A flurry of weekend activity

Signs of Autumn in Central Park. 3:00 PM. Photo: JH.

October 19, 2009. A grey and rainy-ish weekend. Precipitation forecast, clouds threatening, little rain. But chilly and breezy.

On Friday which is usually our very real TGIF day around NYSD, Beth DeWoody gave a birthday lunch for her friend Debbie Bancroft. It was a ladies lunch except for the six or eight men who came and went to wish a happy happy to Mrs. Bancroft.

I live right next door to Mrs. DeW so I got there just about the time they were laying out the buffet. Taste Caterers always does her parties so I was imagining the treat I was in for. It turned out to be sensible mainly: poached salmon, wild rice with cranberries, steamed string beans. Good-for-you-stuff. The dessert were these little cupcakes thick with a dark chocolate icing. I was hoping for hot dogs or something more like a kid’s birthday party.

Debbie Bancroft and Beth DeWoody.

Muffie Potter Aston, Katherine Bryan, and Debbie.

Mark Gilbertson, Debbie, and Michelle Paterson.

Barbara de Portago and Emilia Ogunlesi.

Patricia Duff and Katharina Otto-Bernstein.

They were already eating when I arrived. So I stood at the entrance of the livingroom (which looks out on the East River and Roosevelt Island which NYSD readers often see pictures of since we pass by this building everyday walking the dogs).

Mrs. DeWoody is a major contemporary art collector. She has been collecting since she was the kid I met 35 years ago. In those days though, we thought she just liked to shop for curios of one sort or another. Today all of her houses are basically galleries storage units for an enormous collection of art, books, photography, antiques and collectible furniture and accessories.

I like this particular photograph. In the world of New York philanthropic and social life, it’s a bit of a glimpse of the community – the part that is active and contributing. Standing, left to right: Katherine Bryan, Katharina Otto-Bernstein, Debbie Bancroft, Muffie Potter Aston, Patricia Duff. Seated, from right: Alexandra Lebenthal, Michelle Paterson, Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, Rachel Hovnanian, Somers Farkas, Bettina Zilkha.

Ann Barish, Nancy Silverman, and Allison Stern talking to Robert Zimmerman.

Many had come and gone by the time I arrived. I don’t know if they sang “Happy Birthday.” Debbie’s birthday was the following day, Saturday, the 17th.

Beth is also a gregarious woman and more often than not there are social activities wherever she may be, and parties for friends, for books, for artists, for family. Debbie Bancroft is a friend like family.

The Circle Line passes by on the East River below.

New York Lives. Friday night Shirley Lord Rosenthal had a dinner for Peter and Don Heywood, two Englishmen, twins, as you can see, who now have an olive farm in Sicily. Peter was, for years, a teacher of some note in Yorkshire who retired first to Malta and then to Sicily. Don is a painter who paints wild animals, and this past Friday night I was shown a portfolio that was commissioned by the Smithsonian, of his portraits of animals in Africa. Beautiful.

Mrs. Rosenthal occupies a large and cozy duplex with fireplaces burning real fires and fresh flowers to add to the brightness of the atmosphere. There are lots of books and lots of comfortable sofas and nearby stuffed chairs for you to sit and have conversations (or read, if you live there). It is very New York but with more than a touch of London in style.


	Don Heywood, Shirley Lord Rosenthal, and Peter Heywood.

She shared this apartment with her late husband Abe (A.M.) Rosenthal who worked for the New York Times for more than a half century in a variety of positions from editorial to columnist. The sofas and stuffed chairs provided comfort for hundreds, maybe thousands of conversations between a wide range of guests from New Yorkers to men and women of variety talents, stature and interests from all over the world. In other words, it’s a house that contains a lot of books and conversations.

Friday night’s party was to introduce some of Shirley’s New York friends to her English friends. Actually, of the twins, the artist Don, is an old friend of Shirley -- who is also British and has lived a great deal of her life in England. I don’t know if she even knew about Don having a twin brother (Peter), but in any case, Shirley and Peter met up for the first time only a few months ago when she was summering in various Mediterranean countries and locales. Now Shirley and Peter are good friends too.

