As a part-time food and drinks writer with a varying level of output, I don’t get invited to as many media events as I used to. One that I did receive for and decided to attend, was also what turned out to be my last meal at Triniti, which closed just after the Super Bowl. I was surprised, as most were, and disappointed. The often ambitious Triniti was in the top tier of Houston restaurants, and was even sought out by former First Lady Michelle Obama, who is known for her taste in dining, when she was in town a few years ago.
The meal with comedian and actor Cheech Marin was in November, a Sunday brunch to announce his association with a new brand of mescal. As it turned out, it wasn’t much of a food event in terms of focus, even if a liquor its centerpiece and reason for being. I seemed to be about the only food writer there, and about the only person connected at all to food or drink. The only other one I found was a young bartender from Uvalde and his girlfriend. He had won a contest creating a cocktail with mescal. Aside from a New York-based publicist who I sat next to and another PR person, just about everyone else appeared to be an artist or someone connected to the Houston art scene.
Cheech, previously unknown to me, is a longtime art collector focused on Hispanic art, and one who said that he has traveled to Houston for years mostly because of its dynamic art community. I was surprised, but found it quite interesting. The benefit of living in such a large and diverse city with a vibrant creative art scene that is regarded to be the best in the region. I didn’t have too much to talk about with most of the other attendees other than my mother is an artist who has been part of the cooperative Archway Gallery in Montrose for years, which the other artists were familiar.
This brunch was mostly an art-centric event with a celebrity in town. Even though he was there to promote a brand, most of the attention of Cheech who spoke mostly about art and the crowd was on art. And, each of the attendees was given a booklet featuring some of the art from Cheech’s collection. The food was a very slow to arrive and the staff was overtaxed, though the multi-course meal was quite tasty, as expected, and even somewhat artful in thought. There were a couple of cocktails made with the mescal, which were also enjoyable. Overall, it was a very odd and different food event, and brunch for that matter. It was cool.
I am sad that Triniti has closed. I am glad that my list visit was memorable.
The meal with comedian and actor Cheech Marin was in November, a Sunday brunch to announce his association with a new brand of mescal. As it turned out, it wasn’t much of a food event in terms of focus, even if a liquor its centerpiece and reason for being. I seemed to be about the only food writer there, and about the only person connected at all to food or drink. The only other one I found was a young bartender from Uvalde and his girlfriend. He had won a contest creating a cocktail with mescal. Aside from a New York-based publicist who I sat next to and another PR person, just about everyone else appeared to be an artist or someone connected to the Houston art scene.
Cheech, previously unknown to me, is a longtime art collector focused on Hispanic art, and one who said that he has traveled to Houston for years mostly because of its dynamic art community. I was surprised, but found it quite interesting. The benefit of living in such a large and diverse city with a vibrant creative art scene that is regarded to be the best in the region. I didn’t have too much to talk about with most of the other attendees other than my mother is an artist who has been part of the cooperative Archway Gallery in Montrose for years, which the other artists were familiar.
This brunch was mostly an art-centric event with a celebrity in town. Even though he was there to promote a brand, most of the attention of Cheech who spoke mostly about art and the crowd was on art. And, each of the attendees was given a booklet featuring some of the art from Cheech’s collection. The food was a very slow to arrive and the staff was overtaxed, though the multi-course meal was quite tasty, as expected, and even somewhat artful in thought. There were a couple of cocktails made with the mescal, which were also enjoyable. Overall, it was a very odd and different food event, and brunch for that matter. It was cool.
I am sad that Triniti has closed. I am glad that my list visit was memorable.
