PRIME-May/June 2009

M AY/ J U N E 2 0 0 9

The Luxury of Choice

Way Out West International spotlight shines on Marfa

Thrill Ride

Extreme adventure vacations around theworld

Small Wonders Get a taste of Spain at Capriccio Tapas

gentle strength Four Houston moms share the joys and challenges of raising a happy family

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maY/JUne 2009

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magnificent

moms FOUR AMAZING MOMS SHARE THEIR STORIES, SUCCESSES AND SECRETS

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marfa serenade

WEST TEXAS TOWN CAPTIVATES THOSE LOOKING FOR A QUIRKY VISIT OR A BRAND-NEW LIFE

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flout the wild!

FOR HARD-CORE THRILL SEEKERS, VACATIONING “IN THE EXTREME” IS ALL THE RAGE

20 62 may/june • 2009

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alsoinside PUBLISHER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Karyn Dean

11 • cocktails & conversations • WHERE TO GO, WHAT TO DO Anvil • 10 Words Your Teen Won’t Think You Know • Life’s a Beach • City Q&A • Eye Candy

kdean@prime-living.com

28 • hUmBle trUth • REAL TEXAS PERSONALITIES Bob Cavnar, Milagro Exploration • Craig Biggio, former Houston Astro • Mark Magee, Amegy Bank

45 • connoisseUr • PL’S GUIDE TO DISCERNING TASTE Capriccio Tapas • Good Eats • Cleverley’s Corner Table • Solaire by Robert Mondavi • Food Fusion 55 • the Gentleman's room • FOR THE MAN WHO COMMANDS THE VERY BEST DC Comics • Honey, Don’t! • Jaguar XF • Swing Trip • Twitter 70 • live Well • FEEL GOOD, LOOK GOOD Sleep Disorders • Women and Sleep • Pillow Talk

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list

tdean@prime-living.com

MANAGING EDITOR Michelle Jacoby mjacoby@prime-living.com

ASSISTANT EDITOR Sue Hauenstein sueh@prime-living.com

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72 • prime list • EVENTS, GALAS AND FUNDRAISERS Girls Just Wanna Have Fun…In Monte Carlo! • Hats Off to Mothers Luncheon • Opera Ball 2009 • 33rd Annual Law Gala & Auction • Hot Designs for a Luxurious & Healthy Lifestyle • Datebook

the

PUBLISHER Terry Dean

ART DIRECTION & DESIGN SW!TCH s t u d i o Jim Nissen, Erin Loukili, Kris Olmon, Jaclyn Threadgill www.switchstudio.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Linda Osborne losborne@prime-living.com

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Mike Taylor mtaylor@prime-living.com CIRCULATION/ DISTRIBUTION Brian Stavert bstavert@prime-living.com

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CONTACT 311 Julie Rivers Drive Sugar Land, Texas 77478 281.277.2333 EDITORIAL INQUIRIES info@prime-living.com ADVERTISING INFORMATION advertise@prime-living.com www.prime-living.com

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e The Luxury of Choic

Westt Outspotligh Way ional Internat shines on Marfa

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gsterenntlgeth moms share Four Houston nges the joys and challefamily of raising a happy

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on the cover Nancy Olson—with her children Kate and Grant, and dog Riley—photographed on March 17, 2009 in front of their Sugar Land home. Photographed by Mark W. Lipczynski.

Prime Living Magazine is a publication of SRG Services, Inc., published bi-monthly.

Copies are mailed and hand delivered to households and businesses throughout the greater Houston area. This publication may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the express prior written permission of the publisher. The publisher assumes no responsibility to any party for the content of any advertisement in this publication. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position of the publication.

publisher’s note

I

know I’m going to be in big trouble when my kids and our assistant editor Sue’s daughter see their picture, but I just couldn’t help it.

Ahh, the years of innocence and “cute.” How quickly they grow up!

With the girls nearly 23 and my son turning 20 this month, I can still vividly remember such happy moments as bedtime stories, snacks, lunch boxes, homework (not particularly a fond memory there), soccer games, coloring, slip and slide, birthday parties, cartoons and naps (oh, how I loved naptime). What great performances we have on video of the three of them holding my candlesticks as microphones as they perform off-off-off-Broadway. (Note to self: Remember to hug the kids and look for my missing candlesticks.)

In this issue, we introduce you to some terrific moms and dads as they share their secrets of parenthood. Wishing you a happy Mother’s and Father’s days!

Thanks to all of you who took time to give us feedback and for the many congratulatory e-mails. Your input is greatly appreciated, so we thought we would share a few of your notes. On behalf of our entire Prime Living family, thank you and keep them coming!

r’s daughter, age 5; Jennifer Dean Emma Hauenstein Assistant Edito Dean Publisher’s son, age 3.

Alex 5; age hter, daug ’s isher Publ

kdean@prime-living.com

letters I loved the article on Butch Robinson. I’ve lived in Houston my whole life and always thought that everyone who was affiliated with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo were paid employees. Your article set me straight, so thank you. Love the magazine, the editorial and the photos. Great job!

-Melinda R., The Woodlands

NEXT MONTH is our Food and Travel issue! Share your favorites places to dine in the greater Houston area by sending an e-mail to editor@prime-living.com.

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Your magazine is wonderfully written and I love the beautiful pictures, especially in Connoisseur with all of the pictures of food.

Makes me hungry just flipping through the magazine!

-Janine H., Houston How long has the magazine been out? I just received my first copy and hope it’s not my last! Glad to see Doug Pike is still around and writing. I’ve been a fan of his for years.

-James T., Houston Congrats on an outstanding publication. It looks great! Wish you much success.

-Larry H., Sugar Land

Congratulations on your new magazine. I just received my copy and read it cover to cover. It is well written with high-quality, interesting stories. Well done!

-Ruthanne M., Richmond I received a copy of Prime Living today and I am truly impressed. My sincere congratulations.

It’s a beautiful product that’s highly readable.

The mix of contemporary and history makes an interesting read. The layout is gorgeous and doesn’t impede the reader one bit.

-Barbara F., Houston Congratulations on a great magazine. If this is not the first issue, I’m sorry that I missed out on the previous editions. The pictures are clear and crisp, articles are interesting and varied. And what a coup with the Carolyn Farb’s residence. It’s a magazine for everyone. Again, congratulations and best wishes with Prime Living.

-Miriam S., Sugar Land I love the new magazine! It is very well done and I love the layout. I think you’ve got a winner on your hands. Congratulations.

-Cee Cee C., Sugar Land

Tell us what you think! Send an e-mail to editor@prime-living.com. prime-living.com

HONORARY CHAIRS Kris and Amy Brown EVENT CHAIRS Dr. Aashish Shah and Roseann Rogers

THE HOUSTON

AUDI DEALERS

HOST COMMITTEE Dr. Charles and Helen Fraser

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contributORS the talented people who drive prime living

Michael Bauer | Writer/Photographer

Jean Ciampi | Writer

Jean Ciampi began her writing career in junior high passing notes in class. Realizing that a career as a Broadway actress would result in starvation, she stuck with writing and has now established a viable career that supports her scuba diving habit. Jean plans to continue on this path until she receives the call to take over as the commissioner for Major League Baseball.

Scott Corron | Photographer A Houston-based photographer specializing in sports, editorial portraiture and news, Scott Corron’s photo expertise also lies in general and military aviation photography.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice University’s School of Architecture in 1988, and has 10 years experience in the sales and marketing of cardiovascular diagnostic devices.

Marene Gustin | Writer Marene Gustin writes about Texas culture, food, fashion, the arts, and even Lone Star politics and crime for magazines and newspapers nationwide. She has more than 20 years experience as a print and television journalist and worked in Houston politics for six years. Her work has appeared in Dance International, OutSmart, Niche, SiliconIndia and the Houston Press, among others.

Meg Hunt | Illustrator At 25, Meg Hunt considers herself a jack-of all trades, but currently works as an illustrator. Her work is influenced by old children’s books, sci-fi, architecture, propaganda war posters, horror stories, toys, travel, myths and legends. Strange monsters, secret meetings, people in disguises, inconceivable surroundings and a utopia of the charmingly weird inhabit her world.

barbara fulenwider | Writer At a young age, Barbara Fulenwider was immediately sold on journalism during an internship with a daily newspaper. That first job eventually led to others, including a seven-year stint with The Stars & Stripes in Europe. After returning to Texas, Barbara worked for two magazines before joining her first weekly newspaper. Journalism, she says, has been a fabulous ride.

A graduate of Texas A&M, Mike Bauer has been a writer and photographer for more than 10 years. Having spent the last few years abroad, he has visited 76 countries, both poles and all seven continents. Mike’s work has been published in Cox News Service, ICON, ReviewIt, The Courier and Texas A&M Alumni Magazine, as well as a number of books on travel and cuisine.

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we dramatically accelerated our heart attack treatment?

As part of the Memorial Hermann network of accredited Chest Pain Centers, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land responds at life-saving speeds.

At Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital, we never stop ask ing what if. W hat if everyone in Houston was just minutes away from the most sophisticated, most responsive heart attack care? Constantly asking what if is how we’re able to offer the most innovative, comprehensive means of assessing, diagnosing and treating patients suffering from cardiac arrest. In fact, our commitment to cardiac care led us to work with our expansive system

of hospitals to establish the nation’s first and only complete citywide network of Chest Pain Centers, as designated by the Society of Chest Pain Centers. Each of our nine acute-care hospitals voluntarily underwent a rigorous evaluation process to earn this distinction.

This means that, no matter where you are in Houston, you’re within minutes of life-saving care. It’s just another example of how we make breakthroughs—every day.

Visit memorialhermann.org for information about our life-saving heart and vascular screenings.

TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER Ý KATY Ý MEMORIAL CITY Ý NORTHEAST Ý NORTHWEST Ý SOUTHEAST Ý SOUTHWEST Ý SUGAR LAND Ý THE WOODLANDS Ý CHILDREN’S Ý TIRR

cocktails & conversation.

cocktails & the prime living GUide to What's happeninG noW

inside: Pisco Sour, Anvil

12 13 14 16 18

• • • • •

prime ten | teenspeak deCoded niGht oUt | anvil the BUZZ | what's new hoUston deconstrUcted | CitY Q&a stYle | eYe CandY

may/june • 2009

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cocktails & conversation.

PRIMe TEN

Cashed out A teen’s attempt to speak like a financial planner and suggest he is in position to covert funds, when, in fact, he has no money and hopes you pick up the tab.

Newb, noob, noobie Teens like to recklessly throw this one around, implying they are experts while everyone else is a “rookie, amateur, new to the task.”

Epic A term to describe something large, grand, wonderful, even if it’s a slight exaggeration, i.e., “That guy has an epic crush on me” or “I can’t go to school today because of the epic pimple on my chin.”

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Words Your Teen Won’t Think You Know

Story | sally j. clasen Illustration | MeG HUnt

Do you wonder what your teenagers or grandkids are saying? It’s as if they speak in tongues. A communication divide has always existed between generations, but with some basic instruction, it’s possible to follow teenspeak. Here are 10 common words and phrases decoded so, like, you can join the conversation.

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Phat Go figure, but “phat” doesn’t have anything to do with unsightly or unwanted pounds. It is, however, one of the weightiest compliments a teenager will bestow, as in “Mom, your ride is phat.”

Chilaxin’ It has a tropical destination ring, but you won’t find it on any official map. According to UrbanDictionary.com, it is “the act of relaxing and being calm at the same time.”

Rents Double application. That’s short for you, the parental unit, who also pays the overhead where that lingual life force spends a lot of time chilaxin’.

Sick Don’t bother to call the doctor, folks. It’s just a teen’s term of endearment for something (or someone) insanely cool. For example, “The new Xbox I got for graduation is sick.”

Boo A reference that could potentially frighten you particularly since it is an affectionate nickname teenagers use to describe a somewhat serious boyfriend or girlfriend. Translated: “He’s my one and only boo.”

Legit Chalk it up to a youngster’s need to shorten something perfectly legitimate. In other words, a lazy Poned teen’s version of “for real, not A public shout-out to shed fake.” Used in a sentence: “Mom disgrace about some humiliating behavior. For example: “Grandpa, and Dad, my new tattoo the size of I can’t believe grandma just poned Texas splayed across my back that reads ‘I love my boo’ is legit.” you in Texas Hold ’em.”

NIGht OUT

cocktails & conversation.

WHile YOU’re in THe neigHbOrHOOD, cHecK OUT THese OTHer greaT spOTs

LITTLE BIG’S

Perfect for a pre- or postdrink snack, pop into this retro-chic burger shack for fantastic sliders. Choose perfectly seasoned beef, decadent mushroom/cheese or sassy chicken. Whether you order them singly or in a trio, pair them with the fourminute fries. Everything’s made fresh in-house, including the condiments.

Another plus: They’re open until 2 a.m. on weekends.

Mix Master

713-521-2447

littlebigshouston.com

Story | Holly Beretto Photography | Mark W. lipczynski

W

alking into Anvil, Houston bartending wunderkind Bobby Heugel’s new spot on Westheimer, you immediately feel a pull of the past. As well it should be, since the specialty of the house are classic cocktails— made in classic style.

Everything on Heugel’s menu harkens back to an earlier, easier time, when cocktails reached their peak in the U.S. between the 1890s and the 1920s.

“Bartenders used to be as respected as the top maitre d’s,” says Heugel. “Then, during Prohibition, it become something seedier and the whole approach to cocktails died out. There was a bit of a comeback during the Tiki era, in the late ’30s and ’40s, but we haven’t seen anything like the same appreciation for classic drinks and attention to making them since.”

Anvil is the sort of place where customers not only watch the bartender make their drinks, but

also learn more about their favorite cocktails, including the Airmail, which dates back to at least the 1940s. This blend of rum (made from fresh sugarcane juice, but distilled at a lower proof ), fresh lime, honey and Champagne has a mysterious past. Bartenders don’t quite agree on all the details, but all affirm it’s a sassy, tropic wonder.

Another favorite is the Hoffman House. Done with gin, French vermouth and orange bitters, it is Anvil’s send-up of the classic martini.

“The martini is meant to be a delicate drink, one where the herbal notes of the gin and vermouth blend together,” says Heugel. Served in a simple, elegant glass (the V-shaped martini glass didn’t come along till the 1950) it’s very nearly perfect.

Attention to detail is apparent in every aspect of Anvil. The building used to be a tire store before being taken over by the iconic Daiquiri Factory.

Heugel stripped away the bright Caribbean blue of that venue and shows off the building’s exposed brick. The rail at the foot of the bar was salvaged from one of Houston’s old rail lines and an old-fashioned, wood cooler door dons the entry to the walk-in refrigerator. The tables are a deep, mahogany-colored wood and the whole place has the feel of a classic speakeasy.

Behind the bar, expect to see Heugel and his team making fresh juices, blending an astonishing array of bitters into drinks, consulting old bartender’s volumes for new ideas and otherwise making the past come alive.

“The cocktail is an important piece of American history,” says Heugel. “It tells us who we are.” anvil 1424 westheimer 713-523-1622 anvilhouston.com

THE MENIL COLLECTION

Showcasing the exquisite art collection by philanthropists John and Dominique de Menil, with pieces from antiquity through today, the permanent collection is augmented with everchanging exhibits. Sister museums include the Cy Twombly Gallery, stunning Rothko Chapel and the aweinspiring Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum.

713-525-9400 menil.org

MICHELANGELO’S RESTAURANT

Quietly unassuming, this Italian eatery is a Houston hidden gem. Tucked into a little house with a tree growing through it just outside downtown, Michelangelo’s has been serving fantastic Italian cuisine in a romantic setting since 1969. A wide range of salads, pastas, seafood and meat specialties—and a wellappointed wine list—awaits.

713-524-7836

michelangelosrestaurant.com

may/june • 2009

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cocktails & conversation.

bUZZ

grand IN

StYLe

In keeping with its tradition of old world elegance and charm, Hotel Granduca has introduced Beguiling Bites and Lasting Memories, a new tea service to be enjoyed by young and old alike.

Houston’s only member of the Leading Hotels of the World touts a wide assortment of herbal teas and an array of tea sandwiches and afternoon pastries. Complete with a kid-friendly event, so consider taking one of your grandchildren, or adopt one for an afternoon!

Tea is held afternoons from 2 to 4 p.m. For reservations, call 713-4181000. – Sue Hauenstein

beach LIFE’S A

I

t’s been seven months since Hurricane Ike ravaged the shores of Galveston, where some of the Texas coast’s most beautiful seaside homes once stood. And although those beachfront abodes may no longer be there, amazing design and architecture is rising up once again.

In cooperation with the Galveston Historical Foundation, the Coastal Living Idea House at Beachtown is now open. New Urban Guild architect Michael Imber designed a house that blends designs based on historic Galveston architecture with cutting-edge modern construction techniques.

Built in carpenter gothic style, the home was built several feet above the required base flood elevation and constructed using the guidelines of the Fortified…for safer living® program.

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Concrete columns, concrete beams, concrete floors, and steel portals were used to fortify the house against potential hurricane damage.

Atlanta-based interior designer Susan Bozeman designed the home’s interior spaces, balancing historic style with the latest in functional home design. The media room, for example, houses University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)’s state-of-the-art telemedicine communication devices that give residents the ability to communicate with a doctor, while in the convenience of the home.

Tours of the Idea House are available through June, with proceeds benefitting the Galveston Historical Foundation. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $10. For tickets, call 1-877-772-5425.

– Michelle Jacoby

JEAN ALLSOPP FOR COASTAL LIVING

entertainment, this is

bUZZ

cocktails & conversation.

A JAGUAR

Can Change Its Spots!

MAKE A SPLASH

Like it or not, summer’s almost upon us. And while we lament the unforgivingly muggy days ahead, we can take solace in the fact that Zingara Swimwear, an exclusive brand originating in South America, has opened its first U.S. boutique in Highland Village. With bold colors and exuberant prints using only the finest Italian and Spanish fabrics, the brand exudes an avante garde edge. Sure the summer will be unbearable at times, but at least you’ll look great enduring it. – Sue Hauenstein

True to the Jaguar philosophy of creating beautiful, fast cars, the luxury automaker is launching its new luxurious XF Portfolio model in 2010.

The new generation of XF and XFR coupe and convertibles with V-8 engines, interior enhancements and advanced lightweight aluminum body structure will deliver the best of everything Jaguar. The new AJ-V8 Gen III direct-injection engine is the most advanced and efficient direct-injection engine Jaguar has ever produced.

Exterior changes include a distinctive and purposeful new front-end design, new LED rear lights and a new lower rear body spoiler. – Sue Hauenstein

Pet RX

Home of the world’s largest medical center, Houston is now also home to a premier doggie medical center. In March, the Canine Health Institute opened its doors to provide state-ofthe-art medical treatment for man’s best friend.

The Canine Health Institute, located at 3800 Southwest Freeway, provides pain management and rehabilitation for pugs, malamutes, retrievers and all of our four-footed friends. It’s the first canine center of its kind.

“I noticed this growing need for underwater therapy for dogs in California,” says former physical therapy equipment saleswoman Vickey Kozak. When she broached the idea with her husband—a human spinal surgeon—he quickly added that they needed an MRI, too.

From there, the idea for the institute grew.

“We’re bringing the human world into the vet side, which is about 20 years behind,” Kozak says. Well, not anymore.

Does Fido need a weight management plan? A little massage therapy, underwater treadmill training, acupuncture, cryotherapy, laser or stem-cell therapy? This is the place to get it.

“It’s a very holistic place, the dogs love it, they just jump out of the cars when they get here,” Kozak says.

So far, Kozak says they haven’t had any celebrities, but she’d just love it if local star Stump—who became the oldest dog to win top honors at Westminster—would visit. She promises him a free underwater therapy for his 10-year-old bod.

And, while the practice focuses on canines, they also do diagnostic work on felines and fowls.

“Yes,” admits Kozak, “we do CAT scans on cats.” – Marene Gustin

may/june • 2009

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cocktails & conversation.

CItY Q&A

Houston deConstruCted GET THE answers TO YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE BAYOU CITY

Story | BarBara fUlenWiDer

Q

wHat was tHe first newspaper printed in Houston and wHy does tHe name of tHe man wHo owned it now graCe milk Cartons?

A. Gail Borden Jr. was a native New Yorker, who became a publisher, inventor, businessman and philanthropist. With little formal schooling, he moved to Texas in the late 1820s for the milder climate to farm and raise

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prime-living.com

Q

wHo Built tHe galleria and wHat inspired tHe design?

A. Houston’s Galleria was the vision of Gerald D. Hines, who modeled his commercial development after the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan. The Milan shopping center was built from 1865 to 1877 and was the first of its kind to use an iron and glass structure.

The Galleria’s glass roof, which towers three stories above the ice rink, is the architectural feature that sets this retail mall apart. The Galleria opened in November 1970 and since then has grown from its initial 600,000 square feet to 2.4 million.

Q

Has Houston always Had only one newspaper?

A. Until 1964, Houston’s 938,219 residents had a choice of three daily newspapers: the Houston Press, Houston Chronicle and Houston Post. The Press began publishing in Houston in 1911 and continued until 1964 when Scripps-Howard sold it to the Houston Chronicle for an estimated $4 million.

Twenty years later, in 1984, the Post closed its doors, leaving the Hearst-owned Chronicle to cover the news for the growing city of 1.5 million people.

Q

wHen did tHe astrodome open and wHiCH BaseBall teams played tHe first game in tHe “eigHtH wonder of tHe world”?

A. An exhibition game between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees was played on April 9, 1965, but the official opening ceremony was not held until April 12. The glass-domed monument to professional sports was the largest structure of its kind at the time and thousands came to see a sports stadium like no other. The Astrodome stands 18 stories tall on 9.5 acres, with a dome that is 710 feet in diameter and ceiling 208 feet above the playing surface. It was completed in November 1964, six months ahead of schedule.

Have a burning question about life in Houston? E-mail your curious inquiries to askhouston@ prime-living.com.

GREATER HOUSTON CONVENTION AND VISITORS BUREAU

Q

How did Harris County get its name?

A. The little remembered John R. Harris is the county’s namesake, who arrived in Texas from New York in the 1820s when the state still belonged to Mexico. Harris chose his league on Buffalo Bayou because of its confluence with Braes Bayou, and had the village of Harrisburg platted.

He built a house and store, and was building a sawmill when he traveled to New Orleans, where he died of yellow fever.

cattle. In 1835, he, his brother and a third investor founded the Telegraph and Texas Register in San Felipe, where it was published until March 1836. In the early 1850s, he returned to the East Coast and developed the first commercial method of condensing milk. His dairy company was renamed Borden Inc. in 1968.

cocktails & conversation.

StYLe

face Eye Candy I

n Texas, sunglasses are unquestionably a must. Sure, they protect your peepers from harmful UV rays and the damaging effects of the sun—not to mention the sensitive and telling areas around the eyes—but, just as importantly to fashionistas, sunglasses are the ultimate fashion statement.

The sunglasses you wear and how you wear them say everything about who you are. Oversized sunglasses channel your inner Jackie O, while thin, angular specs harken back to your days in the ’80s as a Madonna-wannabe.

Whoever your fashion inspiration is, this summer’s multiple array of sunglasses offers options for all tastes. Rimless and half-rimmed glasses are prolific as are angled or distinctive lens shapes. If round or oval lenses are not your favorite or most flattering shape, consider something

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outrageous, including two-toned, glitzy, bold flourishes, maybe even something patterned. Oversized sunglasses are still hot this year with unique cutouts making an even bolder statement.

Ladies, are you Beatles fans? If so, you will be delighted to learn that round John Lennon-style glasses are “in” for women this season. The retro look is hot. The latest sunglasses trend toward the guise of the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s, adding truth to the adage that everything old is new again.

When it comes to lenses, the latest styles are available with polarized options that reduce glare. If you’re in and out a great deal, don’t forget to look into transition lenses. They’ve come a long way over the past few years.

You may wish to purchase a pair of sunglasses for each of your personalities.

Whatever you decide, have fun with it!

Finding the perfect frame for your face is often taxing. Don’t rush into purchasing a particular designer’s newest model just because it’s hip.

The key is complementing your facial structure. If the frame is too large or too small for your face, you won’t look fashionable. Here are some tips: • Long, narrow faces are most flattered by oval frames.

• A round face is complemented by an angled or squared shape.

• The frame should fit comfortably. If it’s too snug, you could end up with headaches.

• Be sure to consider your bone structure, hair color and style.

Your friend’s favorite sunglasses may look great on her, but look completely different on you.

SUNGLASSES COURTESY OF SAKS FIFTH AVENUE

Story | sUe HaUenstein Photography | Mark W. lipczynski

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a fSerenade West Texas town captivates those looking for a quirky visit or a brand-new life

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Story | joHn DeMers Photography | Mark W. lipczynski

I

n 1955, Hollywood director George Stevens dragged his cast of stars—Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and the soon-to-bemore-famous-dead-than-alive James Dean—to a small town located in the middle of nowhere in far west Texas to film the nowiconic movie Giant.

In time for a 2007 release, director Paul Thomas Anderson did much the same thing, bringing his star Daniel Day-Lewis to Marfa near Big Bend National Park (the national park least visited, by virtue of its remote location) to make the critically acclaimed movie There Will be Blood. And for the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, the road to

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THIS PAGE (top to bottom): A brightly colored sign on US 90 welcomes visitors to Marfa; a customer parks his bike outside Squeeze Marfa, a quaint breakfast and lunch spot.

Opposite page: Inside a guest room at the Thunderbird Hotel.

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picking up four Oscars for No Country for Old Men also led through the west Texas town of Marfa.

Oh, what a difference half a century can make.

In the years between Stevens’ arrival, setting up his famous trio in the Paisano Hotel next to Presidio County’s peach-and-cream courthouse, and the coming of his modern-day counterparts, Marfa underwent a striking change. Today, Marfa feels more like Key West without water, Telluride without snow, Taos without D.H. Lawrence.

It has become hip and stylish, but still remains real enough to never seem shallow.

The town sits at 5,200 feet above sea level, nestled on a grasscovered high prairie surrounded by the Fort Davis, Chinati and Chisos mountains. Its highway signs announce the population as 2,121, the nature of which has greatly changed over the past 50 years.

Its makeup and identity have expanded to seduce and embrace writers and artists, gallery owners and chefs. There’s still a card-carrying redneck or two walking along Highland Avenue, the town’s short main street, yet he or she is likely to rub elbows with visitors and parttimers, as well as permanent transplants from New York, Los Angeles, Europe and, most of all, Houston.

Marfa enjoys a remarkable relationship with its much-larger sibling, a “mere” 10-hour drive to the east. Houston is the town’s No. 1 travel market, for two main reasons: Houston modern art lovers are able to wander reverently through the mammoth Chinati Foundation and eco-tourists can hike, bike, raft, climb or crawl through Big Bend state and national parks along the Rio Grande River, Texas’ twisting border with Mexico.

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Since Marfa has shown a unique talent for turning tourists into real estate-owning residents, the number of people you meet with Houston as their birthplace or former home is extraordinary.

A surprising number have fallen under the town’s spell with such Damascus Road intensity that they’ve launched second careers or started entirely new businesses, to give themselves an excuse to stay on in this town they’ve come to love.

On those occasions, when one job is not enough (a common occurrence in a town so tiny), they simply work two or three. Marfa is a place where people’s identities tend toward the entrepreneurial and the hyphenated. This man, for instance, is a cattle brokergourmet coffee roaster, while that woman is a barbecue pit bossbicycle rental agent.

There seems to be near-universal agreement: To live in Marfa, it’s worth becoming hyphenated. And, for the lucky ones, Marfa means retirement, or at least a chance to live off success garnered in Houston.

Looking back, a visitor can find more than enough colorful history here. Marfa was founded in 1883 as a water stop for the Galveston, Harrisburg (later part of that new city called Houston) & San Antonio Railway and was named after a character in a Dostoevsky novel. The U.S. cavalry troops set up here during the Mexican Revolution in 1911, and it was an important location for the Army Air Corps during World War II. Still, if there’s one historical name that explains the modern town of Marfa, that name is Donald Judd.

The New York contemporary artist, who, beginning in the ’60s devoted his life to charting a new course for American visual expression, acquired a 45,000-acre ranch at the edge of town in the early 1970s. He established the sprawling, grassy property as a haven for large-scale works of his own, mixed with permanent installations by his friends and peers, including Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Roni Horn, John Wesley and others. After several adjustments in name and structure, the Chinati Foundation emerged as the group to oversee this amazing collection even after Judd’s death in 1994.

For lovers of modern art, Chinati remains Marfa’s big draw, its tours take visitors through huge hangers of heavy steel sculptures and other stark yet beautiful abstract forms. One stylistic departure is the old bunkhouse occupied by German POWs during World War II, its walls covered with whimsical prisoner drawings of cowboys, horses, GIs and other bits of exotic local color. Over the years, Chinati has been enriched and expanded by a number of smaller galleries springing up to meet a demand for art people can buy.

At its heart, Marfa remains a very small town. One of its lures to city dwellers, certainly, and it tends to “do” tourism in small ways. The Paisano Hotel of Giant fame has been joined by a hip younger sibling, the Thunderbird, a 1950s-style motel gone minimalist chic by way of boutique hotel creator Ian Schrager’s W model.

And while dining still bebops between enchiladas at Conchita’s and a mustardy burger at the local DQ, you can get first-rate Italian dinners at Maiya’s, world-class pizza at Pizza Foundation, the “Marfalafel” at Food Shark (a truck that parks lunchtimes between the tracks and the bookstore), and best of all, “global home cooking” at the brand-new Cochineal. The two chefs who operate this place spent years honing their art and getting a scrapbook full of glowing reviews Opposite page: Located just outside of town, Prada Marfa is a permanent sculpture by artist Elmgreen & Dragset, and produced by Ballroom Marfa and New York-based Art Production Fund.

This page (top to bottom): Nate Singletary mans the counter at Frama ice cream and coffee shop; the daily menu made of Scrabble tiles at Frama; a vintage television entertains customers at the Marfa Book Co.; outside the Thunderbird Hotel.

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on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They came to Marfa for a weekend of gallery hopping and never left.

In addition to the Internet, people in Marfa keep up by reading their own small weekly newspaper, the Big Bend Sentinel, and especially by listening round-the-clock to the town’s volunteer-driven NPR affiliate, Marfa Public Radio. It seems that everyone you meet hosts his or her own show, often in the wee hours of the night. In a world of draconian radio formats, Marfa does in radio what it does in everything else—exactly what it feels like at the moment.

From longtime residents to a quirky collection of recent arrivals, people in Marfa will tell you with pride there’s no Starbucks within about 300 miles. There is, however, Big Bend Coffee Roasters, whose organic, fair-trade blends everyone in town brews and enjoys. Then, there is Frama (that’s “marfa” with the letters jumbled up) serving Big Bend coffee and Blue Bell ice cream in a corner of the Tumbleweed Laundry, where just about everyone goes to wash clothes.

That makes the young couple in charge—hmm, let’s see—laundrycoffee shop-ice cream parlor owners. Then again, this is Marfa. It’s all about being not only caffeinated but hyphenated as well.

This page (top to bottom): A row of bikes stand parked outside the Thunderbird Hotel office; the dining room at Maiya’s Restaurant.

Opposite page (top to bottom, left to right): Paisano Hotel lobby; owner Mona Garcia of the Arcon Inn; fashions at the Fancy Pony Land boutique; Marfa Lights viewing area; Andy Warhol's The Last Supper at the Ayn Foundation; Jessie and Daniel Browning, owners of Tumbleweed Laundry; Ballroom Marfa at sunset.

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outside the box

The Lights At a stone viewing station nine miles east of town, the so-called Marfa Lights, a phenomenon linked by some to UFOs since at least the 1880s, can be viewed at dusk when the skies are clear.

The Foundation

Tours of the vast Chinati Foundation eat up a whole day in two parts, starting at 10 a.m. and resuming at 2 p.m. after a break for lunch.

Different artists are covered in each half, with Donald Judd’s work in the morning.

The Club

Musician and former Houstonian David Beebe is the force behind Padre’s, Marfa’s funky new music venue, bar and restaurant.

The name refers to Episcopal priest Bill Miller, long of Houston’s Trinity Church but now forced to hang his collar in Kauai.

The Chili

It’s no quick trip to Terlingua, but it might well be worth it. A bizarre hippie-bikercowboy non-work ethic is evident and in November, those people and thousands of others swell the tiny bump in the road for two international chili cook-offs.

The Ranch

Houston entrepreneur John Poindexter has turned the old Cibolo Creek Ranch into a rustic but comfortable upscale resort with its own airstrip. Go for the outdoor amusements, from horseback riding to Humvee tours of the mountain trails.

may/june • 2009

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truth

bob CAVNAR

Agent of Change Story | Holly Beretto Photography | sofia Van Der Dys

B

ob Cavnar is not a big corporation kind of guy. Despite his sixyear tenure at El Paso Corp., where he served as vice president and chief financial officer, he’s more at home someplace he can be hands-on.

“I like being in a place where I can make things happen,” says the president and CEO of Milagro Exploration, which he started in 2005.

Cavnar likes change as much as he likes taking charge. In addition to heading his oil and gas exploration firm, he’s completing a two-year term as chairman of the Houston Grand Opera Board of Directors, and is active in his wife Grace’s nonprofit Recipe for Success, designed to promote healthy nutrition and lifestyles among school-age children.

“Working on HGO’s board allowed me to use some of my organizational skills,” says Cavnar, emphasizing his belief that people who take on roles with nonprofits should bring skills to the table—not simply “collect boards” as lines on a resume.

Even though he says he’ll take some time off at the end of his HGO board tenure, he’s considering several opportunities to work with arts

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organizations and getting involved in programs to enhance education curriculum and promote sustainable teacher salaries.

“We’ve grossly underfunded the necessary parts of our education system,” Cavnar says, adding that he’s looking forward to using his organizational abilities and interest in the subject to affect change. And he’s leading by example to his and Grace’s three children, ages 34 to 26.

“I’ve noticed that this generation of young professionals has a huge capacity to give, but they’re not giving the gifts that they could,” he says.

He and Grace set up the Cavnar Foundation and gave their children active parts in determining how the foundation’s money will be spent.

“It gives them responsibility and shows them firsthand about philanthropy.”

Giving back is important to this entrepreneur, guitar collector and helicopter pilot.

“We really believe in supporting organizations that enhance the community,” he says.

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CRAIG bIGGIo

Coach Dad Story | jean ciaMpi Photography | scott corron

I

n 2007, Craig Biggio retired from an illustrious career in Major League Baseball, having played 20 highly acclaimed years with the Houston Astros.

Retirement, however, lasted all of four days.

Finally able to just sit in the stands and drink his coffee at St. Thomas High School where his son Conor is a student athlete, Biggio was quickly recruited to help coach the football team.

“My intent was to just hang out and watch my kid’s practice. I hadn’t ever been able to do that because I was gone all the time. I love being out here playing,” he said with obvious enjoyment. “I treasure this opportunity to be around my kids. I’m having a lot of fun!”

Now the school’s head varsity baseball coach, he’s found a new passion in teaching what he loves to his son and his teammates with no regrets for his former life in the big leagues.

“My career was unbelievable. I was able to walk away when I could make the choice to do that,” Biggio says. When I turned that page, I turned it to teaching. And this, being out here with them, is worth all the money in the world.”

Biggio admits that coaching has opened his eyes to the possibilities of where he might go next. His second son, Cavan, will be a freshman at St. Thomas next year, and his youngest daughter, Quinn, is also a promising athlete. As his children grow up, he considers the possibility of coaching at the college level or a return in that capacity to the Majors.

“I had a lot of passion as a player. I have that same passion now as a coach,” he says.

“When I’m done here, I’m not sure what’s next, but I know I want to stay in the game.”

He thinks, though, that next time he retires, he might take five days off.

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truth

MARK MAGee

Full House Story | jean ciaMpi Photography | sofia Van Der Dys

M

ark Magee can count his greatest blessings on the fingers of one hand: Michael, the twins Marci and Phillip, Lindsy and Holly. Raising five active children and balancing a demanding career as a Senior Commercial Banker at Amegy Bank of America, however, is no easy feat. His wife, Pam, understands that completely. She’s the Senior Vice President, Market Manager for Whitney Bank.

He admits it wasn’t easy. “There have been tough compromises, times when I’ve had to say no to work or organizations in order to put the kids and family first. We’ve had to work as an organized team to juggle everything, but we’ve been very blessed. Having them all spaced four years apart—one was getting out of high school when the next one was starting—helped during those critical, busy teen years.”

Magee coached soccer teams, cheered at golf tournaments and swim meets, applauded at dance recitals and youth orchestra concerts.

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Together, they raised money for important causes, collected toys to donate, ran fundraising events, joined fish fries and logged countless miles for fundraising walks for the American Heart Association and March of Dimes. The family also raised, bred and sold English bulldogs, registered quarter horses and Appaloosa horses on their 130acre ranch in Palestine. And at 16 years old, along with their other activities, each of the Magee clan was expected to get a job to help pay for their education and car.

Through it all, Magee believes he and his wife were able to instill a belief in God, a sense of self-sufficiency and the importance of a strong work ethic. Looking back on those hectic years (his children are now ages 20 to 32) there isn’t anything he would change.

“They’re all doing well in life, living their dreams,” he says. “They all are good people with a strong faith. I’m proud of them.”

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m ms Four amazing moms share their stories, successes and secrets Story | Marene GUst in Photography | Mark W. lipczyn

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that’s a fine sentiment for Mother’s Day, but being a mom is more than just passing on the pie these days. besides wiping noses, attending school recitals and driving to and from soccer games, many mothers are also wives, career women, philanthropists and political activists. being a great mom in texas today means being more than just a steel magnolia. It means not just putting your children first, but also taking an active interest in shaping the world they live in. What that world is going to look like depends not only on the education and care we give our offspring now, but also the efforts we put into changing the world for their future. here are four magnificent moms who are doing just that.

may/june • 2009

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dayna steele

A ROCKIN’ ROCK STAR MOM

MOTHER'S DAY

Guitar Hero World Tour the Complete Set. I’ve been asking for it for a year but they won’t give it to me. Why? Because they say, “You’ll make us play it with you!”

F

ew “Steeleworkers”—the hard-core rockers who followed former radio deejay Dayna Steele’s career in the ’90s—would have predicted that she would go on to become an accomplished author and motivational speaker. Let alone a devoted wife, mother and stepmother.

In 1996, Steele was Billboard magazine’s “Local Radio Personality of the Year” and was included in Talkers Magazine’s “100 Most Important Radio Talk Show Hosts” in 1998. She partied with the rock and roll’s biggest headliners, toured the country and experienced a life only true music fans can appreciate. Then the rock star met a rocket scientist, NASA pilot Charlie Justiz. And, science being what it is, love led to marriage and a baby carriage.

“I was 36 when I had Dack,” says Steele (DACK an acronym for “Dayna And Charlie’s Kid”). “I always knew I wanted to have kids, I just never knew how much I’d like them.”

She loved helping parent Justiz’s son Chris, but when she got pregnant with Dack, it wasn’t a surprise that she posed in all her maternal glory (a la Demi Moore) on the cover of a local magazine.

But her rock and roll ways soon gave way to familyfirst ways.

“Having Dack was like a publicity stunt, until the first labor pains started,” Steele says. “And then I got him home and realized I didn’t know anything. I didn’t know any nursery rhymes so I’d sing him Stairway to Heaven.”

Things eventually worked out fine and the couple went on to have a second son, Nick.

Suddenly, Steele found herself trading concert tours for evenings at home.

“I did everything I ever wanted to do and now, I just really enjoy watching American Idol with the boys and going on school field trips,” she says. Plus, they keep mom up to date on new technology. “I married a geek and I gave birth to two geeks, and I’ve never been happier.”

