Meyer Lansky had to be the most fascinating yet enigmatic person I’ve ever encountered. An infamous and prominent organized crime figure who emerged during the first half of the 20th Century, Lansky was a shrewd businessman known for his keen financial acumen. He was often referred to as the “Mob’s Accountant.” Along with his associate ...
Sammy Davis Jr. was the greatest entertainer I have ever seen perform live—bar none. Not only could Sammy act, sing, and dance, but he could also play the hell out of the drums, bass, piano, sax, trumpet, vibes, violin, and guitar. It was astonishing to witness this seeming sleight of hand. But this is what ...
Trattoria Dell’Arte fed some of the most prominent fashion models in the industry, including Iman, Elle Macpherson, Carol Alt, Jerry Hall, and Christie Brinkley among sundry others. One in particular who I enjoyed meeting and who remains to this day a dear friend, was Christine Royer. Chris was a very attractive blond with shoulder-length hair ...
I always thought Sam Shepard would have made a terrific Marlboro man—sans mustache—had his life not taken the career path it took. But thank goodness for us all, Shepard became so much more. He was not only a marvelous actor with at least 50 movies to his credit, including The Right Stuff—for which he earned an Academy Award ...
Raquel Welch was—and still is—one of the most beautiful women I have ever met. I had a crush on her since I was a boy and always enjoyed watching her films—even if most were flops—just to see her move across the screen. She had so much sex appeal that it oozed from her pores. She ...
Roy Lichtenstein has always been one of my favorite artists. His paintings were hard to miss—unmistakable comic book-inspired drawings and sculptures that were as vivid as they were striking. No other artist drew quite like him. Along with Andy Warhol, James Rosenquist, and Claes Oldenburg, Lichtenstein became closely identified with a movement known as Pop ...
Not everyone who dined at Trattoria Dell’Arte was a movie or rock star. There were some intellectual giants—at least in my book—deserving of as much attention as the celebrities were getting. One with whom I enjoyed having fruitful conversations on his occasional visits to New York was the Harvard philosophy professor Robert Nozick. Nozick was ...
With the recent passing of jewelry designer Elsa Peretti, I was reminded of the great times I shared with illustrator Joe Eula, who with Elsa worked alongside American fashion designer Halston in the 70s. Eula was an outrageously fun and colorful character. He had to be to work in the world of fashion, especially during his time. ...
I have many stories about Jackie Onassis, who has always fascinated me and who enthralled me even more after meeting her. My first encounter with her was during the early 90s when she came to dine at Fiorello’s Roman Cafe after attending a performance at Lincoln Center. I had started working there as a server and ...
Jeanne Moreau was one of my favorite actresses. When she was in town, she often came to dine at Trattoria Dell’Arte, preferring to sit in the smoking section near the restaurant’s front before they banned it in New York. But I did not realize who she was until months later when I began chatting with ...
Sam Cohn
George Balanchine and Tanaquil Le Clerq
Tanaquil Le Clercq
Tom Jones
Al Pacino
Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy
Charles Bronson
Diana Ross
Keith Jarrett
Arthur Miller
Natasha Richardson & Liam Neeson
David Rockefeller
Jackie Onassis
Éric de Rothschild
Richard Widmark
Sammy Davis Jr.
Max Roach
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