Gianni Russo, a k a Connie’s husband. (Photo by Steve Barkaszi.)

Walk down Manhattan’s 52nd Street today, and you’ll find few clues that the strip was once a jazz center of New York. Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra—all the greats performed here in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s, in jazz clubs that have since been replaced by Starbucks and glass office buildings.

Wednesday evenings in The Four Seasons Restaurant’s Grill Room, however, Gianni Russo is trying to bring this Golden Age back to life. The flamboyant Mr. Russo—known for playing Carlo Rizzi in The Godfather (“You bastard. You hurt my sister again and I’ll kill you.”)—is also an accomplished singer. For the past two weeks, Mr. Russo has performed a 40-song set for the restaurant’s Wednesday evening crowd, covering classics he once heard Sinatra and others perform live in the 52nd Street clubs.

“We’re going to revive what 52nd Street was,” Mr. Russo told the Transom. “It was the hottest place in New York, long before you were born. Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole—I mean, everybody played this street. When you hear my show, I’ll describe it all.”

Elegantly coiffed patrons—many from the ranks of New York’s business elite—began arriving around 7:30 p.m. to hear Mr. Russo croon. Catalog magnate Lillian Hochberg (of Lillian Vernon) and Sam Waksal, Martha Stewart’s insider trading pal, were spotted separately in the crowd.

But before Mr. Russo had even taken the stage, Four Seasons co-owner Julian Niccolini was already performing. He kissed his longtime patrons—“my regulars,” he called them—before leading them to their tables. He doted on them lavishly, refusing to let them speak of food until they’d at least had a bottle of pink champagne. It didn’t take us long to see that the Grill Room is not so much a restaurant as it is an exclusive club, with Mr. Niccolini serving as its gregarious godfather.

“If Gianni’s no good, we’ll cut his throat,” Mr. Niccolini joked.

As soon as Mr. Russo started singing, accompanied by a four-piece band, it was clear he would survive the night. Some couples danced to his vocal stylings, while others took breaks from their tuna tartare and hamachi ceviche to offer enthusiastic applause. Everyone seemed thrilled by Mr. Russo’s covers of classics like Sinatra’s “The Lady Is a Tramp” and “New York, New York.”

“I think he’s amazing!” gushed Maggie Rady, who told the Transom she’s been dating Mr. Russo for six years. “I’m here every Wednesday!” Ms. Rady was seated at a corner table with some of Mr. Russo’s close friends—an eclectic crew that included a urologist, a restaurateur and a Serbian model.

Radio veteran Bill O’Shaughnessy, who runs Whitney Radio when he (and his magnificent hair) are not circling the New York party scene, was equally thrilled with Mr. Russo’s performance.

“He’s the greatest performer in New York,” Mr. O’Shaughnessy stated. “So many other performers just emote—it’s all about them. Gianni wants to make sure that everybody’s having a good time.”

And it was, indeed, a good time. Mr. Niccolini glided around the room, tipping oysters into patrons’ open mouths and inviting the lucky ones into the kitchen to make the restaurant’s signature cotton candy with one of the pastry chefs. Mr. Russo amicably chatted with guests between songs.

At the end of the night, the Transom was reluctant to step back into the reality of present-day 52nd Street. Luckily, a longtime New Yorker at the table next to us offered an uplifting thought.

“You want to know when the Golden Age is?” he asked. “The Golden Age is now.”

Yesterday, Eric Fischl came for lunch with Mary Boone. He was the only person wearing jeans in the whole restaurant, but we let him in, only because of who he is-you know, he is the new Picasso! Everyone was hugging and kissing him in the grill.

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day menu that everyone loved because everything had a sexual innuendo. Guests could choose between Chivalrous Chateaubriand with Tingling Fingerling Potatoes or Hanky Panky Veal Shanky with Peek-a-Boo Polenta.

The big event of the week was of course Friday-Pete Peterson, David Rockefeller and Bill Clinton came for lunch. That was the second time the president came in two weeks. Can you imagine? And this time we prepared a special vegan meal so he could eat something. I can't tell you what we prepared-it's a secret! But President Clinton is always so gracious. He stopped and spoke to every person who wanted to meet him. He took a lot of pictures. I even took a photograph with him, and my wife came for the occasion! You should have seen it when he got up to leave. Everyone was googly-eyed and craning their necks to watch him.

