When OpenTable is a co-host of your party, you know the meal is going to be better than good. Such was the case last night when Bach Mai invited guests to a dinner at Le B, the West Village-based concept from chef and restaurateur Angie Mar (of The Beatrice Inn and, most recently, Les Trois Chevaux).
At around 6 PM, guests like Misty Copeland (a longtime patron of Mai), actor Bailey Bass, and Vogue’s own Leah Faye-Cooper and Jose Criales-Unzueta gathered in the gorgeously appointed dining room, whose lustrous curtains had been pulled taught shut for added drama. Most everyone had been thoughtfully dressed by Mai, so suffice it to say, the room was filled with velvet, duchess satin, and a few bomber jackets (a Bach Mai signature).
After a 1-hour cocktail, during which Mar’s sent out decadent fried chicken legs in crystal bowls, everyone took their seat for a three-course dinner. But first, welcome remarks from OpenTable’s CEO Debby Soo. “If you like this dress, it’s too bad because I bought the last one at Neiman Marcus!” she teased.
Next, Mar took the floor. “I love to be surrounded by beautiful things, beautiful artwork, and incredibly creative people, so when I met Bach, I immediately was like, his designs are for me, and I’m gonna make him a part of my world, and so I did…alright, I have to go back to the kitchen—the food does not cook itself!”
After main courses of Le B’s signatures like salmon filet or roast duckling with cherries flambé, Mai then rose to welcome and thank his guests. “So many of you have been there since the first collection; it’s been just a little over two and a half years—the longest and shortest, two and a half years of my life!—since the first launch, and I really wanted to bring everyone together for a beautiful evening.”