THE NEW YORK TIMES – MARCH 2002 – STYLE & ENTERTAINING; L.A. BOHÈME – BY PETER MCQUAID

MARCH 2002

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''WHEN WE FIRST MOVED HERE, BEFORE WE OPENED THE CAFE, AND WE DID NOT HAVE ANY MONEY, WE USED TO HAVE TOAST PARTIES,'' RECALLS RICK OWENS, INDICATING IN HIS SOFT-SPOKEN WAY THAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT WHOLE-WHEAT TOAST, NOT CHAMPAGNE. 

''WE WOULD GO DOWN TO THE DELI AND BUY SALMON AND WHITEFISH, AND THEN I WOULD SIT AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE WITH A LOAF OF BREAD AND A TOASTER AND I WOULD MAKE TOAST, AND WE WOULD PASS IT DOWN, BUCKET-BRIGADE STYLE, AND THE GUESTS WOULD PUT WHAT THEY WANTED ON THE TOAST, AND THAT WAS DINNER. WE HAD THIS INDUSTRIAL REFRIGERATOR IN THE CORNER WITH A GLASS FRONT, AND THAT WAS THE MOOD LIGHTING.''

RICK OWENS SMILES. YOU MIGHT SAY THE DESIGNER AND HIS FRENCH LADYLOVE, MICHELE LAMY, HAVE COME A LONG WAY SINCE THOSE DARK TIMES, WHEN THEY ENTERTAINED IN THREE BOMBED-OUT-LOOKING ATTACHED STOREFRONTS ON A SIDE STREET IN HOLLYWOOD, BUT YOU WOULD BE WRONG. 

THAT WAS BEFORE THE SO-CALLED HOLLYWOOD RENAISSANCE HIT THIS PART OF TOWN. BEFORE LAMY BUILT LOS ANGELES'S HOTTEST BOÎTE, LES DEUX CAFÉS, ON A PARKING LOT ACROSS THE STREET, AND BEFORE SID GRAUMAN'S EGYPTIAN DOWN THE BLOCK (YES, THE VERY SAME GRAUMAN OF GRAUMAN'S CHINESE) MORPHED INTO THE AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE, WHERE YOU CAN CATCH AN EISENSTEIN OR A GRIFFITH OR A FULLY RESTORED PRINT OF ZSA ZSA GABOR IN ''QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE.''

IN OTHER WORDS, OWENS AND LAMY HAVE STAYED PUT, AND THE REST OF THE WORLD (OR AT LEAST THE MOST INTERESTING PART OF IT) HAS COME TO THEM. AFTER YEARS OF KNOCKING AROUND ''DOING KNOCKOFFS AT KNOCKOFF COMPANIES,'' OWENS, 40, STARTED MAKING PATTERNS FOR LAMY, WHO HAD HER OWN CLOTHING LINE AT THE TIME. SINCE THEN, HE'S BEEN OUT ON HIS OWN, DESIGNING THE KIND OF ETHEREAL CLOTHES THAT THE GHOSTS AT THE CHATEAU MARMONT MIGHT WEAR, OWENS BEING PROUDLY GOTH HIMSELF. AND THE WORLD HAS STARTED TO TAKE NOTICE. HE'S SELLING AT MAXFIELD IN L.A. AND HENRI BENDEL IN NEW YORK. HE HAS NEW ITALIAN BACKING. AND OWENS'S FALL SHOW IN NEW YORK WAS FASHION WEEK'S HOTTEST TICKET. 

