You Bet Your Buddha

New York's Buddha-Bar, off-shoot of the famed hot-spot of the same name in Paris, was hopping last night, as it celebrated its one-year anniversary with a special dinner to benefit the Institute for Civic Leadership. The richly appointed restaurant, presided over—of course—by a large, seated Buddha—looked especially festive for the occasion, festooned as it was by large cherry-blossom arrangements. A special menu featured a salad of King Crab, hearts of palm and avocado; sushi aplenty; and, my favorite, a Malaysian spice-crusted filet mignon. Cocktails prepared with Ty Ku, a brand-new sake liqueur, were served throughout the evening. Perhaps it was the Ty Ku. Conversation at my table—which was peopled by Flo Pesenti (winner of Season 3 of The Amazing Race); Fashion Police hosts Bobbie Thomas and Robert Verdi; a producer from the Today show; New York Times Styles writer Lola Ogunnaike; and publicist to the stars Liza Anderson—was spirited and ranged from "the new liposuction" to New York real estate to Verdi's jacket, which he claimed—for about a millisecond—was a holdover from his high-school band days. He quickly let on—lest anyone call the fashion police on him—that it was, indeed, by Marc Jacobs. Entertainment for the night included a live performance by Def Jam recording star Chrisette Michele, and one by an aerobatic artist who writhed above the crowd in a large sheet suspended from the ceiling. (See video clip below.) Actor Kevin Spacey took his spot in a deserted VIP area, while my friends Jon Benjamin, the deputy consul general of Britain to the United States and Deborah Berebichez waited (in vain?) for David Bowie to show up. All in all, it was a night that did Buddha proud. The Institute for Civic Leadership (ICL) is a non-profit organization created to provide young people with the training and tools they need to effect change, empowering them to make a difference both on a local level and in the world at large. For more information, visit iclny.org. %%showphotos [setid=72157602747645062]%%