The Scene: “Sabor!” a party Sunday evening...
The Scene: “Sabor!” a party Sunday evening to celebrate “the best of Latinos in Los Angeles,” hosted at club Twenty/20 by Mario Tamayo and Maria Piedad Bonilla. They assembled performers from Spain, Central and South America to entertain Latinos from Los Angeles’ show-biz, government and business communities.
The Buzz: Though the air was thick with glamour and sophistication, even the ritziest guests seemed to anticipate the final act, a Mexican Elvis impersonator-- El Vez.
Who was there: Actors Luis Avalos, Danny de la Paz, Anthony de Cordova, Evelyn Guerrero, Jimmy Smits and Carmen Zapata; singer Juan Gabriel (described by an admiring casting agent as “the John Travolta of Mexico”); choreographer Kenny Ortega; broadcaster Mario Machado; veejay Yolanda Miro; designer Martha Givaldo; Mexican Consul General Romero Flores Caballero; Argentinian Consul-General Diego de Laura; Colombian Consul General Ana Lucia Solano; dozens more.
Dress mode: Decolletage for days. Big hair. Colorful costumes. Handsome men and beautiful women dressed like heartthrobs on Spanish-language TV novelas.
Ambience: Balloons and paper parrots, giving the room the elegance of the Mexican Riviera.
Chow: Empanadas, black beans, tortillas, ceviche, plantains, and guacamole--cooked on the premises, not imported from Tamayo’s restaurants, Cha Cha Cha and Cafe Mambo.
Justine Bateman Watch: La senorita no estaba presente.
Entertainment: The Azteca Dancers, who performed with giant headdresses, drums and incense braziers; un cuadro flamenco ; Angel, a Mexican rapper; Ludar, a tango singer; and the jazz sounds of the Vivian Ara Trio.
Triumphs: El Vez. Just think, he could have swiveled at your last shindig.
Glitches: The doors opened 15 minutes late leaving more than 100 guests shivering outside in Century City on a cold night.
Overheard: While waiting in the cold outside, one prominent publicist, shivering, said grimly: “After all this, this party had better not be an excuse just to sell drinks.” (And it wasn’t.)
Most Alarming: T-shirted musclemen used as doormen and busboys. Imagine a man with telephone poles for arms trying to clear away your dirty dishes.