Remembering Elizabeth Taylor

As I'm sure you've all heard by now, Elizabeth Taylor passed away this week. Come to think of it, the last several weeks have been pretty sad - if you look through the blog, you'll see a few notable people who've recently moved on.

Elizabeth Taylor was before my time, so I sat down with Sal and talked to him about what it was like whenever she came into Patsy's. To him, the most memorable thing was the way she captivated the entire room as soon as she walked in. Everyone's heads turned, and it almost felt as though she was giving off this radiant aura of beauty and class. He also remembered her eyes - violet, in a time well before color contacts.

He told me of one particular night when Patsy's was not only packed, but brimming with a good amount of celebrities. Usually when it's like that, people become very distracted, and whoever walks in the door doesn't get much attention. However, Elizabeth Taylor came in that night, and as she walked upstairs, the dining room became almost silent - and as soon as she disappeared upstairs, the dining room revved up again.

Incidentally, it was Sinatra who first brought her into the restaurant. In fact, most of our celebrities can be tied back to Sinatra in some way or another - whether it's because he brought them in himself, or someone that he'd previously brought in decided to come again with other people. Some celebs come simply because they know it was his favorite restaurant. Elizabeth Taylor was special, though, so he made sure to bring her in himself. ; )

For more on Elizabeth Taylor's relationship with Patsy's, check out this article. Here's an excerpt;



Taylor dined for 50 years at local favorite Patsy’s Italian Restaurant on West 56th Street, where co-owner and executive chef Sal Scognamillo recounted fond memories of the screen and stage star.
“If you were in this room when she walked in, it was like time stood still,” Scognamillo told CBS 2′s Scott Rapoport. “She was so nice. People would want autographs; she would give autographs.”
Scognamillo also recalled the famous faces with whom Taylor dined.
“Frank Sinatra first brought her here,” he said. “We’d be able to close the curtain – they’d have privacy.”
The restaurant owner said the one thing he’ll always remember was her eyes.
“It just went right through you,” Scognamillo said. “The violet was deep. It was like looking into a deep river almost.”
Scognamillo said he is now left with a lifetime full of memories of Elizabeth Taylor, a larger-than-life movie star – and a friend.
“It seems like yesterday, almost,” Scognamillo said. “I can’t believe she’s gone. She was a legend.”



~ Paul