Fraternity gets a taste of clothing...

Yesterday I had the absolute pleasure of being the luncheon speaker at the Sigma Chi Alumni Networking Event.  I've been part of this group for the past year and I have to tell you that it's one of the most beneficial groups I belong to and are my favorite events to attend.  Although all these guys are my Fraternity Brothers, I've made some new good friends that have provided unwavering support for me over the past few tough months, something I will always appreciate and admire.

The group's founder - Brother Rob Johnson with Yours Truly

The Brothers were very accepting of my ramblings regarding personal representation and how clothing can make or break the way you're viewed, especially the initial meeting.  Remember, it doesn't matter how much money you have, how hot your wife is, what college you attended or where you live, if you look like a slacker, chances are the image your projecting just says, "I don't care".  And who wants to work or hang out with someone who just doesn't care?  With smart fashion choices, instant credibility can be yours!

I brought along some of Dad's college stuff to show the guys

Thanks again to my Sigma Chi Brothers for allowing me to present my opinions and for their continued support of me personally as well as my business.

White Elephants in Houston...and an International Christmas Lesson!

For the past 22 years, an annual White Elephant party has occurred featuring many of my closest and dearest friends.  The whole thing started in 1990 with an impromptu small gathering at my sweet friend Christian's apartment where she welcomed us all in for supper and quick gift exchange.  Of course one of the gifts was a nice bottle of Scotch which allowed the evening to progress well into the wee hours of the night.

This year's fete was hosted by Ruth and Scott Calabrese, whom many of you know quite well by now if you read this blog regularly.  I think they are done throwing parties for awhile!  Anyway, another fantastic evening was had by all that included an Italian style offering of pasta and giant meatballs.  Once again the cooks outdid themselves.  And of course the usual adult gifts appeared early and created much laughter and good humored heckling during the White Elephant exchange.  I came home with a small space heater while my bride managed to score a meat thermometer and cooking tongs, always needed around our house! 

The party in full Christmas Swing!

Our wonderful host and hostess for the evening

Getting ready for the big gift exchange...

Is that J.G. "Rastaman" Biggs, CPA?

Now those are some handsome dudes!

Now I truly believe I might have won for the best gift given this year...a portrait of a young, stylish, buff young man of 14 years named Yours Truly.  It was promptly hung in a prominent space after which I was asked to render a note and signature.  And then they wanted a picture of me next to my picture!  Who was I to say no?

So a huge thanks to our wonderful hosts and to all the guests for making the 22nd White Elephant Party yet another fun, memorable evening.

On another note, I thought you dear readers might enjoy a photo of my beautiful bride executing an International Christmas Party lesson at my son's school.  They were doing a Christmas around the world theme and Jen drew India.  Luckily one of our old friends is married to a nice fella from India who loaned Jen some items to help.  Boy, 1st Grade Christmas parties have sure changed since the 1970's!

Heavy D picks out his Christmas Gift...

So last evening while waiting for my beautiful bride to arrive and meet us at the Houston Galleria, Daniel and I strode through doing a little window shopping.  Daniel was hesitant to stop at this particular shop as the Lego Store was quickly approaching, but he decided to sample the merchandise and make a quick determination that this particular item would do just right.

2011 Tesla Roadster

And last weekend Jen and I took a much needed relaxation stint at Houston's Hotel Sorrella, a very nice new hotel in the CityCentre area, formerly known as Town & Country.  Jen's company Christmas party was Saturday evening at the hotel so we decided to make a nice long vacation from the opportunity.  Needless to say much sleeping and lounging took place and the party was a huge success thanks to Jen's superb party planning.  We were far too busy having fun and not documenting every moment, so one good picture came from the festivities...a great shot of us at dinner!

I hope everyone is having a fun and safe Holiday Season thus far!  The big day is but just a short week away!

Dinner Club...Calabrese Style!