SO IF YOU WERE EXPECTING THOSE THREE BLACK STOREFRONTS TO HAVE HAD SOME KIND OF TONY REDO, YOU'D BE WRONG AGAIN. A REAL STUFFED MONKEY GREETS YOU AT THE DOOR. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A SMALL WINDOWED OFFICE IN THE WORKROOM AND A WATER CLOSET, TUCKED IN AMONG THE BOLTS OF FABRIC, REAMS OF CASHMERE, OLD FUR AND HANGING PATTERNS, THINGS ARE PRETTY MUCH AS THEY WERE WHEN OWENS AND LAMY FIRST MOVED IN. THERE IS NOW A GRAND PIANO IN THE MAIN ROOM – OWENS'S CHRISTMAS GIFT TO LAMY -- A THRASHED SOFA COVERED IN WHAT LOOKS LIKE MILITARY-ISSUE WOOL (THE GERMAN ARTIST JOSEPH BEUYS IS ONE OF OWENS'S INSPIRATIONS) AND A RACK OF CLOTHING. THERE IS A SHOWER ENCLOSURE OFF THE DINING ROOM-KITCHEN (BEFORE THAT, SHOWERING WAS DONE AT GOLD'S GYM) AND A MONUMENTAL PLATFORM BED COVERED IN WOOL IN THE WINDOWLESS BEDROOM, WHERE HEAT (EVEN IN L.A., IT'S COLD IN FEBRUARY) IS PROVIDED BY ONE OF THOSE PLUG-IN RADIATORS. 

THERE IS A MURAL IN THE DRESSING ROOM AND SPACE FOR THE COUPLE'S COLLECTION OF MOSTLY MONOCHROMATIC CLOTHING AND SCUFFED SHOES. BUT THE WALLS ARE WATER-STAINED AND WHAT PAINT THERE IS HANGS IN IMPERTINENT SHARDS, AND IF IT ALL SEEMS A BIT ''GREY GARDENS,'' WELL, THAT'S THE WAY OWENS AND LAMY LIKE IT. TO ENTER THEIR HOME IS TO ENTER A WORLD WHERE DECAY HAS ITS OWN INTEGRITY. 

IT'S 7 P.M. AND JAN SHARP, AN AUSTRALIAN FILMMAKER, HAS ARRIVED WITH A LATIN AMERICAN ARTIST NAMED EUVA, A RECORD PRODUCER NAMED RICKY FATAAR AND BARBARA LEARY, WHO IS IN FROM BRAZIL. 

''I LOVE IT!'' SAYS LEARY, EYEING THE RACKS OF OWENS'S CLOTHES IN THE MAIN ROOM. ''I CAN SHOP AND DINE.'' LEARY, WHO IS FIGHTING A COLD, IS SMOKING A GAULOISES THROUGH A CIGARETTE HOLDER. ''IT'S ONE WAY OF CUTTING THROUGH IT,'' SHE EXPLAINS. 

SUSAN AND HAROLD BECKER ARRIVE. HAROLD IS A DIRECTOR; SUSAN IS A COSTUME DESIGNER TURNED PRODUCER. SUSAN IS WEARING HEAD-TO-KNEE RICK. SHE HAS FINISHED OFF THE OUTFIT WITH ''COP BOOTS.'' ''I GOT THEM FROM A MOVIE I WAS WORKING ON,'' SHE EXPLAINS. ''THEY ARE SO COMFORTABLE. LET ME SHOW YOU SOMETHING,'' SHE SAYS, UNLACING THE LEFT BOOT. IT HAS A POUCH ON THE INSIDE, PERFECT FOR A SMALL REVOLVER. ''I SUPPOSE IT COULD COME IN HANDY,'' SHE SAYS, THOUGH SHE DOESN'T SEEM MUCH LIKE A PISTOL-PACKIN' MAMA. 

PAUL FORTUNE, AN INTERIOR DESIGNER AND SOMETIME ACTOR, ENTERS TO KISSES ALL AROUND. ''IT ALL LOOKS QUITE SMASHING, DOESN'T IT?'' HE SAYS OF THE INTERIOR, FESTOONED WITH CANDLES AND FLOWERS, ALL VERY ROMANCE IN A BOMB SHELTER. 

BOBBY WOODS, A COMPOSER, SLIPS IN NEXT. HE LIKES TO ACCOMPANY MICHELE WHEN SHE CAN BE COAXED INTO SINGING. THE ARTIST KONSTANTIN KAKANIAS ENTERS, ANNOUNCING WITH A SIGH, ''I AM WORKING, WORKING, WORKING.'' HE HAS A SHOW COMING UP IN NEW YORK. 

