There are three sure things in this world: death, taxes and Madonna being the hottest ticket in music. Her Sticky & Sweet World Tour is set, and we have four tickets left for the Material Girl's epic return to the stage on October 11, 2008 at Madison Square Garden.
The twenty-seven of the VIP tickets sold on the first day and I only have four left at $6,000 per ticket. To date, we eighteen LVWG members are booked at the Mandarin Oriental, five will be staying at Trump International.and the other members have NYC residences. So if you are interested, call me and Jacquee will be happy to make your arrangements.
We are planning on arriving on the tenth of October. Afternoon and dinner at Raos has been changed as Chef Batali will be spoiling our pallets! Mario Batali's great achievement, among many, has been to turn animal viscera into the epitome of haute cuisine. Even after repeated, feverish tastings, I'm still not tired of his lamb's-tongue vinaigrette, or crispy pig's-foot Milanese, with its soothing thatch of arugula on the side. Batali has eclipsed most of the country's effete French chefs in terms of notoriety, influence, and glossy-cookbook sales.
After a glass of grappa or three, it's even possible to argue that he is the Escoffier of our messy, Rabelaisian era. Despite an influx of celebrity diners from around the globe, Babbo still manages to achieve that elusive combination of style and comfort better than any restaurant in town.
Also on the list for the 12th is Le Bernadin. The city is full of ornate restaurants, but none of them manages to exude the glamour and class of Manhattan the way this one does, without any overweening glitz. The impeccable French service is the best in the city. The wood-paneled room is grand, but in an oddly soothing way. And then there's the chef, Eric Ripert, who, unlike most super-chefs in town, tends to stay in his kitchen and cook. All the food is excellent-from uni seviche to barely cooked salmon with black truffles - but if it's on the menu, order Mr. Ripert's shrimp ravioli puddled in truffle sauce.
We will be celebrating the anniversary of JWS & his lovely bride of 5 years at Masa and all are invited. A bit ofadvice: Michel Couvreux is one of the great sommeliers in America - let him choose the wines. Masa Takayama, the illustrious sushi god from L.A., came to New York with a uniquely Japanese, if slightly insane proposition: that a meal of the highest quality is worth almost any price. It turns out he's right, but only under the most specific Rashomon-like conditions. Whatever you do, sit at the bar of this quirky, lavishly overpriced little restaurant (not at the dinky, dimly lit tables), preferably in front of Masa himself (not one of his acolytes). The ensuing spectacle, complete with risotto folded with uni and truffles, Kobe-beef sukiyaki, and slabs of foie gras cooked in a little shabu-shabu pot, is part nourishment, part entertainment, and part ancient performance art.
It's not just a meal, it's an event-well worth the $350 cost of a single omakase dinner (before the sakes are factored in), and as different from the average dining experience as a TV rerun is from a first-rate Broadway show. There will be lots planned. Join. Or choose not too.!
By the way, the tickets are fabulous. There are tickets for $15k available. As soon as Vegas tickets pre-sale as an ICON, I get fabulous first choice.
Pre-reserve with me for Vegas MGM. Although it will not be the same, we have a private tasting of our 2007 Best Of Chocolates Victor, the Noka Vintages Collection. For those of you who were not privy to last years indulgence, Noka chocolate is a compilation of the finest dark chocolates, sourced from select plantations in Venezuela, Trinidad, Cote d'Ivoire and Ecuador.
