The 2015 season was starting to perk up on Thursday, January 29. Despite itchy eyes and drippy noses thanks to 60-degree weather allergies, folks were taking full advantages of the spring-like weather. Hey, you gotta grab it when it’s at your doorstep.
Speaking of doorsteps, Jana and Mike Brosin’s walkway was covered with a red carpet with a view of a hot, red Cadillac Escalade shining away thanks to spotlights. Why all that red? The American Heart Association’s Côtes du Coeur‘s Big Bottle party. And when they say, “Big Bottle,” they mean bottles that could individually fill bathtubs. Everywhere one looked were lineups of bottles up for perusal. But in the middle of the dining room was a table with the really, absolutely “Big Boy Bottles.”
BTW, the Brosins’ home was simply ideal for entertaining. It was just a year ago that the Crest go-to guy and his bride bought the digs in Bent Tree. It had been built back in the 70’s. But leave it to the Brosins. They hunkered down and updated the 5,000-square-foot residence to 21st century glory including the near two-acre grounds. Still they kept such marvelous touches as the original stone light fixtures that hung overhead. And, no, they don’t usually have a hunky red Escalade parked in the front yard. It’s the raffle item for the fundraiser!
Luck was truly on Big Bottle Chair Carol Holmes’ side. The weather was so user friendly, that the doors could be wide open for guests like Côtes du Coeur Chief Chef Richard Chamberlain and wife Lisa, Britton Eaves in a natty hat, Jennifer and Mike Buchanan, Linda and Mark Piepenbrok, Jeffie and Chris Jones, Lisa Rachor, Trisha and Richard Allen and Côtes du Coeur Gala Chair Kristen Sanger, who had just flown in from Oklahoma, to take full advantage of the backyard’s terrace with its killer pool, patio heaters and nearby firepit surrounded by comfy chairs and couches. Jennifer handed over something in a wine gift bag to Mike. His comment: “If it’s from Jennifer, it’s got to be something special.”
While servers wandered through the crowd offering wine for sampling, the Tre Wilcox crew kept the kitchen producing tidbits. One guest cut short a conversation, saying, “I just gotta get me one of those sliders.” Alas, poor Tre was not to be seen. Seems he was home with his back giving him a fit.
As Jim Striegel waited for his wife Teri, he told how he was juggling his real estate deals in Dallas with his Red Mare winery in Napa.
Wine doyenne Hayley Hamilton Cogill was checking the Big Boy Bottles. She liked what she saw. Nearby husband Gary Cogill was being buttonholed about his Academy Award picks.
Côtes du Coeur Chair Kate Rose Marquez was just back from San Francisco, where she surprised a dear friend who was passing the 50-year mark. In her red-hot, lace dress, Kate Rose was wired. No, not that kind of “wired.” It seems that the heart-disease survivor’s life has been filled with a lot of activity of late. So much so that her medical team was monitoring her heart with wiring. On her trip to San Francisco, she told passengers in adjacent seats that her equipment might go off and wouldn’t turn off until she could hook up to a land-line phone. Their reward for potential problems? Kate Rose bought them drinks.