parties

At Steak 48, a ‘Back to School’ Bash With Class

Joanne King Herring, Trey and Blakely Griggs

Billed as a “back-to-school" affair and kickoff to the city's fall social season — a moment worth celebrating given that so much of it was washed out by Harvey last year — a rather unassuming cocktail fete upstairs at River Oak District's Steak 48 restaurant last night may have been the hottest invite of the week.

Some of Houston's best-known philanthropy-gala hostesses — Phoebe Tudor, Becca Cason Thrash, Elizabeth Petersen, Leigh Smith and Greggory Burk — came together for a just-because to-do, welcoming a roster of swells to the glitzy steakhouse. Steak 48 honchos Jeff Mastro and Oliver Badgio also played host.

Wine flowed, and Exec Chef Jeff Taylor's passed snacks were rich and delicious, especially for a Monday night! Think New York strip, sautéed Maine Lobster, salmon with caviar, and Maryland-style crab cakes. Folks “inhaled the burrata on crostini like it was their full-time job," gushes a publicist for the eatery.

The guest list, touted as a “who's who of hobnobbing" by the same wordsmith, included Joanne King Herring, Dominique Sachse, Nick Florescu, Tony Bradfield, Shannon Hall and Allison Weaver of the Moody Center for the Arts. Also in the mix were Ursaline Hamilton, Alicia Smith, Houston Ballet's Oliver Halkowich, Matt Donowho, Tony Gibson, JD Adamson, Mia Matsamiya, Debbi Festari, Rudy Festari, Jo Furr, Jim Furr, Duyen Nguyen, Marc Nguyen, Holly Waltrip, Isabel David, Brandon McLendon, Diane Lokey Farb, Lindsey Love, Jeff Martin, Annie Amante, TV host Derrick Shore, New Orleans real estate doyenne Judy Oudt and Meghan Thrash.

From Your Site Articles
Party People
promoted

Thrive & Inspire: Alchemy’s Arquella Hargrove ‘Inspired by People Making an Impact in the World’

Thrive & Inspire: Alchemy’s Arquella Hargrove ‘Inspired by People Making an Impact in the World’

Arquella Hargrove, Chief Culture Officer and Owner of the Alchemy Consulting Group

WHAT IS THE secret to running a successful business? The secret to a successful business is a rockstar team. With a rockstar team, clients experience the transformation within their culture. This also is connected to other success factors — a commitment to relentless change, communicating courageously, and collaborating to win. The ultimate goal is to be the change for our clients and to create a culture where team members thrive and grow exponentially.

Keep Reading Show less
food

Októ Joins Mi Luna and Marmo as Hot Spots at Mediterranean-Marvelous Montrose Collective

Paella Valenciana at Mi Luna

THOUGH IT'S BEEN in Houston less than a decade, Sof Hospitality has made major inroads with foodies and critics alike. Its concepts include Doris Metropolitan, Hamsa and Badolina Bakery, all of which deliver the rich flavors of Israeli cuisine in complex, photogenic and delicious dishes. Its newest, Októ, opened earlier this year, one of several energetic restaurants to bow in the Montrose Collective, just in time for the holidays.

Keep Reading Show less
Food
art

Five Fabulously Diverse Exhibits Are Arriving at Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Bill Viola’s ‘Ascension,’ on display as part of ‘Living with the Gods’ at MFAH

THE ARTIST WHO ushered in the expressionist movement in the early 20th century was not, in fact, Picasso or Matisse. It was Paul Gauguin, whose career spanned the decades just preceding the turn of the century. The French painter is the subject of the Museum of Fine Arts’ latest exhibit, Gauguin in the World, which was organized by Henri Loyrette (formerly of the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay, Paris). The show, just one of the museum’s diverse winter season shows, debuted in Australia in June and will be on display through Feb. 16, 2025, at the MFAH, the only U.S. venue for the survey.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment