Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/470425
Patrick Kratz's Paperscapes #10, 2014 Meet Patrick Kratz, whose career intersects fine art and photography, seamlessly migrating between landscape and nature-based work and the rigors of images crafted for national advertising and editorial clients. At the heart of his investigations is a sense of time, space and a refined clarity and abstract strength, all elements visible in a new series presented for PaperCity readers — aptly titled "Paperscapes." With a B.S. in architecture from the University of Texas in Arlington and inspiration gleaned from a childhood gazing at the heroic peaks ringing Alamagordo, New Mexico, Kratz conceptually mines the rugged beauty of Western ranges into crumpled paper. Says the artist, "My current work deals with miniature manifestations of mountain vistas. Each image is an idea, created of roughly made pepakura taking the visual cues of plate tectonics as seen from an adventurer's perspective, of a mountain range viewed under a solitary moonlit sky, devoid of stars." Referencing archetypal life via depictions of rising and falling terrain, the photographer also challenges the viewer to notice the poignant absence of missing stars; his artist statement quotes stanzas from an Emerson poem: "If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore" — alluding to elements of beauty and enchantment in the everyday, which are often taken for granted, yet so mourned when lost. Kratz's stark, minimalist landscapes also conjure days and nights on distant planets, and would be perfect for a space scientist turned collector. Museum-matted giclée prints with a masonite backing, in limited editions of 25; special editions of five mounted upon canvas over panel. All works signed and numbered. Giclées $1,150 for 16 x 20 inches; $2,650 for 20 x 60 inches. Canvas and wood-mounted $1,450 unframed, $1,750 framed for 16 x 20 inches; $2,800 unframed, $3,200 framed for 20 x 60 inches. Shipping extra. Inquiries, Anne Lee Phillips, 713.524.0606, ext. 228; anne@papercitymag.com. PC Acquire Atlanta star chef and restaurateur Ford Fry returns to his Houston roots (St. John's Lamar High School) with his first Texas restaurant, State of Grace, to open this spring in Lamar River Oaks Shopping Center on Westheimer at River Oaks Boulevard. He joins fellow Atlantans Sid and Ann Mashburne, who opened their eponymous clothing store in the same center a year ago. The menu will encompass dishes inspired by the Texas Gulf and Texas Hill Country meat, using locally sourced ingredients, much like Fry's seven other restaurants in Atlanta (El Felix, Superica, St. Cecilia, King + Duke, The Optimist, No. 246 and Jct Kitchen) … Henke & Pillot, the local grocery store chain started in the 1800s in Houston by Henry Henke and Camille Pillot, returns to Houston — but this time around, as a lounge. The three-story imbibe-ateria is not only named after the famed local grocery chain but will also be housed in the same building the store once occupied, at 809 Congress. Co-owner Marcus Lam, proprietor of construction company Advent Builder, reconstructed the historical locale. Next up is live music and a rooftop patio on the second and third floors in the near future … Stag Provisions for Men, the great menswear store based in Austin, opens in Houston mid to late March at 2614 Westheimer at Kirby (where Armandos and Sloan/Hall reign), stocking such names as Jack Spade, Faherty, Hamilton Shirts, Filson, Saturdays Surf, Bridge & Burn, Pendleton, Wolverine and more … Another shopping spot for the men, Chicago-based Knot Standard, has opened at the Mosaic Building at 5925 Almeda Road. Knot Standard is a robust online site for handmade, luxury suits, shirts, ties, blazers and leather goods; this showroom augments the online services with onsite tailors to take precise measurements for bespoke suits … The first Houston Snaidero kitchens showroom opens this spring at 3805 Kirby, Suite 120, with sleek Italian kitchens designed by Paulo Pininfarina Design, Pietro Arosio Design, Michele Marcon Design and Snaidero … On March 18, Drybar opens another blowout bar with its signature buttercup-yellow blow-dryers and signage, in the same Westheimer and Kirby shopping center as Stag (see above). It will take over a portion of the shuttered Buffalo Hardware, next to Sloan/Hall. MARCH | PAGE 8 | 2015 Restaurant Buzz & Retail Rap Extraordinary residential real estate service and knowledge. Every time. 713.553.4255 m a r y h a l e m c l e a n . c o m Royden Oaks Mr. Wu Jason Wu Hubbell & Hudson Bistro, 24 Waterway, The Woodlands, 281.203.5641, hubbellandhudson.com For those of us food-mined souls who don't reside in the verdant Valhalla known as The Woodlands, here's a good reason to head out 45 North Hubbell & Hudson Bistro. Now, H&H isn't new; the concept has actually been around for nearly seven years. But it's quite newsworthy as we watch 27-year-old phenom chef Austin Simmons take over the range and execute some of the most intriguing dishes we've enjoyed in Houston and beyond. H&H's parent company, Black Forest Ventures (which also owns Black Walnut Café), has shuttered the sister gourmet market next door and unveiled a restaurant double the size of the original, creating not only more dining and private-room space but also a concept called Cureight, due to debut April 2. Much like the vaulted tasting menus at Napa Valley's destination dining rooms, you can reserve a table at Cureight and put yourself in the talented hands of Simmons (who studied at Le Cordon Bleu and worked under chefs John Tesar and Dean Fearing) and await surprise after surprise in an eight-course extravaganza executed solely for you. Or, you can do as we recently did: Book a room at the nearby Hyatt Market Street Hotel and reserve a table in the casual bistro with friends, working your way through the left side of the menu where sharable plates are priced $5 to $29. I can't stop thinking about the East Coast Oyster plate with soy- based San Bai Zu granita to layer over each chilly raw mollusk, coupled with piquant Thai chili cocktail sauce (market price). The Akaushi beef tenderloin tartar (from cattle raised on the Texas Heartland ranch) with torched egg yolk is adorned with house-made cracker bread and a Spanish olive relish ($19). The red-wine-braised octopus is served with a fresh shaved fennel and artichoke salad that cut through the richness of the main course ($20). The Simple Prawn dish is comprised of two mighty U6 tiger prawns charred with a shrimp shell stock reduction blended with drawn butter — simply stunning ($16). And, don't miss Simmons' vegetable sharing plates. Highlights include crispy Brussels sprouts, their bitter cores removed and leaves coated in a wonderful caramelized white soy and chili glaze, garnished with aged Parmigiano-Reggiano ($8). Sharable entrées include a roasted funny bird (that's code for a 2-pound chickadee) with preserved lemon ($23) and a 120-day dry-aged rib eye — a flavorsome cut with just enough fat to keep it moist (market price). The friendly and professional service staff is well-versed on the complex fare and their chef's cooking philosophy. Vietnamese-born pastry chef Nguyet Nguyen practices her craft well. End your meal with one of her beautifully prepared petit fours with remarkably clean, crisp flavors that linger on your palate. Laurann Claridge Destination DINING Hubbell & Hudson Bistro's renovated dining area Brunch welcomes a new addition: The beef tongue benedict with collard greens, poached eggs and truffle hollandaise, Chef Austin Simmons JULIE SOFER Comes to HOU. N ew York designer Jason Wu makes his maiden voy- age to Houston this month via Neiman Marcus and the Houston Chronicle's Best Dressed Luncheon benefit- ting the March of Dimes, March 26. As some will recall, Wu's star rose in 2008 when Anna Wintour nominated him for a CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award. Since then, he's dressed everyone under the sun, including First Lady Michelle Obama. Wu will show his fall 2015 col- lection in-store March 27, 10 am – 5 pm, designer sportswear, Level Two. Wu himself will be in-store 11 am to noon to meet and mingle. Francine Ballard Jason Wu Fall 2015