Beef cake

H-Town billionaire shakes up steakhouse scene in Manhattan with a star-studded grand opening

Tilman Fertitta just doesn't do anything in a small way. Consider his most recent landmark event — opening of Mastro's Steakhouse in New York City. More than 1,000 guests, sports and media stars among them, crowded into the bi-level restaurant to party party.

Landry's Inc., of which Fertitta is CEO, purchased the 11-steakhouse empire in 2013. The Manhattan spot becomes the 12th and the first on the East Coast.

The glam new eatery on Avenue of the Americas across from Radio City Music Hall was the place to be on this night when executive chef Aaron Albrecht and his team pulled out the stops creating an amazing, vast ice bar that featured lobster, shrimp, crab, oysters and more.

Orange Is the New Black stars Jackie Cruz and Lea DeLaria, comedian Joe Piscopo and actor Ice-T with his Ice Loves Coco wifey Coco Austin were among the headliners as were New York Giants Daniel Fells, Jameel McClain and Quintin Dempsey.

Earlier in the day, before welcoming the heady coterie of guests, Fertitta appeared on CNBC’s Street Signs with Brian Sullivan followed by an interview on Bloomberg News regarding his fast growing empire. Sullivan was among the biz media personalities in the mix. These included the host of CNBC's Fast Money Melissa Lee; Street Signs cohost Amanda “Mandy” Drury, Bloomberg News's Caleb Melby and Brandon Kochkodin, MSNBC's Eric Salzman and many more.

The party crowd also included Mastro’s Restaurants president and COO Mark Levy; Jeffries Group chairman of the board and CEO Rich Handler; Real Housewives of New York star Romana Singer; Mistresses actress Rochelle Ayte; New York Jets players Demario Davis, Jaiquawn Jarrett and Leger Douzable; and New York Knicks players J.R. Smith and Travis Wear.

The Landry's Inc. move into Manhattan continues with the opening in just a few weeks of a Morton's Grille in Union Square.

Mastero's president and COO Mark Levy, from left, comedian Joe Piscopo and Tilman Fertitta.

7 Mark Levy, from left, Joe Piscopo and Tilman Fertitta at the opening of Mastro's Steakhouse in NYC November 2014

Photo courtesy of Mastro’s Restaurants

Mastero's president and COO Mark Levy, from left, comedian Joe Piscopo and Tilman Fertitta.

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Party Watch

Contemporary Western art shines at Galveston museum fundraiser

Photo by Jacob McCready

Ryan Horton, Meredith Peebles, Taylor Crowder, Kara Przybyl McIver, and David McIver.

What: Art Untamed, A Night of Contemporary Western Art

Photo by Jacob McCready

Ryan Horton, Meredith Peebles, Taylor Crowder, Kara Przybyl McIver, and David McIver.

Where: The Lancaster Hotel

The Scoop: With cowboy boots traded for cocktail attire, more than 115 artists and art lovers moseyed into downtown for Art Untamed, an evening that lassoed the spirit of the West with a modern twist.

Now in its fourth year, the fundraiser benefiting The Bryan Museum was steered by a dedicated committee including Christine Glover, Linda and Bill Reeves, and Guylene and Jay Lendrum. The event spotlighted 32 Southwestern artists featured in the Visions of the West exhibit.

Guests sipped and mingled during cocktail hour, sizing up 73 pieces ranging from luminous landscapes to storytelling textiles. The live auction, led by crowd-favorite auctioneer Randolph Holford, delivered a flurry of paddles in the air, especially for Bob Stuth-Wade’s radiant Santiago Peak from Chalk Draw, Nathaniel Garza’s moody Three Reasons, and Echo Ukrainetz’s intricate batik honoring cowgirl trailblazer Lucy Mulhall.

The weekend kicked off at The Lancaster Hotel, where partner Jay Shinn hosted artists and VIPs at a reception in the historic property set to celebrate its centennial next year. During the festivities, museum founder JP Bryan captured the mood best.

“A collection is an expression of a soul; it speaks to where our heart is,” he said. “That is why the museum was founded, to share the important story of Texas and the American West through a world-class collection, outstanding exhibitions, and educational programming.”

The evening raised nearly $100,000 to support educational programming and outreach at The Bryan Museum.

Who: Lori Leal Wedemeyer and Barkley Wedemeyer, Sassy Stanton, Bill Pinckard, Mike Glover, Shara Fryer, Barry Silverman, Frank Rynd, Deborah and Monte Stavis, Kelly and Luis Zúñiga, Kara Przybyl McIver and David McIver, Dianne Reynolds, Stephanie and Brent Kindle, Penny and Townes Pressler, Linda and Jerry Dickson, Bob Leibrock, Paulina Padilla, Nocona Burgess, Vickie McMillan-Hayes, Ricardo Robles, and Bob Stuth-Wade.

museums fundraisers bryan museum visual-art