January 28, 2008 | Short Order
If God had as much money as Indian Mogul Ratan Tata and an army of local craftsman he could get the battered, charred, smoke-permeated Taj Mahal Palace Hotel and Tower open for business December 21, just 22 days after the terrorists savaged the building, took hostages and left victims dead throughout Mumbai. Excuse me for being impressed but I live in New York. In announcing the unimaginably speedy restoration, Taj Hotels managing director Raymond Bickson saluted the “bravery and sacrifice of the hotel’s employees” and dedicated the reopening to the city of Mumbai “as affirmation of the values of courage, resilience and dignity.” The Taj owners have set up a welfare trust for victims of the attack and their survivors. A total of 172 people were killed in the three days of terrorism and nearly 100 were injured. 12-15-08
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Donatella Arpaia weathered the storm at Kefi when the lights went out. Photo: Steven Richter
Did you feel the city tipping? Not an earthquake exactly but a slight off-balance as the entire population of the Upper West Side heads for the brand new Kefi on Columbus between 84th and 85th Streets. A leap from 65 seats to 200. Friday night the joint is jumping, a noisy inferno, tiny tables shoehorned together on all three levels - packed packed packed - servers racing, kitchen understandably slowish. Amiable veterans of the old Kefi, in its teeny cubbyhole at 222 West 79th make nice while runners in blue t-shirts stop at whatever table looks hungry, searching for a spot to drop a bundle of full plates. Asked to help choose something fruity from the wine list, partner Donatella scurries by, “I can’t help you. It’s all Greek to me.” And then the lights go out. Emergency lights switch on but the kitchen is black. A chef scurries to the cellar, disappears, fiddles with a panel. The lights finally come back. And then off again. Exhaust stilled, the kitchen fills with smoke. Lights on, appetizers arrive. Lights off. Emergency lights flash on again. “I’m calling Madaleine Mae to see if we can get a table,” says Ava. “I can’t promise anything,” the waiter says. “The exhaust is backed up into the kitchen.” I can smell it below. As Ava stands to slip into her coat, entrees arrive. We’re at Kefi, one of our favorite locals, and we’re eating. 12/15/08
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I was happy to have my hat in the Four Seasons 50th anniversary photo shot for Vanity Fair this morning. An improbably platinum assemblage of the rich and powerful, the formerly rich and formerly powerful, and a plumage of divas, 65 altogether, assembled at 11 a.m. this morning. What does it take to get powers like these out of their offices on a frantic Monday morning? Two ex-mayors, Ed Koch and David Dinkins, Henry Kissinger, Mr. Seagram himself Edgar Bronfman, Michael Ovitz, Sandy Weill, Leonard Lauder, Jon Tisch, Ed Lewis, Bill Rudin, Abie Rosen. They schmoozed as if they had all day, then arranged themselves on the balcony, at and around half a dozen tables. After all, who would risk losing a standing reservation in The Grill, the mythic dugout of the Power Lunch, by offending Julian Niccolini and Alex Von Bidder, keepers of the napkin rings?
Only Mayor Bloomberg was missing. Off to Washington, said City Coucil President Christine Quinn. Richard Johnson, a brace of Zagats, Joni Evans, a few more media types. Then the photographer got up on a ladder, shot a few polaroids, frowned, and started ordering people to move. He commanded Lally Weymouth to get up so Liz Smith could sit in her seat. Amazingly, she did. Liz, all in red, beamed. Quinn was sent upstairs to make way for Republican Queen bee Georgette Mosbacher, also in red. Martha Stewart – I think she wore grey – was sent packing. A first I am sure.
Then he ordered me to trade places with the “guy in the middle” of the table I was standing behind. You could cut the sound of silence with a butter knife. The middle man happened to be Steven Schwarzman, the private equity chief who was once Wall Street’s man of the moment at Blackstone. On Schwarzman’s left Sandy Weill blinked. To his right, Ed Koch tapped the table. I had a feeling we’d have to get Schwarzman off the banquette with a crane. I spoke up.
“Let’s not take the time for that,” I said. “Let’s just finish the photo.” A few people cheered. So Schwarzman was spared the hook and Martha, Lally and I learned a good lesson: “When you get invited to a group photograph, wear red.” 12/8/08
Kefi will open in its new space at 505 Columbus Avenue Monday. Chef-darling of the year Michael Psilakis, a standing room only hit at Mia Dona and a critical favorite at his upscale Greek Anthos - with partner Donatella Arpaia - moves his tiny discount Greek homestyle taverna from its cramped cubby at 222 West 79th Street into the rambling space between 84th and 85th Street where Loft languished. Psilakis had talked about opening the new Kefi this past June, but landmarks issues and inspection delays sabotaged the timetable. 12/5/08
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