WINE AND DINE
By Kim Devore/ Entertainment Writer
DIFFA pulled out all the stops once again hosting one of the city’s most beautiful dinner parties, known as Dining by Design. The Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS calls in the country’s top decorators and chefs to put on a fabulous feast for the eyes and pleasures for the palate.
Guests were greeted by a parade of waiters ferrying platters of succulent lobster and ahi, surrounded by peony blossoms and fragrant gardenias.
Every one of the 40 tables was a treat. In one corner, you’d find an elegant wrought-iron gazebo festooned with ivy, golden orchids and red autumn pears. In the next, you’d stumble upon a royal Russian affair with glittering gold-rimmed porcelain, hand-cut crystal, lush mink throws and a massive container of blood-red roses.
There was every imaginable style from Chinese minimalist with towering bamboo and black lacquer to a French l’orangerie complete with geometric topiaries and a totally shagadelic Austin Powers blast-to-the-past, with day-glow carpeting and fabulous Formica.
At the center of all this stood a huge emerald octagon. Its entrance was flanked by a pair of beefy gold-painted guards who weren’t wearing much more than a smile and their sizable tattoos.
The talented tabletop designers included Dolores Kroop for Padua/DK Designs, Armani Casa and J. Robert Scott. Many of these polished pros are prepared for any contingency. New York designer David Beahm (famous for the Michael Douglas-CZJ wedding) found himself in a bit of a pickle when his very expensive custom-made table was stuck on a truck somewhere in the Midwest. Unfazed, he charged into Target and managed to find everything he needed.
Perhaps the most unusual table came courtesy of the NBC sitcom “Scrubs.” In keeping with the medical theme, huge operating lamps served as chandeliers, X-rays were used as wall hangings and a centerpiece was created out of laboratory beakers filled with gem-colored liquids and gerber daisies in a rainbow of hues.
After a round of cocktails and one last look at the various creations, the crowd settled into a delicious feast of sirloin and fresh veggies followed by a decadent chocolate-chocolate dessert.
The evening’s entertainment included a gravity-defying performance by Cirque du Soleil and a quick switch to K.C. and Sunshine Band for die-hards who wanted to boogie the rest of the night away. And with that, they celebrated the perfect end to a delightfully eclectic and appetizing evening.