Shelby About Town

Joanne King Herring previews her book, La Griglia rocks at lunch, Oscar & LynnWyatt dine at Tony's

Players at Américas' Cohesion Thursday Nights bash are chef David Cordua, left,Ashlee Lee and Roi Alan.
Photo by Oliver Puzon
Amber Willis, from left, Joanne King Herring, Corbett Daniel Parker and ReyneHirsch
Photo by Oliver Puzon
Rachel Brown celebrated her birthday at La Griglia where the lunchtime crowd wasawash in movers and shakers.
These ladies chair the upcoming Dec My Room luncheon at Tootsies.
Photo by Gary Fountain
Seen here at the Houston Grand Opera Ball, Oscar and Lynn Wyatt held court at acenter table in the bar at Tony's Thursday night.
Photo by Gary Fountain

With the ink still wet on her soon-to-be-released book Diplomacy and Diamonds: My Wars From the Boardroom to the Battlefield,Joanne King Herring mesmerized members of the Rotary Club of Houston Skyline at Américas Thursday night with her take on situations in the Middle East. It was the first of Américas' late-evening Cohesion Thursday Nights parties to support a non-profit.

The Rotary Club was beneficiary of the evening that included the interview with Joanne by Rotary Skyline member and Bellaire City Councilman Corbett Daniel Parker. After the serious business, the crowd of young professionals turned their attention to lighter endeavors — drinks in the bar and dancing to the sounds of DJ Pinch, who was accompanied on the drums by Rotary Skyline member Don Vaughn, who plays a more serious tune by day as a neuroscientist.

Making the scene that ran from 9:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. were Américas chef David Cordua (love the lobster corndogs!), Cohesion Thursday Nights organizer Ashlee Lee, Icing Cupcakes owner Reyne Hirsch (thanks for the sweets!), Courtney Zubowski, Katie McCall, Rotary Skyline president Reginald Adams and wife Rhonda Adams and Michelle Bohreer.

Lunching at La Griglia

The new Brasserie 19, just half a block away on West Gray, might be giving the Grig a run for its money but if the midday crowd on Thursday was any indication, La Griglia remains the center of the universe for power lunching. Republican forces holding forth on the west side of the popular eatery included U.S. Rep. Pete Olson of Sugar Land, State Rep. Sarah Davis and State Rep. Dennis Bonnen of Pearland.

Putting a star spin on the celebration, baseball great Jeff Bagwell arrived to wish the ladies a good afternoon, sending more than a few fans at various tables into a swoon.

Republican stalwart Fred Zeidman held a westside table while political consultant Sue Walden hung at a spot in the center of the room. On the east side, Cindy Clifford entertained State Rep. Carol Alvarado at the PR specialist's regular table overlooking the patio. Also at a center table, we spotted Celina Hellmund lunching with friends.

Rachel Brown and friends took over a lively table, complete with balloons and popping champagne corks, where she celebrated her birthday with Debbie Festari, Suzanne Getty, Stacey Soriero,Melissa Mithoff and Laurie Shellist. Putting a star spin on the celebration, baseball great Jeff Bagwell arrived to wish the ladies a good afternoon, sending more than a few fans at various tables into a swoon.

For the love of kids

Amy Lee and Sara Simon are putting the finishing touches on the popular Dec My Room fall fashion luncheon at Tootsies. The curtain goes up at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 9 for the fundraiser and fashion presentation featuring the designs fo Kaufman Franco. This is one of the liveliest of the fall fashion events as it is one of the first official gatherings in the fall of the ladies who lunch for worthy causes.

Adding to the fun will be the personal appearance of jewelry designers Jude Steele-Clark and Frances Gadbois of JudeFrances jewelry.

Susan Plank and her daughter, Kendall Plank, founded the non-profit that custom decorates hospital rooms for youngsters who must endure extended stays under medical care at Texas Children's Cancer Center and at M.D. Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital.

Reservations can be made at Ashlee@DecMyRoom.org. or by phone at 713-850-2116.

Birthday partying at Reef

Dale Fuller celebrated his 73rd at Reef earlier this week with a birthday dinner hosted by his son, Jason Fuller, and Jason's best friend PR specialist Cindy Clifford. More than two dozen family members and friends gathered in the private room for the spectacular dinner overseen by chef Bryan Caswell and biz partner Bill Floyd.

