Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/135428
For a Pilgrimage Underbelly The Hay Merchant Heritage shops Elsewhere On a balmy Tuesday evening, this gent visited two new restaurants from the gastro-masterminds behind American workman-style bastion of mixology Anvil Bar & Refuge. Underbelly is chef Chris Shepherd's temple to Houston foods (think migrant, back-to-the-founding-fathers type fare), and next door, The Hay Merchant is the workingman's speakeasy — if the everyday man drank crafted beers accompanied by chef-driven blood sausage queso fundido and pork cracklins. The partners, Shepherd and Bobby Heugel, serve equal parts Houston nostalgia and man-cave living, personified by Underbelly's in-house butcher shop and 150-mile sourcing limit on protein and produce — i.e., everything is off-the-hoof fresh. A fortification of the American-heritage workplace ethos of the '20s and '30s, manifested in Houston's bustling port and industrial scene, Shepherd's mixed cultural oeuvre conjures Korean braised goat and dumplings; sausage-stuffed smoked quail with corn chowder and beans; Broken Arrow Ranch braised antelope, curry and coconut rice cake; and lamb loin with charred leeks. We're entranced with seared Gulf bycatch, a term used by fisherman for a fish caught when they are seeking something else. And as Truman Capote quipped in La Côte Basque, what defines the rich are their vegetables; I suspect he was referring to something similar to these at Underbelly. Fresh produce, hardly touched beyond warm water, is Shepherd's homage to Houston's bountiful agricultural history, with abundant seasonal, fresh-from-the dirt varieties. Desserts are termed "Non-Fancy" on the Menu … but the lady doth protest too much: vinegar pie with salt brittle; roasted strawberry ice cream; Indian-inspired milk bar; and Pandan ice cream. Scoot next door to The Hay Merchant for an exhaustive and imaginative catalog of crafted beers, plus extensive bar snacks such as sweet tea brined smoked chicken salad, meat chips and sweet and spicy pork ears. We'll be back in our Woolrich and Red Wings. Underbelly, 1100 Westheimer, 713.528.9800, underbelly houston.com. The Hay Merchant, 1100 Westheimer, 713.528.9805; haymerchant.com. Seth Vaughan ATLANTA Sid Mashburn: Every man with a modicum of sartorial sense should make the acquaintance of Sid Mashburn. This former J.Crew and Ralph Lauren designer has assembled a curated collection of enduring pieces, from Tretorn sneakers and Mackintosh raincoats to trousers and shirts of his own design. Traveling to Atlanta? Detour to Sid's West Side atelier on Howell Mill Road. sidmashburn.com. AUSTIN Stag Provisions for Men: This Austin menswear store is a magnet for guys pairing high with low and vintage with new. The creators call this atelier of clothing, antiques, gifts, accessories and apothecary goods a modern-day general store for every man. stagaustin.com. BOSTON NASHVILLE Bolts T alk about a man of metal. In 2006, George Tobolowsky traded a whitecollar law and business career for days digging in junkyards. Often seen pillaging through a promising scrap heap, this Dallas born-and-raised, SMU-educated sculptor loves nothing more than a promising find at a fabrication plant — where outmoded or obsolete nuts, bolts, rotors, saws, blades and other machine parts become raw fodder for a Tobolowsky sculpture. All this welding and alchemy takes place north of Denton, in the rural retreat of Mountain Springs, Texas, where Tobolowsky, inspired and influenced by David Smith, Louise Nevelson and mentor James Surls, is often hard at work on future commissions or his next show. It's no accident that the late Ted Pillsbury gave him his first gallery exhibition or that Nasher curator Jed Morse has Tobolowsky in his sightlines. Stay tuned. Through deborahcoltongallery.com, Catherine D. Anspon George Tobolowsky's My Signature Piece, 2009 LINKS: NEW YORK Odin New York: With (at last count) three stores in New York, well-edited Odin carries enduring menswear collections such as Engineered Garments, Bespoken shoes, Burkman Bros and Shipley & Halmos, as well as its own line of manly fragrances, candles, socks and shirts. odinnewyork.com. Laurann Claridge A Continuous Lean, acontinuouslean.com Free/Man, freemanbrand.com Kempt, getkempt.com Mister Crew, mistercrew.com Mister Mort, mistermort.com Secret Forts, secretforts.com The Sartorialist, thesartorialist.com JUNE | PAGE 25 | 2012 Havel Ruck Projects' Fifth Ward Jam, 2011, at 3705 Lyons Avenue COURTESY THE ARTIST, COLLECTION TYLER MUSEUM OF ART, TYLER, TX Imogene + Willie: Jeans don't get much cooler than the custom denim handmade by the artisans at Imogene + Willie. Before owners Matt and Carrie Eddmenson opened their own store and workroom in a Matt & Carrie Eddmenson funky former Nashville gas station, they manufactured denim for RRL, Rogan, Levi's and Ernest Sewn. Under their own label, however, they're not acid-washing or faking whisker marks on their custom dungarees (which are available online as well as at stores such as Stag in Austin). This place is so compelling that if you're serious about denim, we suggest a pilgrimage to this Nashville hangout. imogeneandwillie.com. COURTESY HOUSTON ARTS ALLIANCE Ball and Buck: This store was modeled after an old hunting lodge outfitted with vintage industrial lighting, vinyl records, leather sofas and taxidermy heads. (There's even a barber's chair in the back for a hot shave and a quick trim.) Boston's Ball and Buck makes a style statement without getting fashion-forward, bridging East Coast collegiate with the rugged outdoors. You'll find clothing and accessories by Wolverine, Hill-side, Apolis and Left Field, all made in the USA. Wondering about the name? They say George Washington used to tell his troops during the American Revolution to "ball and buck" their musket loads to make a greater impact on their targets. ballandbuck.com. Their monikers sound like a '60s-era surf band. But in the Houston art world, when you string the names Dean and Dan together, everyone knows you're talking about Dean Ruck and Dan Havel, aka the founders of Havel Ruck Projects. They're fondly recalled for creating the site-specific Inversion, which literally stopped traffic along Montrose Boulevard in 2005; Art League Houston tapped the duo to concoct this ephemeral sculpture out of a couple of decrepit bungalows turned classrooms before the buildings met the bulldozer and the new nonprofit rose. What have Ruck and Havel done in the half decade since? They've continued to play with saws and hammers. After placing a 2007 piece in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and crafting a signature work for Toby Kamp's "No Zoning" exhibition at the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston in 2009 — both nailed together from demolished, abandoned or crumbling vernacular buildings — the collaborators recently completed Fifth Ward Jam, a public commission in a pocket park at 3705 Lyons Avenue, principally funded by a grant from the Houston Arts Alliance. Incorporating salvaged floorboards, shingles, window frames, door jams and all manner of discarded lumber from a condemned house in Houston's Fifth Ward augmented by other found materials, this inspired casa-sized creation (complete with performance stage) is equal parts a paean to preservation and a rallying cry for protecting our neighborhoods. It's also a testament to the beauty of the "Fifth," the birthplace of blues, barbecue and the late statesman Barbara Jordan. Hurry, catch Havel and Ruck's Jam while you can; this hammered-wood architectural incantation is only here temporarily (to book as a venue, 713.674.0175). houstonartsalliance.com/folklife/ fifth-ward-jam/. Catherine D. Anspon Man Art: