PaperCity Magazine

April 2014 - Houston

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K ate Spade New York has opened a second flagship location in Highland Village Shopping Center (the first debuted in NYC last May). The 6,000-square-foot mega-tique is chock-full of mid-century modern furnishings and happy hues, stocking everything a modern girl could want: minis, tops, dresses, handbags, fashion and tech accessories, small leather goods, jewelry, shoes, eyewear, beauty, stationery and home wares. Also on the racks is the Madison Ave. Collection (exclusive to flagship stores and katespade.com) featuring classic silhouettes such as asymmetrical party frocks in luxe fabrics, some studded with Swarovski crystals, which will have you cocktail-ready from head to toe, The store is divided into darling vignettes, from the black-and-white marble floor in the center salon brimming with jewels and the newest merchandise to the shoe salon and a dressing atelier with a fully mirrored stage in the center of four rooms, each with cheeky changeable backdrops for the perfect selfie. KSNY commissioned Houston artist Joseph Cohen to create the storefront façade, with the iconic Kate Spade New York bow in neon pink, as well as an oversized brass flower sculpture in the entry that showcases a dozen or so handbags. Megan Pruitt Winder APRIL | PAGE 22 | 2014 Kate Spade New York, 2701 Drexel Dr., Highland Village, 713.961.9684; katespade.com Dish Society, 5740 San Felipe, 832.538.1060, dishsociety.com HOMEGROWN FOODIES' PARADISE KUNG FU CHICKEN AND "YES, MAM" TO RED VELVET CAKE SNOBALLS, ROCKIN' WE'RE SAYING GRACE OVER STYLE IN SPADES AND DISHING SOCIAL OVER DINNER. N ow a triumvirate of eateries, all situated within a block of one another, rounds out restaurateur Johnny Carrabba's Kirby drive domain. His latest, Grace's, was built to evoke the memory of its namesake, his grandmother Grace Mandola (aka Mama), a Louisiana immigrant by way of Sicily whose Sunday lunches are the stuff of family lore. Architect Ed Eubanks and his crew have worked diligently to construct this brick- built, ranch-style concept with high-ceilinged rooms decorated with antique soup tureens, old cookbooks, silver platters and framed vintage lace doilies that bring to mind the era when Grace herself thrived. Don't expect another Little Italy-inspired menu like its neighbor, Carrabba's. With just one pasta dish gracing Grace's menu, Carrabba looked west to Mustard's Grill and east to Union Square Café to conjure a carte peppered with a wide variety of dishes. The lunch/ dinner menu fuses well-made Louisiana's classics such as gumbo ($11) and Gulf fried oysters ($18) with Chinese, including a delicious boneless sticky rib dish ($15) and Kung Fu chicken ($19); Tex-Mex, rich carne asada with cheese enchiladas ($22); and good ole Americana steakhouse classics, from grilled steaks ($36-$42) and burgers ($15) to lamb chops ($45). Service is approachable and polished; but be warned: reservations aren't accepted (save for a party of six or over). As Carrabba's loyal cadre of patrons descend on his newest establishment, you can expect quite a wait on busy nights, even longer for those hoping to dine at a coveted table for two or four. Laurann Claridge Grace's, 3111 Kirby Dr., 713.728.6410, gracesonkirby.com SAYING GRACE'S BINH NGUYEN BINH NGUYEN "The owners want this to be the next Chipotle," my waiter enthuses when I ask him about Dish Society, a new concept on San Felipe Street, between Chimney Rock and Bering Drive, the borderland between the tony Tanglewood neighborhood and the Galleria area. Dish Society amalgam of fast food and the locavore movement that began in Berkeley, California, in the early 1970s with Alice Waters' Chez Panisse restaurant. The brains behind the project, Austinite Aaron Lyons, has opened a spot that addresses Houston's old lack of breakfast options and then goes on through lunch, happy hour and dinner. The breakfast menu includes a build-your-own taco option with 18 different ingredients, plus such nouvelle favorites as Nutella French toast with seasonal berries and maple syrup or a power breakfast of Greek yogurt, açai purée, seasonal fruit and house granola. The pork meats are from Cypress' Black Hill Ranch, where Brennan's alum Felix Florez raises swine worthy of locavore adulation. There are also juices of healthful reputation: Beets By Dish, consisting of beets, carrots, orange and ginger (which claims to be cleansing); Green Society, squeezed from spinach, kale, cucumber, apple, lemon and ginger (which does something called alkalizing); and Entry Level with pineapple, carrot, orange, ginger (which is reputed to be an anti- inflammatory). The lunch and dinner menus are available with local microbrewery draft beers and wines from the U.S., South America and Europe. There are wine cocktails for happy hour. The lunch and dinner menus include plenty of traditional proteins, chicken, shrimp and a pressure-cooked steak chimichurri. The restaurant's design, by Houston's own Collaborative Projects, is clean, modern — and, when more than a handful of patrons are seated, very noisy, which is the fashion today. Will it go nationwide? It very well could. George Alexander Aaron Lyons, executive chef Johnny Romo, director of operations Trent Patterson MAM's House of Snoballs, 1040 W. Cavalcade, 713.868.4545, mamssnoballs.com YES, MAM I ce queens Ariana Espinoza and Mary Ann McBee have furthered the MAM's House of Snoballs gospel of shaved ice by setting up permanent shop at 1040 West Cavalcade in a 700-plus-square-foot space. The singular snoball stand had operated out of a trailer at the intersection of 20th and Rutland streets in the Heights since 2009 and draws throngs of devotees, no matter the season. The new location allows the frosty mavens to serve the delectable New Orleans-style confections, flavored with all-natural syrups, along with seasonal treats and new items such as Frito pies and Cleburne corn, which harken back to the proprietresses' idyllic childhoods. They hope the new space encourages people to slow down and enjoy life's small pleasures with friends (both two- and four-legged ones, both of whom can find something on the menu). Not to be missed: the red velvet cake snoball with ice cream on the bottom and condensed milk on top; the Dilly Spice, a half-lime and half-lemon snoball topped with Tajin and diced dill pickles; and the classic wedding-cake-flavored snoball. Talk about a sweet treat. Megan Pruitt Winder STYLE IN SPADES MAXIMILIAN BURKHALTER MAXIMILIAN BURKHALTER Johnny Carrabba A cozy corner at Grace's JENNY ANTILL Ariana Espinoza, Mary Ann McBee Sunglasses sunhat $88 Madison Ave. Collection, Zurie dress $598 Vita Riva handbag $398

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