As the CFDA Awards went down at Lincoln Center last eve, a chef-heavy crowd was mingling alfresco some 40 or so blocks south, atop Eataly at their Rooftop Birreria, to fight AIDS via the latest (RED) happening: Eat (RED) Drink (RED) Save Lives, with Mario Batali and meat kingpin Pat LaFrieda hopping on the mics to thank the crowd for supporting the cause (which, in fact, has its own hashtag, #86AIDS). The likes of Julianna Margulies, Waris Ahluwalia, Marcus Samuelsson, Wylie Dufresne, and Daniel Boulud came out for the occasion, with vino on tap (literally) and nibbles like shortrib-stuffed arancini, beef tartare on petite toasts, and citrus-cured salmon crudo skewers, plus a table brimming with hunks of parmesan, piles of prosciutto, and more. It was pretty much perfect rooftop shindig weather—as for chef April Bloomfield’s best rooftop memory, ever? “Standing and looking at the sunset over other rooftops in Marrakech,” Bloomfield recalled. Not too shabby a setting. “I’m a friend and supporter of Mario’s, and I know the (RED) organization really well,” explained Neil Patrick Harris of what lured him to the bash. But picking a fave Batali dish proved far trickier to explain. “David [Burtka], my better half, was a sous chef for Mario and staged at Babbo for awhile, so I’ve had too many multi-course meals at Babbo! His Bolognese is extraordinary.” We second that notion. Be sure to check out the national array of restos and bars turning a dish or drink rouge in honor of the (RED) endeavor, on offer until June 10.