Liz Smith-I love her!-and Billy Norwich also lunched here together on Friday. They sipped wine and ate scallops and fillet of sole. Ms. Smith looked very chic in a black leather jacket. What a nice lady. Two tables down from them was Harold Ford Jr. He was eating with an attractive brunette at the corner banquet.

In other less local political news, the prince was back from the Middle East. He came in for lunch late last week and began listening to Al Jazeera live on his iPhone in the corner of the Grill. When he heard that the Egyptian president was stepping down, he ran out of the restaurant. He said he was so excited that he couldn't stay and that he would be back on Monday. Can you imagine? And he didn't even eat his lunch! But don't worry, he'll still be paying for it! 

I don't think I've ever seen so many nice people in one room at the Four Seasons before! Governor Cuomo was here (the old one), Mayor Dinkins was here, Harry Belafonte. Actually, Mr. Aaron thought he and his wife were having an intimate dinner with Harry and Pamela Belafonte, just the four of them-little did he know!

Billye Aaron planned the whole thing, and it was one of the best parties I think we've ever had, but it was very low-key. No caviar or Champagne, just red and white wine, and instead of a fancy birthday cake, we had four plates of cotton candy. One for each table. It was perfect!

We also had a party for Mitt Romney earlier in the week. I have to say he was looking very presidential. But so was Jon Corzine, who was here on Monday morning giving a speech for the Urban League at a breakfast for 280 people.

Sofia Coppola came by last week, and I gave her a tour of the restaurant. She thinks it's one of the most beautiful places in New York so she just came to look around. She didn't eat lunch. She used to come eat here. What a great woman!

On Monday, Chuck Townsend and David Carey ate together, and Donald Marron lunched with Gianluigi Gabetti-the Italian superhero of the Agnelli fortune. Nearby, in the Grill, Lorraine Bracco-you know, the therapist in The Sopranos-had lunch with Jane Heller (Martha Stewart's banker, who took my cooking class last week). She was drinking my wine, and as she was leaving, she stopped to tell me how delicious she thought it was! I couldn't help it-I blushed!

Peggy Siegal was here on Wednesday celebrating something, maybe her birthday. She was here with seven women, including Barbara Walters and Nora Ephron. Peggy doesn't like large tables, so they waited while we set a smaller table for them. Barry Diller and Michael Ovitz were also here on Wednesday, but not together. Mr. Ovitz actually showed up with a nice pair of snow boots (I'm still waiting for my special-order Prada shoes from him).

On Thursday, after the snow, we were getting cancellations left and right, but we did have a lunch hosted by Perri Peltz for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The reservation was for 14, but there ended up being 21 women, even with the snow! I made them a nice meal, but I gave them a choice-when you have a lot of New York City women who don't like to eat, you have to give them choices.

Former presidential hopeful Gary Hart ate at the middle booth in the Grill on Friday, and sitting in the neighboring booth was Michael Steinhardt. Bill White sat nearby with the Rev. Jacques DeGraff, who is a pastor at the Canaan Baptist Church in Harlem. He told me it was the last church Martin Luther King Jr. went to before his assassination, and that it was Nelson Mandela's first stop in the U.S. as president. Can you imagine? I have to go there! The Reverend was a very dapper fellow, wearing a yellow shirt with a white collar and a blue patterned tie.

Connie Chung ate a late lunch in the Pool Room on Friday. I was worried about her in the snow because she was wearing these little pointy-toe stilettos with thin hose and an ankle brace. But then downstairs, at the coat check, she changed into big white snow boots.

Saturday's cooking class was a great success! Everyone showed up on time. Some people were even here before 9 o'clock! Martha Stewart's banker, Jane Heller, came with her husband. I think she is trying to one-up her culinary client! People had to bring their own knives. One woman thought she lost a 40-year-old knife that was a family heirloom, but it turns out she had had a little too much to drink! It was still at home. Next class I'm going to make them work much harder-they're going to be peeling potatoes!

It was a good week after all, considering the turmoil in Egypt and everyone at Davos. A predictable January week: People drank a lot of red wine and Pete Peterson had a cold; some people get colds in the winter. I don't, because I drink enough red wine.

Julian Niccolini is the co-owner of the Four Seasons restaurant in Manhattan.

Earlier in the week Henry Kissinger came in with Jane Hartley (Ralph Schlosstein's lovely wife). I don't know what they were doing together, but they were holding hands. Then at the end of their lunch, Mr. Kissinger leaned over and said to me, "Can you please call Pete Peterson and tell him that I am having a very amorous lunch with Jane Hartley." They have some little joke going—they both love her. It was very amusing. Harold Ford Jr. was also eating with a married woman. He came in with Jerry Speyer's beautiful wife, Katherine Farley.

Thursday was all money. The whole financial world came—Larry Fink, Steve Schwarzman, Joe Perella, Ralph Schlosstein, Pete Peterson. The only person missing was the chief of Goldman Sachs! You basically don't need to seat anyone on days like that because they all automatically go to their own table. Steve Rattner was back from vacation. He looks better than ever, 10 years younger. I think it's because he's doing what he loves.

Matthew Bronfman ate with two gentlemen at a banquette on Friday, right next to Beth Rudin DeWoody, who was lunching with the brand-new president of the New School, David Van Zant. At a nearby table, former Goldman Sachs partner Henry Cornell dined with associates. He now operates a winery in Napa Valley. His wine is outstanding!

And Clinton crony Vernon Jordan dined with Don Marin. I don't know why President Obama didn't pick him for chief of staff. I would like to have a chief of staff like Vernon Jordan. Can you imagine how many attractive women there would be in the administration?

Julian Niccolini is the co-owner of the Four Seasons restaurant in Manhattan.

I think he gave them to me because I always make fun of his shoes. They aren't Michael Jordan; I think his are Prada--and I think he just wanted to send me a message that said, "You don't fuck with people who wear Prada shoes!"

And did you see the spread in W magazine about Michael Ovitz's villa in Beverly Hills? It's not a house! It's a villa! Incredible!

Other than that, the week after Christmas was quiet. Half of our customers were in bathing suits somewhere warm, and the other half didn't want to leave their apartments in the snow. On Monday, Dec. 27, we had a first for the restaurant--we had to close because of the snowstorm.

In 52 years, we've never closed for weather, but no deliveries could get here and no one could get to work, so what could we do? It was a disaster. We had to have a few staff members who live close by come in and call customers to cancel their reservations, but a few still showed up at lunchtime. We basically closed The Grill until Friday evening.

Then this week things got hopping again, even though many people are still out of town. Jerry Speyer, he came for lunch on Monday with property scion Bill Mack. Hedge funder and Birthright founder Michael Steinhardt was also in with investor Oscar Schafer. They were definitely plotting something at a corner table--they were having too much fun!

But overall 2010 was a good year. After all, President Obama came for dinner at the end of the summer. I have to say, he comes close to Mr. Clinton's charisma. When you meet him, you really remember him--and not because he's the president but because he's so charismatic. Richard Holbrooke was here two days before he died. That man was full of life; what an incredible diplomat.

Another highlight--if you can call it that--was Bethenny Frankel getting married here and then pissing in a wine bucket because she couldn't lift her dress. Can you imagine! Thank God I only saw it afterward on TV. I don't know what I would have done if I saw her pissing in my wine bucket in person.

editorial@observer.com

The Four Seasons Restaurant, modernist shrine of food and power, celebrated its 50th anniversary on Thursday night. It was cold for June, but fortunately the red carpet was made of always-in-season Astroturf. “The red carpet is green,” co-owner Julian Niccolini lamented. “Alex wanted it to be pink.” He was referring to co-owner Alex von Bidder, with whom he was holding court as the party began. “Look who is coming! Look who is coming!” Mr. Niccolini kept crowing.

The parade of notables included members of the power-lunch crowd as well as designers Erin Fetherston and Ralph Lauren. Model Jessica Hart—“Hart, H-A-R-T!” an assistant had to yell to photographers—set flashes on fire. She wore leather pants and shifted her weight constantly, throwing out knees and hips in lanky contrapposto as if freshly delighted by her surfeit of limb. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who arrived a few minutes later, was one of the very few who incited as much enthusiasm. The photographers did not, however, call him “sweetheart.”

Inside, behind the dining rooms’ famous metal curtains, a mixture of classic pop, big band and Motown was playing over the speakers. The restaurant held fast to its mid-century aesthetic, even where it could barely be seen—the bartenders poured Coke from small glass bottles.

Still, some things have changed. Overheard: “Every desperate banker is trying to write a book.”

Waiters roamed carrying sliders, sushi, spring rolls, oysters and tiny desserts.

The absence of seated dining was a source of concern to Candida Royalle. Ms. Royalle, a producer and director of female-friendly pornography, had gotten separated from the friend who brought her and was looking for someone—anyone—she knew.

