Chocolate, Cocktails, And Caviar Pizza: Inside Louis Vuitton’s Grand Manhattan Store Unveiling

“She’s here!!!!” There were some 1,800 fashionable attendees at Thursday evening’s debut of the Louis Vuitton mecca on East 57th Street, but everyone only had eyes for one. At about 8.30 p.m., the crowd hobnobbing around the elegant fourth-floor Le Cafe over caviar pizza parted like the red sea for a nonchalant Martha Stewart to breeze right through.

Stewart was greeted with open arms by restaurateur Stephen Starr, who is helming the Stateside debut of Le Cafe Louis Vuitton. The tastemaker of all tastemakers was whisked straight into his kitchen and given a sense of what was on the menu from the man who brought us Buddakan and Pastis. A decadent dessert—whipped up with the maison’s own chocolat; more on that later—received a particular nod of approval and one of Stewart’s iconic winks.

While the scale of the five-story space feels like you’ve left the city, as does the influx of the Parisian-feeling Le Chocolat Maxime Frederic counter and the aforementioned library-esque café hangout, homages to New York were everywhere you looked during the VIP opening bash. A cartoonist from The New Yorker was on hand for customized doodles, eager shoppers perused a dedicated capsule collection featuring red apple motifs, and there were plenty of mini cheesecakes, “chic” hot dogs, LV-branded takes on deli sandwiches, and classic cocktails inspired by Manhattan to go around.

Those details weren’t lost on New York native Jennifer Connelly. The actress is still beaming from running her first New York City marathon for charity earlier this month. “It was an extraordinary experience,” she told Vogue of the milestone achievement. “The spirit and the camaraderie were so special, and I saw everyone out cheering. I came straight home for an ice bath afterward. I’m trying to get my son to do it with me next time!”