One 'Good' Turn Deserves Another

It was an evening of fabulous photographs and philanthropy at the Chelsea Art Museum last night. Award-winning celebrity photographer Brian Marcus exhibited and auctioned off his moving series Malawi: Images of Progress to benefit Goods for Good, a non-profit organization that finds surplus products from U.S. corporations and funnels them to vulnerable children in the developing world, principally in Malawi and Haiti. The organization provides necessary school supplies, clothing, health and hygiene products to many children in need while also reducing waste at home. Its motto? Making Progress out of Excess.
                   
More than 500 New Yorkers sipped on cocktails donated by Voli Vodka and enjoyed delicious hors d’oeuvre from Newman and Leventhal Caterers while bidding on their favorite photos. Minimum bids started at $500 per print, and some sold for nearly $2,000 each; all but three of the fifty had buyers.

Through ticket sales and a silent auction, the event raised just under $60,000, a portion of which will go to Goods for Good’s work in Haiti, helping to rebuild the lives of orphans.
 
Atlas Florist, Bianca Blag Total Entertainment, Espon, Hank Lane Music, Leather Craftsman, More than Music, Yale Framing, Pegasus Productions and Fred Marcus Photography generously donated goods and services to make the evening a success. Notable guests included Malawian Ambassador to the U.N. Steven Matejne, Alex Charriol, Kipton Cronkite, Soraya Dorabi, Kate Dylan, gallerist Talia Eisenberg, Keren Eldad, Melissa Foss, illustrator Alessandra Olanow, Emma Snowdon-Jones, Raj Tolaram, Annabel Vartanian and Goods for Good founder Melissa Kushner.

For more party pics, click here.

—WENDY FURRER

Wendy Furrer is a journalist whose work can be seen at wendyfurrer.com.

Showing Concern

A silent auction, flowing Champagne and the sounds of DJ Evalicious made for a great time tonight at 1OAK, in the Meatpacking District. A hastily thrown together Haiti benefit for the relief efforts of both Edeyo and Concern Worldwide, the event drew some of the city's most glamorous personalities. Emcee Nigel Barker promised that he will continue to help shepherd such parties for Haiti in years to come, owing to the massive needs in the Caribbean nation, inequities that, sadly, will not be vanishing anytime in the near future.

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Lexus Achieves New Nexus

Tonight, carmaker Lexus took the wraps off a top-of-the-line sportscar to be known as the LFA. The matte black vehicle on display was surely worthy of Batman and appropriately enough, Gotham sat up and took notice.

At a cocktail party held at Espace, the sportscar took its rightful place at center stage, where guests ogled the hand-built auto, which has a V-10 engine capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 in 3.6 seconds. Lexus luxury partners on-hand to celebrate the debut included Pratesi linens, Soolip paperie, Napa Valley Vintners, Riedel Crystal, Marquis Jet and concierge service Quintessentially.

Reportedly, only 500 LFAs will be produced; the car, a 2011 model, will carry a sticker of $375,000. Clearly, being Batman is not an inexpensive proposition.

Beach Weather

Temps outside may be chilly, but New Yorkers' hearts have certainly kept warm with the many fundraisers that have sprung up in the past week and a half to support relief efforts in Haiti.

One such party, held to bolster the efforts of UNICEF on the island, was held at Niiki Beach midtown. Cost of entry ($20-$30) was a small price to pay for the opportunity to help our Caribbean neighbor. Not to mention catching up with friends over good music and a mojito created by Nikki Beach mixologist Sebastian Norena.

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Our Plea: Get Thee to Pleiades

After giving Café Boulud a beautiful renovation last fall, the indefatigable Daniel Boulud also birthed Bar Pleiades, site of tonight’s Winter Cocktail party benefit for Citymeals on Wheels.  Pleiades mixologist Cameron Bogue (left) busily delivered creation after creation to the dapper crowd. Of his three exceedingly exciting cocktails, the Gourd-geous Sling, with butternut squash purée, left us appreciatively dumbfounded (How seasonal! How brilliant!) Drinks aside (but only momentarily), we couldn’t help but munch on the elegant creations being passed around from Chef Gavin Kaysen (Café Boulud). Guest chefs Nate Appleman (Pulino’s Bar & Pizzeria), George Mendes (Aldea), and Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook (LA’s Animal) scattered themselves around the room, amicably plating and chatting with guests. Our favorite canapé was Animal’s chicken liver paté, a demonstration of bold flavor artfully spread under drops of pear and mustard (wacka, wacka, wacka!) The intimate and classy bar, with niches of beige quilted, Chanel handbag-inspired walls, is one you’ll find us returning to soon. Particularly when we have the chance to support such a worthy cause.

