Event: Landry's Family of Dining, Entertainment, Gaming and Hospitality Showcase

Late on a semi-rainy Thursday afternoon, the Landry's Family of Companies hosted a Showcase for local media,  bloggers, civic officials and business people at The Inn at the Ballpark (Soon to be The Westin Houston Downtown) by Minute Maid Park and Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse right next door.  It was amazing for me to learn just how much the company has grown through acquisitions during the past decade.  What started out as a single family operated Seafood Restaurant in the suburbs of Katy, Texas in the 1980s is now a family of internationally recognized casual to high end dining establishments, Hotels, Casinos (They took ownership of the Golden Nugget around 2005 and have expanded or are expanding into other cities such as Laughlin, Atlantic City and Biloxi), and Entertainment complexes such as The Kemah Boardwalk and the Pleasure Pier in Galveston.  If you thought you knew Landry's, you need to THINK AGAIN!!! 

The event ran from 4 PM until a little after 7 PM.  The invitees were allowed to sample a very large assortment of appetizers and tasting portions of main dishes served at Landry's various Casino, Hotels, Resorts, Entertainment Venues and of course Dining Establishments.  There was a huge representation of cuisine from Asian and Mediterranean, to Gulf Coast & Cajun/Creole Seafood, Prime Rib, and a huge assortment of desserts.  This event was the first time anyone knew of that the Landry's Family of Companies did a showcase of all their disparate businesses in one event under two closely connected roofs.  And for such a large event, it went off without a hitch.

Here's a quick video interlude from Jim Parson's, native Houstonian and Star of The Big Bang Theory:


As I made my way from room to room, gathering literature, I conversed with T. J. Aulds, the Mainland Editor of The Galveston County Daily News, several Publicists and owners of Public Relations Firms, executives from local banks, and Civil Servants working with the Mayor's Office and the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.  I was happily surprised when Gary Riis, the Sales Manager of The Inn at the Ballpark, recognized me thanks to knowing fellow foodblogger Fort Bend Food Blog (and thank you for the bumps on your blog!).  Suffice it to say, the event flowed with plenty of wine, beer, appletinis and A LOT of Schmoozing.

Buffet's Galore at the Landry's Showcase at the Inn at the Ballpark
Thursday, July 19, 2012

The Event over all was very well managed.  Servers were in full force doling out drinks and keeping tables and standees clean and clear with aplomb.  Management, Sous and some Senior Chefs, Marketing and PR folks were out pressing the flesh, answering questions and extolling the many wonderful dishes, services and attributes of their restaurants, hotels and Casinos.  There was even a showgirl from the Gold Nugget with Yellow Feathers in her hair but no skirt her legs were bare.  I confess to my Eternal Shame I started humming Barry Manilow's "Copacobana" as I took a photo with her... Uh... okay... What was I blogging about?!?!?  Oh yeah!!! THE FOOD!!!

The participants in the Dining segment of the Landry's Expo were a virtual Who's Who of Casual to High End Dining in the Greater Houston Area.  They included Landry's Seafood, Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Brennan's Steakhouse, McCormick & Schmick's Steak & Seafood, Grotto, La Griglia, The Oceanaire, The Aquarium,  Rainforest Café and Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse.  The tasting portions included Medium rare prime rib, two different kinds of lamb chops, crab cakes, creole and cajun shrimp, cold boiled shrimp, seafood ravioli, snow crab claws, different artisanal cheeses and breads, slider burgers, 2 versions of cedar plank salmon (almost as good as Joe Fortes Chop House in Vancouver, BC), white chocolate blueberry cheesecake, bread pudding, sacher torte cake, egg custard and the list just keeps going on and on and on....

Service with a Smile and a Showgirl to Boot!

One thing I cannot say strongly enough is that the Landry's Showcase went so very well because the organizers and staff gave it their all.  The wait staff and kitchen staff, the chefs, the bartenders and cocktail waitresses, the whole batch of service staff at the Inn at the Ballpark and at Vic and Anthony's, along with all of the visiting properties staff did their best to take care of all of the attendees' needs, made us all feel very welcome and gave us an overall positive feeling about Landry's Dining, Entertainment, Gaming and Hotels.  Granted, this kind of a show is supposed to convey that feeling.  However, I also know the proof is in the actual experience at the restaurants and venues.  I have been to the Kemah Boardwalk, the Pleasure Pier, The Aquarium (prior to starting my blog ) and other Landry's owned properties, and I honestly don't recall having any negative experiences at any of them.  However, I will definitely put a few of their restaurants I haven't visited yet on my agenda for fall.

Again, I give a hearty Houston THANK YOU to the Landry's Family of Companies for inviting me to this wonderful event, and as the event goes, it scored a tremendously solid A+.  

And Remember to Eat Happy!!!

早安，你们!!!