Today, Steele, her “wonder husband” Charlie and their boys love going to the theater and traveling or just hanging out at their Seabrook home on the waterfront. Steele manages to book her voice over work, motivational speaking gigs and book signings of Rock to the Top: What I Learned About Success from the World’s Greatest Rock Stars around the real stars of her universe, her family.

“Being a mom is the greatest,” Steele says. “It’s the best job I’ve ever had and the hardest. But you just do the best you can. And it helps to have a really good sense of humor.

may/june • 2009

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nancy olson BALANCING CAMPAIGNS AND CHILDREN

N

MOTHER'S DAY

I’ve had so many prayers and wishes granted, what could I possibly want?

Well, maybe two more hours a day?

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ancy Olson has been a TV medical reporter, news anchor, public health advocate and wife to a Navy pilot. She learned about life inside the Beltway when her husband, Pete Olson, served as chief of staff for Republican Sen. John Cornyn, putting her undergrad degree in political science to use, as well as raising two small children.

But she had no idea just how much that degree—and her juggling skills—would come into use until 2007, when top party leaders began urging her husband to return to his Texas roots and challenge Democratic Nick Lampson in his re-election bid for the 22nd Congressional District.

So the family picked up and moved back to Texas, just in time to hit the ground running for what was a long and tough political battle in a crowded field.

“I felt like I was living my undergraduate degree,” she laughs. “It was a long campaign and it was a juggling act. I had to make it pretty clear the kids came first. It was tough, but it was worth it.”

Now, with her husband back in D.C. as the Representative of the 22nd District, Olson lives her days by her calendar and BlackBerry, scheduling 12-year-old Kate’s soccer games and eight-year-old Grant’s baseball games around church events, fundraisers and Fort Bend cultural events.

“They both love sports and it’s important to keep them active,” Olson says of her children. “Anytime you pick up your children’s lives and move them, you rock their world, so it’s important to keep them involved in what they love. For my children, it’s sports. Everyday, my primary responsibility is making sure they have a happy, normal life.”

But part of being a great mom is knowing you have to be a great person first.

“Women are famous for that. We take care of everyone, but we have to remember to take care of ourselves, too,” says Olson, who feeds her soul with medical missions to Guatemala, fundraising for local cultural events in Fort Bend and staying active in her children’s schools.

“Being a congressman’s wife is a new hat,” she admits. “But I don’t just want to sit on a board or write a check. I like hands-on work. There are so many wonderful charities and we could go to galas every weekend.”

But in the end it comes down to Thursday nights, when Congressman Olson arrives home from D.C. and the family, including their rescue dog Riley, are once again just a regular family looking forward to a great weekend.

“That’s when the hectic week is all worth it,” she says.

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farha ahmed

ATTORNEY, ACTIVIST AND MOM TO ACTIVE TEENS

“

MOTHER'S DAY

A happy, healthy family. Of all the stress works gives us, family problems are three times as hard. If your family is okay, you can conquer just about anything else.

I

definitely have teenagers,” laughs Farha Ahmed of Sugar Land. “I thought I would have more time to myself when they got to be this age, but I don’t. Maybe I get to sleep more than two hours at a time, but they need just as much managing now as when they were little.”

Ahmed has her work cut out for her. Between her law practice and volunteer work with the growing Muslim and South Asian communities in Fort Bend County and family aid groups, she keeps a watchful eye on 18-year-old Camille and 14-yearold Faisal.

“I see families in crisis these days and so many parents who think their work is done when the children reach 18 or 19. But it’s not,” says Ahmed.

“Kids that age are committing felonies and where are they going to go from there? That’s why it’s so important to spend more time with them when they are in their teens. The kids may not want that, but it’s important.”

This multi-cultural mom is also up on technology. She has to be, she says. Too many parents today don’t understand the Internet and don’t know about such things as texting and social network sites. Ahmed doesn’t believe in spying on

her kids, but she sure knows what Web sites they go to and who they are communicating with.

“When they get to be that age,” she says, “you’re not the person they are talking to the most. It’s someone on the other end of a phone or computer.”

Of course, she admits, it’s hard to do that and keep up with her professional work and activism.

Ahmed credits having a large extended family close by—about 20 relatives of her Pakistan-American husband Zubair Ashraf live within a six-mile radius.

Their support has allowed her to serve as the first female chair of a Fort Bend County grand jury, meet with President George W. Bush in the White House after 9/11, help pass the first Texas halal law in 2003, and volunteer with interfaith groups, women’s shelters and Hurricane Katrina aid efforts, all while keeping up her law practice and being a devoted wife and mother—something she does with style and grace.

“I’m lucky that I have my own solo practice,” she says. “It’s a flexible schedule and I try to bring the kids with me when I am doing community work.

Culture and religion are very important when it comes to raising a family, as well as exposing them to diversity.”

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roseann rogers THE BUZZ LADY BUZZES ABOUT BEING A MOM

T

MOTHER'S DAY

I have Nikhil. I’ll never want anything else because I have my son.

Everyday is Mother’s Day for me!

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here was a time when Roseann Rogers had it all: She was KPRC-TV’s Buzz Lady, a founding board member of the nonprofit Dress for Success and married to a handsome doctor. And the Buzz Lady was in bliss when she and husband Aashish Shah found out they were going to have a son. But motherhood changed everything.

“I found out at 33 weeks that he was going to have to have heart surgery as soon as he was born,” Rogers remembers. “I was always the kind of person who fixes things, but I couldn’t fix this. My husband was a doctor so he knew more about the congenital heart defect than I did. I learned what we had to do, but at some point you have to leave it to God.” Which is what they did.

The day after her son was born, he had open-heart surgery and stayed in Texas Children’s Hospital for the next four months of his life.

The couple named him Nikhil, an Indian name meaning complete, strong and centered. And amazingly, that’s just what bubbly four-yearold Nikhil is today.

“I call him my little bionic man,” laughs Rogers. “He’s changed my life, I’m a much stronger person today because of him and because of what we went through. The way I look at life is completely different.”

Today, Rogers is the regional sales and marketing director for Houston’s 55/KTUB-TV, where she’s about to get her own show, as well as a freelance writer for various magazines. But despite a onceagain hectic work life, she still knows her priorities.

“When I get home,” Rogers says with joy, “we put on our play clothes and hit the outdoors!”

For this family it’s all about biking, baseball, golf and swimming, things she once worried Nikhil wouldn’t be able to do. The Buzz Lady says she doesn’t “buzz” as much as she used to, having cut back on a lot of evening social events to enjoy her family. And when she does hit the town for a charity gala, it’s generally with her husband and son in tow. Events for the American Heart Association, AIDS walks and children’s fashion shows are all family events for this threesome.

“It’s a busy life,” she admits. “But it’s worth it. I love my family and Nikhil is the ultimate gift.”

may/june â&#x20AC;˘ 2009

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A choice of salad and USDA Filet Mignon or Blackened Salmon Filet and dessert.

7 1 3 - 3 5 5 - 2 6 0 0 â&#x20AC;˘ 5 0 6 1 We s t h e i m e r Ro a d ( i n t h e G a l l e r i a )

connoisseur

the prime living GUide to discerninG taste

inside: Tocino Ahumado, Capriccio Tapas

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• • • • •

main dish | CapriCCio tapas small Bites | taste this corner taBle | CleverleY dishes Uncorked | solaire hotlist | food fusion

may/june • 2009

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connoisseur main dish

Executive chef/owner Gerry Sarmiento

over the

tapas Story | Holly Beretto Photography | Mark W. Lipczynski

“This is the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life, but I love every minute of it,” says Capriccio Tapas owner and executive chef Gerry Sarmiento. ¶ Adjacent to two strip malls along northwest Houston’s busy Jones Road, you might be fooled into thinking Capriccio is just another boxstore-esque restaurant.

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You’d be mistaken. It does have the high-ceilinged, easy elegance and approachable menu you’ll see at similarly styled eateries, but none of those have Capriccio’s warm-hearted approach to cuisine.

A defector from big business (a self-described “corporate guy” for Compaq, who always had a passion for Spanish and Italian cooking), Sarmiento and his wife followed their bliss when they opened their first restaurant, Mezzenotte, in Cypress.

Capriccio opened last June, building not only on Sarmiento’s success, but his love of food. He even trained at the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., and is now as at home in one of his restaurant kitchens as he is greeting diners on the floor.

“I’d wanted to do tapas for a while,” he says, explaining his concept for Capriccio. “When my wife and I go out, we order a lot of appetizers, so we can try lots of things.”

Make no mistake, Capriccio has a full menu, but you’ll have much more fun ordering several tapas.

Begin with peras serranas, a plate of grilled pears, Serrano ham and Cabrales cheese that’s best enjoyed if you taste a little of each item all at once, making fireworks of smoke and sweet on the palate. The hongos rellenos stuffed with crab offer up a garlicky essence that plain shimmers. Patatas bravas are a favorite, gold potatoes paired with roasted red peppers sautéed tossed in a guajillo chili sauce, turning the comfort-food potato into a hot and spicy appetizer.

For even more spice and smoke, check out the gambas al guajillo, fresh Gulf shrimp marinated in smoked paprika and then sautéed with guajillo chilies.

For larger appetites—or to have more to share—order a specialty paella. All are made from scratch (the menu warns of a half-hour wait for them—worth every minute) and the Valencia showcases what traditional paella should be.

A savory blend of shrimp, calamari, mussels, clams, chicken and chorizo, the flavors meld perfectly with the saffron rice, and every bite will transport you to the hot, sunny squares of Spain.

Another winner is the solomillo a la parrilla, flat iron steak grilled to perfection, topped with a Cabrales sauce, accompanied by patatas bravas and topped with wilted green onions (the steak is also served in an appetizer potion, without accompaniments). The cheese sauce is a slightly milkier, saltier version of Bleu and it is sheer heaven paired with the steak.

The wine list emphasizes Spanish reds and whites. Order a bottle of 2006 Prima, a gorgeous cherry-laden red from Spain’s Toro region resonating hot earth and rich, ripe fruit.

For dessert, don’t miss a plate of churros, warm and doughy and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, or the tres leches, wonderfully milky and just sweet enough.

Capriccio is about great food and an easy atmosphere. Its welcoming dark woods and golden walls evoke the warmth of the Spanish countryside. The attentive staff handles every detail with smiling assurance. And that selfdescribed “corporate guy” who’s living his dream makes sure you know that you’re welcome here.

You can taste it in the food.

capriccio tapas 10865 jones road 281-807-9442 finespanishdining.com

connoisseur main dish

Peras Serranas

Solomillo a la Parrilla

Patatas Bravas

Gambas al Guajillo

Capriccio’s chef and owner Gerry Sarmiento shares a favorite recipe from his kitchen to yours.

bife cabrales 4 12 oz. New York strip steaks Fresh thyme, small bunch Fresh sage, small bunch Fresh rosemary, small bunch

4 oz. cabrales cheese (or any other high quality blue cheese) 4 oz. unsalted butter 2 oz. heavy cream

Season steaks with salt and pepper. Finely chop thyme, sage and rosemary. Cover steaks with mixture on both sides and let rest for 15 minutes. Grill steaks to desired temperature and set aside. Melt butter in a pan and add crumbled cheese. Add heavy cream and continue cooking until it becomes a thick sauce. Serve steak and top with the sauce. Makes 4 servings.

Dining room

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connoisseur

small BitEs

Seafood Gumbo

SOUL FooD

Antarctica Guarana soda, Fogo de Chao

good EATS Story | Holly Beretto Photography | Mark W. lipczynski

For a new take on the well-rounded meal, table-hop these houston eateries for some of the best tastes in town.

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Like many restaurant favorites, the Seafood Gumbo at Bistro Calais started out as a special. “People kept asking for it so we had to make it a regular item,” says chef and coowner Phillip Mitchell.

Now, it’s a menu mainstay, served at both lunch and dinner, all year round.

If gumbo seems like an odd match for a French Continental restaurant, then you clearly haven’t been to Bistro Calais. Mitchell has infused his traditional French menu with flavors from around the world, paying particular attention to adding in the tastes he remembers growing up with in Houston.

The gumbo is a family recipe, starting with a brown roux and adding in shrimp, okra, rice and peppers for a dish that’s appropriately spicy and certainly soul food.

What makes it wonderful is its rich warmth. This is a gumbo that echoes its roots and produces layer upon layer of distinct flavor. The plump shrimp offers a juicy pop, the pepper an herbal zing, that rich roux a deep and lusty resonance. Good gumbo always reflects its history as a melting pot dish; it began its life in Louisiana, starting as traditional bouillabaisse before the Spanish added in the celery, onions and peppers, and the Native Americans threw in ground sassafras (file powder). The gumbo at Bistro Calais does all this and more, showing how a passed-down family recipe can sit side-by-side with fantastic French Continental cuisine. bistro calais 2811 bammel lane 713-529-1314 bistrocalais.com

c connoisseur

small BitEs

COOL eNDING

Black Drum

DRUM UP FLAVoR

“I first had this dish in Florida,” says the affable restaurateur Frank Crapitto, owner of Crapitto’s on Mid Lane and the recently opened Frank’s Chop House on Westheimer. “I was on a fishing trip and we went into one of those little restaurants in the Keys and did this drum with burre blanc. It was incredible.”

So Frank brought the recipe home to Houston and gave it to the other Frank, Chef Frank Butera, and asked him to play with it. The result is a stunning seafood entrée that showcases flavor, sass and style.

Butera kicked up the burre blanc with Key limes, giving it a tropical citrus shot. The Black Drum is dusted with breadcrumbs and parmesan, and sautéed then served over roasted vegetables.

