For the first time, the cancer-fighting Alcides E. Rosaura Diniz Foundation hosted a gala at the Astorian. Ana Paola Diniz, who lost her father Alcides to Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2006, praised MD Anderson, the night’s beneficiary, for its dedication. … Meanwhile, Catholic Charities’ “happy”-themed 75th annual Spirit of Charity event did indeed bring smiles to many faces. The evening, held at the Marriott Marquis, raised $1 million. … This year’s Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award dinner honored President George W. Bush for his lifelong commitment to service and country. The total till doubled the previous record, coming in at $4.2 million. … In addition to celebrating the induction of five new members of the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame, the Lone Star Flight Museum’s Flights of Fancy event garnered $700K for the museum. … And the 30th annual Goodwill Gala was the organization’s most successful ever, with more than 400 black-tie-clad guests — including Simone Biles and her family, guests of board member Leisa Holland Nelson — partying for a cause at the River Oaks Country Club.
ONE OF HOUSTON'S most prominent and at times controversial businessmen will turn 100 next week. Oscar Wyatt, oilman and World War II hero, will meet the century mark July 11.
Wyatt, husband of world-famous socialite and philanthropist Lynn Wyatt, is a former Aggie football lineman and used car salesman who took out an $800 loan against his Ford truck to start a company that would later be worth billions.
The couple, which celebrated his 99th birthday and her 88th at a posh Petroleum Club dinner last summer, have represented the pinnacle of Texas society at home and abroad since they were married some 61 years ago. The cheeky idea was to get ahead of this year’s 100th, just in case. Perhaps unsurprising to those closest to Oscar, it looks like aviation enthusiast and longtime pilot will indeed meet the milestone.
CityBook visited with the Wyatts at home in River Oaks in 2021, and presented this in-depth profile of Oscar as he was to be honored at the Lone Star Flight Museum’s “Broad Stripes and Bright Stars” gala that fall.
Happy Birthday, Oscar!
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Buzzy and Busy Berg Hospitality Restaurant Group Serves Up Opulent New Steakhouse and More!
RESTAURATEUR BEN BERG, founder of Berg Hospitality, must never sleep. Just when you think he’s introduced his final restaurant concept, here come two more newbies in one week, with another baby on the way.
Newcomers Turner’s Cut in the Autry Park mixed-use development aims to be Houston’s most luxurious steakhouse, and The Sylvie is an all-day café in downtown’s Texas Tower high-rise. Next up will be Dunn Road, the group’s first seafood-centric concept, also in the Texas Tower.
“Turner’s Cut is more evocative of a dinner party in a luxurious estate than a modern-day restaurant — but yet with all of the bespoke touches, and elevated food and cocktails that our clientele could want,” says Berg. “It’s an establishment unlike any other Houston has seen.”
With inspiration from the Gilded Age, Berg teamed up with hospitality design firm Sensitori to create a chic look of natural hues mixed with gleaming white marble and gold glittering chandeliers. The lofty dining room features white leather banquettes and guests can take in live music nightly, which plays from the mezzanine level.
The exterior of Turner's Cut at Autry Park
Turner's Cut
Kampachi Crudo at Turner's Cut (photo by Brian Kennedy)
The Sylvie selections
Its wine cellar allows two guests to dine while surrounded by more than 2,000 bottles of vino. Opulence continues even to the restrooms, where the ladies’ room boasts a vanity table and Champagne, and the men’s room dons a huge television and whiskey.
As imagined, the menu spotlights rare cuts of beef including Kobe and Japanese A5 steaks, American wagyu, and prime dry-aged rib-eye. Turner’s Carving Cart offers bone-in prime rib, while the Raw Cart brings fanciful presentations of seafood including oysters, lobster, king crab and caviar. Service is showy with tableside preparations of many dishes like Caesar salad and risotto. Can’t decide? Perhaps opt for the six- or nine-course tasting menu.
The Sylvie, which Berg calls “the most beautiful all-day café in the city,” opens early morning with plated breakfast dishes and grab and go, plus a full-service coffee bar. Lunch on salads, sandwiches, and gourmet pizzas baked in a glass mosaic oven. Honey-roasted chicken, lamb meatballs, and sides like roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts headline the dinner menu.
The name Sylvie originated from the Latin word for forest, which represents the effect of the lighting, architecture and tree-like sculpture within the space. Berg now operates 14 different Texas restaurants. We wonder: Is there no stopping him?
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