COULD the 50th anniversary roast of the owners of the Four Seasons restaurant, in the modernist temple of Manhattan power dining, break through the
conventions of good, clean publicity fun and actually draw blood The restaurateur Drew Nieporent, left, with Julian Niccolini, one of the owners of the Four Seasons, at the restaurant’s 50th anniversary gala. As when the chef and restaurateur allowed, to considerable laughter, that “the only thing these guys know about food is how much to charge for it.” The recipients of the barbs, whom the restaurateur dubbed “the Siegfried and Roy of the restaurant business,” were Julian Niccolini, 56, and Alex von Bidder, 58. The two immigrant restaurant toilers, who arrived in New York three decades ago with little more than their abilities, began working in the Four Seasons in the mid-1970s, managed to become partners in its purchase in 1995 and, along the way, have strived to maintain its reputation as a place that could be termed the nation’s most powerful lunchroom. The public goring on May 5 unfolded at a sold-out event before 250 diners, many of them regulars, who paid $300 a plate for 1999 Dom Pérignon, roasted loin of spring rabbit with morels and the privilege of savoring the spectacle at a charity gala benefiting Citymeals-on-Wheels. “They tell me I get to say all the things I say behind your back to your face,” said , owner of Le Cirque. So, he did, mentioning that it is a Tuscan tradition “that if you have a good friend, you try to sleep with his wife.” He gazed at Mr. Niccolini. “I asked. She said no.” Laughter.
To be fair, Mr. Maccioni offered some praise to Mr. von Bidder and Mr. Niccolini. “They created the modern restaurant industry as we know it,” Mr. Maccioni said, “turning tables so quickly they had to put a revolving door on the street.” He then admitted to some envy. “The average age of your clientele is 91, one year younger than mine, and I am jealous.”