SCARLETT, MICHELE'S DAUGHTER BY THE CINEMATOGRAPHER RICHARD NEWTON, IS HERE WITH A FRIEND FROM SCHOOL. ARIANNE PHILLIPS, A STYLIST, IS GOING TO BE A BIT LATE, BUT WHERE'S VAGINAL DAVIS? VAG, RHYMES WITH MADGE, IS THE 6-FOOT-6 AFRICAN-AMERICAN DRAG QUEEN/PERFORMANCE ARTIST WHO HAS FIGURED SO PROMINENTLY IN L.A.'S UNDERGROUND. (HIS MAGAZINE ''FERTILE LA TOYAH JACKSON'' WAS AN L.A. MUST-READ.) HE IS A GREAT FRIEND OF THE HOSTS. ''SHE'LL GET HERE WHEN SHE GETS HERE,'' OWENS SAYS. 

ISIS NEAL, THE EXECUTIVE CHEF AT LES DEUX, ARRIVES WITH THE BEGINNINGS OF A FEAST – OSETRA CAVIAR ON BABY ORGANIC POTATOES, SCALLOPS WITH THREE CAVIARS, RAW OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL AND MUSSELS STEAMED IN VERMOUTH AND TARRAGON. (BESIDES A MICROWAVE, THERE IS NOTHING TO COOK WITH IN THE HOUSE; THE OCCUPANTS TAKE THEIR MEALS ACROSS THE STREET.) 

THE GUESTS NOW BEGIN TO REGROUP, TRADING GOSSIP, NEWS AND OBSERVATIONS. LEARY IS IN FRONT OF AN ENORMOUS FLOOR-LENGTH MIRROR, TRYING ON ONE OF OWENS'S CASHMERE SWEATER JACKETS. ''I DON'T KNOW,'' MURMURS RICKY FATAAR. AND TO BE FAIR, THE SHAPE OF THE SWEATER IS CHALLENGING. YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING TO ABANDON ALL NOTIONS OF BUTTONS AND ZIPPERS. LEARY, THE WIDOW OF TIMOTHY LEARY, IS NATURALLY UNDAUNTED. 

''HOW DO YOU FLING IT?'' ASKS FATAAR, LOOKING AT THE SWATH OF FABRIC HANGING FROM HER CHEST. ''DARLING!'' SHE SAYS, EYEING HERSELF IN THE MIRROR, ''YOU JUST FLING IT!'' SHE DOES. 

OWENS IS CHOOSING MUSIC. ''I DON'T KNOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK?'' HE ASKS THE VISITOR. ''JULIE LONDON? OH, WAIT,'' HE ANSWERS HIS OWN QUESTION. ''PEGGY.'' AND WHO BETTER THAN THE RECENTLY DECEASED GRANDE DAME TO ASK THE ETERNAL QUESTION ''IS THAT ALL THERE IS?''

OVER IN THE WORKROOM, LAMY HAS GATHERED A GROUP TO WATCH A 1989 VIDEO OF JEAN-PAUL GOUDE'S FRENCH REVOLUTION BICENTENNIAL PARADE ON A BATTERED TV. THE FLORIDA A & M MARCHING BAND IS GETTING DOWN DANS LA RUE IN A BIG WAY. 

LAMY, A MEMBER OF THE HOLLYWOOD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, HAS THIS DREAM TO REMAKE THE HOLLYWOOD CHRISTMAS PARADE, A CHEESY CAVALCADE OF DREARY FLOATS AND B ACTORS, INTO SOMETHING WORLD CLASS. 

FORTUNE PIPES UP. ''ALL OF THIS, THE CAFE, RICK'S CLOTHING, THIS VERY EVENING, IS ALL PART OF A MASTER PLAN TO TAKE OVER THE HOLLYWOOD CHRISTMAS PARADE.'' THE GROUP LAUGHS. IT PROBABLY IS. 