“Black Drum is part of the Redfish family,” says Crapitto. “We bring it in fresh every day, and we look for the fish that are about one, two pounds, since they offer the best fresh taste.

It’s been on our menu since we opened and it’s one of our signature dishes here.”

Signature fish dish at a chop house? You better believe it. Crapitto and Butera both believe that Houston’s locale along the Gulf Coast means they’ve got great access to great seafood, and they purposely fleshed out their meat menu with fish fare.

The Black Drum’s combination of cheesy hints and puckery lime butter play well off the crunchy roasted diced tomato, zucchini and corn in the lightest of cream sauces. The fish is meaty but tender, and the whole dish is lush and full. Pair it with the Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc and it will really sing. frank’s chop house 3736 westheimer • 713-572-8600 • frankschophouse.com

It’s easy to understand if you don’t have room for dessert after dinner at Fogo de Chao, the Brazilian eatery that made Gaucho-style cooking approachable and easy. The all-you-can-eat feast of meats and a salad bar that’s as large as some grocery store produce sections, make the concept of dessert seem a little, well, much.

But those who plan ahead or save room will be rewarded if they order the Papaya Crème, a fruity, light custard-style concoction that is an explosion of summer sunshine and creamy decadence.

As desserts go, it’s not fancy or complicated. It’s just plain good. Papayas— grown year-round in Brazil’s subtropical climate—are blended with vanilla ice cream, then left to set. Tableside, the dessert is topped with a layer of crème de casis.

Together, those flavors set off sweet and sassy fireworks, the ping of the liqueur counterbalanced by the tropical, sweet juice of the papaya.

This is actually a perfect accompaniment to Houston’s hot summers. It’s cool and refreshing, and the flavor layers will make you think you’re on a beach somewhere, massaged by cool breezes.

The idea is that the dessert should act as a digestif, which you’ll want after indulging at Fogo de Chao. The papaya and the casis will help you digest all that Gaucho cooking. Plus, this will end your meal on a lighter note than say, a molten chocolate cake.

Papaya Crème

fogo de chao 8250 westheimer 713-978-6500 fogodechao.com

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connoisseur cleverleY

mOthER's daY

m

ClEVERlEY's

cOrner

other’s Day is the most popular day of the year to dine out (no surprise there!) so you’ll want to make reservations early to get a great table at your mom’s favorite eatery. For some ideas check out HoustonMothersDay.com where you’ll find menus, pricing and reservation information for some of Houston’s top restaurants.

hOUstOn REPREsEnts

RALPH SMITH

Table Story | cleVerley stone

FaRm tO FORK... to-market, used for rural roads in Texas that connect farms and ranches to the closest large town or city. Chef Randy Evans, sommelier Cory Graff and pastry chef Rebecca Masson created the menu from foods sourced within a 150-mile radius of Houston. (FM 150, get it?)

The flavors that are still happily lingering on my palate are the hot house tomato, n March, the FM 150 Dinner was held cucumber, arugula, spring onion and goat at the Ralph Smith Photography Studio cheese salad, squash blossoms stuffed with to benefit Urban Harvest, a nonprofit Gulf shrimp, crispy Brussels sprouts, yeast organization that teaches Texans how to create rolls and the chocolate beet cake with organic fruit and vegetable gardens in their strawberry sour cream ice cream and flamed communities. To draw attention to the wealth meringue. Oh, how I hope that Evans will of food that’s grown and raised near Houston, serve these dishes at his new restaurant, the title of the dinner came from the term farm- Haven, set to open in September.

i

amUsE-BOUChE...

b

ryan Caswell (Reef, Little Bigs) has been named to Continental Airlines’ Congress of Chefs & Sommeliers.

He’ll join members Michael Cordua (Artista, Americas, Churrascos, Amazon Grill) and Martin Korson (Central Market) to examine changing trends in food and exchange ideas about how to update and improve Continental’s food and wine service.

“We are all wearing several hats these days,” David Cordua, Michael’s son, told me. Vice president of brand development for all of the Cordua restaurants, David is overseeing Cordua’s catering and special

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events department, and bringing his new Americas The Woodlands menu to their Post Oak location.

Thankfully, he’s also bringing back the “ceviche in a pineapple” dish at Churrascos. I was impressed when he told me this because it was over a year ago that I was lamenting the removal of this dish from Churrascos menu during a conversation with David and his father. I guess I wasn’t the only one who missed it!

And if you heard a rumor that Americas was moving out of their Post Oak location, it’s not true. They will be staying in the Pavilion Mall through 2013, at the minimum.

j

ett Hurapan, executive chef for Gigi’s Asian Bistro & Dumpling Bar, represented Houston at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in Miami in February. His new dish, Shanghai Ribeye (cubed rib eye with shallots, ginger, garlic, cilantro and mushroom soy reduction) was a big hit with guests. Other culinary luminaries attending the event included Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, Rachael Ray and Bobby Flay.

This dish is now on the menu at Gigi’s.

On Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., check out their “All You Can Eat Dim Sum” stimulus dining special. At $12 per person, it’s a deal that can’t be beat.

sPEndinG haBits

a

ccording to the Houston Dining Survey, 44 percent of diners are spending more or about the same on dining as last year and 56 percent are spending less. The National Restaurant Association projects that in 2009, Texas will post the fastest sales growth in the nation (4 percent) for a total of $35 billion. Take the Houston Dining Survey at Cleverley.com.

CleVerley stone Cleverley stone covers houston’s dining scene on Cnn 650 Radio news, Fox 26 TV, “Cleverley’s Restaurant Minutes” on K-hiTs 107.5 and in her online newsletter and blog at cleverleysnewsletter.com.

connoisseur Uncorked

soLaiRe

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by Robert Mondavi Story | joHn DeMers

A

s the recent movie Bottle Shock makes clear, the day in 1976 that an American wine (American wines, actually) defeated French wines in a blind tasting in France was a watershed event for an industry of upstarts long cursed with selling half-decent juice in overly large bottles for really low prices.

Yet, one name never mentioned in that otherwise intriguing movie, which focuses on the father-son rivalries that led to victory for Chateau Montelena, surely had more to do with making that day in France possible than anyone else on the face of this earth. That name was Robert Mondavi.

Mondavi, who died a year ago at the age of 94, did not die a happy man. As detailed in Julia Flynn Siler’s unforgettable book The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty, his sons feuded like something out of Shakespeare, to the point their empire was taken over (for its own good, arguably) by a wine conglomerate. And the vision Mondavi himself had set forth upon first splitting

from his family to make fine wines in Napa Valley seemed compromised.

The essence of Mondavi’s success was the ability to recognize an up-and-coming wine region when he saw one. And the Central Coast of California—where names to conjure with include the Santa Lucia Highlands and the lovely-if-not-mispronounced Paso Robles—was a region he lived almost long enough to usher into its rightful place in the sun.

The happy result is a new brand—a chardonnay and a cabernet, for the time being—bearing the name Solaire by Robert Mondavi. Having tasted the wines of Solaire, we think pater familias would be pleased.

“Back in the ’90s,” recalls Solaire winemaker Rick Boyer, who’s been crafting Central Coast wines for more than 20 years, “when I first started making wine here, Robert Mondavi had already discovered that the warm days, cool ocean breezes and varied topography held great potential for wine.

Some of Robert Mondavi’s original vineyard plantings, including Bianchi Bench in the Santa Lucia Highlands, Pine Creek in San

Lucas and Denner in Paso Robles, supply the grapes for Solaire.”

The Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey County offer chardonnay grapes the perfect room and board: warm days with temperatures moderated by the afternoon winds and evening fogs. The result, barrel fermented and aged in French oak for 13 months, packs a lot of smoky nuance.

Hailing from 70 miles to the south in warmer-drier Paso Robles, Solaire cabernet gets a major kick out of each day’s dramatic temperature variations, reaching 100 degrees in the day but dropping to 60 at night.

Boyer says this first vintage, with flavors of blackberry and plum, ripe tannins and sweet oak, would be elegant enough to enjoy right now but will only get better over the next eight to 10 years.

JoHn demers Covering food and wine for more than 25 years, John deMers hosts “delicious Mischief” on newsRadio 740 KTRh. he recently released Follow the Smoke: 14,783 Miles of Great Texas Barbecue.

may/june • 2009

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food

connoisseur

hot list

Story | karl HaUenstein Photography | Mark W. lipczynski

Indika

Unless you truly have an irresistible urge to feast on flame broiled lizard or barbecued camel, the Houston area boasts a culinary diversity that should delight the most adventurous diner. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to get out of that rut your taste buds have been in and embark on a culinary safari that will prove when it comes to fine food, Houston is indeed a world-class city.

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connoisseur

hot list

El Meson

el meson restaurant Imagine your favorite Tex-Mex dishes prepared with a Cuban/Caribbean accent, added with a touch of classical Spanish cuisine and you have El Meson. Start with one of their delicious tapas appetizers, proceed to the gazpacho sevillano (cold tomato soup), and then enjoy the seafood paella. If it’s meat you crave, the masitas—pork tenderloin cooked Cuban-style in garlic and olive oil—will do the trick. Add a fine wine from their extensive collection and you’ll leave this restaurant wishing you had paid more attention during high school Spanish class.

2425 university blvd.

713-522-9306 elmeson.com

Empire Turkish Grill

le viet restaurant & bar

dish spiced with raisins, apples, almonds and curry, and the grilled pork fillets with apricot sherry fruit glaze.

14019 southwest freeway, sugar land

If you love Chinese and Thai cuisine, you owe it to yourself to try the Vietnamese specialties 14019 southwest freeway, sugar land 281-277-2691 After dining at this authentic Turkish eatery, prepared to perfection at Le Viet. The spring outofafricadining.com you’ll understand why the Turks ruled much and autumn rolls and dipping sauces are some of the civilized world from around 1300 to of the best anywhere. The meat and seafood 1920. Countries would surrender just to get dishes are also superb, but for a taste sensation the fabulous recipes! It’s no joke, however, that will have you saying, “Wow, I’m coming With its large Indian population, Houston that this fine restaurant serves some of the back to this place,” try the volcanic shrimp. is home to a number of very good Indian most flavorful food, ethnic or otherwise, restaurants. Indika is one of the best, anywhere in Houston. The lamb and chicken featuring progressive Indian cuisine prepared 11328 westheimer 281-293-8883 kebabs are wonderful, however my particular with the freshest local ingredients that breaks le-viet.com favorites are the cold appetizers: humus all stereotypes of what Indian food is. Where (pureed chick peas), cacik (diced cucumbers else will you find coconut rice pancakes with in yogurt with garlic) and yaprak sarma (grape blueberries, banana and jiggery, baby goat leaves stuffed with pine nuts, rice and raisins). burger with fig chutney, and fiery chicken Another culinary gem hidden away in Save room for dessert; the baklava and vindaloo black cumin pilaf all on the same Houston’s western suburbs, Out of Africa menu? This is a culinary experience that finnada sutlac (baked Turkish rice pudding) features authentic South African cuisine should not be missed. are out of this world. with a heavy emphasis on grilled and roasted meats, particularly lamb. The food 12448 memorial drive 516 westheimer is flavorful and very well prepared. Indulge 713-827-7475 713-524-2170 empiretrgrill.com indikausa.com in the Bobottie, a traditional lamb and beef

empire turkish grill

indika

out of africa

may/june • 2009

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GENTLEMAN’S ROOM

for THe man Who commands the verY Best

inside:

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nostalGia | dC CoMiCs GUY talk | honeY, don't! car revieW | Jaguar Xf Great oUtdoors | swing trip hiGh tech | twitter may/june • 2009

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GENTLEMAN’S ROOM NOSTALGIA

DC Comics Story | karl HaUenstein

T

In 1935, Detective Comics was created and issue #27 in May 1939 he recent popularity of movies such as Watchmen, Batman featured the introduction of Batman. One year earlier, another DC Returns and The Dark Knight puts into sharp focus the spinoff, Action Comics, had introduced Superman to the world. These impact that one guilty childhood pleasure has had on two action heroes led to DC’s explosive success and the creation of a vast our culture. Indeed, what boy has not wished he could collection of mighty heroes with exotic superpowers, such as Amazo, be invulnerable like Superman (and for that matter what pubescent Doctor Light, Green Arrow and Hawkman, as well as an array of teen did not wish at some point that he could have Superman’s fearsome villains to challenge their X-ray vision)? Who didn’t wish powers, scoundrels including Joker, he too could have cool stuff like a Bizarro, Brainiac and Doomsday.

Batmobile or a Batcave?

Today, DC Comics is a subsidiary These heroes of our childhood of Warner Bros. Entertainment and many others, such as Wonder According to the Unofficial History of the DC Universe— and continues to churn out stories Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, a rewriting of history to incorporate DC Comics heroes and characters that delight young Captain Marvel and the Justice and villains into the history of the world—after signing the Declaration of Independence, Ben Franklin, and old alike. Some of the early League of America, are creations of Thomas Jefferson and 10 other founding fathers perform and rare issues of DC Comics have DC Comics. a mystical ceremony which leads to the creation of the become valuable collectors’ items.

DC Comics started out Minuteman, who goes on to help George Washington Detective Comics #44, featuring in 1934 as National Allied during the crossing of the Delaware.

Batman, recently sold at auction on Publications. Their first ComicLink.com for $12,800. publications were The Big Comic So take down those boxes of Magazine and Action Comics. It old comic books in your attic. Not only will they remind you of the was, however, the third title of National Allied’s publications that really caused their popularity to skyrocket and to create their place lessons you learned early in life about the struggle between Good and Evil, but they may also help fund your kid’s college education. in western culture.