At this particular dinner I had the pleasure of meeting Barbara and Charles Strouse. Mrs. Strouse is a choreographer, actress and director. Mr. Strouse has written the music (and sometimes the lyrics) for some of my favorite Broadway shows – and yours too – including “Golden Boy,” “Bye Bye Birdie” (which was his first Broadway show), “It’s A Bird ... It’s A Plane ... It’s SUPERMAN!” and “Annie,” to name only a few.

I am a big fan of American theatre and especially American musical theatre. I grew up at the end of the great age of American popular music that came out of Broadway and New York. I remain in awe of the men and women who can create these pieces. So meeting Mr. Strouse and having the opportunity to ask him those “fan” questions and How and What was a big thrill. The kind you get when you meet someone you hold in natural esteem, someone who creates joy in the room.

Then the conversation continued with his wife Barbara who was one of my dinner partners and has been involved in theatre and Broadway since she was a kid (and first attended the School of American Ballet when George Balanchine was still an active force).

At Shirley's table.

Saturday night I went to dinner at Swifty’s with my friend and neighbor Charlie Scheips and Angela Westwater and David Meitus (who are also Mr. and Mrs.). Charlie writes our Art Set among other things about Art and Art History, and is actively involved in curating also. Angela is a partner in Sperone Westwater, a major gallery here in New York representing a number of important contemporary artists. We’ve written about her gallery here as well as the Sperone –Westwater booth at Maastricht. She’s also interviewed in the NYSD HOUSE section.

The talk was books and characters and the Astor trial and more books and characters and New York New York. David hails from Chicago and Angela hails from Columbus, Ohio, and Charlie and I both hail from New England.

I was thinking, listening to our conversation, how typical it is of New Yorkers, meeting only occasionally because of schedules, to be congregating (dining), doing this (talking about a basket of contemporary subjects) in a habit-of-a-New York neighborhood restaurant, and how typical it is that we all came from somewhere else to settle and make our way. This is the nature of any city, but there is no other city in the world which provides the dynamic of potential accomplishment and achievement in the world that is found in New York. The Energy.

Scott Goodwin, Miranda Raab, Jennifer Raab, and Michael Goodwin celebrating Michael's 60th birthday this past Saturday night.

All this and I wasn’t able to get up to Riverdale to the 60th birthday party for Michael Goodwin given by his wife Jennifer Raab. But JH got there. Mr. Goodwin and Ms. Raab are friends we made a couple or three years ago about this time in Abu Dhabi (Arrival in Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Dreams, Abu Dhabi: Festival of Thinkers).

Mr. Goodwin is a political pundit who once had his own column in the New York Daily News and a regular guest on Lou Dobb’s show on CNN. He has now has gone over to the other side, so to speak, with a Whole Page to himself in the New York Post. From left to right, you could say, less a sea change however, and more a kind of journalistic sleight of hand which most journalists possess especially in the face of a steady paycheck.

Mr. Goodwin is, nevertheless, a hail fellow well met, another one of those country boys who came to the Big Town and made a Big Life (at least to outsiders looking in). His wife is the President of Hunter and she’s not kidding either in terms of getting the job done right. However, when the Goodwin/Raabs are not working but just hanging out (rarely) or schmoozing (less rarely) or dining/schmoozing, they are really great company and good for more than a few laughs for all. Not to mention the ability to speak in full sentences with subjects and predicates and no dangling modifiers (like those of us in the peanut gallery).

Michael and Jennifer in Abu Dhabi.

