It's 11 a.m. on Monday and Michael McCarty is spurting out numbers faster than a blackjack dealer on speed.
"Three," McCarty says. "22, no eight. Get rid of 28. Move six."
There are no cards in front of him, though. Just a pile of papers with that day's reservations for McCarty's Midtown restaurant, Michael's.
Ever since the West 55th Street spot opened 25 years ago, it has become a hub for New York and Los Angeles' most powerful players in media, entertainment, fashion and finance.
On any given afternoon, you're just as likely to see Oprah Winfrey gabbing over Cobb salad with a group at window-side Table 1 as you are Anna Wintour at Table 7 indulging in a steak, blood-rare.
"It's like throwing a great dinner party every day," says McCarty, whose team goes through seven "drafts" of seating assignments before the lunch hour strikes. "That's what it's all about . . . knowing the cast of characters coming in here. It's like performance art . . . the seating creates the buzz."
And what buzz it is. The unassuming eatery with bland, carpeted floors has hosted parties for Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese, and everyone from Jay Z to Steven Tyler has brokered deals there. Even Keith Richards has indulged in his favorite cocktail — a Welch's vodka — at the restaurant.
"No one comes to Michael's to hide," says McCarty, whose Twitter account — @michaelsnewyork — announces each day's bevy of boldface patrons.
Just as important as being seen at Michael's is being seen at the right table. McCarty says 40 percent of his picky patrons have a preferred one, noting that media folk favor the front room while hedge fund types and art people gravitate toward the back garden.
"There's a certain familiarity that people start to feel here that they like to continue," he says. "We stay with people. It's a classic in that respect. People know what they're going to get when they come here."
The Post hunkered down at Table 33 to chat with McCarty and Michael's general manager, Steve Millington, about the institution's most-wanted tables, most loyal regulars and the most-remembered moments from its 25-year history.
Director of special events Robyn Levy-Wolf (from left), owner Michael McCarty and GM Steve Millington go over the day's seating plan.Photo: Christian Johnston
TABLE 1
Bette Midler, left, and Oscar de la Renta.Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images; Christopher Peterson/Splash News
Bette Midler
"She usually eats at Table 1 because she brings a big group. She loves white truffles!" says Michael McCarty. "Her husband, Martin, is one of my best friends. He's a performance artist. We cook together all the time, every Sunday. Fortunately, Bette and my wife are good eaters, not whiners. They don't complain."
Oscar de la Renta
"Oscar de la Renta was one of our biggest customers," says McCarty. "Carolina Herrera and Oscar came in once and were both dressed beautifully. They had a very special lunch and asked for chicken paillard especially for them before we put it on the menu. They just had a very jovial, very mentor-protégée moment, and everyone in the room was just in awe."
Steve Tisch
"He's always in great spirits and likes to raz me about the fact that I work for the NY Jets, running The Green Room for Woody Johnson," says McCarty of the Giants owner. "We had the epic pre-Superbowl Giants victory party, attended by a wide swath of New York power lords."
TABLE 2
George Lucas, left, and Susan Sarandon.Photo: Sara De Boer/startraksphoto; Chance Yeh/FilmMagic
George Lucas
"He really wooed [wife]Mellody Hobson here," says Steve Millington. "It was very sweet. He's not a loud, braggadocio kind of guy. He's very low-key, very kind, and it was interesting watching them get closer. Obviously, they were planning on getting married. And he brought his child here recently. He brought the stroller right next to the table."
Susan Sarandon
"She came in with the other Dalai Lama [Gyalwang Drukpa]," says McCarty. "She was just sitting there, taking it all in. They're tight. They've dined together many times since then."
TABLE 3
Elvis Costello
"Singing 'Happy Birthday' to Elvis Costello and [wife] Diana Krall was really sweet," says Millington. "And Elvis' mom pulled out a box and gave it to Elvis and it's this really beautiful silver tea set! How English!"
TABLE 4
George Stephanopoulos
"A neat thing was when George Stephanopoulos and Bill Clinton had a bit of a reunion right after his presidency. That was a very special day," says McCarty.
Barbara Walters (inset) enjoys the Dover sole for lunch.Photo: Christian Johnston; Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images
Barbara Walters
"A long time ago, we would get a big table [at Michael's], me and Cynthia McFadden and Maurie Perl and Liz Smith and Nora Ephron … we called ourselves 'The Harpies,' " Barbara Walters tells The Post. "We would meet and discuss very important subjects like straightening your hair, mini face-lifts, things of national interest."
Calvin Klein
Fashionista Calvin Klein (inset) has designs on the Cobb salad.Photo: Stephen Lovekin/WireImage; Christian Johnston
"Calvin is generally a Cobb salad guy," says Millington. "Chopped and mixed," adds McCarty.
