Sirio Maccioni is seething. (What else is new?) “Adam Tihany will never do anything for me again,” he said when asked how he felt about his favorite architect designing the new look of Daniel in the very spot where Le Cirque was born. Tihany says he cleared it with Maccioni. “Some people should not even ask,” Sirio begins. “If they don’t have the integrity or loyalty to know what is proper without asking…People should know about friendship and loyalty. It’s not Daniel who should ask. Daniel has the right to choose who he wants. It’s Adam who should know. Daniel – we had a moment of disagreement when he left Le Cirque – but now I talk more with Daniel than any other French chef.
“Everybody tries to use my architect. Adam did five restaurants for me. He was always six months late and two million over budget. It was Vornado (the landlord) who wanted Adam to do the new Le Cirque. Not me. I don’t expect anything from anyone anymore. At my age I have been very correct. I should have 10% of everything Adam earns. I should have 5% from everyone who copies the crème brulee – I would be rich. And the bass with potatoes that everyone copies. People stop now to work for the glory and just work for the money. People tell me Le Cirque should do pizza delivery and crème brulée delivery. I’m a single person, I’m a family. I don’t have a partner like Daniel. It’s very difficult. But Las Vegas is good,” he adds. “Everyone is down 5% or more in Las Vegas, but we are up 10%, so I have one son – Mario – who must be doing a great job. And I have 200 reservations here for tonight.”
Sirio says that Mauro, youngest of his three sons, who has spent time in some of the top-rated kitchens of Europe, will be taking cooking classes at the French Culinary Institute this fall. “I need someone to oversee the quality of the kitchen.” Does that mean Sirio might finally retire? “Never,” says Sirio. “It’s too late for me to retire.”
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