You think you know, but you have no idea.
Two weeks ago, Le Cirque Cafe was all that jazzed in New York City’s Midtown. With “Musical Mondays,” Le Cirque invites you, not to a regular night of jazz, but French jazz! The lineup includes: The Avalon Jazz Band, Sabrina Wender, Danny Nye, Chris Norton…and more. In honor of such new addition (and you all know how big of a fan I am of the team and marvelous food at Le Cirque,) we wanted to make sure you knew all there is to know about New York City’s legendary institution.
You think you know, but you have no idea. Here are 25 things you didn’t know about…Le Cirque.
25. A Table of Heaven – That was the title of a documentary featuring Le Cirque’s major move from the Palace Hotel to its current location in the Bloomberg building.
24. M is the word – All three of Sirio Maccioni’s sons have names that begin with the letter M: Mario, Marco and Mauro.
23. Happy New Year with the stars – To ring in 2013, both Martha Stewart and Woody Allen were spotted dining with loved ones at the restaurant in New York.
22. Around the world – Besides NYC and Las Vegas, there are Le Cirque restaurants in other parts of the world as well, including: India and Dominican Republic.
21. La crème de la crème – Did you know that all the fun in ordering the famous crème brûlée at Le Cirque is discovering the recipe at the bottom of the plate? Order one, and you’ll see it for yourself!
20. The Donald Loves… – Donald Trump has always been a regular at the famous restaurant, and a good friend of Sirio. His favorite dish? The flipper.
19. All at sea! – You can spend a evening at Le Cirque when cruising on Holland America Line!
18. Restauranteur of the US! – In 2008, Sirio Maccioni won Gayot’s much coveted award. Way to go, Sirio!
17. The show must go on – Since its inception in 1974, Le Cirque has called three places home: Mayfair Hotel, the Palace Hotel (1997) and now the Bloomberg Tower (since 2006).
16. Branding power – The success of Le Cirque gave birth to Circo, a sophisticated family dining experience based on Egi’s (Sirio’s wife) personal Italian recipes. In addition, Sirio Ristorante has a more contemporary and sleeker atmosphere.
15. TV stardom – Sirio has appeared as a guest judge on Top Chef and 48th Annual Miss Universe Pageant.
14. With “the ladies who lunched” – Sirio was maitre-d at the Colony Restaurant. Yes, the one that Truman Capote went to often as well, with those “ladies who lunched”. When the restaurant closed, many clients followed Sirio and came to Le Cirque.
13. One word, one star: Michelin – Le Cirque in Las Vegas, located at the Bellagio Hotel, was awarded with one Michelin star in 2007. The brand has always maintained its quality and status as one of the top restaurants in the US.
12. “The skinny Italian guy who didn’t speak English” – Yup, that’s how everyone in New York referred to Sirio.
11. Jackie O’s sweet tooth: It’s been said that, Jacqueline Onassis once ate six desserts at Le Cirque. If you’ve tried all of them, believe me, you would do the same too.
10. The Story of My Life and Le Cirque – Sirio wouldn’t be a brand if he didn’t publish a book. The Story of My Life and Le Cirque recounts his personal tales behind a lifelong journey from Italy to New York City.
9. Spotted! – Over the years, Le Cirque has been a favorite among the biggest Hollywood stars, historical politicians, flamboyant socialites and foodies like you and me. Some of the guest lists have included: The Pope, Andy Warhol, US Presidents, Ivana Trump, Robert De Niro…the list goes on.
8. Secret to success – Sirio deals with the most demanding clienteles in the world, but his secret is: being able to deliver on those people’s desires and understanding them. Never judge them.
7. 45 and going strong – Sirio has been married to his wife, Egidiana, for forty-five years now. Both are from the same town in Italy. Egi was a singer and performed a show in Carnegie Hall in 1963.
6. Daniel Boulud, enough said. – Bet you had no idea that the famous French chef was an executive chef at Le Cirque from 1986 to 1992.
5. Ladies first – Le Cirque always ends each meal with a signature chocolate jewelry box , given especially to female customers. Quite a lovely and divine touch.
4. Cottage cheese! – Sirio says, a customer who doesn’t challenge him, is sometimes boring. It’s cottage cheese!
3. Howard Stern – In 2008, when he married model, Beth Ostrosky, it was held at Le Cirque with famous faces in attendance: Barbara Walters, Kelly, Ripa, Jimmy Kimmel…and more.
2. Business and pleasure – Some of the most beautiful people arrive at Le Cirque since the day it opened its doors. Sirio always knew never to mix business with pleasure. “Some women wondered if I was gay, but I always knew: ‘when you work, you have to keep that line drawn.’ You make a mistake with a woman, it could become the end of everything.” Sirio once said to me.
1. Why Le Cirque? – Sirio has always wanted to capture the dynamic sense the circus. His philosophy of a great restaurant is: eat, drink and be merry.
