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SEPTEMBER | PAGE 20 | 2015 THREE NEW FALL HAPPENINGS YOU'LL WANT TO BE WELL-VERSED IN. RE-ENTRÉE TO FALL FORD FRY'S STATE OF GRACE WHAT A WEBSTER SHE WEAVES W ant to know the name of the restaurant that everyone will be talking about in Houston this fall? That's easy: State of Grace, which opens end of September in Lamar-River Oaks Shopping Center. It's the creation of Ford Fry — he of Atlanta culinary fame, who was born in Houston and lived here until 1988, when he left for college. State of Grace is the first Texas outpost of the Fry empire (his Rocket Farm group runs eight restaurants in Atlanta — most famously The Optimist, King + Duke, St. Cecilia, among others) and promises to add punch to the Houston dining scene in a big way. We can't wait to book a table. James Brock chats with Fry about his State of Grace. Ford Fry EMILY SCHULTZ MOMA BULLETIN, VOL. XXIV, NO. 2, 1956–57 COLLECTION OF THE ARTIST © NOBUAKI KOJIMA Above: Oysters on the half-shell How does it feel to open a restaurant in your hometown? I'm not quite sure how it feels yet, but I know it will be interesting. We are always thinking about what style of restaurant would be fun. I've had this idea of a "Texas proud" restaurant, and the idea has evolved as I've grown as a chef. With State of Grace, it's important for me, with my first restaurant in Texas, to respect the city and the region. Why now? I enjoy what I'm doing and have done a lot in Atlanta over the past three years, so I think it's time to let our restaurants "settle" there, but I have to keep busy, so why not "home"? State of Grace is named for the moment when a deer majestically raises his head when it realizes a hunter is nearby. How does the name of the restaurant speak to the food? I want to cook food that I enjoy, as well as food that speaks to the community and Houston heritage. The image of this deer reminds me of growing up in Texas; going out hunting when it's early and the dew is still out. I love places that cook with high-quality ingredients without the pretentiousness. State of Grace is just a really nice neighborhood restaurant On what's coming out of the kitchen. The focus is respecting the season and the food that comes from nearby. You might see dishes like grilled octopus salad and lobster ravioli. Being close to the Gulf, the food will naturally lean in that direction, but it will not be limited to just seafood. Bobby Matos, formerly executive chef at Tony Vallone's Ciao Bello, will lead the State of Grace kitchen. How did you know he was the one? When other highly regarded Houston chefs all recommended someone, I had to listen. And he's just such a cool dude; he's laid-back like me. Angry Mussels Gulf red snapper ANDREW THOMAS LEE ANDREW THOMAS LEE ANDREW THOMAS LEE ANDREW THOMAS LEE T here are a handful of retail stores that reflect an owner's heart and soul — not the homogenized safe path of a phalanx of buyers, but a single owner's direction, desire and iron will. The Webster in Miami Beach is one such institution. And institution it is, with scores of gallerists, art collectors and arriviste Russians beating a fashionable path to The Webster's door during Miami Basel. Or perhaps the Russians just fly in because it's Tuesday … Regardless, owner, founder, buyer and fashion visionary Laure Heriard Dubreuil has garnered press from every national and international publication, and has amazed too many pop-star, movie-star and designer clients to name. Why all this lead-up? It's to tell you, you lucky reader living in Houston, that The Webster will open its first outpost outside of Miami in a special jewel box at the Galleria Houston in November, which Laure will fill with her personal interpretation of top designers for men and women, accessories, shoes and jewelry. thewebstermiami.com Holly Moore Saint Laurent Givenchy Valentino A DOUBLEHEADER IN DALLAS: POP+POLLOCK I'd travel almost anywhere to see either Jackson Pollock or Pop art. But when both show concurrently in a single museum? That's unbelievable. While Houston has Mark Rothko this fall (thanks to the MFAH), Dallas delves into the under-known splendors of two important subjects. First, "International Pop" arrives at the Dallas Art Museum with great fanfare (October 11 – January 17). Organized by the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, it charges towards Texas with a fresh take on the movement that to date has largely been all about the Americans. The show pairs favorite suspects — Warhol, Lichtenstein, Wesselmann, Thiebaud and Ruscha — with those from around the globe that played Pop out in surprising new ways, which often reflected sociopolitical critic devoid of the brash, bold U.S. take on the '60s. Five weeks later, the DMA again digs deep and offers us a blockbuster. This time, it's a window into one of the seminal American artists of the Post War era — the man who defined action painting and launched Abstract Expressionism: Jackson Pollock (November 20 – March 20). Probing a little- studied period of the painter's career (1951 – 1953), the exhibition culls more than 40 rare works, including some once thought to be missing, coaxed from public and private collections in the U.S., Europe and Asia. This tour de force of scholarship bears paintings, drawings and five of his six known sculptures, where Pollock pushed on through, farther than even his previous drip paintings, to forge some of the most radical art of the 20th century: sublime, sexy black enamel and oil pours on pure, unprimed canvas. Considered one of the most significant exhibitions ever mounted in the DMA's history and organized by the museum's senior curator of contemporary art Gavin Delahunty, "Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots" is co- produced by both the DMA and the Tate Liverpool, where it started its international tour this past summer. Dallas is the exhibition's sole American venue and the second and final tour stop. Info and tickets, dma.org. Catherine D. Anspon The Webster Miami Beach Chloé The Webster Miami Beach Hans Namuth's photograph of Jackson Pollock painting Autumn Rhythm; Number 30, 1950 Nobuaki Kojima's Untitled (Figure), 1976 Beef short rib agnolotti