Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/660799
M aserati lifted the veil on its first-ever SUV at the Geneva International Motor Show in March. And what a stunner it is. First teased in 2011, the Levante — spiritual successor to the Kubang concept — boasts a wardrobe of pure Italian style: gills on the flanks, blistered wheel arches and the Saetta logo on the C-pillar. Give or take the odd bit of Jeep-influenced four-by-four hardware (Maserati, like Alfa Romeo, is owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles), the style is distinctly different from the Grand Cherokee or, from the rear, the Porsche Cayenne. Most gorgeous is the chromed grille framed by eight vertical strakes surrounding a Trident logo. Connected to this unit are slim-line headlamps separated into two elements, with the upper headlight unit connected to the radiator grille. Other signature Maserati touches include the three iconic air vents on the front wings and large frameless door windows. The rear is dominated by a tapered back window and streamlined shape, both typical of a high-performance sports car — no surprise, when one considers that the Levante name was inspired by a warm Mediterranean wind that "can change from a light breeze to an irresistible natural force in an instant," according to press materials. Open the door to reveal a business-like interior with optional premium leather or Ermenegildo Zegna silk inserts made in Trivero by the Zegna wool mill. The spaciousness is enhanced by an available panoramic sunroof, and Maserati has updated its system interface as well; the 8.4" high- resolution screen can be operated via rotary control knob in addition to touch. Available driver assistance systems include adaptive cruise control with automatic Stop & Go function, forward collision warning, automatic brake assist and lane-departure warning. Further options include blind-spot alert, park assist and a surround-view camera. A Luxury Package and Sport Package — the latter no doubt enhancing that stellar Maserati exhaust note — are also available. The Levante, boasting the lowest center of gravity in its class, is fitted with a 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo gasoline engine with either 345 or 424hp. All engines are combined with the Q4 intelligent all-wheel drive system, adaptable air suspension and an eight-speed automatic gearbox, which promises 0-to-60 mph in just 5.1 (424hp) or 5.9 seconds (345hp). The Levante is expected to go on sale in the U.S. by the end of the year, priced from $72,000. It will be assembled at the Maserati Mirafiori assembly plant in Turin, Italy, making this a true Italian job, indeed. maserati.com. MASERATI Goes All SUV on Us JIM SHI TAKES A RIDE SUV with a difference No expense spared Revolutionary Road: Tough, scrappy Neo-Dadaist Mark Flood labored for decades in semi-obscurity, collected by Texas art-world insiders and considered an artist's artist. Flood famously does a disappearing act à la Greta Garbo when it's time to be photographed, or he sends in an imposter, like Warhol did. All this adds to the mystique. Nonetheless, he makes some very good paintings, freely appropriating from Warhol or word-based masters like Lawrence Weiner. and even teeters on the decorative with some of his greatest hits, aka the lace paintings. Now he's in the big-time limelight. This month, the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston's retrospective/survey/happening — "Mark Flood: Gratest Hits" — bows to Houston art history, as well as this prankster painter's brilliant sense of the absurd (April 30 – August 7). Don't miss the opening-night frenzy Friday, April 29 (6:30 to 9 pm), followed Saturday, April 30, with a 2 pm tête-à-tête with CAMH director Bill Arning, who curated this wild ride of an exhibition ... Notes from the Underground: Pay close attention to Flood's main Texas dealer, Pablo Cardoza. Cardoza Fine Art is the place where next-gen collectors come to play, and his newly minted downtown address (805A William) boasts a pristine space, edged with chaos. Saturday, April 2, I Love You Baby solos in a pop-up that also encompasses GalleryHomeland and G Spot. A week later, Friday, April 8, Flood studio assistant and very capable conceptual painter Guillaume Gelot headlines (through May 1) ... Walt Whitman Rises: For an Austin-based artist, the 19th-century American master's Leaves of Grass lent inspiration via the poem "The Body Electric." Abstractionist Meredith Pardue has adopted Whitman's classic for her next show at long-time dealer Laura Rathe Fine Art. Pardue's latest work celebrates body, nature and spirit in communion (April 9 – May 21). Double Dose: Click papercitymag.com for the scoop on two must- dos. CounterCurrent curated by Mitchell Center director Karen Farber, April 12-17 at venues citywide (countercurrentfestival.org) and UNICEF Art Auction benefitting Middle-Eastern refugee children (at Deborah Colton Gallery, Saturday, April 30, tickets from $150; Lisa LaGrone, 832.463.2421, llagrone@unicef.org). Catherine D. Anspon Art Notes The small empire that is F.E.E.D. TX has a new child, and they have named it Little Liberty. Its siblings are Liberty Kitchen in Austin and Houston's Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar and Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette, and the newest family member has already come into its own. For starters, it's open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with comprehensive and diverse menus for each meal. There's house-made Greek yogurt (available throughout the day) with additions such as honey, almonds and Mexican cinnamon or pineapple-ginger marmalade with sea salt ($4); market fish grilled over hickory charcoal (a recent evening featured redfish and tuna; $25-$28); and a compose- your-own Hawaiian poke selection — choose your fish, such as tuna or salmon, and add accouterments including mango, jalapeño, scallions, rice, and kale (from $12). All this, on top of the Liberty clan's fresh oysters, lobster and well-priced wine list, plus New York-style pizzas ($12 and $13). This is a cheerful place, reminiscent of a casual upscale diner one might find in a town on the sea. Bleached wood floors and white subway tiles show that it's a Liberty Kitchen offspring. It occupies a Rice Village space formerly home to Ruggles Café & Bakery and, if my dinner experience is any indicator, has already been discovered by families, 20-somethings on dates, older couples and singles who can sit at the comfortable bar and enjoy a Diablo Blanco — tequila infused with habanero, Fresno, jalapeño chiles, cucumber, Cointreau and lime, served in a glass rimmed with a cayenne/sugar/salt mixture ($11), or a glass of Soter "Planet Oregon" Pinot Noir ($13). Little Liberty is open seven days a week and is already expecting new siblings: F.E.E.D. will open Liberty Kitchen Garden Oaks later this spring and another concept in the summer in the Treehouse building, located at 936 Bunker Hill. Little Liberty, 2365A Rice Blvd., 713.807.7224, littleliberty houston.com. James Brock Expanding LIBERTY JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON Restaurant Buzz O n the dining scene: In late March, River Oaks District debuted the first of its restaurants: Toulouse Café & Bar, a French bistro concept from Dallas-based Lombardi Family Concepts. Taverna, another restaurant courtesy of the Lombardi crew, follows with a mid- April opening — an Italian farm-to-table concept serving pan- seared sea bass, fresh pasta, risotto and more. Late spring brings four more restaurants to ROD, beginning with Austin transport Hopdoddy Burger Bar, with locally sourced burgers (there's an ahi tuna option), fries, salads, shakes and cocktails. The Porch, a Dallas-based new American eatery from Raised Palate restaurant group will serve up classics such as pimento cheese dip, beer-battered onion rings and smoked brisket sliders, along with a craft cocktail bar and brunch service. Then the much-loved Le Colonial opens; the French- Vietnamese restaurant, inspired by 1920s French-colonial Southeast Asia, serves dishes such as Ca Chien Saigon, Vietnamese crisp-seared whole red snapper in a light spicy and sour sauce; Chao Tom, grilled shrimp wrapped around sugar cane with angel-hair noodles, lettuce, mint and dipping peanut sauce; and Banh Uot, grilled sesame beef over flat rice noodles, cucumber and fresh herbs. Rounding out the spring is Steak 48, owned by brothers Jeffrey and Michael Maestro, showcasing hand-cut, wet-aged prime steaks, a raw seafood bar and ahi poke and burrata with grilled stone fruit. Summer 2016 is reserved for the opening of Arizona-based SumoMaya Mexican-Asian Kitchen, with tapas-style small plates that incorporate flavors of Latin America and the Far East … Down the block, major changes are ahead for Relish Fine Foods. The artisan grocery and sandwich shop owned by Addie D'Agostino, moves from its current digs on San Felipe to the former Bird & the Bear location at 2810 Westheimer, opening late May as a full-service restaurant renamed Relish Restaurant and Bar … Tiny Boxwoods opens Milk & Cookies, stocked with its beloved chocolate chip cookies as well as homemade ice cream and coffee, next door to Tiny's No. 5 at 3636 Rice Boulevard, with interiors designed by Aaron Rambo of Found. It's expected to open June 2016 … Much-loved Mexican taqueria Berryhill Baja Grill is getting a major upgrade. Owner Jeff Anon relocates from Revere Street to 2300 Westheimer (formerly Harwood Grill), opening this summer. Jailyn Marcel Little Liberty River Oaks District shows no signs of slowing down. The luxury destination confirms four more retail openings this spring, starting with the April debut of Dallas-based sports apparel store St. Bernard Sports, followed by NARS cosmetics, which opens its first Houston freestanding store in May. Akris womenswear and Roberta Roller Rabbit are also slated for May openings … The Galleria continues on its road to mega expansion with the grand reopening of Saks Fifth Avenue in April. The new 200,000-square- foot two-story Saks will have a new restaurant, cocktail bar and a 20,000-square-foot cosmetics department. The current Saks store briefly closes Wednesday, April 20, to make way for the grand reopening Thursday, April 28. In other Galleria news, the newly remodeled Saint Laurent moves from its temporary location back to its original site near Neiman Marcus in May. And luxury brands Christian Louboutin and Céline open in late 2016. This marks the first Houston boutique for both Louboutin and Céline … Tommy Bahama has opened its second Houston store, this one in Highland Village Shopping Center, and packs in sportswear, swimwear, shoes and an expanded home-design collection … Celebrity favorite spin studio SoulCycle opens its first Houston location this April at 2549 Kirby Drive. Jailyn Marcel THIS JUST IN… COURTESY THE ARTISTS AND MITCHELL CENTER Hillerbrand+Magsamen's Home Balance, 2016, at MATCH, HCP and roving venues during CounterCurrent Tammam Azzam's Damascus from the "Bon Voyage Series," 2013, at UNICEF Art Auction