Star Jones was perhaps the only woman who, on arrival, grabbed Mr. Niccolini more enthusiastically than the other way around. Perhaps she was feeling frisky thanks to the oysters, which she'd tried for the first time this evening.

“If you’re gonna do it,” she said, “you do it here.”

Author Salman Rushdie and his girlfriend, Pia Glenn, were not interested in talking to The Transom. “We’re sort of in party mode,” Ms. Glenn explained.

For Mr. Rushdie, this seemed to involve sitting quietly on a banquette at the back of the room. Author Jay McInerney, however, was at the center of activity. His favorite memory of the Four Seasons? “Watching a girl jump into the pool after taking her top off.” He paused. “It was a while ago,” he said, as the crowd sucked him back inexorably into the Pool Room. “It was good.”

Hotelier Jonathan Tisch and restaurateur Drew Nieporent also piled on, during a Friars Club-style roast of Mr. von Bidder and his charismatic partner, Julian Niccolini, in celebration of the renowned midtown power-lunching spot's 50th anniversary. It was a fitting tribute for a place where even the most high-profile patrons are served with a good ribbing from time to time.

"At the very least, these guys are extortionists," charged the gossip columnist Ms. Smith. "Have you ever examined your bill?"

Ms. Smith went so far as to suggest that the pair were somehow part of a post-World War II plot against America: "After World War II ended, those of us who weren't born yesterday thought all our problems with the Axis powers had ended. We thought we had the Italians and the Germans right where we wanted them. ... Their contemporary descendants have made a fabulous comeback here ... they are at the Four Seasons, where they pretend to be restaurateurs while plotting the downfall of our bank accounts!"

She added, "Alex will probably defend himself by saying he's Swiss, or something like that, and Julian will say he's from right at the top of Italy ... he's almost French!"

Most of the jokes centered on the restaurant's hefty menu prices—the domestic diva Ms. Stewart, for one, looked forward to the day when she would have to pay $85 for a baked potato—or, Mr. Niccolini's flirtatious modus operandi.

Bob Grimes, vice president of Citymeals on Wheels, the beneficiary of the evening's $300-per-person five-course dinner, asked Mr. Niccolini to promise to (a) stop hanging out with reputed sex addict David Duchovny, (b) stop calling his private parts "La Conquistador," and (c) remove the "oral exam" section of the female employment application.

Mr. Grimes also called on all the ladies in the room to prominently “return the keys to [Mr. Niccolini's] private apartment.” A lengthy line quickly formed to the podium. Prominent publicist Susan Magrino and even Mr. von Bidder's wife, Sandra von Bidder, joined in.

Italian chef Cesare Casella, nicknamed the "Swami of Salami," presented Mr. Niccolini with the gift of a four-foot-long sausage. Mr. Niccolini's wife, Lisa Niccolini, accepted it on his behalf, noting, "It's not as big as the original." Mr. Niccolini later used it to take a swing at Vanity Fair writer Frank DiGiacomo.

Mr. von Bidder's near invisibility next to his showy partner was another recurring joke. "Where's Andrew?" pondered Ms. Stewart. "Oh, it's Alex." She added, "This is what happens when you are the lesser of two evils."

Ms. Stewart also took aim at the famous eatery's decor: "The walls say Phillip Johnson," she said, "but the trees say Howard Johnson."

Blackstone Group co-founder Mr. Peterson presented a video in tribute to "the greatest restaurateur in New York." An image of Le Cirque owner Sirio Maccioni soon appeared on four giant flat-screens lining the pool room, drawing lots of laughs. Mr. Peterson then launched into another video, mockingly exposing the secrets of the restaurant's kitchen, where empty wine bottles with fancy labels are refilled with cheap boxed wine and steaks are served after time on the floor.

Perhaps the biggest laughs came during rival restaurateur Mr. Nieporent's profanity-laced spiel at the podium, during which the Nobu owner even took aim at other roasters.

"Sirio, I love you," Mr. Nieporent said to Mr. Maccioni, "but someone should have told you this is a roast, not a fucking wake! You would've been funnier reading from the fucking menu!"

And to Michael Mondavi, Mr. Nieporent advised, "stick to the wine business!"

He also took aim at fellow restaurateur Danny Meyer, who was not present. "Danny Meyer was supposed to be here, but the Zagats called," Mr. Nieporent said, referring to the couple behind the popular restaurant-rating guidebooks, "and he's walking their fucking dog!"

