Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/720642
LE DÎNER AMONG THE BOOKS TO WELCOME PROSPER ASSOULINE Anne Lee Phillips recaps an erudite evening. Photography Jay Tovar. 90 F or two decades, Assouline has been the publisher du jour for creative types and jet-setters alike, breaking boundaries by viewing the book as an art form unto itself and crafting the world's most coveted coffee- table tomes. Prosper Assouline, visionary and creative director of the storied French publishing company he created with his wife Martine, touched down for a private dinner held in his honor by PaperCity editor in chief Holly Moore. The cause for celebration was the Assouline bookstore-within-a- restaurant installed up the grand staircase at La Table restaurant on Post Oak Boulevard. The restaurant's reinvention was led by Invest Hospitality, whose CEO, Alex Gaudelet, was in from New York with wife Amanda for the occasion, along with designers Dolores Suarez and Caroline Grant of Dekar Design, the team behind the stunning interiors. On level two of the dining room overlooking glittering Post Oak, chef Manuel Pucha prepared a dazzling dinner, paired with impeccable service, beginning with tomato cherry gazpacho, followed by Maine lobster, sea bass with osetra caviar, Hudson Valley duck breast, and capped with chocolate and strawberry soufflé. A triumph from the kitchen. Guests ended the evening with La Table's signature blue bags filled with brioche, delectable pastries and macarons for a postprandial snack. BOOKED Rania Daniel, Christina Stith, Laura Hendlmyer, Francine and Westy Ballard, Diane Lokey Farb, Ruth and Neil Davis, Wayne Smith and Denny Lyons, Greg Keever, Jonathan Benno, Simon Ayet, Savannah Stait, Shelly Bressler, Shelby Hodge, Barbara Davis, Melissa Stevens, Shannon Hall, Carol Barden, Alton LaDay and Jonathon Glus, Karen and Walt Krey, Neal Hamil, and Elizabeth Petersen. Christina Stith Prosper Assouline Postprandial deliciousness Shannon Hall Francine Ballard Dolores Suarez Alex Gaudelet Neal Hamil Ruth Davis Neil Davis Karen Krey Walt Krey Wayne Smith Denny Lyons Assouline at La Table Savannah Stait Barbara Davis Caroline Grant Diane Lokey Farb Elizabeth Petersen Laura Hendlmyer