Let Them Eat (And Paint) Cake

Art and cake. Last night, midtown art gallery Haunch of Venison hosted Cake Happenings, an event presented by Kreemart and American Patrons of Tate. The event had dozens of beautiful New Yorkers reveling in celebration of art that tasted as good as it looked, with guests marveling over the creations put forth by paired pastry chefs and visual artists. While some duos chose to sent half-nude bodies through the crowd, others managed such ingenius concepts as a life-size Mies Barcelona lounge--which we almost sat on it until we realized it was a cake! For the "after" shot of this cake, check out our album.

Most brilliant of all were the feathers of gold left on the lips of those lucky enough to participate in the first demonstration of The Abramovic´ Experiment, a collaboration between Marina Abramovic´and Executive Pastry Chef Dominique Ansel of Daniel. As lucky cake-eaters left the session and wandered the gallery, their lips told the story of a relationship between cake and the body.

All of which inspired us to connect with something Abramovic once said: “What I think is that a good work of art must hold prediction...and must have that energy which cannot be rationally understood.” And hey, doesn’t hurt if it tastes like lychee and rose petals.

...And Everything Nice

A handful of Manhattan’s best pastry chefs gathered at Lafayette Street’s Astor Center last night to showcase sweet concoctions made with a kitchen tool called the ISI Whipper. This crafty new device helps make whipped creams, mousse, foams and dips faster than you can say “sugar and spice.” Dessert masters such as Dominique Ansel of Daniel, Johnny Iuzzini of Jean Georges, and Michael Laiskonsis of Le Bernardin each created a beautiful dessert with the Whipper. Laiskonsis contributed an olive oil “financier” with balsamic vinegar ice cream; Nancy Olson of Gramercy Tavern turned in a raspberry and rhubarb shortcake. As different as they were, each dish was delightful and delicious. Chef Heather Bertinetti of the restaurants Alto and Convivio served a lemon sgroppino, an impeccable version of blueberry pie topped with citrus whipped cream. Turns out ISI also manufactures soda cartridges, the product of which was a non-alcoholic Ligonberry Spritzer at last night’s event. ISI products are available online at www.isi-store.com—Maura Kutner

For more photos, click here.

Bravo for the Beard Awards!

David Chang, Daniel Boulud, Dan Barber and Jean-Georges Vongerichten were among the big winners at last night's James Beard Awards, held at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. The glittering evening, known to avid restaurant-goers as the Oscars of the food world, drew the industry's best an brightest for an evening of peer recognition and, of course, good eating.

Show hosts Cat Cora, Emeril Lagasse and actor Stanley Tucci did an admirable job of keeping the proceedings moving, but much like the Academy Awards, the Beard show is infamous for running long and dry. Still, enduring the speeches is always a small price to pay for the post-awards reception and after-parties. In keeping with the theme of this year's show, Women in Food, the reception featured the culinary creations of some of the nation's leading women chefs, including Lidia Bastianich, Anita Lo, Michelle Bernstein, Carrie Nahabedian and Jennifer Petrusky.

Once they moved on from Lincoln Center, guests, nominees and winners had their pick of after-parties, with the more ambitious foodies packing in several stops. New York Insider briefly checked out Bar Boulud (conveniently located across the street from Lincoln Center) before heading to Nobu 57, where Drew Nieporent was hosting a Champagne and sushi celebration. We then decamped to the Modern, where the booze was flowing, though there was not a nibble to be had. Other revelers headed downtown to Mario Batali's Otto or to Terroir, in the East Village.

All in all, it was a night of great fun and redkindled friendships—as is always the case when the hospitality world pulls out all of its stops.

For more photos, click here.

How Sweet it Was!

Last Saturday night, after a full schedule of eating par excellence, it was only fitting that New York's fooderati finally got their glucose on. In connection with the first-ever New York City Wine & Food Festival, dessert-lovers in the know descended on the West Chelsea event hot-spot la.venue (a sprawling, cavernous and gorgeous space, in case you have not yet had the pleasure) for Sweet, a showcase of confections prepared by forty-five of the city's most talented pasty chefs. Among the masters whose sugary work was available in more than ample quantity were Dominique Ansel (Daniel); Marc Aumont and Patrick Clark (The Modern); Pauline Balboa (Kyotofu); Jansen Chan (Oceana); John Fraser and Vera Tong (Dovetail); Heather Fratangelo (Spigolo); Brooks Headley (Del Posto); Johnny Iuzzini (Jean Georges); Michael Laiskonis (Le Bernardin); Richard Leach (Park Avenue Autumn); John Miele (Eighty One); Nancy Olson (Gramercy Tavern); Pichet Ong (P*ONG); François Payard (Payard Bistro); and Alex Stupak (WD-50). Sweet's invite promised "the greatest collection of sweets ever found in one location," and it did not disappoint. The delicious description further enticed with teasings of "frosted layer cakes with filling flavors you’ll love; dark chocolates infused with exotic spices that will ruin you for everyday candy bars; cookies crafted from the finest ingredients and resembling works of art; and ice-cream so rich and creamy you will dream about it for days." Indeed, it's been four days since Sweet and we're still dreaming. And dreaming. The goodie-laden evening was sponsored by Ferrero Chocolates, Perrier Jouët Champagne and Absolut Vodka. An after-party, sponsored by the Macy's Culinary Council, was held at Xchange next door. Congratulations to Lee Schrager, the mastermind who brought the the Wine & Food Festival to New York and to all of his team who helped make the inaugural event such a resounding success. We're already dieting in preparation for next year's extravaganza. In the meantime, bring on Miami Beach!

For more photos, click here.