Photos by Steven Visneau
Styling by Todd Ramos
Hair by Zackery Chapa
Makeup by Edward Sanchez
Shot on location at Le Méridien Houston Downtown
Chef-owner Austin Waiter of The Marigold Club, now serving fried chicken and Champagne on Sunday nights.
And the drinks? They’re going big. Champagne bottles are half-off, and if you’ve ever dreamed of sipping Krug by the glass with your fried chicken, this is your moment. Feeling fancy? Add caviar service and settle in for the kind of Sunday that’s anything but sleepy.
Set inside The Marigold Club’s moody, glam dining room — think velvet, Murano chandeliers, and hand-painted murals — this new weekly tradition is giving end-of-weekend blues a very bubbly makeover.
Reservations are highly recommended. Southern comfort never looked (or tasted) so good.
Fried chicken for two, buttery mashed potatoes and half-priced Champagne are on the new Sunday menu at The Marigold Club.
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The real star of the evening? 6,500 pounds of crawfish, served up with all the fixings — plus Gulf Coast favorites like lobster fritters, seafood fondue, boudin balls and bread pudding with a boozy twist.
Guests got competitive during the live auction, which featured everything from Caribbean escapes to helicopter hog hunts. A chocolate lab puppy named Blue Bell stole the show — and a new home — with Cotton EVP Zinat Ahmed. He’ll be trained as an emotional support pup for visitors to Taylor’s Place, a retreat for families facing terminal illness that’s set to open this fall.
Closing out the night? A crowd-pleasing performance by country star Mark Chesnutt, who brought the house (or barn) down.
In the crowd was Pete Bell, Fady Armanious, Ellie Francisco, Whitney Kuhn Lawson, Kristen Cannon and Heather Almond.
Bailey Bell Layne and Pete Bell
Opening Performance by Bayou Roux
Houstonians traveled to CrawFest at the Cotton Ranch in Katy
Stacey Lindseth, Fady Armanious, Ally Ehrman
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Crawfish
A cozy corner of the new Allegory Bar
If you haven’t spent much time in CityCentre lately, it’s definitely worth an immersive experience. And The Moran CityCentre, recently named a top-three Houston hotel by Travel + Leisure, is a bright, lovely homebase. Thanks to the Midway company’s multi-million-dollar reno, the property now touts a new front desk, lobby bar and terrace space, a prominent new ground level entrance, along with recently completed refreshed rooms and expanded meeting spaces.
The lobby bar is terrific. It’s called The Allegory Bar, and it overlooks CityCentre’s central plaza — a green space surrounded by killer shopping, cute patio restaurants, and an ice cream shop that stays busy. From Allegory, which mixes a sleek, marble bar with a cozier dining space that resembles a chic, urbane library, you can see all the action. And on breezy summer nights, there’s always a lot of action. (A stroll through the CityCentre plaza on a bustling evening should be on anyone’s up-to-date Houston bucket list, to be honest.)
At Allegory, beautiful Texas-y cocktails like the smoked Lonesome Dove (small-batch bourbon, pecan syrup and bitters) wash down apps like brisket-stuffed jalapenos and entrees such as redfish with wild rice and lemon cream. There’s also a smart new breakfast spot, Café Moran, just off the sexy pool deck, awash in natural light and billowing treetop views. Very pleasant.
The hip bar and accomplished new restaurant is only part of the redo. “All 244 guestrooms have been refreshed with stylish new furnishings, premium bedding, modern lighting, and technology upgrades,” notes a Midway rep. “Thoughtfully curated amenities, including chic bar carts stocked with Texas-based liquors, a selection of snacks and Illy coffee service, custom bath products, plush robes, and handheld steamers, further enhance the guest experience, reflecting the property’s dedication to comfort and luxury.”
Other perks include discounted day passed to the sprawling, upscale Life Time mega-gym across the way. This alone may be worth making a weekend of it, as Life Time is notoriously hard to access without member credentials.
And now semes like a great time to pull the trigger on a quick trip. The Taste the Weekend package has been extended through end of July; it’s available Fridays and Saturdays, offering a $199 classic king room with $100 F&B credit.
The Moran CityCentre overlooks the development's iconic central plaza.
The lobby bar
A new meeting space
The new front approach to the Moran
The terrace off the lobby with unique views of CityCentre