camerata’s Annual Holiday Wine Sale
Speaking of shopping trips, one of my favorite Montrose wine bars is having its annual holiday sale. You’ll get to taste up to 50 wines from 10 distributors. My friend Ryan Lachaine will be serving his famous butter burgers, so you know it’s a party.

If you can’t make the sale, the wines will be available for purchase online from noon on November 23 until 6 pm on November 24.

Now let’s look at some food events on the horizon as well!

November 7 - Kelsey Barnard Clark at Williams Sonoma
Let’s head on out to Williams Sonoma Highland Village to welcome Top Chef winner Kelsey Barnard Clark and celebrate her new book Southern Get-Togethers. I will be there 6-7 pm to walk through a tailgate demo with Kelsey! Since 15 percent of the store sales during the event go to Southern Smoke, I think it’s time to revamp your kitchen!

November 10 – High Tea with Khushbu Shah at Marigold Club and November 12 - Khushbu Shah Pizza Party at Rosie Cannonball
Two different events with our good friend Khushbu Shah, the former restaurant editor of Food & Wine magazine and author of the new book Amrikan. These two events are very different and very cool, a high tea at Marigold Club and a pizza party at Rosie Cannonball. These parties will both have the flavors of India and some Khushbu magic!

November 17 - Table to Stage with Tom Colicchio
I am so very excited about this one because I get to talk with chef Tom Colicchio! I have long admired Tom and what he has done, not only as a chef and TV personality but what he has done to create a path for so many chefs. His thought process of cooking is what we are going to dive deep into as we discuss his new book, Why I Cook. This event is at House of Blues, tickets are $50, VIP is sold out, and books will be on sale with our friends at Kinded Stories. Get some signed books for your holiday gifts!

November 20 - Fifth anniversary dinner at Guard and Grace benefiting Southern Smoke Foundation
Congratulations to the team at Guard and Grace on five years. To celebrate, they are throwing a party! Chef-owner Troy Guard and his team will be cooking with friends Drake Leonards, Aaron Bludorn, Bobby Matos, and the crew from Blood Brothers! Get down!

I know there are many more great food and wine events happening around the city, but this is a good start!

One more thing I would like to tell you about is the Southern Smoke Bottle Club. This is a club that we started to help people get their hands on amazing single barrel whiskeys and other spirits that are picked by our team and me. We only have a few more spots available because we are only taking 125 members to ensure plenty of goods for the club!

Our first pick, which new club members still have limited access to, is an Elijah Craig 10-year Barrel Proof pick that is outstanding, and we’re in the process of scheduling a virtual tasting for club members with Elijah Craig’s national ambassador! Members: Keep an eye on your inboxes for the details!

The next pick will be a Maker’s Mark Private Selection, which will be released at a holiday party/bottle share at my house! This club isn’t just bourbon either. We have single barrels from our winery friends as well, including a reserve barrel with Hirsch Family Vineyards. Remember my interview with Jasmine Hirsch? She is awesome, and so are her wines. We’ll also have single barrels of tequila, mezcal, maybe even very special balsamic vinegar from Italy. Whatever else I can get my hands on! GET IN THE CLUB!!!

Iron Sommelier 2019 Jeffery Young Georgia James

Photo by Dave Rossman

Hang with Houston's top wine professionals at Iron Sommelier.

news-you-can-eat wine shopping

steak and putt

Michelin-recognized chef plans 2 new restaurants at proposed Houston golf club

Courtesy of Field Guide Festival

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A bold new plan is taking shaping that will bring a world-class golf course and Michelin-quality restaurant to Houston. Called The Burn Club at Cypress Forest, the proposal aims to transform the former Raveneaux Country Club into a Scottish, links-style course with a restaurant by Michael Fojtasek, chef-owner of Michelin-starred Olamaie in Austin.

The project is being led by Grover Smith, a hospitality professional with a resume that includes time at Austin’s Foreign & Domestic as well as Houston restaurants such as The Pass & Provisions and Bernadine’s. More recently, Smith operated Indie Chefs Week, which held a series of dinners around the country to showcase up-and-coming culinary talent.

Smith has submitted a proposal to the Cypress Forest Public Utility District, the government entity that owns the roughly 200-acre property, to lease the land to him for The Burn Club. Using an innovative nonprofit structure, the club would include two restaurants that will be open to the public, a casual concept called Campfire and a more elevated restaurant that's still unnamed.

The restaurants

As Fojtasek tells CultureMap, he and Smith reconnected via a mutual friend who knew they both loved golf. Chef Fojtasek is a regular at downtown Austin’s Butler Pitch & Putt, a par-3 golf course where he operates a food truck called Gimme Burger.

That experience informs his plans for Campfire. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the restaurant will serve sandwiches, burgers, and comfort food such as fried chicken and a chili-glazed pork chop.

As for the more fine dining-style restaurant, Fojtasek cites Maie Day, his Michelin-recommend steakhouse at the South Congress Hotel, as a starting point for the menu.

“I don’t want co call it a steakhouse, but certainly a live fire aspect,” he says. “A restaurant that speaks to what I want to cook, and the dining experience that we want to offer in relation to a place that feels easy to go to.”

The restaurant’s menu covers a wide range, with starters such as black pepper potato chips with smoked trout roe, tasso ham spoonbread and crab salad, Texas beef tartare, and a throwback chilled tomato aspic. Entrees could include whole grilled red snapper, a tomahawk ribeye, and barbecue grille shrimp.

“It’s mostly American fare,” he adds. “That’s the vernacular that I’ve traveled in for a long time. Taking some ideas from Olamaie and Maie Day and putting them together to create something that’s good for the neighborhood and folks who live around there.”

The neighborhood

Count area resident Braxton Watson as one of the plan’s supporters. He and some of his neighbors recently launched a website to urge other area residents to lobby the PUD board to consider Smith’s proposal, which includes reduced greens and membership fees for homeowners who have already contributed their tax dollars via a bond referendum that was approved in 2025.

“The problem is we don’t vote on [how to use the land],” Watson says. “People want to know what they can do to help. Be vocal. Share your comments with the PUD. The more and more people we talk to who have no idea what’s going on is frustrating. Our tax dollars are funding the purchase of this land.”

Watson got a first taste of Fojtasek’s food at a private party Smith held for friends and neighbors. “I’m excited about Michael’s restaurant. Olamaie is amazing. We thought it was an unbelievable deal,” he says.

The golf course

Smith has assembled a veteran team to help bring the Burn Clubs to life, including golf course architect Mike Nuzzo, former PGA Tour player Steve Elkington, architect Alex Warr, and golf course builder Heritage Links.

Members of the PUD board are also considering a proposal from the Dunn Golf Group, which operates courses in Amarillo, San Angelo, and the Dallas-area town of Rockwall. CultureMap reached out to a PUD board member for comment on the proposals but has yet to receive a response.

Still, Fojtasek has a simple message for his potential landlords.

“There are two young and hungry operators with great experience, looking to do something for the neighborhood and offer something that’s exceptional for a good value. I think the project is unique and interesting from the perspective of a golf outing . . . that can shine a light on Spring and also Houston at large”

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