ICONIC FRENCH SHOE DESIGNER Christian Louboutin, known for his signature red soles, opens his first boutique in Houston this month at the Galleria. The 2,250 square foot space, located near Neiman Marcus and next door to MaxMara and Miu Miu, will feature the brand’s signature red carpet throughout. The area designated for women features a blue-lacquered façade, on which multicolored studs create a camouflage pattern; shoes and accessories are displayed in custom metal gates calling to mind a western motif. Meanwhile, the men’s shopping area features lots of leather, gray lacquer panels and a gray-patterned rug, evoking a more masculine ambiance. The latest shoe and handbag offerings from fall/winter 2016, including a spectacular Fireworks collection for men and women, will be on display when the store opens. christianlouboutin.com
Clare Leppert and Clementine, the Cavachon. Leigh Leppert and Benny, the Bernedoodle.
HOW DID YOU come together as a team? This fall, we are celebrating the introduction of an exciting real estate collaboration between Clare Leppert, longtime Houston Realtor®, and daughter Leigh Leppert. Clare shared a 20+ year real estate partnership with her mother, Bette Carpenter, until Bette’s death in 2016. Having worked solo for several years, Clare in 2021 was awarded Houston Business Journal’s No. 2 Luxury Realtor® in Houston. Leigh, who has been working in marketing for the past decade, has always shared a passion for real estate and watched Clare successfully balance family and career. We are excited to re-create the next generation of a mother-daughter duo at Compass!
Tell us about your business. What’s unique about your partnership and how does the relationship benefit the business? Clare’s experience in the luxury market for the last 20+ years is enhanced by Leigh’s fresh take on marketing and insight on the ever-evolving Houston neighborhoods. We recognize that real estate is so much more than just “the house.” Exceeding client expectations, marketing, negotiating, hand-holding, and successfully maneuvering in changing markets are what we do best.
What is the Leppert Ladies’ secret to success? We take a family approach to real estate. Clare and Leigh provide a combination of grit and grace, constantly striving to protect and honor clients’ privacy and to prioritize clients’ best interests.
What makes your partnership effective? Clients benefit from the expertise of not one but two Realtors! Clare is a top-producing, seasoned agent in the luxury market who grew up in River Oaks and knows the tried and true Houston neighborhoods. Leigh offers knowledge about current marketing and advertising strategies and is a connoisseur of Houston hotspots and happenings.
What can Houston expect from this duo? We specialize in assisting clients in all seasons of life. From leasing or purchasing for the first time to empty-nesting and beyond, Clare and Leigh will be there! Our goal is to be your real estate partner for generations to come.
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Prosperity toss at Phat Eatery
THIS WEEKEND, THERE’S no shortage of ways in H-Town to ring in the Lunar New Year. From lion dancers to dumplings, here’s a handful of Asian spots around town that are drumming up tasty fun in honor of the Year of the Rabbit!
Kin Dee
Kin Dee's khantok platter
The charming Heights-area Thai restaurant will be hosting an enchanting lion dance performance produced by Lee’s Golden Dragon Lion & Dragon Dance Association Saturday, Jan. 21, at 7:30pm. The performers will roam about Kin Dee dazzling guests with spectacular costumes, music, and creative expression creating a multi-sensory celebratory dining experience.
Le Colonial
Le Colonial in River Oaks District
Join the Lunar New Year tradition of gifting pocket-sized red envelopes filled with cash at this elegant Vietnamese restaurant. Dinner guests will receive the envelope offerings to pass along to lion dance performers on Jan. 22 beginning at 6pm. It’s a festive way to enjoy the fragrant curries, shaking beef and vibrant spring rolls.
Mala Sichuan
Mala Sichuan
Like it hot? Visit one of the Mala outposts around town known for tongue-numbing Sichuan specialties. Pick up the traditional red envelope stuffed with one-dollar bills — and some with $100 for the lucky ducks. Catch the action over the weekend afternoons between 2-4pm.
Money Cat
Money Cat Nigiri set (photo by Sabrina Miskelly)
“New Japanese” cuisine is the theme at this Upper Kirby newcomer where the team has been putting on a culinary show since its grand opening. They are at it again this Sunday, Jan. 22, at 6:30pm with Lunar New Year lion dances performed by Celestial Dragon. Don’t pass up the dark chocolate bonsai tree dessert atop grilled pineapple mousse.
