I was fortunate enough to travel to the great state of Texas recently on business. The plane wasn’t that full, so I was bumped up to the front– which is pretty swanky considering the flight from LGA into IAH clocks in at three hours and thirty-eight minutes– ouch. (All those miles I logged last year are finally paying off with complimentary upgrades. Thank you Delta Airlines!) Anyway, I couldn’t wait to jump right into meetings, local eats, and acquainting myself with “Planet Who-ston,” as General Zod from Superman II would have said.
I was traveling with my very good friend and colleague Allen, my favorite bankruptcy lawyer, who is also from NYC. (You’d love Allen. His safe words are “Tex-Mex” and “Barbecue.” I can’t even!) We were doing a barrage of meet and greets that he set up, co-hosting a couple of dinners together, and attending a major happy hour that I personally orchestrated, as my company was the sole sponsor.
The pre-pack for this one was nothing short of a conundrum. The weather forecast was high 70s one day and low 40s the next night. (Seriously, yuh.) We were to be walking from meeting to meeting on foot. One event was possibly outside. And rain was likely two of the days. How was I going to cram my entire closet into one TSA approved rollerboard? Don’t ask how I managed to stuff layers, options, shoe choices, and a blanket of stress in, but yep, I did.
The trip was terrific. The people in Texas were so cool! Everyone gave us a warm welcome. I met a ton of great folks, and even made some new friends. And new business opportunities for the future seem promising as well. But I’d have to say that the highlight of the trip was the happy hour at Lawless Spirits and Kitchen, a second-floor hot spot in the historic Rice Hotel in downtown Houston.
Anyone who knows me knows that I just love to plan a great party and this shindig was no exception. I pre-ordered a few appetizers and they did not disappoint. We shared platters of spicy Buffalo Chicken Sliders with house-made sauce, blue cheese & ranch, Brisket Grilled Cheese Bites on brioche with smoked gouda & cheddar, Sweet & Spicy Chicken Taco Minis with Korean BBQ sauce & cucumber pico de gallo, Kobe Burger Sliders with caramelized onions, bacon, and smoked gouda pimento cheese on pretzel buns, and my fave, “Last Chips In The Bag” — house-made potato chips served warm. What a spread!
And the drinks took our party to a whole ‘nuther level. In addition to the soothing Lavender Martini and the tart Grapefruit Margarita, the specialty of the house at Lawless is their selection of alcoholic Snow Cones! I know– how cool!? They offered Cherry, Blue Coconut (oh, someone had my number!), Lemon-Lime, Blue Raspberry (Allen’s favorite), Grape, and Tiger’s Blood. We had to try at least one. How could we not?
So at one point I had a plate full of insanely good apps in one hand and a Snow Cone in the other, literally a double fisted feast in Texas. So much so that it was challenging to maneuver the plate and drink combo. (You know how these cocktail parties are… you’re eating, drinking, shaking hands, AND simultaneously trying to fish a business card out of your pocket all at the same time, right?) So I nicely asked my pal Allen to (just for a sec) grab my drink, allowing me to free up a hand. And so MY Texas Hold ‘Em was none other than Allen himself! Best wingman, best co-host, best travel companion, and for sure an ace that I could keep.
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