Restaurant King Ben Berg’s New French Palace Draws All the Fashionable Ladies to Autry Park — Annabelle Brasserie Makes Quite a Debut

A Charming Tableau of Flowers and Greenery

BY Shelby Hodge // 10.27.23

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Fady Armanious, Jennifer Allison at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Shelby Hodge)

Host Ben Berg welcomes 65 ladies to the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

Rachel Regan, Jennifer Allison at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

Elia Gabbinelli, Fady Armanious, Jordan Seff at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

Allison Bagley, Jenny Weber at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

Lesha Elsenbrook, Ellie Francisco, Denise Monteleone at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

Amy Johnson, Donna Lewis, Katherine Ross at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

Chita Craft, Donae Chramosta, Alley Shell at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

Katherine Whaley, Iris Shaftel at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

Beth Wolff, Lela Rose Francie Trent, Penne Weidig at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

Ashley Sloan, Julie Longoria Chen at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Shelby Hodge)

Jayne Johnston at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

Bethany Buchanan, Allison Bagley at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Shelby Hodge)

Taylor McDaniel, Emily Jones at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

Courtney Zubowski Hass, Chita Craft , Lauren Cox at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Shelby Hodge)

Iris Shaftel, Jacob Power at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Shelby Hodge)

Ben Berg, Shelby Hodge at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

Ben Berg, Donna Lewis, Fady Armanious at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

Elia Gabbinelli at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Shelby Hodge)

Fady Armanious, Jennifer Allison at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Shelby Hodge)

Bien sûr. I’ll have a champagne. For who could resist fully stepping into the remarkable Parisian ambiance of Annabelle Brasserie, Ben Berg‘s latest addition to his stable of convincingly themed restaurants? The occasion was introduction of the floral-decked restaurant in Autry Park to a fashionable flock invited by Tootsies for brunch featuring designs by Lela Rose. With a beneficial edge for the Houston Zoo.

194_Ben Berg — Host Ben Berg welcomes 65 ladies to the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

The ultimate host Berg, buttoned down in a navy suit and hair coiffed in contrast to his typical all black mode and scruffy look, said it all as he welcomed the excited throng: “Well, bonjour, y’all.” (We love how the native New Yorker embraces his inner Texan.)

Air kisses, champagne and white wine for all. How the 65 ladies swooned and snapped social media photos as they strolled the charming brasserie, the decor most noted for the ebullient explosion of florals and greenery overhead. Contributing further to the ambience were the perfect bistro tiled floors, the banquettes, the bistro chairs, globe lights, mirrored columns and other endless design nods to Paris.

C’est magnifique!

Had the weather been more becoming of a late October morning, the full house would have spilled over onto the most inviting patio with views across Allen Parkway to Buffalo Bayou Park. Too hot, too humid. And then horizontal sheets of rain.

144_Amy Johnson, Donna Lewis, Katherine Ross — Amy Johnson, Donna Lewis, Katherine Ross at the Annabelle Brasserie first look luncheon in Autry Park (Photo by Jacob Power)

While the Tootsies team and Berg Hospitality Group welcomed the tastemakers, preparations were underway for the seated brunch, classic brasserie fare and Lela Rose fashion presentation. Key among guests taking their places at flower-decked tables were Houston Zoo Ball chairs Jordan Seff and Vanessa Ames, who led that recent gala to a $2 million success. A number of guests had signed up for the brunch at the Zoo Ball with proceeds going to that mega bottom line.

Fall Tabletop

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By all appearances, the Lela Rose fashions, on display in the sunlit Versailles Room at Annabelle Brasserie and on models who paraded between the tables, were a success with more than a few Tootsies shopping bags filled with purchases.

Host with the most, Berg gifted each of the ladies with a swag bag filled with Annabelle Brasserie merch, a petite box of macarons, a mini jar of Bonne Maman jelly, and a split of Nicolas Feuillatte champagne. All made plans to return, soon.

PC Seen: Houston Zoo’s Nick Espinosa, Mignon Gill, Kelley Lubanko, Bethany Buchanan, Chita Craft, Rachel Regan, Jennifer Allison, Emily Jones, Courtney Harmon, Katherine Whaley, Camille Connelly, Ellie Francisco, Iris Shaftel, Molly Stone, Kristen Cannon, Shelley Boyer, Allison Bagley, Stacey Lindseth, Lara Bell, and the Tootsies team including Fady Armanious, Donna Lewis and Penne Weidig.