Alright!!!  I'll start posting again!!!  Sorry to have been out of touch lately.  We're still shutting down my Dad's estate and the big Estate Sale is this week.  I always knew that house was full of "Stuff", but I had no idea how much was really there!  If you're interested, we'll be having a preview party this Wednesday and the public sale this Friday/Saturday.  So come on by and see if some Sudduth Junk would look good in your house.  On top of all that I've been sick as a dog with a cold.  Ugh!

So on to the post.  A few weeks ago we attended yet another of our infamous Dinner Club Soiree's, this time at the beautiful bungalow home of Ruth/Scott Calabrese.  It seems that I post a lot about events at their house doesn't it?  Anyway, they brought their "A" game as usual and put on another fabulous fete.

The Menu

Scott and Ruthie always put something interesting on the table and this night was no exception.  I won't run down the entire menu as you can read for yourself above.   I will tell you though that the dessert was heavenly!  I'm still not exactly sure what the Bubble & Squeak dish was but it sure did eat good!

The Lovely Table

Chef Extreme Scotty at the helm!

A toast to get us started...

There's a couple of good lookin' guys!

Our jovial host & hostess for the evening

What is this you ask?

The picture above needs a little more than a caption for explanation.  Jennie and Gardner actually biked their way to the evening.  Very industrious to say the least and clearly a first for any of the members!  We were all a little concerned about their ability to make it home without crashing or receiving a BWI from one of our friendly neighborhood constables.  Good news...they made it home without issue!

So another Dinner Club is in the books.  The chant of "I LOVE DINNER CLUB" is still ringing through the streets.  As always, a huge thanks to our hosts for yet another memorable evening amongst our dear friends.

New Sudduth's have arrived!

I'm very happy to report that yesterday morning two additional Sudduth's entered the world.  My brother isn't a big fan of the blogosphere, so he requests that no names be mentioned.  But that doesn't mean a proud Uncle can't post a picture!  If you would like more info, just email me.  So here goes...

Both kids are doing very well and Mom is too!

A memory of Mom on her birthday...

Tomorrow would have been my mother's 68th birthday.  She's been gone for more than a year and 1/2 but it seems like yesterday.  A special thank you to Microsoft Outlook for the friendly reminder.  These days are clouded with so much other junk that it's hard to keep straight some of the important days.

Mom was a beautiful person inside and out.  She loved to dance, travel, spend time with friends and especially loved to be with her children and grandchildren.  One thing she loathed...was doing nothing, which she rarely did.  Her life was full and was greeted everyday with a smile and an energy to do something worth doing.

I know she and Dad are having a wonderful time these days together again, dancing in the clouds of Heaven.  I often think of both of them looking down on us and proudly watching our every move with great interest.  

So Happy Birthday Mom!  We miss you very much! 

Fall Weather and a new Football...

So what do a couple of cool guys do on a beautiful Fall afternoon with an early school dismissal?  That's right...we go buy a new football and have some fun in the sun.

I was given an Academy Gift Card by the extremely nice parents of my son's baseball team and decided to spring for Daniel's first real football.  It's the Pee Wee Version of "The Duke" and it's the perfect size for a 6 year old to get his hand around.  Of course I had to spring for the kicking tee as well which Daniel thinks is much more fun than throwing.  He's even left-footed just like Pop, his Grandfather.

From the looks of it, we don't have college football scholarship plans in the future, but just like a good dog, every boy needs a good football.  And for those of you that don't have the pleasure of living in the great state of Texas, this is what a drought ridden yard looks like!

I'm back!

It's been a few weeks since I posted something and last night a dear friend of mine asked if I would ever get going again.  Oh the pressure!  Well, here goes!  This one is for you Lars!

