With a duo of tasting blasts to unveil the new SD26, Tony May and daughter Marisa ended a deep breath, endless rounds of golf, a retreat to Capri, kitchen rehearsals in Rome and a long publicity windup after moving out of their long time San Domenico home on Central Park South home last year. Esquire magazine played host to 800 disparate friends and family Saturday night, crowding the lions of print journalism, some limping from advanced age, gusts of bloggers, even a few dozen gate crashers. “It was okay," said Tony. "They were dressed fine."        

        Esquire’s David Granger suggested that any number of his magazine’s issues were edited at the old San Domenico.        

        We elbowed for space in designer Massimo Vignelli’s three-level 14,000-square-foot space on north Madison Square Park – the urban green Danny Meyer led the neighborhood in restoring. “Right now Danny Meyer is king of the park. We plan to challenge him,” May told Eater.com.               

        Tonight’s party roll call includes chefs, restaurateurs and industry professionals from the Rolodexes of Eater and the NYC Wood and Wine Festival. May had flown eight star chefs in from Italy to cook for both evenings. I found Odette Fada, his executive chef, sectioning cheese rounds in the cellar kitchen off the wine cellar-party room. Keeping out of the way, I guessed.        

        She and her chef de cuisine Matteo Bergamini will take over the kitchens early Tuesday to start lunch, and later that evening, dinner, a limited menu for now, May says. “We need to get the cooks comfortable at the range,” he adds. “At the moment we’re not thinking. We’re just doing.”         

        There will be small plates in the lounge and a $32.50 lunch prix fixe menu in both rooms – four dishes served together in one course May told the Times' Glenn Collins – “a balanced meal created in consultation with nutritionists in Milan.” That’s scary for those of us addicted to fat and salt, but I guess we’ll have to check it out.  

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