Mr. Nieporent complimented the Four Seasons owners—whom he called "the Siegfried & Roy of the restaurant business" and "the most unlikely pair since Rocco DiSpirito and Cloris Leachman showed up on Dancing With the Fucking Stars"—for their Robin Hood–like approach to fine dining. "Rob from the rich and give to the poor," he said. "Rob from Pete Peterson and give to [Four Seasons partner] Edgar Bronfman!"

The occassion was Mr. Niccolini's birthday—his 21st, if you believe the winking invite.

"Fifty-six, actually," noted the irreverent impresario, dressed dapperly as ever in a pinstriped suit and red tie.

So that's, what, 21 shots plus 35 shots?

"Absolutely, I think we should do that!" the good-humored Mr. Niccolini told the Daily Transom before turning to greet other guests.

WCBS-2 news anchor Maurice DuBois chatted with ladies by the bar, while Fashion Week organizer Fern Mallis snapped photos of the stylish crowd and gabbed about her new Bravo reality TV series, Fashion Show, hosted by Isaac Mizrahi.

The evening was more or less a prelude to the far bigger bash on Tuesday, May 5, when the illustrious restaurant itself turns 50. For real.

London's Financial Times recently attributed its longevity to "consistency, charisma and the peculiar nature of power and celebrity."

A full roster of prominent New Yorkers, including Blackstone Group's Pete Peterson, hotelier Jonathan Tisch, and domestic diva Martha Stewart, are lined up for a "classic comedy roast" of the owners, Mr. Niccolini and partner Alex von Bidder.

Yes, it's payback time for Mr. Niccolini, who seems to thrive on giving his power-broker guests a good ribbing from time to time.

"If you haven't been insulted by Julian, you are a nobody," as one financier by the unfortunate name of John Holmes recently told New York magazine.

“It could be bad," Mr. Niccolini predicted of the roast, in an interview with The Observer's Eight-Day Week. "It’s very easy to dig up dirt on people these days. You just Google people's names and there you have it. Thank God I've only been married once."

"I'm a fellow Malaysian, so I have to come and support the event," explained the compact, genial designer Zang Toi, accompanied by a model in a floor-length cape adorned with glittering cut-outs of the New York skyline (a look from his spring collection, he explained).

He's still working on making his designs eco-friendly. "Not yet, I'm ashamed to admit it, but soon. They were trying to get me to do it last year, but I was traveling so, so much..."

In the meantime: "I try to walk as much as I can. I almost never take a car unless I have to, like tonight's cold... Even on the weekends if I'm not in a hurry I walk! I was having dinner with two friends at Indochine all the way downtown by Astor Place, I walked all the way down to dinner, it took me about an hour to walk all the way home to the Upper East Side. I think I did my part."

Blonde stylist and socialite Kate Schelter was chatting with Aimee Mullins, the model, actress and double amputee, who was resplendent in a pale blue Yigal Azrouel gown. "I recycle, I wash my hair about once a week, which I think saves electricity and shampoo," said Ms. Schelter, of her own personal eco-initiatives.

The women agreed that living in New York tends to make one eco-conscious. "Let's say this, there's not rooms in my apartment that I'm not in where the electricity could be on," said Ms. Schelter. Ms. Mullins, meanwhile, had gotten her entire East Village apartment building to start recycling.

Later, Four Seasons co-owner Julian Niccolini explained what he does for the earth. "The only thing I really do for a living besides working at the Four Seasons and running this place, I raise... I make honey. I have hives, I live up in Westchester, and that's what we basically do. We make quite a bit of honey in the summertime. Last year we were selling at Dean & Deluca. This year, because I only make like 180 bottles, 180 liters-which is still a lot of honey-I sell it mostly at the Four Seasons. And people love it. Everybody's constantly asking me for more."

He produced a plastic container labeled "Bee Naughty" honey, illustrated with a cartoon rendering of himself. 

"In the Grill Room we are sold out every day," he continued, disputing suggestions that the economy had put a damper on power-lunching. "In the Pool Room it's much less so, but at the same time we have introduced a $59 menu, because this year is the Four Seasons' 50th anniversary." (They couldn't do a $1,959 menu, he clarified).

Charlie Rose, the evening's emcee, breezed by. "Two meals today," he said to Mr. Niccolini, holding up two fingers.

"Lunch and dinner's enough today!" echoed Mr. Niccolini with a laugh.

"This is a nice event," Mr. Niccolini concluded, surveying the room. "Lots of attractive people."