Hats off to Pat Green
Country-music star donates cowboy hat, helps cancer fundraiser break record
As event organizers observed during the champagne reception, the crowd at this year’s Best Cellars Dinner seemed rowdier than usual.
Perhaps it was the location. For the second year in a row, the oenophile and foodie-centric bash has taken up residence at Hotel ZaZa Museum District — arguably one of the sexiest venues in town. Excited voices and the clinking of flutes were audible from the sultry hotspot’s lobby, a considerable distance from the Phantom Foyer and Ballroom, aka where all the action was.
Perhaps the evening’s headlining entertainer, Pat Green, had something to do with the amplified energy level. Not only did the three-time Grammy nominee surprise partygoers by sitting for dinner, he also jumped onstage pre-performance to auction a cowboy hat right off his head. But more on that later.
Or maybe Thursday night’s 210 supporters of the TJ Martell Foundation were just that jazzed about finding a cure for cancer. After all, they raised a record $258,000 toward innovative research initiatives at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
And though the event has dropped “celebrity” from it’s name, a number of bold-faced attendees helped amass such a glittering crowd. Emcee Shawn Parr, the Nashville, Tenn.-based host known for his work with the nationally syndicated radio show “’Nash Nights Live,” Academy of Country Music Awards, American Music Awards and the Golden Globes, was flown in especially for the occasion. Chairman Franelle Rogers and wine hosts chairman Robert T. Sakowitz charged 19 wine collectors with supplying bottles from their personal stash for their guests’ consumption; a few, such as table six’s Elizabeth and Alan Stein, even marked each place setting with a thoughtful bar tool. (It’s not a competition, but #winning.)
And though chef chairman Mark Cox missed the festivities because of a travel conflict, as did ZaZa’s own pastry chef Kristy Quach, who is nine months along in her pregnancy, Philippe Verpiand of Étoile Cuisine et Bar, Luis Roger of BCN Taste & Tradition and newcomer Drake Edwards of Eunice prepared a much-talked-about three-course feast.
First came Verpiand’s seared yellowfin tuna, eggplant-tomato confit Napoleon, zucchini mousseline and balsamic carmelized onions; next, Roger’s ovenroasted quail stuffed with onions, porcini and foie gras over a celery root purée, sautéed artichokes and glazed salsify; then Leonards’ grilled beef tenderloin, farro, lobster, black truffle and butternut squash; and last, Quach’s trio of vanilla Savarin tart, chocolate tart and waffledipped chocolate bite and shells with raspberry mousse.
For an added treat, Green grabbed a microphone during the live auction and added his personal cowboy hat to a preexisting package. One lucky winner scored the priceless accessory in addition to Green’s guitar and four concert tickets plus meet-and-greet passes at an upcoming show.
Later, the entire audience was treated to a set by Green and Chris Skrobot. And afterward, the revelry continued next door in the Ultimate Ransom Room where after-party musicians Rob Hatch and Justin Wilson kept the festivities going — and yes, the wine flowed superfluously, too.