Last night I attended, for the 3rd straight year, the Heroes for Children "Hold 'em for Heroes" Poker Tournament.  This year the event was held at the Houston Country Club and hosted almost 250 players.  This is a first class event with a nominal entry fee that includes the professional poker tournament with real dealers, great food and a full open bar.  I was very pleased to have rounded up 8 friends and clients to join me at the table all to raise money for this wonderful organization that provides funding to families with children suffering from cancer.  They provide everything from laptop computers to cash for the mortgage payment.  They do whatever the family needs to make sure that all efforts are completely focused on the suffering child.

My good friends Ted and Rebecca Leitch chaired the event and one of my fraternity brothers from college gave the opening speech with a recount of his current experience going through cancer with his beautiful daughter who is now a senior in High School and President of her Senior Class.  It was nice catching up with him, although I certainly wish it for different reasons.

Please take a look at Heroes for Children and the next time you feel like making a donation, send them a check or get involved with one of their events.  Their website is http://www.heroesforchildren.org/.

If you're wondering, Yours Truly did not fare so well at the poker tournament, this year not even making it to the second table.  But fun was had by all and for any of you, especially those with young children out there, this philanthropy is well worth all the support we can muster.  They have a tournament in Dallas and Houston each year.  And a huge thanks to all my friends who stepped up to support, play and enjoy the evening.  Hanging with you guys certainly made the evening that much more fun!

Britton Sudduth Clothier...in the HBJ

Well...not exactly a feature story.  But one of my customers called to let me know that he was featured in the Houston Business Journal and everything he has on is from Britton Sudduth Clothier.  He said he tried to figure out a way to talk about his clothing in the article, but they just didn't ask the right question.

Anyway, here's a quick look at the picture. 

If you'd like to read the entire article, please click here.  And a huge thanks to Doug for the support!

Dan Sudduth: 1941 - 2011

Dan Sudduth

Dannie DeWitt Sudduth, devoted husband of Dianne Hybarger Sudduth and father of Britt, Drew, and Cade Sudduth, passed away on the 23rd of September 2011.

Dan is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Dianne; and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hollie Daniel Sudduth. He is survived by his three sons, Britton Daniel Sudduth, Andrew Gary Sudduth, and Cade Carmichael Sudduth; his daughters-in-law, Jennifer Adair Sudduth and Julia Young Sudduth; and his grandchildren, MyKala Ernee Cude, Daniel Adair Sudduth, Mary Caroline Sudduth, and John Andrew Sudduth.

Born on the 21st of September 1941 in Port Arthur, Texas, Dan graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1959; served in the United States Army; and graduated from Lamar State College of Technology in 1964 - where he was a charter member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. Dan married Dianne Hybarger Sudduth on the 5th of June 1964 in Beaumont, Texas, where they lived until moving to Houston in 1969. Dan's career spanned banking, real estate, and finance - always guided by an entrepreneurial spirit that characterized his life and informed his personal and professional relationships. Dan Sudduth will be remembered as a dear friend and devoted father who was always kind, always positive, and always there. His spirit was a reflection of God's love for us all. Dan is gone but his spirit will live on as it is reflected by the hearts of the living.

Friends are cordially invited to gather and share remembrances of Dan from half-past five o'clock until half-past eight o'clock in the evening on Monday, the 26th of September, at Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

The memorial service is to be conducted at noon on Tuesday, the 27th of September, in the Sanctuary of St. Luke's United Methodist Church, 3471 Westheimer Road in Houston, where Dr. Tom Pace, Senior Pastor, is to officiate.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that donations in Dan's memory be directed to Justice for Children, 2600 Southwest Freeway, Ste. 806, Houston, TX, 77098.

I'm almost back...

Dear Readers - Sorry I have not had an apportunity to provide more gabble for you to take in lately.  My Father passed away last Friday and I'm just now coming up for air.  I'll be back soon!

Britt

Restaurant Review: DownHouse in The Heights

Something very strange happened to me at lunch last week...someone decided to illustrate the lost art of great customer service!  As happens on occasion, I found myself without a lunch partner so I set out with my trusty newspaper to find something new in the area.  I remembered several folks mentioning the new DownHouse spot on Yale St./18th in the Heights, so I headed that way.

