Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/686211
I t was the opening of the year when Saks Fifth Avenue unveiled its smashing new store this spring, just a few hundred feet beyond their former Galleria space, but it felt a world away. The glamorous retailer upped the ante on its restaurant, too. The new sophisticated space, perched on the second floor is named for Saks' former Westheimer address, but 51Fifteen has grown in size from 5,700 square feet to more than 9,800 (and comes with its own private entrance, as well as access through the store just past those tony designer ateliers). The drop-dead-chic space was created by Harrell Architects with interiors by Houston designer Nina Magon of Contour Interior Design. Unlike this season's avant-garde runway styles, the classic palette of whites and grays won't soon date. An artful grove of blooming tulips are installed overhead at the entry. Underfoot, sheets of large-scale Dektron mimic the look of Calcutta gold marble, inlaid with decorative brass bars that lead you either to the bar, where Platner's golden Knoll chairs invite you to stay for a glass of Veuve Clicquot, or to the dining room, where bold, octagonal inlays of wood, brass and stone run up the wall to the soaring ceiling, producing a coffered- like effect. The restaurant is operated by Houston-based Landmark Hospitality; general manager Chad Wherry warmly greets his guests, while chef Stefon Rishel plies them with dishes that have a global influence but arise from sourced local ingredients. (Wherry and Rishel worked together for three years in Fort Worth prior to their move to 51Fifteen.) 51Fifteen is open seven days a week, with brunch on weekends and a new weekday menu for both lunch and dinner. Highlights include a groaning cheese board with one perfectly ripened fromage after another, coupled with house-made lavash and go-withs such as sweet and tangy kumquat marmalade ($18). Don't miss the shareable whipped ricotta, also made in house with roasted baby beets of every hue ($12) and a simple, fresh ceviche of shrimp, crab, snapper, avocado and pico de gallo ($16). Ladies-that-lunch salads abound, from a tossed cobb ($16) to a kale Caesar ($14) and tuna Niçoise ($28). Heftier sandwiches such as the 51 Burger ($16) are an option, but lamb lovers will flock to the beautifully cooked lamb T-bones plated on a shallow pool of English pea and fresh mint purée with roasted baby carrots ($24). This chef really knows how to coax the flavor from meat and vegetables alike, unafraid to put a good sear on either while keeping the meat's interior a perfect medium-rare. It's a welcome indulgence after a day of shopping or a quiet respite mid-week, 51Fifteen, Saks Fifth Avenue in the Galleria, 5175 Westheimer Road, 713.963.8067, 51fifteen.com. Laurann Claridge I love this first bit of summer. Social commitments drop off, and there is no hard push to prepare for fall. It's a window in which big-picture projects are dreamed about, planned and anticipated. We are now working on our last oversized issue of PaperCity (July/August). There are a hundred good reasons why we are converting to a bound format. Still, it's the end of a 22-year era. But we're dreaming up plans for the new magazine. The sheer elegance of the new bound issue is reason enough for excitement (mine), but we're also enthused about new advertising partners joining us this fall, as well as events we are involved with — Bruce Weber at the Dallas Contemporary and Michael Chow at Texas Contemporary Art Fair in Houston, both in September, to name two. Further out, we are dreaming up the first Texas Design Week in April 2017, which sounds comfortably far away but is, in fact, crazy close. The week will consist of a packed schedule of interesting talks and panel discussions, personal appearances, book signings, project launches and the occasional cocktail, crossing design, architecture, art and culture. It's always been our tenet that our readers want to learn something or be amused, in that order. With that objective, we're researching great thinkers and speakers to bring to Houston — or, at the very least, witty raconteurs — with the hope you'll leave these talks informed and inspired. As plans are formalized, we will post on texasdesignweek.com. Happy summer dreaming. Holly Moore Editor in Chief holly@papercitymag.com in this ISSUE J U N E 2 0 1 6 | S T Y L E | F A S H I O N | S O C I A L 4, 6, 10 POP. CULTURE. GOSSIP. HUNT SLONEM Holly Moore 20 13 Party: Becca Cason Thrash fêtes the Ritz Paris and Liaisons Au Louvre 48 Style: Music influencers Kam Franklin, Susie Criner and Annie Criner Eifler, Hannah Anderson 14 Party: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Latin American Gala Decoration: What's new in the design whirl 26 Parties: Orange Show Center for Visionary Art's Phantom Orange Gala; Children's Museum 35th anniversary gala Design: The East Side home of Mela & Roam's Courtney Barton 12 Parties: Saks Fifth Avenue's trio of grand-opening events 30 33 36 40 45 47 Travel: Classic American haunts Wedding: Fairfax Dorn + Marc Glimcher Travel: Four destinations to see now Art: Reshaping art history — curator Alvia Wardlaw Party: Margarita Madness at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft Parties: Art League Gala; Selven O'Keef Jarmon fund-raiser chez Poppi Massey EAT, SHOP, LOVE JULIE SOEFER JULIE SOEFER JULIE SOEFER I n a relatively low-profile move, Microsoft's famous founder has bought Houston's Four Seasons Hotel downtown. The Bill Gates- owned Cascade Investment Company purchased the property in 2013 and finally revealed its first changes this spring: a luxurious but intimately sized spa and state-of-the-art fitness center on the fourth floor, adjacent to the pool. The serene surrounds were designed by Rottet Studio and stylish principal Lauren Rottet, who has been heralded for her sophisticated design of the Surrey Hotel in New York. More than $4 million was spent to upgrade the spa with white marble-clad locker rooms and floating vanities, Waterworks fixtures, custom brass mirrors, and swaths of oak burl wood. Check in for a staycation or a happy hour (noon to 6 pm, Monday to Friday), where specials on treatments, facials and massages abound. I booked a weekend with my husband at the hotel and slipped out for a quick morning workout with the Matrix elliptical trainer and free weights before we both sank onto massage tables for a long, fragrant rubdown by a pair of skilled masseuses. The spa's treatments range from a jet-lag recovery ionizing body scrub and mud wrap (to restore your body's natural biorhythms) to a Clarins anti-aging hydra facial with LED red light therapy and a mani-pedi at the Deborah Lippmann nail salon. Stay tuned for more Four Seasons changes, especially as the Super Bowl draws closer. The Spa & Fitness Center at Four Seasons Hotel Houston, 1300 Lamar St., 713.650.1300, fourseasons.com. Laurann Claridge SPA REDUX at the Four Seasons JULIE SOFER M esh inherent style with international business savvy honed at one of the world's premier technology manufacturers, and the result is Wendi Koletar, creator of Austin-based women's boutique Kick Pleat. After 13 years of stretching her foothold, Koletar launches her first store outside Austin at the intersection of Kirby Drive and Westheimer Road, where neighbors include gourmet eatery Local Foods and hallowed cycling phenom SoulCycle. The new digs, designed by Austin architect Michael Hsu, showcase a design roster plucked from New York and Paris markets — 90 percent of the designers are Kick Pleat exclusives. Brace yourself for racks lined with rising and established designers Apiece Apart, Caron Callahan, Common Projects, Creatures of Comfort, Issey Miyake, Jil Sander, Lemaire, Nehara, Rachel Comey, Rodebjer and Samuji. Kick Pleat, 2565 Kirby Dr., 713.528.1112 Jailyn Marcel KICK Start Wendi Koletar Kick Pleat Spa & Fitness Center at Four Seasons JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON JENNY ANTILL CLIFTON Golden Knoll Bertoia chairs in the bar of 51Fifteen The new 51Fifteen restaurant at Saks Fifth Avenue Maximal glamour with a serpentine banquette 22 Travel: Conscious Cuba