The particular stretch of Williamsburg real estate on which Antica Pesa, a tremendously impressive Roman restaurant, opened in October is no stranger to cucina rustica. Restaurants where Italian food is served in charmingly ramshackle conditions are manifold. Between Fiore, Aurora, Osteria Il Paiolo and other vowel-heavy trattorie too legion to mention, wandering around the neighborhood Read More
Given that it was our second evening in a row at Cipriani’s – albeit at the midtown franchise on this occasion – our usual penchant for the venue had been dampened somewhat, and the inclement weather certainly wasn’t helping. But the UNICEF Snowflake Ball managed to turn our well plucked frowns upside down in a glittering evening of philanthropic revelry, with celebrities in a multitude of fields pitching in to lend a hand. The sumptuous menu was designed by revered chefs; the entertainment led by a veritable swing legend, and the auction prizes donated by some of America’s hottest talent. It is fair to say that UNICEF, like the bartenders, got the mix just right.
Katy Perry was the evening’s surprise A-List attendee, swishing through the foyer’s revolving doors in a fishtail dress designed by another of the evening’s guests, Naeem Khan. The couturier’s wife, jewelry designer Ranjana Khan, recently ventured into reality TV land with several appearances on The Real Housewives of New York and was quick to dispel her involvement with any of the cattiness the show has become famed for.
“Being on RHONY was fun, but I didn’t get caught up in the drama,” she told The Observer on the red carpet. “My friend Carole [Radziwill] wanted me to be involved with the last season, and she’s returning for the next one, so I know she might want me to do something again.” Did Mrs. Khan just let an inside secret slip, perchance? Ms. Radziwill is yet to officially confirm her involvement with season six, but you heard it here straight from the jeweler’s mouth. The Observer 1, RHONY 0. Read More
The Rainbow Room, like Tavern on the Green or Chumley’s, was one of those New York institutions no one ever visited, until it was gone, at which point the lamentations became unceasing. The fate of the restaurant atop Rockafeller Center remains a mystery, since it was abruptly closed by the Ciprianis three years ago amidst a rent dispute with another of New York’s august families, the Speyers, who control Rock Center.
Whoever takes over the famous (and famously garish) catering hall in the sky, one thing that is unlikely to change is the decor. Today, the Landmarks Preservation Commission decided to consider the two-story space on the 65th floor of 30 Rock for designation as an interior landmark, one 114 in the city. (Others include the Four Seasons, the New York Public Library and, just downstairs, Radio City Music Hall.) Read More
Gay Talese was on the edge of his seat. James Salter stood in a canvas jacket, about to give his speech at the Paris Review Spring Revel in his cracked but majesterial tenor, and Gay Talese was really, really liking it.
“He was just giddy,” said Philip Gourevitch, who took over the Review after Read More
Creditors of the Cipriani restaurant empire announced plans to sell off all company assets to pay off its debts, a move that puts a handful of landmark New York restaurants in the high-end chain on the chopping, and auction, block.
If Capitol One goes through with the plan, it could mean the end of the Read More
Louise Bourgeois dies at 98 [NYT].
And Peter Orlovsky, Allen Ginsberg’s partner, dies at 76. [LAT]
Ted Koppel’s son dies after a day of bar hopping. [NYP]
The Fort Hood shooter comes to court. [AP]
What we learn about Read More
British-Indian novelist Salman Rushdie was one of the first to arrive at the National Arts Awards at Cipriani 42nd Street on Monday, Oct. 5. Known as a champion of freedom of expression, the author ruminated on the current challenges faced by the world of the arts, and the particular struggle of the written word.
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Trent Reznor is a self-described “smartass” on the Internet.
On Twitter, “I think I was consciously taking the veil up from Nine Inch Nails and letting people know I’m a smartass–often,” said Mr. Reznor, singer, songwriter and producer of Nine Inch Nails, who had sidled up to the Observer last night, June 8, outside Cipriani’s Read More
3 p.m. Talk show host Carson Daily and Guinness Master Brewer Fergal Murray rally in support of Proposition 3-17, to make St. Patrick’s Day an offical holiday. At the Perfect Pint II, 203 East 45th Street.
5 p.m. The U.S.A. Network and Vanity Fair launch gallery opening of “American Character: A Photographic Journey Event.” Read More
The recent misfortunes of the Cipriani family—losing the lease on the Rainbow Room, a major drop in business and the tax liens filed against Giuseppe Cipriani, among other problems—can at least in part be attributed to a general malaise in the New York party scene these days, according to Bloomberg News.
From an article published Read More
