As the doors swung open on preview night of Maître D, Houston’s newest private club, the colorful VIP throng poured in for a glimpse of splendidness as only Hunter Pond and his Vandelay Companies could envision. Think a chic boîte with seating for a mere 126, golden leather upholstery, photos from Hollywood’s golden days and a welcome sense of privacy.
This conjoined sister to Vandelay‘s rocking steakhouse Drake’s Hollywood at 1100 Westheimer promises to offer discerning diners a bit more discretion when venturing out into Houston’s combustible night life. And allow them to do it in luxe surroundings.
Pond described the look as incorporating the best of his favorite hotel lobbies across the country and the world.
On this night in celebration of Maître D, which officially opened last week, Vandelay tapped Valerie Rooney of Decor2Remember with creating a massive ice sculpture showcasing the club’s name/logo which was surrounded by bottles of Dom Perignon. That luscious bubbly flowing all night.
“We bought the building and knew there would have to be two spaces,” Vandelay Companies founder, chairman and CEO Hunter Pond explains in a phone call from his home base in Dallas. “Initially we thought we would do two concepts. But the more we saw the Houston market react to Drake’s — it’s utterly exploded and crushed our sales expectations over 30 percent — we realized that we needed more capacity than what we are currently giving the market. So we saw an extension of that.”
The invitation-only guest list for this VIP preview night was comprised of Vandelay Companies friends, business partners and Drake’s Hollywood’s most frequent guests offering all an extension of the brand in a more private setting.
Familiar faces pouring in, all dressed to impress, included popular hair stylist Ceron, GM of BMW West Houston Maria Moncada Alaoui, Christina Greene jewelry designer Christina McAllen, and Houston rap icon Bun B, who lit up the already ignited party that went on until 1 am. Complimentary drinks flowed and hors d’oeuvres were generously passed as DJ Athenz spun the dance tunes.
For inquiring minds, Maître D has its own drinks and food menu while diners can also order from Drake’s menu.
Membership is currently priced at $5,000 per couple and $3,000 per individual, the pricing based on the cost of membership to similar clubs across the country according to Pond.
Word on the private club has mushroomed as the Vandelay Companies team is under water with the number of applications. Membership is not automatic as just paying the price. All applications will be reviewed.
“I’m pretty much asking for grace and patience in the market,” Pond says. “We’ve had a flood of applications and we plan on addressing every single one of them. We think that within the first six months, we should be able to navigate our way through the initial onslaught.
“We own the building. So Drake’s is here to stay. Maître D is here to stay. We’re in for the long game.”
PC Seen: Vandelay Companies founding partner and Pond bestie Kyle Brooks, Kylee Orlando and John Domolky, Kathryn and Colby Swain, Omar Alaoui, Nina Magon, David McAllen, Bethany Buchanan, Fady Armanious, Whitney and Mark Lawson, David McAllen, Debbie Festari, Carson Brown, Lexi Sakowitz Marek, Mari Glass, Dallas and Ashton Garrison, Hoda Sana and Megan Pastor, Alexis Guillory, and Stephanie Wilcox.