Helping blow out the candles were University of Houston exec Jeff Fuller and wife Kristyn, veep with Field & Associates; Stewart Title's Andrew Fuller and wife Karen, Ch. 8 community relations rep; and Sally Bradford, director of the Greenspoint Redevelopment Authority.

Ever on the lookout for power players Jason and Cindy ducked out of the party and into the Reef bar for a bit to catch up on the scene that included Metro board chair Gilbert Garcia, Mayor Annise Parker's senior staffer Jenn Char, Seafarers International Union honcho Dean Corgey and Horizon Strategies' Mary Bell.

FYI — Mary is engaged to Adam Harris, Mayor Parker's former campaign manager and former deputy chief of staff. Adam left the mayor's office in late June to form Horizon Strategies, a political and communications firm, with Mary at his side.

Au revoir, monsieur

Departing French Consul General Pierre Grandjouan and wife Kate were given a fine send-off at The Wynden when the French-American Chamber of Commerce rounded up scores of friends and fans. Among the FACC honchos on hand were president Christian Escudié and chairman Jean-Francois Bonnete.

Joining the swell farewell were Karen and Byron Hood, Pierre Grosdidier, Luc Messier, Geoffroy Petit, Gilles Bocabarteille, Pamela and Peter Conlan, Matthieu de Tugny and Deanea LeFlore of the Houston International Protocol Alliance.

Sight 'ems

Lynn and Oscar Wyatt having dinner Thursday night in the bar at Tony's where they were joined by sons Douglas Wyatt and Steve Wyatt and friends Tony Chase and wife Dina Alsowayel. At a table in the main dining room Philip Burguieres treated his wife, Alice Burguieres, to a romantic birthday dinner for two, where he presented her with a magnificent strand of gray South Sea pearls . . .

Becca Cason Thrash hosting a group of ladies for lunch at Tootsies where they fawned over the amazing couture collection by Giambattista Valli. Tootsies is the only place outside of Bergdorf Goodman and a sprinkling of Saks Fifth Avenue stores to have the line. Joining Becca in the swoon were Greggory Burk, Renee Lewis Carey, Adrianna Longoria and Holly Moore . . .

Houston Texans taking a breather after practice Thursday night and enjoying the beef at Morton's Galleria. Sitting down to the feast that included Oysters Rockefeller, bone-in ribeyes, salmon and more were Derrick Ward, Arian Foster, Andre Johnson, Kareem Jackson, Steve Slaton, Jacoby Jones and a few others. Keeping an eye on the finely fed guys was Morton's assistant manager Donna Chavez . . .

Newly-minted man-about-town Perryn Leech, Houston Grand Opera managing director, enjoying the Houston Restaurant Weeks menu at Philippe Restaurant + Lounge along with HGO patrons Anne and Albert Chao and Al Lasher and HGO's special events whiz Guyla Pircher . . .

Comedian and impersonator Rich Little, in town to headline the Astro Wives Blackties and Baseball Caps Gala, dining at 51 fifteen in Saks with Tri-Star Financial chairman John Bott, who brought along a photo taken of the two men in the '70s. John had the picture blown up and got Rich to autograph it. It just happened that Larry Dierker, former Astros manager, was in the restaurant and stopped by to say hello.

unspecified

Meet the Tastemakers

Houston's best food pop-ups tempt diners with creative 'cue, exotic eats, and smash burgers

Photo by Becca Wright

Trill Burgers has been a smash hit (get it?).

Of all the categories in the 2023 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards, Best Pop-Up/Startup is distinct. First introduced in 2021, it recognizes food-based businesses that don’t operate in traditional bar or restaurant settings.

These entrepreneurs reach consumers in a variety of ways, including online sales, farmers markets, and pop-ups at bars and breweries. That scarcity — and the if you know, you know aspect of occasional service — helps motivate people to experience these creations before they’re gone.

The trend shows no signs of slowing down. Consider this year's Best New Restaurant and Rising Star Chef of the Year categories that feature several former Best Pop-Up/Startup nominees, including Neo, Tatemó, and Louie’s Italian American. How many of this year’s nominees will make the transition to full-time restaurants remains to be scene, but all are worthy of recognition.

Photo by Becca Wright

Trill Burgers has been a smash hit (get it?).

Who will win? Find out April 13 at our Tastemaker Awards ceremony. Dine on bites from this year’s nominees, sip cocktails from our sponsors, and witness as our emcee Bun B reveals the winners. Buy your tickets before they sell out.

