Bay Shore NY
8-18-2026 8:24pm

Ladies Who Lunch

SKYLARK'S ARTICLE OF THE WEEK

In a whimsical way, I've always admired the Ladies Who Lunch. It was what women of means did throughout high society. They were very stylish.

I met some lady friends today from the organizing committee of our 50th High School Reunion. We had lunch by the water. Now that I'm retired, I can be a lady who lunches, too. I had a Limoncello Martini. Cheers!

Throughout history, women have always gathered for lunch. It was especially fashionable in the 60's and 70's in New York City. For women like Babe Paley (CBS), Jackie Kennedy, and Lee Radziwill (Jackie Kennedy's younger sister), lunching was more than just a hobby — it was a lifestyle. Between dining on French fare at La Côte Basque and enjoying "sophisticated WASP" cuisine at the Colony, high society's swans utilized their midday meal to exchange gossip and don their latest designer duds.

WWD's former editor, John Fairchild, is credited with coining the phrase "ladies who lunch," a sobriquet for the fashionable patrons who flocked to storied institutions like La Grenouille, Quo Vadis and Le Pavillon. Today, few of these haute cuisine haunts stand, but their legend remains ingrained in novels, films and television shows, with "Feud: Capote vs. The Swans" being a recent highlight.

Ahead, four famed eateries frequented by the ladies who lunch.

La Côte Basque

Advertising executive Mary Wells dines at La Cote Basque in 1966

Opened in 1959 by French restauranteur Henri Soulé (who also founded hot spots including Le Pavillon and The Hedges), La Côte Basque was located at 60 West 55th Street. Jean-Jacques Rachou became the owner of the restaurant in 1979, remaining there until its closure in 2004.

Jackie Kennedy, Frank Sinatra and the Duchess of Windsor, as well as Capote and his favorite swan, Paley, were among La Côte Basque's most notable patrons. Specializing in French fare, the menu offered a selection of luxe dishes like foie gras and steak au poivre.

As of 2003, a fixed-price dinner at La Côte Basque cost $70 per person, while an average à la carte meal was about $100, according to the New York Times. In the same article, Rachou estimated the weekly cost of flowers at more than $2,200, while more than $3,000 was spent on linens.

La Côte Basque was decorated with seaside murals painted by Bernard Lamotte, whose studio was located just above La Grenouille, another eatery frequented by the high society crowd.

Aside from being namechecked in Capote's infamous excerpt of "Answered Prayers," La Côte Basque is mentioned in an episode of "Sex and the City" where Charlotte York's mother-in-law, Bunny, suggests the restaurant for dinner. La Côte Basque is also a notable setting in "Feud: Capote vs. the Swans."

The Colony Restaurant 

Inside the Colony in the 1970's

Located at 30 East 61st Street, the Colony was founded by Joseph L. Pani in 1919 before it was purchased by a group of employees in 1922. While the restaurant struggled initially, their $25,000 investment would eventually pay off, as the Colony transformed into an elite haunt for movie stars, politicians and socialites alike.

Throughout the 1920s, the Colony's reputation was checkered by its shady clientele. Gangsters including Arnold Rothstein would meet their mistresses in its upstairs gambling club, sneaking liquor from the service elevator, where sat the Colony's Prohibition-era stash. Later that decade, the Colony became the first New York restaurant to install air conditioning; It was also the first Stateside establishment to serve Dom Pérignon.

Socialite Virginia Fair Vanderbilt is credited with introducing the Colony to high society. After happening upon the restaurant for lunch, she recommended it to a group of friends, forever altering its once sordid reputation. Swans including C.Z. Guest, Gloria Guinness and Slim Keith all frequented the Colony, where they enjoyed what fashion editor Babs Simpson once coined "sophisticated Wasp" cuisine: chicken hash, soft shell crab and chilled soups were popular menu items. 

The Colony was also known for its top-of-the line-service: the restaurant sent personalized meals to patrons' homes, and even their pets were waited on hand and foot. Dogs had their own private chamber in the restaurant, where they lounged on plush satin pillows and ate from silver serving trays. "You'd see Yorkshires, poodles, dachshunds, boxers, pugs," designer Bill Blass told Vanity Fair in 2000. "It was amazing how they got along — in some respect better than the ladies themselves."

Fairchild frequently sent photographers to wait outside the Colony, snapping photos of Radziwill, Capote and Paley, among other regulars.

After 50 years in business, the Colony closed in 1971.

La Grenouille

La Grenouille is the last remaining of "Les Six," what Fairchild's then newly launched publication, W magazine, declared "the last bastions of grand luxe dining in New York" — La Côte Basque also made the list.

Opened in 1962, La Grenouille was the brainchild of Gisèle Masson, wife of the restaurant's owner, Charles Masson Sr. Gisèle discovered its location (3 East 52nd Street), signed the lease and informed her husband, via telegram, of their new business venture. Charles named the eatery after a pet name for his wife: "ma petite grenouille."

The Duchess of Windsor leaving La Grenouille in 1971

While La Grenouille's first service took place on a chilly, snowy night, patrons still flocked to sample its menu of French haute cuisine. Several items served at its opening, including frogs' legs "Provençale" and Capote's favorite dish, sole grillée, remain on the menu.

The writer and his swans, Paley, Guinness and Radziwill, were known to frequent La Grenouille. Notable mutuals like Kennedy, Andy Warhol and the Duchess of Windsor also dined there.

Legend has it that Paley originated the trend of accessorizing handbags with scarves just outside the restaurant. While on her way to La Grenouille, Paley was photographed as she removed her silk scarf and tied it around the strap of her handbag, inspiring fashionphiles for decades to come.

Pierre Bergé, Yves Saint Laurent, Diane Von Furstenberg and Bianca Jagger at La Grenouille in 1974

La Grenouille is briefly mentioned in Capote's "La Côte Basque, 1965" as a "New York restaurant of established chic," among others like the Colony, Lafayette and La Caravelle.

21 Club

The 21 Club in the 1940's

The 21 Club officially opened in 1930, just a few years before the end of Prohibition. After running their first speakeasies throughout the 1920s, cousins Charlie Berns and Jack Kreindler moved shop to 21 East 52 Street. Despite frequent police raids, Berns and Kreindler continued serving booze, storing their contraband down hidden chutes, inside camouflaged chambers and behind 5,000-pound doors.

Mob bosses, flappers and Ernest Hemingway were patrons of 21 in its early days — on one occasion, the novelist was caught canoodling with gangster Legs Diamond's girlfriend in the kitchen.

21 eventually evolved from a dive to a high society hot spot, with socialites including Guest, Keith and Kennedy stopping by to feast on chicken hash and the 21 Burger. Capote was a known regular at the restaurant, using it as a setting in his 1958 novel "Breakfast at Tiffany's." He was hardly the only author to namecheck the famed club — 21 is a recurring haunt in Jacqueline Susann's saucy 1966 bestseller, "Valley of the Dolls."

The restaurant is also the stuff of Hollywood legend: Humphrey Bogart proposed to Lauren Bacall in 21's main room, which later served as a press party venue for "The Seven-Year Itch." In Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window," Grace Kelly consoles Jimmy Stewart with a hand-delivered meal from 21.

The club's main dining room featured wood-paneled walls and ceilings hung with various memorabilia including toy cars, baseball helmets and soccer balls. 21's most recognizable feature was its line of cast iron lawn jockeys that decorated the front stairs, all of which were donated by established equestrians.

After 90 years in business, 21 shut its doors in 2020.

Dining out is still fashionable. But in retirement, lunching is the thing. Ladies Who Lunch. I like being a part of this group. Mangiamo! Let's eat!

Peace and Love,

Skylark

At 60 and Beyond, getting together with a group of women for lunch can be a great way to socialize. It makes you feel good, and it's always in style.

SKYLARK'S PICK OF THE WEEK

My pick of the week is Captain Bill's Restaurant. Located on the South Shore of Long Island in Bay Shore, Captain Bill’s is the premier waterfront restaurant. Their exquisite menu selections, combined with their surrounding views of the Great South Bay, make for that perfect dining experience. Whether you’re dining in our restaurant or hosting a private event in one of their catering event spaces, they guarantee to provide only the best service to ensure that your visit to Captain Bill’s is a perfect one. Visit www.captainbills.com

SKYLARK'S HIGHLIGHT OF THE WEEK

The highlight of the week is visiting Sailors Haven this past Friday. This scenic, family‑friendly destination in the heart of Fire Island National Seashore is best known for its Sunken Forest; one of the last remaining maritime forests on the East Coast. Sailors Haven - Fire Island National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)

SKYLARK'S INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE OF THE WEEK

I hope this image inspires you to be a lady who lunches.

SKYLARK'S PRAYER OF THE WEEK

SKYLARK'S ITALIAN PHRASE OF THE WEEK

English: Ladies Who Lunch

Italian: Signore che pranzano

SKYLARK'S INTERIOR DECORATING TIP OF THE WEEK

Sometimes white walls are the best background in a room that gives you a palette to add color to.

SKYLARK'S QUESTION OF THE WEEK

What's your favorite color in a room?

Please put your answer in the Comment Section under this post. I'd love to hear from you.

SKYLARK'S SONG OF THE WEEK

<!-- EMBEDDED YOUTU.BE URL: https://youtu.be/oTsuK_HGFJg?list=RDoTsuK_HGFJg -->

I'd like to propose a toast
Here's to the ladies who lunch
Everybody, laugh
Lounging in their kaftans and planning a brunch
On their own behalf
Off to the gym, then to a fitting
Claiming they're fat
And looking grim 'cause they've been sitting
Choosing a hat
Does anyone still wear a hat?
I'll drink to that
Here's to the girls who stay smart
Aren't they a gas?
Rushing to their classes in optical art
Wishing it would pass
Another long exhausting day
Another thousand dollars
A matinée, a Pinter play
Perhaps a piece of Mahler's
I'll drink to that
And one for Mahler
Here's to the girls who play wife
Aren't they too much?
Keeping house but clutching a copy of "Life"
Just to keep in touch
The ones who follow the rules
And meet themselves at the schools
Too busy to know that they're fools
Aren't they a gem?
I'll drink to them
Let's all drink to them
And here's to the girls who just watch
Aren't they the best?
When they get depressed, it's a bottle of Scotch
Plus a little jest
Another chance to disapprove
Another brilliant zinger
Another reason not to move
Another vodka stinger
I'll drink to that
So here's to the girls on the go
Everybody tries
Look into their eyes and you'll see what they know
Everybody dies
A toast to that invincible bunch
The dinosaurs surviving the crunch
Let's hear it for the ladies who lunch
Everybody, rise
Rise
Rise, rise
Rise, rise
Rise, rise
Rise

MY BRAND - SKYLARK LIVE

I created my brand, Skylark Live, when I turned 60 years old and noticed a profound shift in this age. I wanted to talk about it and share what I was experiencing with the hope of helping other women as well. My brand consists of a weekly newsletter and a monthly vlog designed to motivate and inspire women over 60 to thrive in mature ageing through knowledge and self-awareness. I am open to conducting in-person conversations called The Skylark Sessions. These can be held in someone’s home or at a local library or senior center. To be continued.

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Thank you for your love and support! Grazie per il vostro amore e sostegno!

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