EVERYONE CROWDS AROUND THE TABLE, WHICH CONSISTS OF SEVERAL HEAVY DOORS SCAVENGED FROM THE ALLEY. CRATES SERVE AS EXTRA SEATS. BUT THERE WILL BE NO TOAST TONIGHT. INSTEAD, THERE ARE BABY LAMB CHOPS ON THE BONE, A VEGETABLE RAGOUT, COQ AU VIN AND A ROASTED BEET SALAD. 

''I REMEMBER WHEN ALL THEY HAD WAS ONE HOT PLATE AND THEY WOULD COOK MUSSELS AND THEN MICHELE WOULD GO OVER TO MCDONALD'S AND BUY BAGS AND BAGS OF FRENCH FRIES SO WE COULD HAVE MOULES ET FRITES,'' OBSERVES MICHAEL KAPLAN, A COSTUME DESIGNER. BUT TONIGHT IT IS SCALLOPS WITH THREE CAVIARS AND EVEN MORE CAVIAR IN A LARGE SCALLOP SHELL, AND, O.K., THERE IS SOME TOAST FOR THAT. 

MICHELE APPEARS IN THE DOORWAY AND ANNOUNCES IN HER SMOKY VOICE, ''VAG IS HERE.'' BUT IT COMES OUT, ''VAAAHJ EEZ HEER.'' 

''I REMEMBER BABY-SITTING FOR YOU,'' VAG TEASES THE NOW VERY SOPHISTICATED SCARLETT IN A QUASI FALSETTO. ''SHE'S SO PERFECT NOW, BUT WHEN SHE WAS YOUNG, SHE WOULD GO ON!'' 

DOWN AT MICHELE'S END OF THE TABLE, THEY ARE GOING ON ABOUT THE BRILLIANCE OF THE LIZ TAYLOR FILM ''X,Y AND ZEE,'' WHICH EVERYONE HAS SEEN RECENTLY. KAPLAN IS DESCRIBING A FUN, NASTY BAR HE VISITED IN THE EAST VILLAGE ON A RECENT TRIP TO NEW YORK. ''I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT WAS GOING ON THERE,'' HE OBSERVES. ''AND MY FRIEND WHO TOOK ME THERE ASKED ME, 'WHAT DO YOU THINK?' ALL I COULD SAY WAS ''LOVE YOUR NEW MAYOR!'' EVERYONE LAUGHS. 

AND THE TALKING CONTINUES. A DULL ROAR. AS COOKIES AND COFFEE ARE SERVED, KAPLAN BREAKS OUT A BOTTLE OF ABSINTHE AND TAKES A SWIG. ''YECH! EET IS AWFUL!'' HE EXCLAIMS. 

OWENS ADMITS TO HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY SHY AS A CHILD, AVOIDING SOCIAL CONTACT AT ALL COSTS, SO HE'S VERY PROTECTIVE OF THE FRIENDS HE HAS MADE NOW. ''IT WAS SUCH AN ARDUOUS PROCESS FOR THE BOTH OF US.'' CERTAINLY LAMY IS MORE THE BUTTERFLY, THOUGH OWENS IS FAR FROM TACITURN. ''I'M A LATE STARTER,'' HE EXPLAINS. ''I'M JUST SO GRATEFUL; IT'S ALREADY BETTER THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.'' 

IN A CITY KNOWN FOR ITS HIT-AND-RUN DINNER PARTIES, WHERE EVERYONE IS IN BY 7 AND OUT BY 9, AT OWENS AND LAMY'S THERE ARE STILL CONFIDENCES TO BE EXCHANGED, CHAMPAGNE TO BE SIPPED, COFFEE TO BE DRUNK, CIGARETTES TO BE SMOKED, COOKIES TO BE MUNCHED -- IT'S ONLY 1 A.M., AFTER ALL. 

ROASTED BEET SALAD WITH HORSERADISH CRÈME FRAÎCHE

16 TO 20 ORGANIC BABY BEETS, TRIMMED AND SCRUBBED
1 16-OUNCE HORSERADISH ROOT, SCRUBBED AND TRIMMED
1/2 CUP WALNUT OIL
1/2 CUP CHAMPAGNE VINEGAR
28-OUNCE CONTAINERS CRÈME FRAÎCHE
SALT AND PEPPER
4 CUPS ORGANIC BABY SPINACH, TRIMMED AND RINSED
4 WALNUT HALVES. 