Ally Barrera - Sweet Bee's Bakehouse
Some of the Houston area’s best croissants come from Barrera’s Pearland kitchen. Expertly laminated with a crispy exterior and a delicate interior, they’re a sight to see. In addition to traditional flavors, Barrera prepares croissants filled with flavors such as hazelnut chocolate, guava cream cheese, and Doritos. The chef contributes more sophisticated, plated desserts to 5Kinokawa, the omakase restaurant in the Heights.

Andrea de Gortari - The Bake Happening
Houstonians turn to The Bake Happening for elaborate custom cakes — say, a chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream and salted caramel that’s decorated with images from the TV show Justified or Godfather-themed cookies complete with a severed horse head. De Gortari raised her profile with a winning appearance on an episode of Food Network’s Christmas Cookie Challenge. She regularly participates in pop-up markets that promote BIPOC creators or in support of the LGBTQIA community.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Andrea de Gortari (@the_bake_happening)

Andy Nguyen and Bun B - Trill Burgers
Arguably, the California restaurateur and Houston hip-hop legend have teamed up to create the city’s most successful pop-up of all time. People line up for hours for a Trill Burger, and it earned the prize of America’s top burger spot from a panel of celebrity judges on Good Morning America. Credit the simplicity of a classic smash burger that gets a boost from its signature Trill sauce and sauteed onions. Trill Burgers will utilize the momentum from another successful run at the Rodeo to launch its eagerly anticipated brick and mortar restaurant in the Montrose area.

Don Nguyen - Khói Barbecue
For a man with a day job, Nguyen devotes considerable effort to making his Vietnamese-influenced barbecue. Not only did he reach the finals of season three of Food Network’s BBQ Brawl and begin bottling his signature curry sauce, he acquired property north of downtown to serve as Khói’s base of operations. That’s good news for people who look forward to Nguyen’s barbecue brisket pho, beef rib curry bowls, housemade sausages, and other creations. The property has also allowed Khói to host collaboration dinners with other pitmasters.

Jane Wild
No other chef in Houston may hustle harder than Jane Wild. She serves her “food for rebel souls” every Saturday at the Urban Harvest farmers market, every Sunday at either the Heights Mercantile or Rice Village markets, and at other markets around town. Regardless of where they find her, Houstonians will find Wild serving all manor of sweet and savory pastries, from breakfast muffins that contain an egg to gluten-free bagels, cookies, and her signature salted honey pie.

Joseph Boudreaux - Boo's Burgers
Operating at the Tipping Point coffee shop and at pop-up markets around town, Bourdreaux’s smash burgers utilize good techniques. The chef developed a custom burger grind that mixes chuck and short rib, makes his own pickles, and tops them with a signature sauce. Recently, the chef has expanded his repertoire by serving gumbo and collaborating with Houston chef Dawn Burrell on a Thanksgiving-themed pop-up.

View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Joseph Boudreaux (@whos_boudreaux)

Joseph Quellar and Cindy Conde - JQ's Tex-Mex BBQ
Quellar and Conde have built their business around birria tacos that use smoked brisket that’s bathed in consomme, covered in cheese, and cooked on a griddle until the corn tortilla gets nice and crispy. The duo have also built a following for their smoked fajitas tacos and brisket tamales that get a boost from housemade salsas. A permanent weekend residency at Heights-area coffee shop Amsterdam Company means obtaining the tacos will be easier than ever.

Suu Khin - Burmalicious by Suu
This Houstonian reached the finals on season 11 of Masterchef, Gordon Ramsay’s competition cooking show, by serving dishes inspired by her Burmese heritage. Building on that success, she’s making the transition from home cook to pop-up chef with a series of sold out dinners, appearances at different markets, and a recent collaboration with Musaafer chef Mayank Istwal. Anyone who’s sampled dishes such as samosa salad, crab curry, and laphet knows that Khin has a bright future in Houston’s culinary world.

Willow Villarreal and Jasmine Barela - Willow's Texas BBQ
This dynamic duo put their spin on traditional barbecue by including elements of their Mexican heritage. Villarreal, who had a winning guest appearance on the barbecue-themed episode of Top Chef’s Houston-based season, turns out expertly-prepared brisket, ribs, sausage, and other proteins. Barela contributes sides such as jalapeno creamed corn, cole slaw, and her signature marinated tomatoes. Look for them at bars and breweries across the inner loop.

tastemakers