The building has housed several business over that past few years including a Compass Bank and Grateful Images.  The current owners have gutted the whole building to create a cozy, roomy cool lounge-like restaurant complete with leather couches and bench seating against the wall.  I was immediately at ease upon entering and greeted warmly.

I found a nice empty table with good lighting so I could catch up on the current SEC/A&M situation and how Baylor seems to be ruining the Aggies leap to projected stardom and often defeat in their new conference.  All was well until I looked at the menu...nothing but farm fresh, granola type healthy food with little choice for a meat and potatoes man like myself.  And I'm sure it's good stuff and clearly something my lovely wife would devour in a heartbeat with much gratitude to the owners.

Then came the "Customer Service" expert in the form of my waiter, whom I believe may have also been the owner.  I had just ordered my Diet Coke and was about to head out to find another eatery when Mr. Customer Service came to my rescue.  He pleasantly asked what I'd like and when I informed him there was really nothing that looked orderable, he simply said, "What would you like?  I'll make you anything you want."  How damn refreshing is that!!! 

The only thing that looked remotely good to me was the Longhorn Burger, but not being in the burger mood I inquired about the free-range lemon-chicken sandwich with olive tapenade, feta cream, sauteed spinach on a challah roll.  Now I know what chicken is but all the other stuff held me at a loss.   He said again, "How do you want it?"  I said with just cheese, and he gave me 8 different choices.  I chose a nice white cheese with an Italian name and off he went.  My sandwich arrived and it was perfect!  Delicious and hot!  The bread was a sweet roll which complimented the melted cheese nicely.  When the bill came it was housed inside an old book, a nice touch of class and unique.

So although I was clearly challenged by the menu, I walked away stuffed and very pleased with my entire dining experience.  In these days of hurry up meals and waiters that have no idea how the food is prepared or how to suggest something their guest would enjoy, these guys have it got it licked!  So next time you want to try something new, scamper over to the DownHouse and feel free to just tell them what you want.  I'm sure they'll be happy to help!

Labor Day 2011...On last summer Galveston Trip

With the onset of Fall and a few more hot days left, the Sudduth's decided to make one more break for Galveston to enjoy the Labor Day Holiday.  I was somehow able to procure a hotel room at the Hilton Seawall for $179.00...thank you Priceline!!!  Everything else in town was $200 plus and required a 2-nights stay.  I'd never stayed at the Hilton before and was pleasantly surprised to find a very nice hotel, complete with swim up pool bar, clearly a bonus for those of us who enjoy taking a cocktail in our swim trunks.

The Sudduth Family

Now as most of you know, the whole South Texas area is in a serious drought, but as soon as I made the reservation for Galveston the skies turned gloomy, the temperatures dropped and the rain started.  My dear Mother would say that Sudduth Law has struck once again.  She always said that Murphy's Law was mis-named and that Sudduth Law would have been more appropriate.  Well we didn't let the bad weather stop us and still spent some Sunday quality time on the beach and in the pool.  Daniel swam like a fish whilst freezing his backside off as the rest of us sat and watched.

You can't tell, but my feet are buried about a foot!

Surfer Dude looking for a cool wave...there wasn't much to ride!

My Dad came down Sunday afternoon and we all enjoyed a nice afternoon cruising The Strand.  We then put on our finest evening summer clothes on for one last time and ventured back to the The Strand for dinner at Luigi's, not only the best Italian food on the island but clearly the nicest restaurant in town.

Heavy D gettin' his sugar high!

MyKala taking down some cream

I do love me some Banana taffy!

Daniel taking one of his several sample bites

Luigi's

Pop giving some unsolicited advice to his Granddaughter

Proud Pop & his grand kids!

Monday the skies cleared and the sun came back out so we got several hours of beach time enjoyment and then took a luncheon poolside before heading back to Houston.  Another fun and memorable journey for the Sudduth family.

