Erotic, Hypnotic

The National Arts Club showed off its lusty side last night (who knew?) during a night devoted to the study of eroticism. Hosted by artist Annika Connor and designer Danielle Schachter, the evening featured theatercraft, music, visual art and even an exploration of chocolate as an aphrodisiac. Engaging just about every sense (with the excpetion of touch) the salon was designed to titllate, and did not disappoint. Capping off the evening with Champagne and "Love Potion" bon bons by chocolatier Jacques Torres, the night's guests could not help but exit the Gramercy Park landmark feeling a little frisky. Anyone who didn't clearly wasn't paying attention.

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(Image at left is a portrait by photographer Sol Lang.)

I'll Get You, My Pretty!

You'd have to believe that the after-party for a Broadway show called "Reasons to Be Pretty" would not be lacking in beautiful people. And sure enough, it wasn't. Neil LaBute's play opened at the Lyceum Theater last night and the stage door was scarcely closed for the night when the gushing critical reviews started pouring in—and buzzing around the post-show bash, which was held at Hudson Terrace. Among the boldface names in attendance included the show's cast members, Marin Ireland, Steven Pasquale, Piper Perabo and Thomas Sadowski, as well as actors Anson Mount (left), Saturday Night Live's Rachel Dratch, Tae Diggs and his pregnant wife, Idina Minzel and Jenny Powers, now starring in the off-Broadway show "Happiness." Apart from winning mad props from the critics, "Reasons to Be Pretty" also deserves praise for its tongue-in-cheek URL: www.doesthisplaymakemelookfat.com. As for the guests at last night's party, the answer to that question was a definitive no.

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You Oughta Be in My Pictures

If the image that comes to mind when you think "St. Patrick's Day party" is one of ample Guinness and drunken renditions of "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling," you clearly don't know Patrick McMullan. The celebrity photographer (a protégé of Andy Warhol), chronicler of über-glam Manhattan for more than three decades, threw a party in the name of his patron saint last night, and the scene was anything but traditional. With a guest list peopled by the faces McMullan photographs at high-profile outings throughout the year, the party teemed with models, social climbers and other fixtures of the New York nightlife scene. DJ Gant Johnson kept the mood lively, as did a series of dancers in various states of (green) undress. Though the party space (the appropriately named Greenhouse, in SoHo) was beyond packed, anyone fortunate enough to have gotten inside knew better than to leave early. The people-watching (as curated by McMullan's trained eye) was exceptional—even by New York standards.

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Fêting Fatty Crab

From the moment word first leaked that West Village foodie hangout Fatty Crab might be coming to the Upper West Side, residents of that nabe—which not too long ago was known as Manhattan's "culinary wasteland"—were aflutter. That was November 2006 and in the more than two years hence, the unusually long foreplay that preceded the restaurant's arrival did nothing to dampen the buzz. And that's a good thing, because at last, Fatty Crab Upper West will unlock its doors to the public—this Wednesday night. Owner Zak Pelaccio threw a a sneak preview party on Saturday evening and anyone lucky enough to have been on his invite list got a sampling of some of the best Malaysian cuisine this side of Kuala Lumpur. The cocktails (especially the Fatty Sour) were pretty darn good, too. Yes, indeed: some things are worth traveling for. Even if getting there means taking the 1 train north of Columbus Circle.

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