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companies in opera, ballet, music and
theater operating out of world-class
venues. Youhit the
Alley Theatre (
4
)
, where
you catch a production of
Red,
an engross-
ing portrait of none other than painter
Mark Rothko.
For a post-show pick-me-up, you follow
your nose to
Catalina Coffee (
5
)
. A tiny café
in the Heights neighborhood, Catalina
serves the finest cup of espresso in the city.
You drink two, then vibrate your way over
to
Gatlin’s (
6
)
, a small house converted into
a thriving barbecue joint. Houston tends to
be less fanatical about barbecue thanother
Texas cities, but former Rice football player
Greg Gatlin is helping change that with
his heaping plates of juicy, tender ribs and
brisket. A er devouring a plate piled with
both, you reckon he might just succeed.
You take another taxi back downtown
for a drink at
La Carafe (
7
)
, Houston’s
oldest bar in Houston’s oldest building.
This modest wine bar on historic Market
Square opened 125 years ago and hasn’t
seen many updates since. You order the
house red and navigate the rickety stairs
to the secondfloor, where spirits are said to
roam. Failing to spy any, you end up mak-
ing some new Texan friends instead. But
as tempting as it may be to spend all night
with them in a haunted bar, you eventu-
allyhead to your newdigs inUptownPark:
Hotel Granduca (
8
)
, a five-star boutique
hotel that appears to have been plucked
straight out of Tuscany. It’s the only hotel
inall of Texaswitha “LeadingHotels of the
World” designation, and evennow, late into
the evening, you can seewhy: It’s stunning
inside and out.
DAYTHREE
| A erwakingup inwhat feels
like awealthy Italian grandmother’s guest
room—everything from the tile mosaics
to the cabinetry is styled a er items in the
familyhome of Italian-bornownerGiorgio
Borlenghi—youmakeyourwaydowntown
to
Phoenicia (
1
)
, a grocerywithan emphasis
on Middle Eastern food. A poppy seed roll
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
•
APRIL 2012
95
BOARDING PASS
Fly United to
take in all the fine art, green spaces and
world-class eateries Houston has to
offer. United has flights to Houston from
nearly 115 cities across the U.S., 53 in
Latin America and the Caribbean, five
in Canada, four in Europe and a daily
nonstop from Tokyo.
Go to united.com to
get details and book your flight.