photos by JULIE SOEFER
styling by KATE STUKENBERG
model MICHAELA McCLURE FOR WALLFLOWER MANAGEMENT
hair and makeup by TONYA RINER
styling assistance by GRETA CONNOLLY
Shot on location in Montrose
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.
World-famous Jigger & Pony bar of Singapore will be featured in a pop-up at the Four Seasons’ Bandista speakeasy July 20, along with sister bar Cosmo Pony. Its spicy margarita with an agave lollipop will be on the menu.
Following its super-cool pattern of hosting bartenders from the best bars around the globe, Four Seasons Hotel Houston’s Bandista speakeasy — you enter it through a book shelf in a back room — will present staff from Singapore’s Jigger & Pony and its sister bar Cosmo Pony from Jakarta on July 20.
“Jigger & Pony is currently ranked No. 5 in the World’s 50 Best Bars and No. 3 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars, with a rich history of praise for its classic technique and warm hospitality,” explains a rep for the posh Downtown hotel.
The bars’ group creative director, Uno Jang, and Cosmo Pony GM will Silvio Daniele have already set the cocktail menu. It includes Jigger’s spicy margarita with Herradura Reposado Tequila, Ancho Reyes Chile, lime, Awayuki salt and an agave lollipop; an espresso martini with Jack Daniels and rain forest honey; and the Peanut Alexander with Fords Gin, peanut, fig, cacao liqueur and cream. Must-tries from Cosmo Pony include the Ugly Bananas — think bourbon, extra-ripe nanners, organe juice, jasmine and egg whites — and a unique Tequila Vesper with Herradura Silver Tequila, gin, fortified wine and a smoked olive.
What might be even more delicious is that proceeds from the special evening of tasty tippling benefits Camp H-Town and its efforts to provide normal-kid summer fun for children impacted by cancer. Reservations for 60-minute seatings are required. Cocktails are priced between $30 and $40. Seating are available from 7pm to midnight. Discounted room rates are available for those looking to make night of it.
“It is an honor to bring our friends from Jigger & Pony and Cosmo Pony to H-Town, where guests of Bandista can experience the award-winning cocktails of these two fantastic bars,” says Tom Segesta, general manager of Four Seasons Hotel Houston and devoted champion of Camp H-Town. “It’s going to be a very special evening for those who get a seat.”
The philanthropic pop-up idea is not new to Bandista. The speakeasy has previously hosted popular Employees Only of Manhattan’s West Village, also listed among the world’s best, among others.
Cosmo Pony's Ugly Bananas cocktail
Jigger & Pony and Cosmo Pony Group Director Uno Jang will be mixing his iconic cocktails in Houston.
Jigger & Pony's espresso martini
Cosmo Pony's Tequila Vesper
A peak inside Singapore's Jigger & Pony
Cosmo Pony GM Silvio Daniele will also be behind the Bandista bar.
Cosmo Pony's Nastar Punch
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 passes 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 seems like a great time to pull the trigger on a quick trip. The Taste the Weekend package has been extended through end of August; 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