Gayle King
"She's come with a variety of folks, including Oprah," says McCarty.
Ron Perelman
"We keep a cushion with his name on it in our coat room to help his back," says McCarty of Revlon chairman Perelman.
TABLE 5
Wendy Williams
Wendy Williams (inset) "likes our chicken and frites. That's her mainstay," says Michael's general manager Steve Millington.Photo: Robin Marchant/Getty Images (Williams); Christian Johnston
"She came here for her birthday with her parents and announced on the show afterward that it was her favorite restaurant," says Millington. "And of course we sang 'Happy Birthday.' She was effervescent and fun. She likes our chicken and frites. That's her mainstay."
Katie CouricPhoto: Mark Sagliocco/FilmMagic
Katie Couric
"A friend of the restaurant for many years. She's come in with [CBS's] Les Moonves on several occasions and most recently with [Cosmopolitan's] Joanna Coles," says McCarty. "She's always in great spirits and a head-turner."
McCarty says when Couric succeeded Bob Schieffer as anchor of the CBS Evening News in 2006, Schieffer called McCarty for a reservation because "he really wanted to make statement."
Schieffer even brought Couric a wrist corsage that she kept conspicuously displayed.
TABLE 6
Montel Williams
"He came in first with Dr. Oz and sat at Table 6. He has [since]said that Michael's is a lucky deal making place for him," says McCarty.
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman (inset) is a fan of the blueberry pancakes.Photo: Walter McBride/Getty Images; Christian Johnston
"He comes a couple times a year with his wife, Deborra-Lee," says McCarty. "One time, he ate like four breakfasts," says Millington. "It was awesome. He had a bacon sandwich, a California omelet and blueberry pancakes."
"He was working out for 'Wolverine.' It was just a small snack," laughs McCarty.
Jay McInerney
"He has been coming recently and made the deals for his new TV show with [publishing titan] Jack Kliger at Michael's," says McCarty.
TABLE 7
Anna Wintour (left) and Joan Rivers.Photo: Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic; AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau
Anna Wintour
"She is fantastic and it's a shame that she's moving downtown [with Condé Nast]," says McCarty of the Vogue editrix. "She used to eat with [actress] Natasha Richardson all the time. Anna had a blood-rare steak or a blood-rare hamburger. No bun. Just the protein."
Joan Rivers
"Joan Rivers would have told you, 'Every deal I've ever made, I've made at Table 7,' " says McCarty, who adds that the comedian loved the chicken and frites.
"She was a gift giver to our staff. She would come in with bags of stuff," says Millington.
TABLE 9
Star Jones (inset) favors the scallops when Michael's has them.Photo: Desiree Navarro/Getty Images (Jones)
Star Jones
"She drinks rosé in the summer, pinot grigio in the winter, and gets the Dover sole, unless we have the bay scallops in," says Millington.
TABLE 11
Steve Madden
"[The shoe designer] never takes his hat off and is always well-mannered and effusive," according to McCarty.
TABLE 14
Bernard-Henri Lévy and Daphne Guinness
"She is a Champagne drinker and always doused with extraordinary perfume," says McCarty of the beer heiress, who comes in for late lunches with the LVMH honcho. "They always appear to be discussing clandestine activities."
The Kushners
"I remember a lunch with [Facebook's] Winklevoss twins with [Joshua, Jared and Charles Kushner]. I sensed that there was not a lot of love there and they all wanted to get the meeting over with," says McCarty of the real-estate family.
TABLE 15
Paul Simon commands less attention at Michael's than he does onstage.Photo: AP Photo/Wong Maye-E
Paul Simon
"He came in and is very low profile," says McCarty. "[Literary agent] Esther Newberg sent him and his agent over Shirley Temples — her MO."
Mickey Drexler (left) and Zac Posen.Photo: Patrick McMullan/PatrickMcMullan.com; Andrew Toth/FilmMagic
TABLE 16
Mickey Drexler
"A longtime regular. Always with someone powerful. Very kind to the staff and hands out gift cards to all!" says McCarty of the J.Crew CEO.
TABLE 17
Zac Posen
"[The designer] just moved to the neighborhood so he's been coming in a lot more. He's very polite. Usually wears a hat," says McCarty.
MICHAEL'S BACK GARDEN ROOM
Ralph Lauren (left) and David Blaine.Photo: Randy Brooke/WireImage; D Dipasupil/Getty Images
Ralph Lauren
"He was the force behind putting the chicken paillard on our present menu," says McCarty. "He likes Table 46 for when he has larger parties."
David Blaine
"At lunch with [advertising honcho] David Sable, he bent quarters in the palm of his hand and signed them for staffers," says McCarty. "He also used his mentalist abilities and bent a fork."
