IT was a food lover’s fantasy at the gala opening party for the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel.
At a live auction to benefit City Harvest, one of the items sold was a dinner for 20 prepared in the hotel’s presidential suite by chefs Daniel Boulud, Alain Ducasse, Eric Ripert, Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Noriyuki Sugie, the hotel’s chef at Asiate.
One lucky foodie shelled out $35,000 for the dinner of a lifetime. We promised not to reveal his name until all his invites go out.
* Geisha, the Japanese-themed, David Rockwell-designed eatery that was supposed to open last year, will open to the public Dec. 11, at 33 E. 61st St.
Owners Fabio Granato and Vittorio Assaf, of Serafina restaurant fame, will host a splashy opening party there on Dec. 10.
The eatery will feature cuisine of Le Bernardin‘s Eric Ripert, who helped create the menu prepared by executive chef Michael Vernon, who was Ripert’s longtime sous chef.
The 135-seat two-level space – with gold-leafed marbled walls, pillows made from geisha uniforms, intricate back lighting and traditional touches – will also feature an ornate sushi bar, lounge and dramatic tatami room.
* It may be rushing the season a tad, but tickets to the Food & Wine Magazine Classic in Aspen, set for the third weekend in June, are on sale.
The foodie summit, in its 22nd year, attracts more than 5,000 visitors to its cooking seminars and food and wine tastings.
Those expected to attend include Wolfgang Puck, Bobby Flay, Danny Meyer and Jacques Pépin.
Tickets cost $825 before March 15 and $925 thereafter. For info, call 1-877-900-WINE.
* Rumblings: We hear that restaurateur David Emil – proprietor of Noche and Beacon – is cooking up a deal with chef Michael Lomonaco to bring a large food service operation to Midtown.
* Gadget of the Week: the Wine Clip. According to the manufacturer, the magnetic device, which attaches to the bottle neck, promises to remove impurities from wine as you pour, thereby improving the taste. It’s $49.95 from thewineclip.com.
