Afshin And The Foody Femmes
One Parisian designer, a gaggle of girls, some Tribeca
delicacies, and secrets revealed!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
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(NEW
YORK) Last Wednesday night, several editors braved the rainy weather to
welcome Paris-based-but NY-showing-designer Afshin Feiz at an intimate dinner
at Dominic in Tribeca. The only man at the table, Feiz was surrounded by In Style’s Ariela
Suster, Gotham’s Lauren
Benward and his crew of devoted People’s Revolution publicists: Kelly Cutrone,
Robyn Berkley, and Maggi Deroian—the restaurant expert. Besides meeting with
editors, the designer was also getting a little vacation time in. “I set myself
a goal at work and got everything done, so now I can relax a little more,” he
said.
But that was the end
of Fash Week talk at the table as—better late than never—Style.com’s Laird
Borrelli arrived and all eyes then focused on the menu. Between bottles of
white and red wine, Deroian coaxed all into tasting the deliciously-light
olive oil that’s bottled from the restaurant’s own grove in Tuscany. While most
stuck to light fare like the roasted green market vegetable salad with toasted
pumpkin seed vinaigrette, Feiz scored the appetizer highlight, opting for the
decadent seared beef carpaccio, complete with truffle cheese and sweet and sour
onions, all topped with a Manodori balsamico.
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By the main course, the table talk became a continuous stream of “Did
you know?” revelations. Among them:
Suster attended Skidmore
College upstate originally to pursue a modern dance career and even worked one
crazy summer at Disney World.
Benward and her mother have
their own vineyard, completely headed by the women themselves.
Borrelli’s parents found
her latest book a tad risqué after spotting some artsy nudes.
Cutrone…well every dinner
is a slew of Did You Know? stories with this PR vet.
After Parisian Feiz fielded
inquires about the monkfish cassoulet—a casserole with white beans, various
meats, veggies and herbs—executive chef John Villa joined the table for a glass
of wine and clarified his Italian version of the classically French dish. “I
just
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looked at the usual ingredients and thought how I could add an Italian
twist to it. So I substituted the monkfish and different herbs.” He maintains
that creating his dishes is an ongoing experimental process and although the
menu changes every so often, some items are restaurant staples, like the highly
popular Tuscan seasoned 10-hour pig roast with a crispy skin coated in
wildflower honey. But while he watched his latest set of patrons dine on dishes
including The
Daily-recommended foie gras ravioli with brown butter and blood orange
mostarda, a line chef appeared, whispering the latest Mets score. Apparently
Villa’s a staunch fan, and openly joked that he was keeping his eye on the game
even though the press was there, especially considering the Dodgers had caught
up quickly to his boys within only one inning (but would go on to win 9-7).
The cozy interior of red
brick walls, dimmed chandeliers, and high-backed velvet chairs—all decorated by
Villa’s film set designer wife Regina Graves (War of the Worlds)—had
the group lingering for as long as possible, essentially closing the restaurant.
Each departed with their own bottle of Dominic olive oil in hand, dispersing
into the drizzling night with full stomachs, heavy purses, and light hearts.
TANGIE SILVA