Houston’s Pop-Up Nightclub Turns Into a Sophisticated Hit — Steve Tyrell and His Billionaire Believer Pull Off Magic

You know it’s been a great night when one of the city’s leading gray-haired philanthropists seals the evening by dropping to the floor in a perfect split, not once, but twice. So it was that the lady, who will remain nameless, put icing on the cake of a rocking night at Cafe Post Oak at the Post Oak Hotel during the limited-engagement of Steve Tyrell.`

All performances were sellouts. But none could have hosted a more impressive audience than that of the  night when the senior lady exhibited her impressive flexibility.

Let us count the big guns: Astros owner Jim Crane and wife Whitney; litigation attorney and Astros minority owner John Eddie Williams and wife Sheridan; Laura Mercier founder, Advent International operating partner and minority owner in the Astros Janet Gurwitch and beau Ron Franklin, a partner with McGuire Woods law firm; Anne and Dr. Jim Muntz, team physician for the Astros and the Houston Texans; and a host of scions of the Louis Pearce Jr. legacy.

Pearce was a popular Cafe Carlyle regular when the famed Bobby Short held court at the piano. On this night in Houston, family members recalling that patriarch Pearce was famed for frequently taking over the Carlyle and partying until the sun was creeping over the Manhattan skyline.

Hotel owner and hospitality mogul Tilman Fertitta dropped by during cocktails to bask in the praise generated by the uber chic club setting, the design of which he personally oversaw. The pop-up dinner club came to fruition due to the COVID-related closure of Cafe Carlyle, where Tyrell has warbled through holiday performances for more than a decade.

The transformation of the third floor meeting room, in the hands of Fertitta’s The Events Company, was complete with walls fully draped in deep red velvet. Red brocade banquettes and silver chiavari chairs nestled tables draped in pristine white cloths. Artwork in the club foyer emulated Marcel Vertes’ musical murals that grace the walls of the Carlyle. In the dining room, oversized, colorful artwork inspired by Picasso brought life to the fluid wall coverings.

The selections on the limited dinner menu and the open bar were applauded as well as Tyrell’s delightful show. By night’s end, all were recommending a repeat of Cafe Post Oak.

PC Seen: High-profile divorce attorney Bucky Allshouse and wife Cynthia; public relations powerhouse Dancie Ware and husband Jim Ware, a partner with Sheehy, Ware, Pappas, Grubbs; Texas Children’s Hospital board president and energy mogul Mike Linn and wife Carol; Ashley and Louis Pearce IV with Waukesha Pearce Industries; University of Houston professor of architecture Shafik Rifaat; Brownstone Construction president Wil Brown and wife Erin; Katie and Forrest Wynn of Hicks Davis Wynn; and a host of Pearce family members including Libbie Pearce Connor and Rob Conner; Gary Pearce Jr.; forensic economist Brittany Pearce; Steve Pearce with Beth Robertson; Gary Pearce Sr.; Debbie Pearce; and Rex Pearce.