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OCTOBER | PAGE 8 | 2014 Nature's Bounty: Whew! We sallied through two art fairs and an antiques + art + design show, all within 10 days last month — watch for our wrap-ups in the November issue. But don't expect October to be quiet. This month, the action spins around nonprofits and galleries. At the Jung Center, yours truly curates a long-overdue show for Christy Karll, whose nature-based totemic bronzes, delicate bronze bundles of twigs, antlered chairs and expansive abstracted landscapes meditate on earth and sky and its sentient beings (opening night October 4; through October 29). Mr. Obsessive: When will H.J. Bott be recognized as the multifaceted genius he is? Check out the octogenarian's latest, a return to canvas, at Anya Tish Gallery, where his long-standing DoV principal has a carefully calibrated field day (October 10 – November 15). History Lesson: The nationally touring exhibition for the storied Kinsey Collection at the Houston Museum of African American Culture powerfully interweaves black history and art, from the Diaspora into the Harlem Renaissance (through October 25). Don't miss what has been called one of the top 10 exhibits to see in the world. The Dean and Dan Show: Dan Havel and Dean Ruck's Texas Artist of the Year exhibition at Art League Houston addresses our vanishing built heritage (through November 1). Art + Industry: As the Houston Ship Channel marks a milestone centennial, Houston Arts Alliance organizes an exhibition at the Houston Public Library's Julia Ideson Building that reveals the gritty details and heroic people who built one of the nation's busiest and most seminal ports (through January 31). Concurrently, HAA organizes a showcase of the East End that flourishes due to the port. The inspired three-month celebration of place-making includes weekly concerts, festivals, marching bands and light shows upon silos (through November 30). Catherine D. Anspon The Bayou City Art Festival ranks among our most democratic art convergences. In the fall and spring, this affordably priced open-air extravaganza takes over the town, with 300 artists and artisans from around the country and the world setting up shop. Saturday and Sunday, October 11 and 12, catch Bayou City downtown — best of all, your ticket funds some of our fave cultural nonprofits, from City ArtWorks and FotoFest to Art League Houston, Workshop Houston and the Orange Show. New this year: Bayou City After Dark, with extended hours, concerts and cocktails on Saturday night. artcolonyassociation.org. Catherine D. Anspon Art Notes The Golden Age-styled Prohibition Supper Club & Bar is opening downtown at 1008 Prairie Street as we go to press. The 8,000-square-foot supper club, manned by chefs Ben McPherson and Matt Wommack, features a Gulf Coast- driven menu and burlesque performances by The Moonlight Dolls, all housed in an authentic, turn- of-the-century space that was once the 1930s Isis Theatre in downtown Houston … Also expected to open at any moment is Bistro Menil, The Menil Collection's eatery at 1512 Sul Ross, led by executive chef Greg Martin (Café Annie, Taco Milagro) … Smith & Wollensky GM Benjamin Berg waves goodbye this month to prep a place of his own: B&R Butchers, a steak restaurant and butcher shop at 1814 Washington Avenue, coming January 2015 … Local restaurateur Shepard Ross and chefs Adam Dorris and Plinio Sandalio have opened Pax Americana at 4319 Montrose Boulevard. The ingredients (and wine) behind this innovative modern American cuisine are solely sourced within the U.S. … Charles Clark and Grant Cooper of Clark Cooper Concepts (Ibiza, Coppa, Brasserie 19, The Dunlavy) have acquired the former Brio restaurant space (Pesce before that) at the corner of Kirby and West Alabama for a new seafood concept with a targeted opening next summer. The vibe is said to be Santa Barbara yacht club meets Nikki Beach … At the newly opened BCN Taste & Tradition, owner Ignacio Torres and chef Luis Roger look to the city of Barcelona. (BCN is the airport code, for those of you who've never flown commercial.) Roger, who has recently relocated from Girona, Spain, trained under Michelin chef Ferran Adria at elBulli and taught at the renowned culinary school Aula Gastronomica de l'Emporada. BCN is located in a 1920's Mediterranean home in the Montrose/Museum District (4210 Roseland). And BCN has another ace: Paco Calza, who was at RDG for 28 years, rising to GM. He joins BCN as general manager. Paco only goes to monogrammed restaurants. More on this luxe little restaurant next month … Ian Rosenberg and Mike Sammons (13 Celsius, Mongoose verses Cobra), Richard Kaplan (River Café, Brown Paper Chocolates) and Heath Wendell (Slow Dough Bread Co.) are the forces behind Weights and Measures, a Midtown restaurant, bake shop and bar to be housed in the 1950s industrial warehouse at 2808 Caroline Street. Look for this venture to open in phases, beginning late November… Radio Milano begins serving its ultra-modern take on Italian cuisine this month on the second floor of Hotel Sorella at CityCentre, while Radio Bar opens on the first floor … Gelato hot spot Gelazza has become a neighborhood favorite in the Heights. Besides the sweet treats, Louie Comella and Leigh Rubino's innovative eatery features a wall-sized mural and an outdoor patio for bocce ball. Chill out with the locals at 3601 White Oak … In August, Andrea Magi brought the London-based Italian pizzeria Mascalzone to Houston and opened at 12126 Westheimer. This month, he opens a second location closer in at 1500 Shepherd Drive … Putting a new spin on rapid grocery delivery, Instacart has launched in Houston. Customers can combine online items from Whole Foods Market, H-E-B and even Costco, and everything arrives within one hour ($5.99 delivery charge) or in two hours ($7.99 delivery