1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 350 DEGREES. PLACE BEETS IN A ROASTING PAN AND ADD ENOUGH WATER TO COME HALFWAY UP THE SIDES OF THE BEETS. COVER WITH FOIL AND BAKE UNTIL TENDER, ABOUT 45 MINUTES. USING A SLOTTED SPOON, PUT BEETS IN A BOWL OF ICE WATER TO COOL. RUB WITH PAPER TOWELS TO REMOVE SKINS, SLICE IN HALF AND PLACE IN A BOWL. SET ASIDE. 

2. PEEL THE HORSERADISH AND CUT INTO 1/2-INCH CUBES. PLACE IN A FOOD PROCESSOR OR BLENDER AND ADD 1/4 CUP EACH WALNUT OIL AND VINEGAR. PULSE UNTIL HORSERADISH IS MEDIUM FINE, NOT PURÉED. POUR MIXTURE INTO A FINE-MESH STRAINER OR CHEESECLOTH-LINED SIEVE OVER A BOWL AND PRESS OUT LIQUID. ADD CRÈME FRAÎCHE TO LIQUID AND MIX. SEASON TO TASTE. 

3. PLACE SPINACH IN A BOWL. ADD 2 TABLESPOONS EACH WALNUT OIL AND VINEGAR AND SEASON TO TASTE. TOSS TO COAT. REPEAT THE PROCESS WITH BEETS. 

4. ON EACH OF 4 PLATES CIRCLE THE EDGES WITH BEETS AND FILL IN WITH SPINACH. MAKE ANOTHER CIRCLE OF BEETS ON TOP OF THE SPINACH AND ADD MORE SPINACH. PUT 2 BEET HALVES ON TOP WITH A WALNUT HALF. DRIZZLE THE CRÈME FRAÎCHE AROUND EACH SALAD AND SERVE. 

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS. 

COQ AU VIN WITH ROASTED VEGETABLES

FOR THE CHICKEN: 

4 WHOLE CHICKEN LEGS WITH SKIN ON
SALT AND PEPPER
2 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
8 OUNCES SMOKED SLAB BACON, CUT IN 1/4-INCH DICE OR LARDONS
2 LARGE CARROTS, PEELED AND COARSELY CHOPPED
2 LARGE ONIONS, PEELED AND COARSELY CHOPPED
1 SMALL CELERY STALK, COARSELY CHOPPED
2 GARLIC CLOVES, UNPEELED, CRUSHED
3 TABLESPOONS ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
3 CUPS RED WINE
1 SMALL BUNCH PARSLEY
1/2 BUNCH FRESH THYME, PLUS ADDITIONAL FOR GARNISH
1 BAY LEAF
1 TO 2 CUPS CHICKEN STOCK
FOR THE VEGETABLES: 
1 TABLESPOON OLIVE OIL
1 TABLESPOON BUTTER
12 BABY CARROTS, TRIMMED AND PEELED
12 CIPOLLINI ONIONS, TRIMMED AND PEELED
SALT AND PEPPER
12 CRIMINI MUSHROOMS, CLEANED, TRIMMED AND CUT VERTICALLY IN HALF. 

1. PREHEAT OVEN TO 325 DEGREES. SEASON CHICKEN WITH SALT AND PEPPER. HEAT 2 TABLESPOONS OIL IN A 5-QUART DUTCH OVEN OVER MEDIUM-HIGH HEAT, ADD CHICKEN AND BROWN. PLACE CHICKEN IN A BOWL AND SPOON OUT FAT FROM PAN. SAUTÉ TWO-THIRDS OF THE BACON IN THE PAN UNTIL BACON IS LIGHTLY BROWNED AND FAT IS RENDERED, ABOUT 5 MINUTES. PUT BACON IN A BOWL AND ADD VEGETABLES AND GARLIC TO THE PAN. SPRINKLE WITH 1 TEASPOON SALT AND 1/2 TEASPOON PEPPER. SAUTÉ UNTIL VEGETABLES START TO SOFTEN, ABOUT 5 MINUTES. SPRINKLE WITH THE FLOUR AND STIR TO COAT. COOK, STIRRING, 2 MINUTES. ADD WINE AND STIR TO BLEND. ADD CHICKEN, HERBS AND ENOUGH STOCK TO COVER. HEAT JUST TO BOILING, COVER AND PLACE IN OVEN. BAKE FOR 1 1/2 TO 2 HOURS OR UNTIL THE MEAT BEGINS TO COME OFF THE BONE. 

