Posts Tagged ‘Leon Birnbaum’

Leon Birnbaum, patriarch of Chez Leon, was in formal attire to serve a gaggle of generous donors to the St. Louis Symph  for the privilege of dinner at the Clayton restaurant.  Each of whom paid $175 for the meal included: Susan Pribble; Shepherd Abrams; Peggy Symes; Daniel and Sharon Ward; Stu Keck and Roger Bernhardt. Birnbaum waived the tariff as a gesture of his passion for the orchestra.

The best restaurant in town is a good one in which you are known to the owner; the second best is the one that serves consistently good food whether the owner knows you or not. That’s Leon Birnbaum at his new Chez Leon in Clayton all over. Is it a religious experience? Hell no!  We’ve all been bored in church, temple or mosque.  There’s nothing to be boring about. The classic French cuisine bourgeois prepared by chef Colby Erhart or the lounge lizards, who swoon over the interiors, created by Birnbaum and Dan Byrne. “It’s Selkirk chic!,” exclaimed hair stylist-to-the-stars Randall Jones of Larz Salon to his best pal, the stunning Elizabeth Danforth Sankey, heiress to Bill Danforth. “Yes, more urbane than urbane,” added Sanky. She informed the columnist that she and Elizabeth “Lydie” Wallace have bowed an estate jewelry buying and selling firm, Elizabeth’s Estate. A few tongues wagged about Trudy Busch‘s 84th birthday on the day before and that she was much too ill to celebrate. Here ‘n there were Linda and Tony Karakas with Janet and Smith McGehee, who celebrated the birth of triplet grandchildren.  Genya and Jim Human, along with Steve Anstey, were there praising the sales at the Janet McAfee real estate office. . .

Downtown at Tony’s, Kelly and Blues CEO Peter McLoughlin were bullish about the team and he lamented,  “I wish Dave Checketts had bought the Rams.”  Bryan Cave mouthpiece Harold Blatt with his charming Elaine graced a table with Marilyn and Bernard “Bunny” Edison, whose family empire, Edison Bros. Shoes, collapsed under the stewardship of Andy Newman and Martin Sneider, who had been teaching essentials of retailing at WashU (go figure!).  Also at Tony’s, barrister Gerard Carmody and his wife, Susan, with their daughter Ryann, settled down after a retreat at the Four Seasons with his law firm, Carmody MacDonald. . .

Over at Beffa’s there was celebration over the upcoming nupts of Rachel Crocker (Eureka, Mo.’s Byrnes Hills Stables, LLC) and Robert Brake (Brake Landscaping and Lawncare, Inc.) with his uncle, former cop Ed Beffa. . .

And, at the Palladium party house on Fourteenth Street and Park Avenue, a sumptuous feedbag and cocktails were underway, when the columnist arrived to join in the launching of the EcoLifeSTL.com website and the honors awards presented to the City of St. Louis, AmerenUE’s PurePower and Sustainable St. Louis.  They were chosen for significant contributions they make to promote and encourage Green living in the region.  Said Mayor Francis Slay, “The greatest way to recycle in St. Louis is to save historic buildings like the one we’re in tonight.  The Greenest building is one that already exists and also preserves history.”  Cindy Bambini accepted the award on behalf of PurePower,AmerenUE’s voluntary renewable energy program, and she noted, “Currently, there are 6,000 residential and 200 businesses PurePower customers receiving 100 percent of their energy from the five wind farms in our area.” Emmis Broadcasting’s John Beck was front ‘n center getting plaudits on the broadcast chain of stations involvement in promoting the program.  John Weber of Wells Fargo and his soon-to-marry Jennie Logan of KPNT, The Point radio station, chain smoked as Weber joshed about energy, “Before we left the house, I turned on all the lights, left the fridge door open, turned up the heat and turned on the microwave.”

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WITH THE POLICE COMMISSION:  St. Louis police commissioner Vince Bommarito, owner of the award-winning Tony’s restaurant downtown and shoo-in candidate for Best Uncle of the Year, now has a public relations agent to deal with the simmering (and sauteing?) controversy swirling around his Mardi Gras Get Our of Jail Free call to a St. Louis police supervisor.  Savvy Peggy Lents, who also reps the Missouri Botanical Garden, is now speaking for him.

“We call it The Cure,” offered do-gooder Dr. Matt German, who commandeered the Food Outreach fund-raiser at Soulard Preservation Hall.  “It consists of wine, fruit and grain alcohol. It’s full of antioxidants and it’s my own formula.  After all, drinking should be healthy.”  German expected to raise $50,000 at the party in the hall, built in 1893 and lovingly remodeled by Aaron Novack and his team as a party place. Clear Channel’s Beth Davis, surrounded by pals, tipped that her partner, Suzy Stone, is coming here from Houston “to run Macy’s downtown.”  The ever-charming volunteer Norma Stern howled, when she described two rings interior designer Jack Brandt contributed for an upcoming auction.  “They are worthless,” lamented Stern. “But he also contributed a week’s stay in one of his condos.” With Stern was Rolph Komlos, who heralded an early December opening of Leon Birnbaum’s Chez Leon in the Clayton spot, where Bistro Alexander once stood at 7927 Forsyth. Both Stern and Komlos are presently working on Mental Health Association of America’s Snow Ball on Dec. 4 at the Ballpark Hilton at which Sen. Kit Bond and the United Way will be presented Silver Awards.  Food Outreach provides nutritional support for people with AIDS and cancer  -  a cause dear to Dr. Darren Wethers of St. Mary’s Health Center, who said, “There’s been a 10 percent rise here of HIV among women and Hispanics.” Here ‘n there were: fashion scribe Debra Bass with Victor Guallar; Kim Miller; Mary Nardoni; Diana and Bob Jackson (she owns Brinkman Security and he owns Courion Mfg. Co.); Paul Holst, Tracy Johnson and Jenny Consolino, who surrounded Mark Erney, owner of The Loading Zone and Ernie’s 32. Victuals were provided by Bar Italia, Moxy’s and caterer extraordinaire Bryan Young, to name a few.

Bommarito

At the hot spot, Lester’s, Martha and Vince Bommarito confided to boniface Lester Miller t’other day, that their Tony’s Restaurant’s customers are ordering 40 percent seafood. It was eatery day at Lester’s. Nearby were Chris Dorr, bosssman of Paddy O’s, and at another table, Mary and Al Baker of yesteryore’s Al Baker’s… Look for Leon Birnbaum, who has sold his CWE Chez Leon, to move his talents to the 7900 block of Forsyth in Clayton. . .The recession has hit at the 84 year-old Sam Light Loans (and pawn shop), on Jefferson at

Light

Olive. “Some customers are pawning stuff and can’t get the items out, because of unemployment,” offered Ron Light. . . Sam Kacar will bow a third Trattoria Branica restaurant in January at 138 Chesterfield Town Center (off Long Road) with Peppe Prosecar as GM…