Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1493310
N o one throws a party quite like Rebecca Gardner and her full- service event and interior design firm Houses & Parties. Opulence injected with a dose of irreverence might describe it — but you can only truly understand a Houses & Parties event if you experience one (ideally one hosted by clients like Lauren Santo Domingo or Carolina Herrera). Gardner, who grew up in Texas but is now based in New York and Savannah, founded her event firm 12 years ago. She added an online retail experience for "devotees of the elegant and unusual" in 2020. We promise, once you sign up for H&P emails, you'll find yourself purchasing chocolate cigarettes ($28 for four packs) and a hand-blown artisanal twisted glass caviar service ($564) and throwing an obscure yet cleverly themed dinner party. Entertaining and living in great style are learned behaviors for Gardner, whose mother was known for her parties and whose uncle is Houston's beloved antiquarian Bill Gardner of W. Gardner Antiques. Gardner brings Houses & Parties goodies and a selection of her uncle's objects of virtu to Blue Hills in Round Top from March 23 – 31. Look for the chic 40-by-60-foot circus tent, inspired by the free-spirited vagabond, fully stocked with unusual tabletop, cocktailing accouterments, and offbeat gifts, as well as standout pieces from Bill Gardner's Houston shop. Houses & Parties at Blue Hills, March 23 – 31, 1701 S. Texas Hwy. 237, Carmine, housesandparties. com. Anne Lee Phillips BACK! BUTCHER'S BALL IS … B utcher's Ball chef dinners, complete with wine and cocktail pairings, r e t u r n t o T h e Halles. (The full- on BB festival still goes down every fall in Brenham). Celebrating Texas chefs, our region's foodie community, and promoting small, indie farms, the BB has raised more than six-figures for food initiatives/nonprofits throughout the state. Besides doing good, the seated dinners are beautifully staged, conceived by co-founders Elaine Dillard and Jonathan Beitler who are passionate about Texas culinary culture. This spring's lineup is stellar, starring iconoclastic Houston chefs, and a program that speaks to farm and field. Dinners sell out quickly, so calendar these dates, and secure your tickets. Friday, March 24, chef Tony Luhrman of El Topo, the reigning two-time winner of the BB Golden Cleaver, prepares a five-course seated dinner, sourced within the 100-mile radius surrounding Round Top. Houston bar maven Robin Berwick (of Double Trouble renown) has been tapped for cocktail hour. Don your dancing boots; the night wraps with music from Christopher Seymore and his honky-tonk band. Saturday, March 25, it's all about the 'cue, as Texas barbecue queen, Michelle Wallace — 2022 James Beard Taste Twenty Chef — creates a menu inspired by seasonal offerings from local farms, informed by a Southern slant. Robin Berwick again curates pre- dinner cocktails and bites. As a finale, there's live music by Western Bling. Each farm-to-table dinner features small- batch whiskey and spirit tastings, with wine pairings at each course: 6 pm cocktails and bites, 7 pm dinner, 9 pm music. Tickets $175 each, reserved tables for groups; butchersball.com/ dinner. Catherine D. Anspon CIRCUS The CHIC Rebecca Gardener, Houses & Parties Houses & Parties goods will be at Blue Hills.