Lee Bailey at Henri Bendel

I used to find it odd that there are people who buy cookbooks solely for the purpose of reading them. Actually preparing the recipes is beside the point. Strangely enough, I have now found myself as one of "those people." It's not that I don't want to cook, but I truly have no time! If there were 27 hours in a day, well, then maybe.

Some of my favorite cookbooks to read are those by the late, great Lee Bailey. His recipes look delicious, and I'm even planning to take a stab at his Rigodon soon. (It's a chicken custard with brioche topping.) But what really gives me great pleasure are the books' photos of Bailey's marvelously chic tablesettings. By the looks of the photographs, Bailey obviously preferred china, glassware, and linen that was minimal, slightly casual, not fussy, and enormously stylish. For someone with a background in design, Bailey knew the importance of creating atmosphere for one's dinner parties. He also knew that food looks its best against a simple setting.

Bailey once had a noted food and accessories shop within Bendel's (back before it was bought by The Limited) that later moved to Saks. People still talk and write about his boutique today- almost twenty-five years after it closed! It must have really been something, and I regret that childhood was what kept me from knowing anything at the time about Lee Bailey or his shop.

In the book Lee Bailey's Good Parties, Bailey included photos of some of his favorite china, glassware, flatware, and kitchen tools and gadgets, some of which were available for purchase at his Bendel's shop. Below, I'm showing just some of the items that were sold at Bailey's shop. Even if many of us never got the chance to see it in person, perhaps we can get a little taste of what the magic must have been like.





Stainless steel all-purpose pots by Opa.




A Perfect Fish measure.




Left, a 12 1/4" Stainless Steel buffet plate by Bailey-Bannett Inc. At right, an 11" khaki porcelain dinner plate by Taitu for Lee Bailey.




Matte white Japanese flatware.




Chef Master plastic-handled flatware with nonstick Chefcoat.




Bailey-Bannett Inc. stainless steel dessert bowl and saucer.




Lee Bailey all-purpose bistro glass.




Taitu burgundy/brown porcelain dinner plate.


All images from Lee Bailey's Good Parties.

Random Thoughts

Another deadline approaching, another brief post. But, it's a topic that I actually want to explore in the near future, so I'm treating this one as a warm-up.

I absolutely adore high gloss and lacquered walls. When I bought my condo two years ago, the very first decorating decision that I made was to choose a high-gloss paint for my living and dining rooms. I wanted to create a nighttime apartment as this was to be the time of day during which I spent the most time at home. And let's face it- glossy, shiny walls look their best at night. I chose Farrow & Ball's Powder Blue in an oil-based high gloss. I know, I know- not really an environmentally friendly choice, and one that truthfully smelled to high heaven for a few weeks. Still, to have walls sprayed in a high gloss paint cost a lot less than having my walls hand-lacquered. And quite frankly, it was the only way I knew how to achieve the look that I wanted.

One tidbit that you may not know about me is that I enjoy walking around my home at night and admiring the walls. (A strange habit perhaps.) I also painted the crown molding the same color and finish as the walls, and at night, depending on how the light hits it, the trim still looks wet. I love the fact that two years later, it still looks super shiny, highly reflective, and wet. As great as it looks, I'd like to be able to take a photo to show you what I see at night. Unfortunately, my photography skills are such that I can't seem to capture the richness and the luster that one sees in person. Perhaps this is why the photo at top stopped me in my tracks. It's actually from a cookbook, Lee Bailey's New Orleans: Good Food And Glorious Houses.

The walls of this New Orleans house are painted such a handsome shade of green yes, but really, isn't it all about that seriously glossy finish. See how they still look wet? This is exactly why many of us love the high-gloss effect. This photo captured the beauty of the room at night when lit by soft-light, not an easy feat to achieve. The photographer, Langdon Clay, did such a great job with this shot. Now, if only I could take similar photos of my living room.





An aside: I was in New York very briefly last week, and I was reminded of my very favorite star-studded door. (Remember when I wrote about them a few weeks back?) This one is at The Carlyle, just off of the elevator lobby. If I were to do a star door, this would be the one I would try to imitate. The black paint and the bronze stars are classic, yet they have pizzazz. And see that blinding light bouncing off of the door? This is why I don't dare try to take a photo of my living room walls. I just can't seem to figure out the flash thing. Obviously, I need to stick to my day job.


(Top image from: Lee Bailey's New Orleans: Good Food And Glorious Houses by Lee Bailey, Langdon Clay photographer. Bottom image by Jennifer Boles.)

Lee Bailey's City Food

So now on to the late Lee Bailey. I'm not old enough to remember Bailey during his heyday in the 1970s and 80s. (It's been a while since I could honestly say I wasn't old enough for something!) It seems to me, though, that Bailey was unique in that the food, the practical side of cooking and hosting, and the look of the table all got equal billing- no easy feat, but one that Bailey seems to have pulled off with aplomb. It's like there was Bailey the cook, Bailey the instructor and hand-holder to nervous hosts and hostesses, and Bailey the aesthete. In fact, china, flatware, and crystal were so important to Bailey that he used to have a legendary shop that specialized in cooking and table accessories.

I have two favorite Lee Bailey cookbooks- Lee Bailey's City Food: Recipes for Good Food and Easy Living and Lee Bailey's Good Parties. The images here are from City Food. Perhaps a few of these images might seem a bit dated, but if you pull back and look at the atmosphere and mood, I think you might be inspired to host a dinner or throw a good party. At the very least, you might get a few ideas about setting your own stylish table or sideboard.

(If you have any suggestions for similar cookbooks from the 1980s, by all means do tell.)





A cozy setting, and I love that burlwood table.






OK, I'm going to throw this out there...I love a black kitchen, without the purple neon of course. Black kitchens are sexy.






(All images from Lee Bailey's City Food: Recipes for Good Food and Easy Living, Joshua Greene photographer.)