charge). First delivery is free. Get the details at instacart.com … Define Body & Mind introduces Define Foods Juice — cold-pressed bottled juices that pack a daily serving of nutrient-dense, inflammation-fighting fruits and veggies. Also try Define's new granola snacks made with all natural and nutritious superfoods sold at select Define locations. Christopher Balat has opened two new boîtes inside the new Parc Binz building (1801 Binz) in the Museum District: Museum Park Cafe, where executive chef Justin Basye oversees a menu of American cuisine alongside award- winning pastry chef Chris Leung, and Bosta Wine & Coffee. Molly Jodeit Restaurant Buzz H.J. Bott's Oh-Gee!, 2014, at Anya Tish Gallery Alfresco ART Tiffany & Co. enlisted quite the femme for the position of design director (left vacant by the retirement of John Loring, who helmed the design role for the American institution from 1979 to 2009): Francesca Amfitheatrof, a classic beauty whose haunting resemblance to film icon Audrey Hepburn and impressive CV make her the perfect T girl. A trained jeweler and silversmith and graduate of Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art, Amfitheatrof's has designed jewelry for Chanel, Fendi, Gucci, Marni and Garrard, as well as fragrances for Creative Perfumers; furniture and lighting for the interiors projects of Muriel Brandolini; jewelry and silverware for Asprey & Garrard; china, crystal and flatware designs for Wedgwood; and designs for Alessi. In her post at Tiffany & Co., she heads up design across the board — jewelry, handbags, crystal and china, eyewear and more. Her debut collection, the Tiffany T, is comprised of modern architectural bracelets, pendants, rings and monumental cuffs engineered to stack and pivot seamlessly in the shape of a solid T — 64 pieces available in 18K rose and yellow gold and sterling silver, with modern nods of white ceramic and glowing fine gems. $350 to $95,000, at Tiffany & Co. Megan Pruitt Winder to a Perfect Tiffany T necklace with citrine, turquoise and diamonds in 18K gold, $95,000 Tiffany design director Francesca Amfitheatrof examines a cuff from the Tiffany T collection. COPY WRITE TIFFANY AND CO. You Really Have to Be There … Everyone's Going It's that time again, for the bastion of WASPdom: the Garden Club of Houston Bulb and Plant Mart. For 71 years, we — well, not me personally for all those years — have attended this rite of fall and bought and nurtured spring bulbs from the vaunted institution whose good- works projects include the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Rienzi, Medical Center Park, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, Urban Harvest and Houston Hospice Gardens. This year, Thursday – Saturday, October 2 – 4, sees the mart in a new location: The Church of St. John the Divine. Early bird shopping is Thursday, October 2, 4:30 to 7:30 pm, with 500,000 bulbs from domestic and international suppliers — more than 200 varieties of tulips, iris, amaryllis, daffodils, hyacinths, daylilies, gingers and more, as well as perennials, trees, vines, herbs and citrus plants. Hit the Bulb Bar to mix-and-match a bulb box; grab your free, lovingly prepared Horticultural Guide to Houston, created by the GCH members; and hit the ground planting! Early bird, Thursday 4:30 – 7:30 pm, $20 per family; Friday, 9 am – 5 pm; Saturday 9 am – 2 pm, at St. John the Divine, 2450 River Oaks Blvd., gchouston.org. Holly Moore New York food and drink executives Harley Bauer (Crumbs Bake Shop) and Michael Glickman (Moët Hennessey USA) have teamed up to launch the first-ever line of portable artisanal cocktails. Called LIQS, the craft ready-to-serve cocktails come in Tequila Cinnamon & Orange, Vodka Cucumber & Lime, Vodka Kamikaze and Vodka Lychee & Grapefruit — made with premium liquor and packaged in reusable to-go plastic shot glasses. With Houston as the base for the national rollout, Bauer has forsaken Manhattan and moved to our beloved Diamond Buckle of the Sunbelt to oversee market expansion. Millennials and other thirsty folks should look for LIQS at Houston-area liquor stores, hotels and entertainment venues. Three-pack of shots $8; liqsshot.com. George Alexander A Shot In The Park This fall, The Menil Collection's "Experiments with Truth" celebrates the extraordinary life of Mohandas "Mahatma" Gandhi. Nonviolent change throughout the world is explored in more than 130 photographs, paintings, sculptures, artifacts and historical documents, including disparate images of historical figures ranging from abolitionists to the Dalai Lama; films capturing the turmoil of the civil rights movement; even a letter penned by Albert Einstein about resistance to the Holocaust. The exhibition — a passion project of Menil director Josef Helfenstein, along with noted Indian artist Amar Kanwar — opens Thursday, October 2 (through February 1, 2015), on the 145th anniversary of Gandhi's birth. For years, Helfenstein has been haunted by a 1948 still life taken by an anonymous photographer of all the belongings Gandhi possessed at the time of his death: two pairs of sandals, two dinner bowls, his eyeglasses, a prayer book and a handful of small items. Nothing could be more symbolic of Gandhi's ideals and achievements — the focus of this Houston-wide celebration, which lasts through January 2015. Look for participation in all corners of the city, including Indika and Pondicheri restaurants, where chef Anita Jaisinghani — who was born in the province of Kutch in the state of Gujarat in Western India, not far from where Gandhi was raised — will offer her delicious interpretation of a Kathiawar thali and vegetarian dishes. menil.org. Laurann Claridge Celebrating a Man of Greatness Jeannie Maddox's Taxi, 2012, at Bayou City Art Festival Downtown Gandhi's last possessions, 1948. Photographer unknown, at The Menil Collection.