2. WHILE CHICKEN COOKS, SAUTÉ REMAINING DICED BACON IN A 12-INCH NONSTICK SKILLET OVER MEDIUM HEAT UNTIL CRISP. REMOVE AND SET ASIDE. RESERVE DRIPPINGS IN SKILLET. 

3. TO MAKE THE VEGETABLES, ADD 1 TABLESPOON EACH OLIVE OIL AND BUTTER TO BACON DRIPPINGS IN SKILLET. ADD CARROTS AND CIPOLLINI ONIONS AND SPRINKLE WITH SALT AND PEPPER. SAUTÉ UNTIL NICELY BROWNED, ABOUT 5 MINUTES. (BROWN VEGETABLES SEPARATELY IF USING A SMALLER SKILLET.) REMOVE TO A ROASTING PAN WITH A SLOTTED SPOON AND SET ASIDE. BROWN MUSHROOMS IN DRIPPINGS, ABOUT 3 MINUTES, AND PLACE IN A BOWL. 

4. WHEN CHICKEN IS DONE, PUT IN A LARGE BOWL WITH A SLOTTED SPOON. RAISE OVEN TEMPERATURE TO 350 DEGREES. STRAIN BRAISING LIQUID INTO A 3-QUART SAUCEPAN AND SPOON OFF FAT. BOIL UNTIL LIQUID IS REDUCED TO 2 CUPS, ABOUT 15 MINUTES. TASTE AND ADJUST SEASONING. 

5. MEANWHILE, ROAST THE CARROTS AND ONIONS IN THE OVEN UNTIL TENDER, ABOUT 10 MINUTES, ADDING MUSHROOMS THE LAST 5 MINUTES. 

6. TO SERVE, TOP EACH CHICKEN LEG WITH BRAISING LIQUID, ROASTED VEGETABLES, MUSHROOMS AND BACON. GARNISH WITH THYME SPRIGS. 

YIELD: 4 SERVINGS. 

''THE CONVERSATION''

RICK: ''SO THE FUNNIEST THING TODAY WAS- '' 

DEEDEE: ''WHAT?'' 

RICK: ''SOMEONE GAVE ME THE MOST HILARIOUS COMPENDIUM OF SEXUAL INTERNET TERMS.'' 

DEEDEE: ''LIKE WHAT?'' 

RICK: ''LIKE ALL KINDS OF REALLY BAROQUE PRACTICES.'' 

DEEDEE: [WARMING TO SUBJECT] ''LIKE?'' 

RICK: ''WELL, THERE'S THIS ONE CALLED THE SMOKING DRAGON.'' 

DEEDEE: ''OH, NO, WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE?'' 

RICK: ''WELL, FIRST YOU- '' [WHISPERS IN HER EAR]. 

DEEDEE: [TURNING PINK] ''UH-HUH.'' 

RICK: ''THEN YOU- '' [ELABORATES]. 

DEEDEE: [EVIL GRIN SPREADING ACROSS HER FACE, TAKES A GULP OF WATER] ''UH-HUH.'' 

RICK: ''AND WHEN YOU'RE DONE WITH THAT [LAUGHING], YOU PUNCH HIM IN THE SOLAR PLEXUS.'' 

DEEDEE: [SNORTS, DESPERATELY TRYING TO KEEP FROM CHOKING ON HER WATER. GASPS FOR AIR. CLUTCHES HER STOMACH AND LETS OUT A SHRIEK OF LAUGHTER.]