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A Pearl of a Pairing

Yesterday's Geyser Peak and The Crossings Wine & Oyster day was an illumination for our palates.  While we've seen the gamut of supposed pairings, it's not often that they work terribly well (a complementary taste profile makes only half the point.)  So, imagine our wonder (and bliss!) when we sat down to lunch in Grand Central Station's Oyster Bar and bit into a salty, briny oyster (a rather offensive taste, actually!) only to cocoon from the attack via the transformative powers of a single sip of Geyser Peak's 2009 Pinot Grigio.  What had transpired was nothing short of alchemy!  The combination of these two distinct items resulted in something altogether new, absolutely delicious, and addicting.  It was a state of taste more elusive than umami, and could only be attained from eating these two specific items in sequence. We are hooked. This was a true pairing.
 
While Geyser Peak and The Crossing’s wines can be appreciated in a multitude of ways, you simply can’t pass up the opportunity to experience these pairings yourself, and invent new ones!

Why Should Tots Have All the Fun?

Dogs like toys, too, and for that reason (but also because every dog deserves a good loving home), Animal Fair's Wendy Diamond held a benefit party last night at Cipriani Wall Street in support of the Humane Society of New York. With their dogs in tow, spirited city dwellers turned out to sample a bit of holiday cheer while letting their pets get to know each other a little better. A very svelte Santa even showed up for the festivities, as you'll see in the photo album here.

In the Cookie Spirit

Foodie Matt Timms, the man who has previously brought to Brooklyn "takedowns" featuring foods from fondue to bacon, threw a pre-holiday Cookie Takedown this afternoon and the results were nothing short of scrumptious. Held at the Bell House, in Park Slope, the high-stakes contest was not for the sugar-averse, but for connoisseurs of home-made goodness in small packages, the price of admission was well worth it.

Of the thirty entrants, the top three prizes (as awarded by the judges) went (in descending order) to Nicholetta Canaras, for her Choca-ho-lick’s Cookie; R. Tianna Lawrence, for a Death By Chocolate Chipp’d Cookie; and Melissa Denchak, for her Oatmeal-Apple-Cranberry Crumb Cookie. Yum! To level the playing field, there was also a People's Choice award. Tied for first-place as voted by the event's attendees were Rachel Anderson, for her Nacho Cookie (yes, Virginia, you read that right) and Emily Hanhan, for her Not Your Mama’s Chocolate Chip Cookie. (If you're interested in trying that recipe, check out Emily's blog, here.) In second place was Aimee Bariteau, for her take on Oreo cookies. (Watch out, Nabisco!)

Do you have a favorite cookie recipe? If so, send it to us here, and we'll publish it for all to share and try. For more Cookie Takedown pics, click here. Photos by Zoe Timms.

The Holiday Rush

The Supper Club of New York helped its members get into the spirit of the season last night, during a special open house dinner at The Rushmore, a brand-new high-rise tower on the Hudson River. In a sprawling home with windows absolutely everywhere, members of the Supper Club, along with guests from Zink magazine (a co-host of the party) enjoyed cocktails made with whiskey from fellow co-host (rī)1, and dined on food prepared by caterer Brooklyn Laundry.

Among the notable attendees included Richie Rich, Chris Coffee, Susan Shin, Sean Stone, Mark Baker and Count Max Tucci. There was no sign of Santa, however, who will most certainly be getting a few wish-list requests for this apartment. Combined with the penthouse right above it, the space can be configured as a duplex, and if Mr. Claus can scape up the dough, can be yours for $12.5 million. (More details here.) If you've been naughty this year rather than nice, you may as well start calculating your mortgage.

For more party pics, click here. (All photos by Kyle Dean Reinford.)

If You Have to Ask How Much...

One can always dream, right? Christie's expects the Evening Star diamond, which was plucked from the Golconda mines of India, to sell for anywhere between $3.6 and $5.5 million. It is part of the Magnificent Jewels from a Distinguished Private Collector sale, which takes place next Thursday, December 10. In addition, Bulgari, which is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, will be auctioning off jewelry and watches with a total value of $4 million at Christie's on December 8. Proceeds will go to Save the Children's Rewrite the Future project.

If you like sparkle, you'd better reserve your paddle now.