Restaurant Review: Lucio's BYOB & Grill...

So last Friday night we ventured out for another date night with our dear friends Scott & Ruth.  We decided to choose somewhere new and came up with Lucio's BYOB & Grill located on Taft near W. Dallas in the Montrose area of Houston.  Needless to say we were very excited about trying something different and especially favored the BYOB aspect of the evening. 

Our Guest Food Critics for the Evening in front of their lovely Heights Bungalow

First we had a drink on the veranda at Tony Mandola's new place on Waugh Drive.  There was a nice breeze coming in from some early Tropical Storm outer strands and the drinks were made perfectly.  Then on to Lucio's for supper.  We were seated near the rear of the restaurant in a nice 4-top.  Nice warm bread was delivered and the waiter came by for introductions and to remedy our cork issue for a very reasonable $5/bottle fee.

Tony Mandola's Veranda...yes, I wore those pants one more time before Labor Day!

Then came appetizers of crab cakes, tuna tartar and spinach dip served with fried pita chips.  We though it was all good but certainly not over the top.  The web reviews raved over the crab cakes which did not hold up true in my opinion.  The best part were the thick, golden brown, hot fried pita chips!

The Critic Crew

This is where the service part of the review slowed way down.  As suggested in the web reviews, the service, although very congenial and talkative, is very slow at times.  They obviously don't mean to turn your table, giving you ample time to visit and enjoy your wine.  If you're trying to get a bite and then get home to catch the end of the football game, you're in the wrong place.  The menu is somewhat all over the place with very odd, lengthy names for each dish.  Jen had something bacon wrapped, Scott had some ravioli type pasta that looked more like dumplings, Ruthie took on the U10 Scallops and I had "The Duck" with a side of vermicelli.  All was good, but the food was nothing to write home about and certainly does not rank as something I would order again.  The shining star though was Ruthie proclaiming the Scallops as "Delish!"

Extreme Scotty made a funny!

Our delightfully nice and complimentary Creme Brulee

Although dessert was not ordered, our very nice, but slow, attendant brought us a complimentary Creme Brulee, which was excellent and a really nice gesture.  After downing our last sips of BYOB wine, we took our leave.  As for the finality of this review, I have to say that the best part of the evening was our dear friends, who make anywhere we go and anything we eat fun and memorable.  The restaurant was alright, located centrally with a very nice and cozy atmosphere.  But with all the truly fantastic restaurants in Houston, Lucio's in not high on our list.  If Lucio's were in Brenham, Texas, it would be the best place in town.  But stuck in the middle of Houston's restaurant mecca at about $93/couple after gratuity, it's probably not going to get our return business.

Put away the Seersucker & Daniel's Lego Zone...

First and foremost, this is a friendly reminder that Labor Day has come and gone.  This means it's time to put your seersucker, linen, white bucks and all other bright cotton remnants of summer clothing away for the Fall/Winter Season.  Now I know that it's still going to be hot in Houston, but I'm a purist, so that means I follow the Official Rules of Fashion, better known as ORF.  As my lovely bride will attest, these are really the only rules I follow explicitly.  Hence one of her recent quotes, "Are you going to glide through every stop sign today?"  And I know even our beloved Houston Chronicle had an article on Sunday about how there is no need to follow the ORF any longer.  Damn them!  So put the summer stuff away and get ready for some awesome Fall options!

Since I can only rant so long about seersucker storage activities, I've also added some really cool pictures from Daniel and his Lego's.  Sometimes he takes the camera and just goes crazy around the house.  Then when I go to upload pics for this blog I also find his fun pictures.  This day he decided to capture some Lego scenes he had staged.  Quite interesting angles!

Mother Nature is certainly active today.  It's 64 degrees in Houston with wildfires throughout Central Texas and tropical storms still blowing through.  Please be safe out there and enjoy the cool weather, the heat will probably resume soon.