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713.553.4255 M A R Y H A L E M C L E A N . C O M Jack Frost, Warm hearths, Time with family, New Year's resolutions! W I N T E R OBSESSIONS. DECORATION. SALIENT FACTS. 16 A Garden of Eden blooms at Laura Rathe Fine Art this month — a paradise of pigment on canvases where one can almost hear the calls of the avians that populate the latest expressionist paintings by Hunt Slonem. With 300 solo exhibitions around the globe, Slonem is collected by more than 100 museums, including NYC's big three, the Met, Whitney, and the Guggenheim. A gentleman and a darling dandy, he's larger than the art world. He's a nature and animal lover (famously the caretaker of a flock of nearly 60 parrots at his 30,000-square- feet Brooklyn studio), as well as an ardent preservationist and collector of historic homes and unique spaces including, most recently, a former armory and the Woolworth Mansion, both in Scranton, Pennsylvania. As an antiquarian who favors the late 19th century, he has created exquisite personal interiors layered with time and objects, as well as fabric and wallpaper collections for Lee Jofa. Meet Slonem when he alights for his opening and book signing Saturday, January 13, 6 to 9 pm, at Laura Rathe Gallery, Avian Action on Colquitt: HUNT SLONEM BOOK SIGNING T h e c o m p l e t e transformation o f Be n jy 's o n Washington into The Classic – All Day, an American tavern, will be complete early summer 2018. Founder Benjy Levit has developed a fresh take on the classic neighborhood diner, serving all day, with a bar focused on bygone and contemporary three-ingredient drinks. Chefs Mike Potowski and Maria Gonzalez head up the culinary team. Michael Hsu and Micah Land of Michael Hsu Office of Architecture (Uchi, Shake Shack, Local Foods, Bullfight, Sway), along with designer Aaron Rambo of Found, will transform the 7,800-square- foot interior. The last dinner as Benjy's on Washington was served New Year's Eve, and employees are temporarily shifting to the new Local Foods at Heights Mercantile, which opens this month … We are betting Dallas's love affair with the very East Coast East Hampton Sandwich Co. will be replicated in Houston when the Forbes-annointed "30 Under 30" Hunter Pond opens two shops in February, one in River Oaks District and the other in Montrose across from Uchi. The beach-shack vibe continues to the menu, which sports chowders, crab cakes, the famed lobster roll, and a nod to Pond's southern upbringing with Southern fried chicken + Jack å la cordon bleu … This spring, Allison and Ivan Chavez bring Sweet Paris Crêperie & Café to The Woodlands, La Centerra in Katy, and Century Square in College Restaurant BUZZ Station. In the meantime, get your crêpe fix at the original Rice Village location and at CityCentre. Besides sweet and savory crêpes, look for an expanded menu of waffles, salads, paninis, milkshakes, and seasonal soups … Bosscat Kitchen & Libations anticipates a January opening for BCK: Kitchen & Cocktail Adventures in the Heights at 933 Studewood, in the former Glass Wall Restaurant space. BCK's global fare ranges from Italian to Vietnamese and American items … Laurann Claridge reports that Francesco (Frank) Fragale and Vincenzo (Vinny) Quarto, who own Romano's Italian Restaurant on West Gray, will open their second concept, Eatalia, in the former of La Vista space at 1936 Fountainview, in March. The cousins and their progeny will offer prime cuts of meat and authentic Italian dishes from their ancestral home of Calabria, Italy… Who hasn't been to Le Peep the morning after, devouring waffles and bear claws. After 28 years, Le Peep moves from its Galleria-area location on Westheimer, just down the street to 4702 Westheimer in the Westheimer Oaks development. And finally, hair of the dog is served — Bloody Marys, Bellinis, craft beers, and wines are available alongside breakfast and lunch staples. Bill Gotsdiner of Gotsdiner Architects designed the new space, which opened early December. Meghan West where you can acquire one of his signature avian paintings set within vintage gilded frames (from $5,000) as well as his latest book, which documents painted portraits of his feathered friends (Birds, Gliterrati Editions, 2017, $98). Exhibition through February 19. laurarathe.com. Catherine D. Anspon COURTESY THE ARTIST AND LAURA RATHE FINE ART Hunt Slonem's Cockatoos, 2017, at Laura Rathe Fine Art