It's not every night you see Henry Kissinger in the same room with gadfly Eli Mizrahi, whose hand was eternally glued to the ass of Russian model Masha Rudenko. Indeed, this was a special occasion, the 50th anniversary of the Four Seasons Restaurant. The Moët & Chandon flowed as hundreds of high profile guests milled around the shimmering marble pool and in the legendary Grill Room, nibbling on sushi, rabbit sausage, foie gras, lobster with truffles, and tiny cones filled with salmon. The gracious charms of owners Alex von Bidder and Julian Niccolini attracted the likes of Salman Rushdie, Jay McInerney, Ruth Reichl, Barry Diller, Mort Zuckerman, designers Ralph Lauren, Erin Fetherston, Thom Browne and Nicole Miller, restaurateurs Drew Nieporent and Jeffrey Chodorow, the adorable documentary filmmaker Albert (Grey Gardens) Maysles, Star Jones, Hoda Kotb and Deborah Norville (air-kissing and gushing to acquaintances, "Have a super summer!"). To continue the 1959-2009 celebration, the restaurant is offering a three-course prix-fixe menu for $59. Just make sure you go to the restaurant at 99 E. 52nd St., and not the nearby Four Seasons hotel. www.fourseasonsrestaurant.com

Photo by Patrick McMullan