September 28, 2007 | Food + Drink

Let Them Eat Cake

Sometimes life calls for a little bit of indulgence. For me, last night was definitely one of those times.

I started my evening at the home of society hostess, Tracy Stern, where I found myself embracing her famous mantra, “enjoy life, drink tea, celebrate often.” Just back from a whirlwind trip to Paris for the launch of her new tea salon at Franck et Fils, the indefatigable Stern hosted a party for friends that featured delicious vanilla and chai tea martinis (made with Navan vanilla liqueur) and a selection of sweet delectables created by the French caterer, Tentation, Potel & Chabot, from recipes in her new book, Tea Party.

An eclectic group of guests from European social Coralie Charriol Paul to fashion eccentric Patrick McDonald lounged in the spacious and opulent home, which we were told once belonged to comedian Rodney Dangerfield. The sweet theme continued from food and drink and became a full sensory experience with vanilla scented hand massages and henna tattoos in the form of the Navan Vanilla Orchid all orchestrated by publicist Susan Shin.

I began to wonder why we all couldn’t have dessert for dinner every night? My next stop was the 10th Anniversary of Payard Pâtisserie & Bistro (1032 Lexington Avenue, 212-717-5252) where I was determined to discuss this dilemma with François Payard himself (who coincidentally wrote the forward to Stern’s book). When I finally tracked down the world famous pastry chef, we asked Payard if he had a favorite dessert among all of his incredible pastry creations. After some deliberation, Payard wouldn’t choose just one but did remind us of his new, upcoming restaurant at Caeser’s Palace in Las Vegas where, he said with a twinkle in his eye, “you can eat dessert all day long.”

We couldn’t help but thinking that Marie Antoinette would have loved it.