Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/271585
L ooking to outfit your string of ponies and the Argentine pros you've hired to play with you for the season? You're in luck. Casablanca, international purveyor of polo equipment and men's clothing, has opened its first U.S. location in Uptown Park (next to the University of Texas Co-Op). The 500-square-foot space, managed by Angie Esparza, stocks tack (saddles, bridles, breastplates, girths and polo wraps) and gear such as boots, helmets (customizable and specified to the highest safety regulations) and knee guards. Beyond what one might expect a pro shop to offer, the company has a collection of men's sports and casual ware — think quilted and puffer vests and jackets in smart navy, gray and black wools and cashmeres — as well as Casablanca's own take on the white jean (which many a polo player swears by) and an array of oxfords, sweaters and, as one might expect, cotton piqué polos. Impending goals include the introduction of women's wear later this spring. Seth Vaughan MARCH | PAGE 20 | 2014 It all began when Vivian Wise found herself on a beach in the Hamptons late one night. Staring up into the summer night sky from the shore, she realized that the retail experience she wanted wasn't available, so she conjured up a plan. Enter Babette, the embodiment of her new retail enterprise, Velvet Slipper Divine: an Airstream trailer completely re-outfitted by interior designer Valerie Cook to function as a shopping module anywhere it's taken. Yes, the trailer not only has a name but is considered a presence in the endeavor, which Wise explains is whatever she wants it to be. Velvet Slipper Divine — named after the Uptown Park ladies' shoe shop she owned for years — is an immersive experience offering the stylish set not only the chance to shop curated, continually changing merchandise including accessories, jewelry and clothing, but also an invitation to events that benefit myriad causes. Case in point: Its recent launch saw Babette pulled up to The Corinthian for a night of shopping, dancing (care of the incomparable Lady Bunny) and benevolence, with a portion of the proceeds benefitting Bering Omega Community Services. On the horizon are soirées with retailers Tootsies and Sloan/Hall, as well as anything you might want to engage the Velvet Slipper Divine team to help you produce. And, come summer, Babette will head for the hills as she travels to Aspen to host a slew of divine evenings. Seth Vaughan Fat Cat Creamery, 1901 19th St. (at N. Shepherd Dr.), 713.869.1080, fatcatcreamery.com BRITTANY HAVICAN BRITTANY HAVICAN BRITTANY HAVICAN Velvet Slipper Divine, velvetslipperdivine.com Casablanca, 1131 Uptown Park Blvd., 713.960.0031, casablancapolo.com NICE KITTY BONJOUR BABETTE! A PENCHANT FOR POLO AND WE'RE RARING TO STAMP SOME DIVOTS, CREATE A CULTIVATED PIZZA,ORDER A DOUBLE SMITTEN WE HAVE A SPRING IN OUR STEP KITTEN AND MOTOR ABOUT WHILE WE SHOP. "THE HEIGHTS DIDN'T HAVE AN ICE CREAM SHOP" is how Sarah Johnston explains the impulse behind the opening of her Fat Cat Creamery — a business named "after my fat cat, Wallace, who went to kitty heaven." This mixture of decisiveness and wit is on display in every corner of her tiny shop, from the motto painted on a ceiling beam ("You want this in your tummy, trust a bunch of cats") to the names of various flavors, such as Smitten Kitten and a milkshake called The Dude. The ice creams are made on the premises in small batches from whole milk and cream supplied by a single Waco dairy, Mill-King, along with egg yolks from three local egg producers and syrups created by Anvil's Bobby Huegel. The floats can even be made up with a ginger beer brewed by Anvil. The quality of the products created by the staff, Johnston and her production manager Courtney Blackstone has customers competing for superlatives. (On a recent afternoon, a man finishing up a sundae declared, "I went to Bertillon the last time I was in Paris, and this is much better.") The scope of the selections is small. "We have five flavors all of the time," Johnston says, "and eight to 10 flavors that may be seasonal, or may be inspired by baked goods that we have on hand." Can't make it to the Heights? A number of Houston restaurants and coffee shops source Fat Cat ice creams and sorbets . Check the website for details. George Alexander T he 2011 opening of Revival Market, at the intersection of locavore and carnivore tastes, put the Houston Heights firmly on local foodies' map. The market's principals, chef Ryan Pera and swine farmer/interior designer/ musician Morgan Weber, have now opened Coltivare Pizza & Garden as well. An Italianate style of cuisine was chosen, Pera says, because "Italian is the cuisine that's most natural in its treatment of vegetables." To underscore the local sourcing, a 3,000-square-foot section of land next to the restaurant is a vegetable, herb and fruit garden handsomely maintained for the kitchen. "We try to pull from local suppliers," he says, "but it needs to taste great." Judging from the constantly packed dining room — paneled in reclaimed century-old pine and pecky cypress and furnished with tables made from wood salvaged from a Brazoria County plantation house — diners think the pizzas, pastas, salumi and seafood do indeed "taste great." Coltivare, currently BYOB, is working on securing the permits required to allow members to purchase alcoholic beverages. A handsome zinc bar salvaged from an old establishment in Pera's native Charleston awaits on one side of the dining room, while rows of wine racks over the pass- through to the kitchen stand ready for the wines and spirits. George Alexander Coltivare Pizza & Garden, 3320 White Oak Dr., 713.637.4095, revivalmarket.com/coltivare CULTIVATED CUISINE Smitten Kitten Sundae Sarah Johnston Fennel Salad Pizza in the oven BRITTANY HAVICAN BRITTANY HAVICAN BRITTANY HAVICAN JENNY ANTILL JENNY ANTILL JENNY ANTILL JENNY ANTILL Ryan Peña Courtney Blackstone JENNY ANTILL Babette ready to roll Vivian Wise