“Have you been here before?” That was the most asked question, ahead of “How was your summer?” as a clutch of sophisticates swanned into MAD for a Rothko Chapel fundraiser. For many, it was indeed a first time experiencing the celebrated interiors and the highly-praised cuisine of MAD. It was a foot in the door to the city’s hottest restaurant, one so popular that reservations are required a minimum of six weeks in advance.

Thank you, MAD founder Ignacio Torras and co-owner chef Luis Roger and BBVA for hosting the night that only further established the River Oaks District restaurant as Houston’s epicenter of contemporary dining — and chic partying.

Coveted invitations to the gala evening went out almost three months ago, intended for MAD’s grand opening. But permitting and building delays pushed the party back from summer to the cusp of fall at a time when the restaurant’s reputation was already solidly established. That, however, did not deter the gregarious Torras.

“So, today is the official opening,” Torras quipped, “and the intention is that we motivate people with the second and third gin and tonic to be generous for a very good cause.”

The MAD signature cocktails and wine flowed, thanks to the open bar, loosening inhibitions and pocketbooks. Proceeds reached close to $130,000 for the Rothko’s $30 million “Opening Spaces” capital campaign.

“When you open a restaurant for the first time, you invite the friends and family, where you invite everyone with no right to complain,” Torras told PaperCity. “And then somehow the opening night, you have a gala in benefit of some charity organization. So we decided to do it for the Rothko Chapel.”

MAD partnered with BBVA, the largest bank in Spain with a Houston stronghold, for the evening that drew Rothko board members, art patrons, BBVA clients and a chic collection of friends, many of whom hail from Mexico and Spain. In short, it was a very glamorous crowd. But that’s nothing new for the restaurant that serves as much as a nightspot (consider the DJ) as restaurant.

Honorary chair Lynn Wyatt, who serves as Rothko Chapel ambassador, shared that she had been invited by Torras to visit the restaurant before its opening at which point she gave it her blessing and then was invited back to review the space before the party.

“I wouldn’t change a thing,” she recalled saying. “You look there (at the bar) and it’s perfect. You look over there (a side dining area) and it’s perfect.”

“I’m mad for MAD,” she declared to the full house.

Following remarks that included BBVA CEO Javier Rodriguez Soler and Rothko board chair Michael Piana, wait staff swirled through with the beginning of a multi-taste four-course meal that offered samplings of new items debuting this month as well as the popular MAD tomato and olivas liquidas.

PC Seen: Rice University president David Leebron and Y. Ping Sun, Spanish consul general Julia Olmo and Juan Ignacio Avello, gallerist Nancy Littlejohn and Eric Littlejohn, Sotheby’s Aliyya Stude, BeDesign partners Adrian Dueñas and Marcelo Saenz, interior designer Nina Magon and Karun Magon, collectors Tatiana and Craig Massey, ABC 13 news anchor Melanie Lawson and John Guess Jr., energy exec Mike Loya, Joyce Echols and Steven Wyatt, Kate Wyatt, Carrie and Sverre Brandsberg-Dahl, Duyen and Marc Nguyen, and Maritere and Ricardo Perusquia. 130_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_082919 (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 27_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Luis Roger, Blanca Bernabeu, Isabel and Ignacio Torras (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 109_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Carla Munoz, Victoria Goldstein, Rocio Diaz, Josie Iriarte (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 37_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Kate Wyatt, Steven Wyatt, Joyce Echols (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 150_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_David Leebron and Ping Sun (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 69_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Karun and Nina Magon, Adrian Dueñas and Marcelo Saenz (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 33_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Nancy Littlejohn, Erik Littlejohn (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 19_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Grant Wenzinger, Nacho Torras, Chantelle Bacigalupo, Fernando Ruiz (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 102_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Craig and Tatiana Massey, Duyen and Marc Nguyen (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 101_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Roberto and Claudia Contreras (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 58_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Allison Bereswill, Nick Boulle (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 144_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Dallas McNamara and Katherine Barthelme (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 70_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Michael Chabala, Natalie Chambers, Brian Ching, Ankur Desai (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 55_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_David Ruiz, Van Ngo (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 100_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Paloma and Javier Rodriguez (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 72_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Dolly Brenneman, Melanie Lawson (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 143_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Sverre and Carrie Brandsberg-Dahl (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 34_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Hayden Lasher McGuinness (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 24_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Daniela and Erich Canseco (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 23_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Rey Ocañas, Thuy Tran, Jeff Abrams (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 57_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Albert and Anne Chao (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 13_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Irwa and Aziz Shaibani (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 68_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Andre and Marcia Raposo (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 39_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Susie and Joe Dilg (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 43_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Silvia Salle and Peter Wood (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 59_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Kenneth Finch, Dallas McNamara (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 142_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Andrea, Lorena and Paola Raull (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 31_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Mimi and Cory Trahan (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 21_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_ Beatriz and Andres Reiner,Kenny and Gaby Owen (Photo by Daniel Ortiz) 41_MADRothkoDOrtizPhoto_Julia Olmo Juan Avello (1) (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)