Phat Eatery
Phat's red envelopes
The beloved Malaysian restaurant in Katy Asian Town will offer a five-course feast served family-stylestarring Prosperity Toss, a traditional Malaysian salad symbolizing abundance. Together, tablemates use chopsticks to vigorously loft the dish’s many colorful components into the air; the higher the toss, the more their good fortune increases for the year. An interactive lion dance performance by local group Lee Dragon precedes each meal. Dinner seatings: Jan. 22 and Jan. 27; lunch seatings are Jan. 28 and Jan. 29.
Tobiuo Sushi & Bar
Tobuio (photo by Ashley Castro)
Owner Sherman Yeung’s Japanese restaurant in Cinco Ranch specializing in elevated sushi and craft cocktails is ushering in the Lunar New Year with lion dances performed by Celestial Dragon Jan. 21, at 6:30pm.
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Bayou Heights Bier Garten (photo by Dustyn Zenner)
SO FAR, 2023 has no shortage of headline-making food news! Devour all the deliciousness below.
Now Open: Bayou Heights Bier Garten
The Harvey-colada cocktail (photo by Dustyn Zenner)
The Kirby Group, which is behind Wooster’s, Holman Draft House and Heights Bier Garten, has opened Bayou Heights Bier Garten on Washington near Heights Boulevard. Four separate buildings are situated around a central courtyard, where guests can gather to enjoy the more than 70 craft beers and 16 wines, plus a massive cocktail list broken down into categories like “Refreshing and Balanced” and “Tropical and Tiki.” Kirby Group chef Teddy Lopez has unveiled a new food menu at the Heights and Bayou Heights Bier Gartens, with offerings like housemade pretzels and a brisket grilled cheese; the new bar opens at 8am and will serve breakfast tacos and brisket-egg sandwiches on weekends.
Navy Blue Starts Lunch Service
Grouper sandwich (photo by Caroline Fontenot)
Aaron Bludorn’s red-hot Navy Blue restaurant in Rice Village has just launched lunch service. Expect faves from the dinner menu — including the boquerones-topped Caesar salad and an entrée-size crab cake — alongside new items like an omelette with epoisses, frisee and black truffles. Navy Blue will serve lunch from 11:30am-2pm, and the bar will remain open until dinner service begins at 5pm.
Save the Date: NOLA Takeover at Julep
New Orleans restaurateur Neal Bodenheimer celebrates his new book, Cure: New Orleans Drinks and How to Mix ‘Em, at a party at Julep on Jan. 30. The James Beard-winning bar owner will take over the bar for the night, shaking up a selection of cocktails from the book, which features 100 drinks that represent New Orleans’ past, present and future. Purchase the book onsite for $18 — what a steal! Purchase tickets to the event here.
Feges BBQ Launches Weekly Specials
The Meatball Bowl
We meat again at Feges BBQ! The new year means new deals at both locations. In Spring Branch, a rack of ribs is just $30 on Tuesdays, and kids eat free from 5-9pm on Wednesdays. And a new monthly “barbecue bowl” is $17.50 on Thursdays; January’s is the Meatball Bowl. In Greenway Plaza, mid-week specials include $14 nachos on Tuesdays, $20-per-pound of sweet-chili rib tips on Wednesdays, and $26-per-pound pastrami pork belly on Thursdays.
Spanish Village Announces Closing Date
Iconic Tex-Mex spot Spanish Village weathered the pandemic and announced its closure in July 2021 — but local businessman Steven Rogers bought the restaurant and helped celebrate its 70th anniversary in 2023. But today Rogers announced that Spanish Village — known for its house margs and El Clásico enchiladas — will close on March 31, also alluding to a yet-to-be-announced project. “There’s absolutely no arguing the impact Spanish Village has had on the Third Ward. The Medina family built something incredible, and I have been honored to be able to continue that,” said Rogers in a statement. “Despite the restaurant closing, it’s important to me and to the community to honor that legacy.” Rogers is currently developing the neighboring 8,000-square-foot property and solicited feedback from Third Ward residents as to what should go there — perhaps a diner, or a mixed-use complex, they said. “I’m excited to begin this new chapter with a project that will benefit them.”
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