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COURTESY DC COMICS

DIDYOUKNOW?

GENTLEMAN’S ROOM GUY TALK

honey, DON't!

Story | BrUce farr Illustration | MeG HUnt

g

uys, let me forewarn you. This month, I’m venturing into territory that some of you might find dark, disturbing, maybe even chilling. I’ll get to it straightaway: If there are two words in the English language that, conjoined, have the power to boil a good man’s blood, they are (are you ready?) “Honey do…”

I mean “honey do,” as in that formidable little list authored by our wives or significant others, the note that mysteriously floats onto the bathroom counter or breakfast table, just as we’re getting ready to begin an otherwise perfect day off.

And although it might seem harmless—after all it’s just a teensy little piece of paper with some scribbling on it, right?—it’s actually a diabolical plot designed to torpedo our best-laid plans for well-deserved relaxation. To put it in terms we can all understand, “honey do’s” can instantly transform our sunny dispositions into the sort of gloom the PR folks over at AIG are probably

dealing with these days.

So, just for the sake of saying we did it, let’s examine the offending document up close.

Who knows? Maybe we’ll learn something.

First, though, let’s try a little exercise to get us in the right frame of mind. Go ahead and speak aloud the words “Honey do list.” Now admit it. Doesn’t it send a hot little pang of resentment shooting up the back of your neck?

All “honey do’s” begin with a seemingly harmless salutation— something friendly, even loving.

“Honey,” of course, or “Dear”— terms that might seem wellintentioned but, as we all know, are actually part of a carefully calculated strategy to disarm us and keep us off guard for what follows.

And what follows may vary enormously, cutting a fairly wide swath through a vocabulary of male-focused unpleasantries. Each item usually starts with a bullet or a dash, used to call attention to the action verbs they adjoin—

“clean,” “paint,” “wash,” “unplug,” “mow,” “move” or “fix” are pretty common ones. (If you find an item that begins with “build” “dismantle” or “reconfigure,” you know you’re really in trouble.)

The verbs are then teamed with a noun signifying a place or thing, such as “dump,” “lawn,” “hedges,” “attic,” “basement,” “toilet,” “ceiling” and so on, ad nauseum.

Of course, the list is never a single item—that would be too merciful. By their very nature, “honey do’s” are at least nine items long. And, as we scan them one by one, our plans deflating faster than the gross national product, it soon occurs to us that there’s no way in Hades we’re going to be hitting some balls today, nor will we be having that burger and beer, and watching the game with the guys.

Ah, the nerve of it. The indignity.

Do you think Tommy Lee Jones has ever in his Texas-lovin’ life received a “honey do” list?

Not a chance. Or how about

Clint Eastwood? Can you picture Dirty Harry scurrying around, checking off his “do’s” item by item? No, Clint’s not making anyone’s day but his own.

But, with the “honey do” as a stimulus, what’s our response?

As much as we might fantasize about uttering a cheerful but firm, “Sorry, dear, I’d love to get to these, but I have other plans today!” what’s more likely to happen is for us to begin a litany of grimaces, whines, curses under our breath, the throwing of air punches or the kicking of one’s leg at nothing in particular.

But, in their wisdom, our wives are never so demonstrative.

After watching us go through our ritual protest, they react with a sort of tight-lipped half-smile, behind which we can clearly see lies the passive-aggressive glee at having once again outmaneuvered us and our silly little plans for fun.

So bear up we must and knuckle under we will— whoops!—got to go. My list just arrived.

may/june • 2009

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GENTLEMAN’S ROOM CAR REVIEW

purring kitten

QUICK FACTS

J

aguar’s new XF brings with it an exciting and different direction for Jaguar. From the staid and sometimes stodgy world of oldschool British charm, this midsize luxury sport sedan is a serious competitor on the new, global sport luxury stage.

The XF’s fast back, coupe-like body style falls into line with offerings from Mercedes, BMW and Lexus, among others. But that’s just the back half of the motorcar. The front-half still offers a sleekness that only Jaguar can bring to the table. Like a blend of fine cigars and a perfectly aged brandy, the XF has a newness that a rising young exec is expected to arrive in at the country club.

This kitty’s interior mirrors the exterior’s refinement, conservative yet modern with aluminum, satin or gloss wood veneers, twinneedle stitching, Phosphor Blue halo illumination and buttery leather seating.

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Once the start button is depressed, a unique shift knob pops up from the center console, allowing you to move the transmission from park to drive or reverse with a large, dialtype motion. Climatology gets the same type of whiz-bangery.

Cooled or heated air is dispensed through motorized dashboard vents after the command is given from the controller. When not in use, the vents are concealed using the same panel covering found on the rest of the dash.

Under the hood is a very capable 4.2-liter, 300-HP V-8, married to a 6-speed automatic transmission. An optional 420-horse supercharged power plant is available, but unless you’re trying to impress the valet, most will be completely satisfied with the former.

Ride quality is perfectly matched to the XF—not too stiff, not too soft. What would normally be a dreaded 500-mile,

one-day round trip to Dallas, will have you arriving back in the Houston area as fresh as a spring time cool front.

What would a car like this be without a few choice options?

How about a B & W sound system with Sirius satellite radio for an additional $1,875 or the advanced vision pack for $1,000?

These are just two examples of packaged upgrades to an already well-appointed ride.

But wait, there’s more. The 2010 model will offer even more bang for the buck in the XFR trim with a new 510-horsepower supercharged engine.

Fire the chauffeur; you’ll want to drive it yourself. don armstrong a professional broadcaster for more than 35 years, don armstrong is also a seasoned writer and voiceover talent.

Catch him on sky Fox on Channel 26 reporting on houston’s morning traffic.

jaGUar Xf DESIGNATION: XF CLASSIFICATION: Sedan ENGINE (BASE): 4.2-liter V-8 HORSEPOWER: 300 TORQUE: 310 lb-ft FUEL ECONOMY: 19 mpg – combined TRANSMISSION: 6-speed auto BRAKES: 4-wheel disc CURB WEIGHT: 4017 lbs.

BASE PRICE: $49,200 COMPETITORS: Lexus GS, Volvo S80, BMW 5 Series

COURTESY JAGUAR

Story | Don arMstronG

GENTLEMAN’S ROOM OUTDOORS

swingtrip Contraband Bayou Golf Course, Lake Charles, La.

South Walton, Fla.

Story | DoUG pike

WALTON COUNTY TDC/BEACHES OF SOUTH WALTON; SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA CONVENTION & VISITORS BUREAU

d

uring times of recession—even more than during economic boon—people make time for recreation and relaxation.

Golf played on the right course, even when played poorly, provides equal measures of both.

There is no way to sugar-coat the costs of greens fees on quality golf courses. There are hard, unavoidable expenses associated with keeping turf green and having sufficient staff to pamper guests.

What too few avid golfers— people unshakably passionate for the game despite having no aptitude for it—realize is that for not much more than the tab on a local round, they can hit their shanks and slices on fine courses in grand places as far from home as budget allows.

Beginning just across the state line is what Louisiana calls its Audubon Trail, 12 tracks that include such notables as TPC of Louisiana, Carter Plantation, The Island, and Tamahka Trails. With imagination, an emboldened foursome could play a different course each morning and arrive at another before dusk. Greens fees range from less than $30 at the Wetlands to $160 at TPC of Louisiana.

A little farther out of town is Dancing Rabbit in Mississippi,

one of the nation’s top 100 tracks. Flanked by its sister, The Oaks at Pearl River Resort, this all-inclusive stop begins with a short hop to Jackson. Nineteen friends and I return for the sixth consecutive spring this month; airfare was less $120 round trip and the group rate we negotiated included ground transportation beneath the magnolias. We golf morning and afternoon, shower, eat, and then enjoy (some of us more than others) the local casinos by night. The resort also has a 300-acre lake loaded with largemouth bass.

Looking still farther east is the Florida Panhandle’s WaterColor

Inn, an ideal base of operations from which to entertain nongolfing family members while you play Shark’s Tooth or Camp Creek. Both are incredible, unforgettable layouts. WaterColor offers premium accommodations and amenities, such as sugarwhite sand outside every room.

You’ll pay accordingly, and willingly, for the luxury.

On the far end of the spectrum are golf courses to which travel requires a passport, such as those in the Bahamas and Mexico, and a remarkable Pete Dye layout scheduled for completion soon on the Honduran Bay Island of Roatan.

WEIGHTA MINUTE Most airlines now charge extra for sporting equipment, such as snowboards, surfboards and golf clubs. On top of the equipment charge, there is also typically a weight limit on the “special” item that barely covers clubs, shoes, dozen balls and crying towel. ¶ Take advantage of your golf bag to transport whatever won’t fit into other luggage, even toiletries, but be sure to stand the thing on a bathroom scale before leaving home. “Overweight” charges can be outrageous, often nearly as much as your ticket. ¶ Also, put a broomstick or sturdy pole that’s exactly one inch longer than your driver into your golf bag before it’s secured inside the travel bag. When somersaulted onto tarmac, wood is less brittle than graphite.

Courses in the Bahamas could be nicer and probably would be if there weren’t so many other quality attractions to satisfy the tourism trade. If that is the destination, for whatever reason, better perhaps to pack a 9-weight fly rod and flip flops than golf clubs and soft spikes.

That new track at Roatan on Pristine Bay is called Black Pearl.

Scheduled opening is December, a great month to make the short flight and get in a full round on arrival day.

Golf vacations are remarkably more affordable than even many of the game’s most avid players realize, especially when friends can gather and take advantage of group rates. Rather than beat it around the same 18 again and again this year, consider a “road trip.” Check the ads in any travel or golf magazine for specials; every top resort offers them. You’ll enjoy the change of scenery, and you’ll return with a heightened appreciation for southeast Texas golf courses. doug pike doug Pike has been a professional journalist and broadcaster for 25 years. an avid outdoor enthusiast, he has a radio show on 790 the sports animal and a column in Saltwater Sportsman.

may/june • 2009

59

GENTLEMAN’S ROOM HIGH TECH

ToTwit or NottoTwit Story | MicHael GarfielD

“Don’t I have enough friends?”

t

hese are just a few of the questions and excuses crossing minds around the world as people consider dipping a toe into the online social networking pool. And that’s before deciding on which service to post their thoughts, photos and mostly irrelevant ramblings.

Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and dozens of other popular Web sites seem to be the “in” thing nowadays. Not just for teenagers sharing dating tips, but for soccer moms sharing carpooling schedules, out-of-workers looking for new jobs and families keeping up with each other whether across the world or in the same home.

Twitter is one of the fastest growing social networks and micro-blogging Web sites. It lets users send and read other users’ updates known as “tweets,” text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them.

More than 17 million Twitter accounts have been created since

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“I don’t have time to update my status 10 times a day.”

2006 and odds are, someone you know is tweeting now.

Searching for friends is easy and one mouse click adds their Twitter updates to your page. One quick glance allows you to see which friend (or “followers,” the proper Twitter term) is going to bed, eating a meal, watching TV or whatever else is on their mind.

Celebrities, athletes and even politicians use the service regularly to update fans with insider information and important announcements. Then-presidential candidate Obama used the service to announce his vice presidential selection during the 2008 campaign via Twitter. Shaquille O’Neal updates his status during halftime of his basketball games.

Having a Twitter account also keeps people updated with breaking news. In January 2009, US Airways Flight 1549 experienced multiple bird strikes and had to be ditched in the Hudson River after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport.

A passenger on one of the ferries that rushed to help, took a picture of the downed plane as passengers were still evacuating and tweeted

it before traditional media arrived at the scene.

After deciding to jump in the Twitter pool, there are ways to benefit from the service. To start, get engaged and start a conversation. If someone in your stream asks a question, send a reply and share your knowledge.

I’m not sure if there is such a thing as “twarma” (Twitter karma), but when you give on Twitter (contacts, valuable information) it seems to come back. Share what you find.

Also, be honest. Have fun, informative and catchy. Don’t sell anything. You never know who you will meet or what new opportunities can pop up. Stop thinking that Twitter is pointless and just try it. It’s all about community—reach out and be a part of it. miCHael garfield Known as “The high-Tech Texan®” to “techies” nationwide, Michael garfield hosts “The high-Tech Texan® show with Michael garfield” and “The Michael garfield show” on The 9-5-0.

COURTESY TWITTER.COM

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escape

fthleout

wild!

For hard-core thrill seekers, vacationing â&#x20AC;&#x153;in the extremeâ&#x20AC;? is all the rage Story | BrUce farr

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WILD PLAY ELEMENT PARKS

MICHAEL BAUER

f

or some of us, taking a vacation means making haste to the nearest golf resort and assaulting the links. Others might pull up a poolside chaise lounge to engage in a bit of sun worship. ¶ For an increasing number of Americans, however, adventure and excitement are the keys to a satisfying leisure experience— in what some refer to as “extreme vacations.”

For these thrill-seekers, it’s all about the lure of pitting their grit against the elements to experience that rare rush of adrenaline that comes from doing something physically, mentally and emotionally challenging.

Years ago, an adventure vacation might have meant something as exclusive as joining an African safari or a camelback caravan across the Sahara. These days, though, vacationers in every economic bracket are testing their mettle in ways that—even just a couple decades ago— would have been nearly unthinkable. A glance at the travel magazines reveals a myriad of ads for such heart-pounding trips as whitewater rafting expeditions to the Grand Canyon, ocean kayaking, heli-skiing, diving with the sharks—even dog sledding in Alaska.

