It was the big hoop-di-doo for Crystal Charity Ball underwriters — the Circle of Angels dinner. Originally slated to be the opening event for Forty Five Ten, it took second place on Wednesday, November 16. Just the Thursday before, The Family Place’s 2016 ReuNight had been the sneak peek before the luxury store’s Saturday, November 12th opening. But not to worry. As it was, it worked out perfectly. It was almost as if ReuNight had been a dress rehearsal.
Instead of arriving at the Main Street curb entrance like ReuNight, most guests got the royal experience of the auto courtyard with Anthony Howe’s mesmerizing, wind-powered 25-foot tall sculpture, Lucea. Now, Tony Tasset’s 30-foot Eye next door won’t be the only “eyecatcher” on the block!
But unlike the ReuNight guests who explored every nook and cranny of the four-story fashion palace, the Angels stayed primarily on the first and second levels.
While the ladies checked out the shoes, jewelry and clothes, more than two fellows asked, “Where the bar?” The answer was found over in the jewelry department.
Once again to accommodate the dinner, the see-thru tent adjacent was in place. However, there had been some adjustments to the dinner tent from the week before. While the tent’s black flooring still created a slight wobble for guests, the towering glass candleholders of ReuNight had been replaced by 30” tall straight-sided white candles. The mirrored-top tables that had added dazzle to the filled-to-capacity tent the previous week were gone. In their places were tables draped in pink clothes to accommodate a lesser number of guests, say 113. In the center of each table was a low vase filled to the max with white roses. Hmm, round tables with pink table clothes, centerpieces of white roses, simple white candles…well, after all, it was “circle of angels.”
As CCB Chair Christie Carter and Circle Chair Tanya Foster handed out table assignments, some naughty guests got to their tables early and swapped table assignments. And one or two of the guests arrived with someone not on the acceptance list. Emily Post must be rolling her hereafters.
But pretty soon dinner via The Joule was served up, so who cared about tablemates. The salad (escarole salad with herbs, parmesan and bread crumbs) was a hit. The entrée’s (duet of beef filet and main lobster, Thumbelina carrots, king trumpet mushrooms and truffle jus) meat portion was tender on the inside, but a bit challenging to cut into. The “Last” (aka dessert) was a chocolate lover’s idea of palate paradise. To heck with the calories, gobble up the chocolate crème caramel, devil’s food, Cajetan and pecan toffee!
Table-top topics of the night: Chef Kent Rathbun’s amazing recovery from his November 5th accident in West Texas that resulted in 22 broken ribs, fractured vertebrae and a punctured kidney. The good news is that he was home mending… Christine and Chris Durovich serving as honorary co-chairs for the 2016 Trains at NorthPark…Thanksgiving plans had Annette Simmons and Jerry Fronterhouse headed for AT&T Stadium for the Cowboys game; Nancy and Robbie Briggs watching the game with homeless people; Mary Martha and John Pickens staying home with loads of family and friends over for dinner… Claire Emanuelson was receiving congratulations on recently being named the 2018 CCB Chair.
The evening program was brief with CCB Chair Christie thanking guests for their support in raising more than $5.6M for the beneficiaries. Forty Five Ten proprietor/host Brian Bolke graciously thanking the women for what they have done over the years to support the children of Dallas. And the evening sponsor Deloitte’s Bob Chapman proudly appreciating the partnership that DeLoitte and CCB have had for 17 years.