Chow Family Chowder

(NEW YORK) "I'm normally down there eating," said DJ Cassidy from his upstairs booth at Mr.Chow 30th anniversary bash last night. "Today I feel like I'm feeding everyone with some music soul food." He wasn't kidding. For its big birthday party, Michael and Eva Chow opted out of an expected, intimate lavish dinner. Instead, they cleared out the uptown restaurant's furniture, invited Cassidy to spin, turned up the volume, and made sure people were dancing--at least for one night. "I'm almost never uptown," said Thakoon Panichgul. "But this sure doesn't feel stuffy."

The busy hosts had a lot of well-wishers to attend to. Mischa Barton, Mary Boone, Daniel Benedict and Andrew Saffir, John Demsey, Terrence Koh, Helen and Tim Schifter, and Hamish Bowles were just a few of the faces who sipped champagne and gobbled up Beijing-inspired treats that ranged from dumplings to shrimp toasts to lobster. "I feel as if we opened yesterday," smiled Michael Chow. "It was a dream! And I probably only look young because it's all done with mirrors, but let's hope for another 30."

As for his favorite memories? "This was always an artist haven," the owner proudly pointed out. "We always promoted artists of all types, whether they were painters, classical musicians, or actors. Andy was here all time and so was Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring. And they didn't like to leave!" Brooke Shields had her own mementos. "I've been sitting at these tables since I was basically a child," she shared. "I don't think I could say the same thing about my own dining room!"
VALENTINE UHOVSKI