So, if you’re inclined, where might your adventure vacation take you? We’ve scoured the annals and come up with a trio of options— one each on land, sea and in the air—exciting enough to satisfy the inner daredevil in all of us.

may/june • 2009

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Canyon sweet Extreme vacationers have hit the great outdoors with such enthusiasm that they’ve actually created a new action verb— “canyoning” or “canyoneering”—around one of their supercharged activities. The sport involves a variety of skills—hiking, climbing, and rappelling among them—to navigate a course through some of the most arduous terrain on the planet. Avid “canyoneers” scramble through canyon waterfalls, clamber up limestone walls, rappel down rocky cliffs, and plunge into pools of icy water—all on purpose!

Canyoning often draws practitioners to the far ends of the earth— one popular pilgrimage is to the fascinating Waitomo cave system in New Zealand, where enthusiasts take on the challenges of the caves’ eerie underground rapids. But in the interest of keeping things a bit closer to home, extreme-vacationing Texans can canyon to their hearts’ content as nearby as in Carlsbad Caverns National Park in southern New Mexico, where the park’s 300 caves will challenge even the canniest canyoneers.

Rich Carlson, a longtime canyoneering expert and guide, says that guide-led canyoning expeditions are reasonably priced at roughly $100 per day with all equipment provided.

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wHat a diVe! Circling high above San José, the sprawling capital city of Costa Rica, it’s easy to understand why the country is so often called a study in contrasts. Aerial views of the lush rain forest—a jungle by any definition—abruptly give way to glimpses of the dramatic, surfpounded, western coastline. In the east, flat savannahs soon yield up to towering volcanic peaks etched with deep, rugged valleys.

Its contrasts are what make the country so compelling for adventure vacationers. Over the past decade or so, Costa Rica has become one of Central American’s hottest “eco-tourist” destinations, largely due to its rich diversity of botanical regions and the opportunity for adventure that lurks everywhere within its boundaries.

Never has a vacation spot been more misnamed. Malpais—which loosely translates as “badlands”—is actually a serene and secluded little seaside village on Costa Rica’s central western coast. Malpais’s miles of unspoiled beach front rimmed with rocky surf and gorgeous tropical vegetation make it one of the country’s top attractions, and the ideal location from which to submerge in the pristine waters for a fascinating snorkeling or diving adventure.

Accessible by car only in the past 20 years or so, Malpais is still mostly devoid of the usual array of shops and touristy retail—

NPS PHOTO BY PETER JONES

escape

left to right: Costa Rica Tourist Board , Wild Play Element Parks

another point in its favor. Accommodations are comfortable, but not all-inclusive, in keeping with the rather rustic character of this seaside jewel. Increasingly, however, Malpais appears to be attracting the rich and famous. Sightings of Sting, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matthew McConaughey, Harrison Ford and many others are commonplace.

Dining in town is top-notch. An ocean full of fresh seafood and other delicacies almost guarantee it. With a wealth of nature- and recreation-oriented activities to enjoy, a stop in Malpais is well worth the time.

At Malpais’s Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve, the diving is downright adventurous. Snorkeling in tidal pools, where the visibility reaches 60 to 100 feet, reveals a variety of shark species, schools of tuna, barracudas and dolphins. From December through October, humpback and pilot whales make their migratory paths through the Malpais Bay, and ancient sea turtles, including the majestic leatherbacks, are also a common diving sight.

The fabulous surf and rocky coastline are always the main attraction. Look into arranging your diving through Island Tour Adventure, a certified PADI dive center with equipment for rent and guided diving available.

Vacationing on a string…literally!

If your idea of relaxation is hooking up an elastic cord to your ankles and shoving off the edge of a bridge, then perhaps an expedition to the western Canadian wilderness for a few death-defying bungee jumps ought to be on your extreme travel calendar.

Wild Play Element Parks in stunning Nainamo, British Columbia, is an entire resort-like facility dedicated exclusively to adventure vacationers of all ages. The park has played host to hundreds of thousands of thrill seekers from all over the world, who come to plunge (safely, of course) off of a bridge deck, 150 feet above the breathtaking Nanaimo River Canyon.

But that’s not all: The facility offers several other adrenalinepumping adventure options. Its Aerial Adventure Tree to Tree Course is an obstacle course set 50 feet above terra firma in a forest of Douglas fir trees. Negotiating the aerial course, adventurers careen down zip lines and across suspended bridges, and clamber up scramble nets and along swinging logs, all in the name of fun.

What’s more, Wild Play Element Park’s Canyon Zip sends guests hurtling across the spectacular river canyon, and, on its King Swing, they’re strapped into a paraglide harness above sandstone cliffs and then launched like a meteor into a 150-foot deep abyss to swing freely in a wide sweeping arc.

may/june • 2009

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escape

exotic ESCAPES Story and Photography | MicHael BaUer

Finding luxury in every corner of the world

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liVing tHe legends Deep in the jungles on the far side of the world, the history of an entire civilization lies hidden from the modern world. Here, among the ruins of Angkor Wat, hundreds of massive temples still stand, 900 years after the kings commissioned them.

The first sight of the Wat is breathtaking, and each step closer creates more wonder and amazement. Exploring the dozens of public sites is like stumbling into an Indiana Jones movie.

The feeling is surreal, walking past moats and tall outer walls, so overgrown that full trees sprout to 100 feet from the top of solid stone. You almost expect a cameraman to yell â&#x20AC;&#x153;Cut!â&#x20AC;? when you exit an intricately carved gallery. Each site also has a unique history. Whether it is Hindu art, stone carvings that weigh hundreds of tons, or the infamous sandstone towers, the Khmer designs are stunning.

Though Angkor may be far removed, the nearby city of Siem Reap has full amenities with local flair. Boundless Journeys is the premier travel company of the area and combines five-star living with cultural cuisine and custom. For the restless globetrotter, few places can compare to the range of experiences and beauty found in Cambodia.

Whitewater and Green Travel For the adventure traveler really looking to get his feet wet, nothing can equal the rush of rafting in the Rockies. Flowing through the mountains of Idaho, the Middle Fork of the Salmon River offers challenging rapids and high-class outdoorsmanship.

Whether it’s kayaking, paddling or fishing as you lounge in the big raft, you have the freedom to tackle the whitewater or relax your way downstream.

Far & Away Adventures features gourmet cooking on the river, with camping so luxurious you hardly realize you’re staying in a tent. Quality really does make the difference and from red wine and lamb dinners to a follow up session with their masseuse, there is nothing left for want.

Nature truly rules out here and between all the wildlife and well-preserved historic sites, there is plenty to soak in or just enjoy the crisp clean air and quiet seclusion. Far & Away is also a pioneer in green travel by supporting local conservation, educating travelers and joining in local ecology programs during the trip. They take care of their river just as well as they take care of their guests.

Swimming in the Sky Ever gone swimming at 12,500 feet? Out in the Altiplano of the Andes, just where Peru and Bolivia meet, the great Lake Titicaca awaits your discovery. Making the journey up here is like discovering a new world.

As the altitude rises, the world changes dramatically. At such an elevation, colors in the sky become far more vivid and the sky holds every possible shade of blue between the horizons. Out here at Inkaterra’s hotel, you will find the spirit of the Incas in their hospitality and customs.

Anything you desire is available for your exploration. Full days can be spent with local families and clans, experiencing life firsthand and learning their traditions. On Titicaca, it is common for a family to build their own floating islands and live an entire lifetime out on the water, completely independent from the rest of the world.

Kayaking and swimming can take you all along the shores, past the abundant wildlife and beautiful jagged red shores. The hotel’s secluded peninsula offers epicurean local foods out on their charming decks, while the serene lake offers time for reflection.

Biking to ancient ruins, bird watching, or splendid days on the beach all await at the lake above the clouds.

may/june • 2009

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The Vacek Law Firm, PLLC and Equity Development Corporation present:

2 Annual nd

Mad Hatter

Spring Luncheon & Fashion Show

Friday, May Eighth, at 11:30 am Sugar Land Marriott Town Square 16090 City Walk, Sugar Land, Texas 77479 Keynote Speaker: Deborah Duncan

Tables beautifully decorated by premium area designers, including: Linens by Lisa/Sugar Land Antiques GB Designs/Maison Maison Britney Blake Interiors The Design Source Tickets: $55 per person Collaborative Sponsor: Prime Living Magazine

For additional information, contact Kristin Weiss at 281.633.7057 or kweiss@fortbendseniors.org

live well

stand BY YOUr man Sleep disorders make for strange bedfellows Story | sUe HaUenstein

My husband, the most wonderful, loving man on earth, has been by my side virtually every night for more than 35 years.

He doesn’t believe, however, that for 30 of those years, I have listened to him snore, thunderously—loud enough to wake the dead. I do so without complaint for two main reasons: I know he’s alive and, well, and I know where he is!

w

hat I didn’t know until recently speaking with Dr. Colleen Lance, Medical Director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Memorial Hermann Hospital-Sugar Land, is that snoring may indicate a serious health condition and that 95 percent of sleep disorders go undiagnosed and untreated.

“It is so important that people suffering from sleep disorders make an appointment with a doctor, or visit a sleep disorder center with registered sleep technicians under the supervision of board certified physicians specializing in sleep disorder medicine.” says Dr. Lance. “The doctors at the clinic

pillOW talK Good sleep demands a cool, quiet and comfortable sleep environment.

Sleep experts recommend going to bed at the same time each evening and rising at the same time each morning in order to feel well rested.

TVs and computers should also be removed from your sleep area.

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will evaluate the sleep/wake cycle to find the right study. The process is totally non-invasive and they can help determine how the sleep disorder relates to common medical problems.”

Here are a few common questions relating to sleep disorders: what causes snoring?

Snoring occurs when air flows past relaxed tissues in your throat causing the tissues to vibrate as you breathe. Snoring and other sleep disorders are indicative of underlying diseases. Ailments such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease

live well

can impact sleep patterns. Uncontrolled hypertension requiring multiple medications is also linked to sleep disorders. is there a treatment for snoring?

Lifestyle changes such as losing weight, avoiding alcohol close to bedtime or sleeping on your side can impact snoring.

are much smaller (under two pounds) and problem for about 10 percent of them. The very quiet. Mild apnea can be treated with a best thing you can do for insomnia is to specialized dental appliance that brings the jaw ensure good sleep hygiene. line forward. Even a few millimeters can help. what is restless leg syndrome (rls)? what is narcolepsy?

RLS refers to the urge to move limbs (legs Narcolepsy is a chronic sleep disorder or arms). Casualties of RLS cannot stay still, experienced by about 2 percent of the cannot settle down. Sometimes the symptoms population. A disorder of Rapid Eye defy description. It is not like numbness or Movement (REM) sleep, people with cramping. RLS can definitely cause a problem narcolepsy often find it difficult to stay falling asleep. This condition is common in third trimester pregnancies and people with thyroid or kidney disease.

Lack of dopamine production in the body causes a lack of iron and restless leg syndrome can be a result.

aside from snoring, what are some other symptoms of underlying diseases?

Sleep apnea is a potentially severe sleep disorder in which breathing stops and starts repeatedly during sleep. There are several types of sleep apnea, but the most common type is obstructive sleep apnea, Nearly 70 percent of women suffer from some type of which occurs when your throat what can be done for rls? sleep disorder. Due to the dramatic hormonal changes muscles relax and block your airway.

A wide variety of treatments are they are experiencing, menopausal and pregnant Snoring and fatigue are the most recommended ranging from baths noticeable signs. Victims can suffer and massages, yoga and meditation, women are far more likely to suffer from a sleep from exhaustion even after a full to exercise, avoiding caffeine and disorder than men. In general, women are two times night’s sleep but more importantly, alcohol and medication therapy more likely than men to experience sleep problems. there is evidence that sleep apnea (over-the-counter and prescribed). increases the risk of heart disease.

Although it most commonly what should someone do if he or awake for long periods of time, regardless affects older adults, men and those who are she suffers from a sleep disorder? of the circumstances. overweight, obstructive sleep apnea can be a Make an appointment with a doctor or visit a Narcolepsy can cause serious problem for anyone. Treatment may involve sleep disorder center. Recent surveys indicate disruptions in daily routine. It is a chronic that chronic sleep deprivation increases health using a device to keep your airway open or condition that doesn’t go away completely. risks. Not only does lack of sleep directly undergoing a simple medical procedure.

Although there’s no cure for narcolepsy, The extremely rare central sleep apnea impact one’s body, but also the cost to the medications and lifestyle changes can help community at large is great. occurs when the brain doesn’t transmit the manage the symptoms. proper signals to the muscles that control Treatment of sleep disorders is necessary breathing. In other words, the brain doesn’t to avoid heart problems and other is insomnia the opposite of narcolepsy? tell you to breathe while you sleep. complications. You don’t have to put up with Many factors affect sleep disorders such as Insomnia, one of the most common medical sleepless nights. Simple changes in your daily age, airways, jaw shape, neck size, weight and complaints, is a very broad term. “Sleep habits can resolve insomnia and restore your physical condition, including congestive heart initiation insomnia” causes difficulty falling needed rest, and that of your sleep partner. asleep. Constant waking during the night is failure, high blood pressure and diabetes. referred to as sleep “maintenance insomnia.”

Colleen g. lanCe, m.d.

Both take a toll on the ability to function what is the treatment for sleep apnea? dr. Lance is the medical director of the during the day.