Which brings me to last night. Le Cirque was celebrating it’s 35th Anniversary with a benefit for Citymeals-on-Wheels. This dinner was many things. Firstly, the great charity that Gael Greene first organized with James Beard and more than a little help from their friends. Citymeals started a simple idea 28 years ago when Ms. Greene happened to read a newspaper article about homebound elderly New Yorkers who didn’t have anything to eat on weekends and holidays. To the rescue she went with James Beard and from that a major institution of charity was born. Since its creation, Citymeals has delivered more than 41 MILLION meals to frail and aged New Yorkers. All this from reading a newspaper article; optimism defined.

But last night was also a reunion (and a working reunion at that) of so many of the great chefs of the city who began their careers or ascent to culinary greatness working for Sirio Maccioni at Le Cirque.

Top: Sirio with Andy Warhol. Above: The Maccioni family. Right: A copy of the dinner menu at table.

There was a bit of a culinary Homecoming feeling to the evening. These men in their chef’s duds prepared the hors d’oeuvres for the cocktail reception and then the four-course dinner.

They were: Daniel Boulud of Daniel; Iacopo Falai of Falai; Michael Lomonaco of Porter House New York; Craig Hopson of Le Cirque, Pierre Schaedelin of Benoit, Dieter Schorner of the Culinary Institute of America, Alessandro Stratta of Alex, Pierre Poulin, pastry chef of Le Cirque; Bill Telepan of Telepan, David Bouley of Bouley; Geoffrey Zakarian of The Chatwal; Jacques Torres of Jacques Torres Chocolates, Alain Allegretti of Allegretti.

The main dining room of Le Cirque as seen from the second story private dining room.

The menu for the reception was as follows: Trouchia with Wild Mushroom Ragout by Chef Allegretti; Braised Short Ribs, Creamy Polenta, Root Vegetable Ragout, by Michael Lomonaco, Chesnut Veloute, Double Smoed Bacon, Crispy Croutons, Black Truffle Cream Chesnut Veloute, Double Smoed Bacon, Crispy Croutons, Black Truffle Cream by Pierre Schaedelin, Torchon of Foie Gras with Picled Pears, Candied Walnuts & Maple Gelee by Alex Stratta; Smoked Trout with Celery Root Bliuni, Liverwurst with Gougere by Bill Telepan; and Geoffrey Zakarian’s Organic Beef Tartare, Pickled Chanterelles & Pommery Mustard.

Sirio Maccioni has had three Le Cirques since he first opened his door in the Mayfair on 65th and Park in 1974. (Restaurant Daniel is located in the same location today). Then he moved to the Palace with his first restaurant designed by Adam Tihany. Then he opened Circo, on 55th between Sixth and Seventh Avenues; then he opened the present Le Cirque in the Beacon Tower/ Bloomberg building. Not to mention his restaurants in Mexico City and Las Vegas.

The bar at Le Cirque.

The main dining room about to be seated for dinner.

This from a Tuscan boy who came to America and trained for the big time at Gene Cavallaro’s Colony, the restaurant of the smart set in the 1930s and 40s and 50s, where Sirio became Maitre d’, to the now legendary Le Cirque.

The secret of this great success in New York is not Sirio so much as Sirio as family. His wife Egidiana and his sons Mario, Mauro and Marco, are all forces that run these restaurants and provide the welcome and the menu that has made the Le Cirque legend.

They were all having a good time last night. I didn’t recognize some of the items on the menu. I am a born and bred picky eater whose palate is somewhat more sophisticated after years of living in the big town. That came from simply eating what was put before me.

Sirio and his chefs and the leg of a little lamb who'd lost her way ...

Last night’s appetizer, for example: Porcini Flan; Dungeness crab, black truffle dashi ... made little sense to this guest. Yes, I know what porcini, crab, truffle is/are. But put it all together: what was presented looked like a beef bouillon with pasta in it. Oh my; looks are deceiving. Whatever. Heaven is what it was. Oh David Bouley. This appetizer explained David Bouley; the who and the what and the why they all follow him.

The entire meal was like that. Amidst the photographers and the speeches and chefs and the good times and the good cause and Sirio and Gael Greene, New York Sunday nights can be like this.