The number one treatment is Continuous Memorial hermann sugar Land sleep disorders Center, where she provides Insomnia can greatly impact health, work Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), in which care for the full spectrum of sleep an airway splint is created to keep the airways performance and quality of life. Twentydisorders that affect all age groups, with particular interest in the sleep disorders five percent of Americans report occasional from collapsing at night. Great strides have that affect women and children. sleeping problems, and insomnia is a chronic been made in technology—machines today

WOmen & slEEP

may/june • 2009

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the

GIrlS JUSt WANNA hAVe FUN…IN MONte CArlO! • 3.31.09

Hilton Americas-Houston

list

Touted as a fun-filled “girls night out,” this casino-themed event gave Houston ladies a chance to kick back, relax and have some good old fashioned fun while supporting Houston’s Ronald McDonald House.

The event featured dinner, music, shopping, hairstyling, tarot card and palm reading, massages, makeup and high-roller gaming action.

Prize packages included a Tiffany & Co. “party girl” charm bracelet, dugout seats to a Houston Astros game and a spa getaway to Hotel ZaZa. The event raised much-needed funds for programs offered

by Houston’s Ronald McDonald House, a home for families whose children are seeking life-saving treatments at Texas Medical Center.

Story | MicHelle jacoBy Photography | Morris Malakoff

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1 Rita Sulma, Rhonda Hatcher, LaRetta Bertram 2 Angela Poutol, Vanessa Sendukas 3 Tiffany Burghen, Brittany LaPorte, Quinita LaPorte, Pat Ford 4 Miranda Sevcik

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River Oaks Country Club

It’s not officially springtime, until United Cerebral Palsy kicks off the season with this annual luncheon. This year’s event featured spring collections from Neiman Marcus and honored some of Houston’s outstanding mothers, including Joann Crassas, Debbie Festari, Kelli Fondren, Kristi Schiller and Courtney Hopson.

Amidst the wonderful fashions, stylish hats and, of course, beaming moms, the highlight of the event was when Michael, a 12-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, shared his goal of raising $30,000 for UCP over the next several months. So far, he has already raised $3,000 in hopes of giving back to an organization that has helped him so much during his young life.

Story | roseann roGers Photography | Morris Malakoff

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1 Ginni Mithoff (chair), Mary Gracely, Joann Crassas (honoree), Carolyn Mafrige(chair) 2 Dr. Michael Brown

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InterContinental Houston

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In celebration of fine living and great design, the Houston Junior Forum hosted a unique spring fundraising event that not only featured a wonderful dinner and “haute” raffle items, but also awardwinning interior designer William Stubbs. With projects that run the gamut from a sprawling estate in Kiev to a senior living center in Rhode Island, Stubbs has been designated one of Architectural Digest’s “Top 100 Designers of the World.” He is also host, creator and CEO of the PBS series A Moment of Luxury, and is a passionate literacy advocate. Proceeds from the evening’s event will go towards various programs that focus on language development for non-English speaking children.

Story | MicHelle jacoBy Photography | Morris Malakoff

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GET ON THE LIST AT PRIMELIST@PRIME-LIVING.COM 1 Gayle and Bill Barnett 2 William W. Stubbs (keynote speaker) 3 Khambrel Marshall, KPRC Houston 4 Norma Gainor 5 Ian, Jennifer and Anderson Wallace

may/june • 2009

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33rD ANNUAl lAW GAlA & AUCtION • 3.28.09

list

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Hilton Americas-Houston

Nearly 600 of Houston’s top attorneys, businessmen and alums celebrated the University of Houston Law Center in the largest fundraiser of its kind for any law school in the nation. The theme, “Black Gold: A Celebration of Houston’s Historic Energy Industry” included a movie inspired look from the classic Giant, as well as silent and live auctions filled with trips, jewelry and sports memorabilia. Afterwards, guests enjoyed dancing and a “play” casino, featuring fabulous prizes. Spearheaded by gala chairs Willie and Gail Wood, the evening’s event raised more than $600,000 to continue the Law Center’s tradition of excellence in legal education, including scholarships and research projects.

Story | roseann roGers Photography | jenny antill

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1 Dean Nimmer 2 Pres. Renu and Dr. Suresh Khator 3 Roseann Rogers 4 Charles and Karen Matthews, Dean Nimmer, Renu and Suresh Khator 5 Willie D. Wood

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Wortham Theater Center

Take care of the lady who took such good care of you!

The Wortham Theater Center was transformed into the City of Lights at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Houston Grand Opera Ball held in April. As guests arrived, they were greeted by live show standard poodles and a 21-piece string orchestra before entering the Grand Foyer, which was elaborately decorated in pure Parisian glamour. Amidst an abundance of red roses and crystal chandeliers, guests enjoyed a gourmet four-course dinner followed by a spectacular Moulin Rouge style-show featuring streamer cannons, costumed girls on swings and can-can dancers. Chairs Donna and Robert Bruni headed this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stunning event, honoring Margaret Alkek Williams. The annual gala raises funds to support programs of the Houston Grand Opera.

Dessert Gallery Salutes the Class of 2009!

Order online today at www.dessertgallery.com Kirby 713 522 9999 Galleria 713 622 0007 Sugar Land 713 797 8000

Story | michelle jacoby Photography | Kim Coffman

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05.09 2009 Circle of Life Gala Enjoy an evening of cocktails, dinner, dancing and entertainment by Wayne Foster Entertainment of Beverly Hills.

Hilton Americas-Houston, 1600 Lamar St. 7 p.m. $750. 713-4485220, memorialhermann.org

Amy Blakemore: Photographs 1988-2008 (left to right) Swing, 1992; gelatin silver photograph; private collection Steph, 1995; chromogenic photograph; courtesy of the artist and Inman Gallery, Houston Jill in Woods, 2005; chromogenic photograph; courtesy of the artist and Inman Gallery, Houston

Through July 26 Pioneers of Contemporary Glass: Highlights from the Barbara and Dennis DuBois Collection Enjoy a selection of 30 remarkable master works from the DuBois collection exhibited throughout the Caroline Wiess Law and Audrey Jones Beck buildings. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonet St. 713639-7300, mfah.org

Through Sept. 13 Amy Blakemore: Photographs 1988-2008 Explore Blakemore’s mature career with a carefully distilled selection of 36 works ranging from early black and white street photographs to her lushly colored portraits and landscapes. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonet St. 713639-7300, mfah.org

05.01 Glassell School of Art Benefit and Auction The evening features a gourmet dinner, dancing in the Cullen Sculpture Garden, a silent auction of art by favorite artists and Core fellows. Glassell School of Art, 5101 Montrose Blvd. 7 p.m. $100. 713-639-7523, mfah.org

05.02 14th Annual Keels & Wheels Concour D’Elegance This two-day event features the largest collection of classic cars and wooden boats in the country.

Lakewood Yacht Club, 2425 NASA Pkwy., Seabrook. 10 a.m.

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$24 in advance, $30 at the door.

713-521-0105, keels-wheels.com 2009 Promise Ball Proceeds from this black-tie event fund research to find the cause of and cure for juvenile diabetes.

Omni Hotel Houston, Four Riverway. 6:30 p.m. $500. 713334-4400, jdrf.org/houston Amigos de Las Americas 2009 Gala Enjoy an evening of dinner, dancing and celebration at this 30th annual gala honoring longtime AMIGOS supporter George Donnelly. Hotel ZaZa, 5701 Main St. 6:30 p.m. $250.

832-814-6555, amigoslink.org Project Derek Dog See dogs and their owners strut their stuff on the catwalk in hopes of winning the title “Derek Dog.” Includes lunch, wine, pet boutique and pet psychic. Hotel Derek, 2525 West Loop South. 11 a.m. $100. 281-497-9055, cap4pets.org

for confident and responsible adulthood. Hilton Houston Post Oak, 2001 Post Oak Blvd.

11:30 a.m. $150. 713-802-2260, girlsinc-houston.org

Memory Makers Luncheon Help increase awareness and support of Alzheimer’s disease by attending this event featuring guest speaker Oliver Luck. Minute Maid Ballpark, Union Station Lobby, 501 Crawford St. 11:30 a.m. $150.

713-314-1331, alztx.org

05.07

05.14

Dimensions Gala Preview The CHRISTUS Stehlin Foundation and Young Texans Against Cancer will unveil their gala theme, chairpersons and entertainment with 10 percent of sale proceeds going to cancer research. Dimensions, 6100 Westheimer. 6 p.m. 713-7808564, dimensions6100.com

A Celebration of Entrepreneurs Houston Technology Center’s 10th annual gala will honor Robert C. McNair, founder and CEO of the Houston Texans, as well as 60 of Houston’s landmark entrepreneurs.

InterContinental Hotel, 2222 West Loop South. 6:30 p.m. $250.

832-476-9235, houstontech.org

05.08

Collectors and Cocktails: An Auction of Treasures Donated

by Houston’s Finest Collectors Enjoy cocktails and bites while bidding on treasures donated by Houston’s finest art collectors.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, 4848 Main St. 7 p.m. $75.

713-529-4848, crafthouston.org

Latin Women’s Initiative Annual Luncheon Funds raised support community programs designed by the Latin Women’s Initiative.

InterContinental Hotel, 2222 West Loop South. 11:30 a.m. $250. 832-722-7771, latinwomensinitiative.org

Mad Hatter Luncheon and fashion show Go Red for Women with beautifully decorated Celebrate the energy, passion tabletops by local florists and and power of women banding designers. Benefitting Meals on together to wipe out heart disease. Wheels. Sugar Land Marriott This year’s keynote speaker is Rita Town Square, 16090 City Walk.

Moreno. Intercontinental Hotel, 11:30 a.m. $55. 281-633-7057, 2222 West Loop South. 11 a.m. fortbendseniors.org 713-610-5058, americanheart.org

05.04

05.06 13th Annual Strong, Smart and Bold Celebration Luncheon Event supporting educational programs for girls ages 6 to 18 that build their capacity

05.13

One Hole at a Time Play in a first-class tournament supporting programs and services to aid those fighting addiction throughout the Greater Houston area. Blackhorse Golf Club, 12205 Fry Road, Cypress. 11:30 a.m. 218200-9335, council-houston.org

05.15

2009 Alley Theatre Ball Join the Alley Theatre for an Children’s Fund 2009 Gala evening of cocktails, dinner, Celebrate “An Evening in dancing and rock ‘n roll. This Neverland” in support of charities year’s honoree is William J. that support Houston’s most Johnson. Alley Theatre, 615 Texas needy children. The Omni Ave. 6:30 p.m. $1,000. 713-315Hotel, 4 Riverway. 7 p.m. $200.

3389, alleytheatre.org childrens-fund.org

Go Red for Women â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Northwest Harris and Montgomery Counties Celebrate the energy, passion and power of women banding together to wipe out heart disease. Waterway Marriott, 1601 Lake Robbins Drive, The Woodlands. 713-610-5030, americanheart.org 14th Annual Starlight Gala: Through the Looking Glass Benefitting the American Cancer Society, this unique black-tie gala is produced entirely by young professionals ages 25 to 45 who are passionate about giving back to the Houston community. Crystal Ballroom at the Rice Hotel, 909 Texas St. 7:30 p.m. $175. 713-706-5635, starlightgala.org

05.16 Moonlight and Stars Gala In its 41st year, this annual galaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;featuring dinner, dancing and live and silent auctionsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; benefits the Assistance League of Houstonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s philanthropic projects.

Lakeside Country Club, 100 Wilcrest Drive. 713-526-7983, assistanceleaguehou.org

05.17 Houston Symphonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Maestroâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wine Dinner Enjoy a five-course gourmet dinner catered by Tonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s with Italian wine parings selected by Maestro Hans Graf and John Rydman of Specâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wine, Spirits and Finer Foods. Proceeds benefit the 2009 Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition. 6 p.m. $500. 713337-8531, houstonsymphony.org

05.24 Nickyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Week Kickoff Order items from RA Sushiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s special menu through May 30 and 100% of the proceeds will go to St. Jude Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Research Hospital. RA Sushi, 3908 Westheimer. 713.621.5800, rasushi.com/nickysweek

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06.04

Shades of Roses Benefit Enjoy a multi-course dinner prepared by Chef James Cole with prized wine pairings and cognac and cigars. Event benefits the Rose Ribbon Foundation, which provides free reconstruction surgery to uninsured post-cancer patients.

Flemingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Prime Steakhouse, 2405 W. Alabama St. 6:30 p.m. $350. 713-259-9952, roseribbon.org

06.06 Latin American Experience Gala Featuring a live and silent auction of Latin American works of art, proceeds from this gala will benefit the acquisition fund of Latin American works of art for the museumâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s permanent collection. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonet St. 7 p.m. $500. 713-639-7523, mfah.org

06.18

Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day Father/Child Charity Golf Tournament Held annually on the Thursday before Fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Day, this tournament benefits the Houston Parks and Recreation Departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s First Tee of Houston Junior Golf Program and Athletes Cardiac Cup Seeking Knowledge Education Enjoy this special polo Fund. Wildcat Golf Club, tournament benefiting Texas Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Heart Center. Houston 12000 Almeda. $350 per Polo Club, 8552 Memorial Drive. twosome. 713-942-8500, houstonparksboard.org 5 pm. $1,000 for two. 713-5450420, thehoustonpoloclub.com

Prices listed are for individual tickets. Sponsorships may be available. Event dates, times and prices subject to change. To have your event considered for inclusion in the Datebook, send complete event information to datebook@prime-living.com.

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