Aubrey About Town

AUBREY ABOUT TOWN

Palm Royale: A Scandalous Luncheon

^{Photo Credit: Drew Altizer Photography}

Welcome to the Palm Royale!

The grande dame of society has slipped into a coma. It’s Nixon-era (1969) Palm Beach, and amid the world’s most exclusive country club, The Palm Royale, the ladies of Palm Beach’s high society and a simple aspiring country girl who dreams of the glamorous life are clamoring to inherit her crown. Who do you think will prevail? 

The show stars comedic genius Carol Burnett as Norma, the queen of Palm Beach society, her handsome houseboy and the Palm Royale’s gatekeeping bartender, Robert, played by Ricky Martin, and the country girl, Maxine Dellacorte (Kristen Wiig), who aspires to take her place among Palm Beach’s high society, (yet unknowingly married into it). Laura Dern plays Linda, the heiress-turned-anti-Nixon activist who doesn’t want it, and Allison Janney plays Evelyn (whose name says it all) who is determined to take it all. All is set to the backdrop of “the world’s most exclusive country club,” the Palm Royale.

It all began with a conversation I had with fellow Palm Royale enthusiast, my friend and best-selling author Jennifer Walske. I was looking for inspiration for a luncheon to cap off my summer entertaining and we both were in the midst of watching the show. The aesthetic of affluent Palm Beach, Florida in the late 1960s and early 1970s and the elegant décor of the decadent Palm Royale club with its lush palms and chic tropical accessories were the perfect backdrop for a late summer soiree. Jennifer asked me to co-host a birthday luncheon for our mutual friend, Jorge Maumer, before he left for the summer to his home in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat in the south of France. She thought Palm Royale would be the perfect theme for his birthday. However, Jorge wished for something more low-key, and Jennifer ultimately opted for hosting an intimate Mad Hatter-themed lunch at San Francisco’s Town & Country Club instead.

But determined to bring this to life, the planning of “Palm Royale: A Scandalous Luncheon” was on!

I immediately turned to my next fellow Palm Royale-obsessed palm pal, the general manager of the Rotunda at Neiman Marcus San Francisco, Katrina Parlato. Just as excited as I was, Katrina and I sought out to plan the perfect menu. Together, we revisited the show and researched what culinary items were en vogue in country clubs of the era. She found some vintage menus from the late 1960s, and we were quick to narrow down the perfect menu offerings—but back to the food later and on to the décor!

To pay homage to the Palm Royale club itself, it all started with the colors used throughout the club where pink and white stripes and hues of palm leaf green are prevalent. Throw in some glamor and a bit of high camp and, voilà, Palm Beach!

In typical Palm Beach fashion, guests made their entrance and took their colorful outfits in all seriousness. From San Francisco Mayor London Breed in a stunning and shimmery chinoiserie floral lilac dress (who later confessed to changing into the gorgeous frock in the back of her SUV in between campaign functions) and California State Controller Malia Cohen staying true to the decade in a blue and white abstract, striped, bell-bottom jumpsuit and a complementing headscarf to socialite Tracy Chen in ocean-inspired aqua and chartreuse Pucci pencil dress and headscarf, accessorized with a matching Hermès® mini Kelly handbag in Vert Verone, guests were in full Palm Beach glam.

Guests entered through two eight-foot potted palm trees into the “Monstera Lounge” where they were greeted with French champagne and signature vintage-themed cocktails featured in the show, including decadent Grasshoppers, (Maxine Dellacorte’s favorite drink) a creamy combination of green crème de menthe, crème de cacao, and heavy cream; classic tropical Mai Tais, which was created in Emeryville, California at the famed tiki bar and restaurant, Trader Vics; and Manhattans (Ed’s way) in honor of my partner, Dr. Edward Winger’s favorite throwback cocktail.

Palm Royale: A Scandalous Luncheon Specialty Cocktails

As they sipped on vintage cocktails in the Monstera Lounge, partygoers snapped photos as they sat at retro white marble and brass martini tables on a whimsical, canopied rattan loveseat planked by six-foot Monstera plants. Guests were seated to lunch at a 24-foot table adorned by four whimsical, towering, vividly hand-painted, metal flamingos; hanging, hand-painted, metal hummingbirds; green and white Chinese palm leaf-patterned ginger jars overflowing with exotic florals; gold palm tree candlesticks; elegant, palm leaf-printed bone dishware; and tropical statuary, beneath a canopy of pink and white striped canvas pool umbrellas to mimic the poolside patio umbrellas used in the show. Check out my Instagram reel for an inside look at the décor at @aubreybrewster.

Inspired by popular country club cuisine of the late 1960s and early ’70s, Katrina and I curated a menu to reflect the era. At the helm of the kitchen, Neiman Marcus’ corporate executive chef, Jessica Oost, flew in from Dallas, Texas and, along with the assistance of the Rotunda’s executive sous chef, Josh Cochrane, brought the menu to life. Amused guests began with a hearts of palm salad (butter lettuce, cucumbers, Toy Box tomatoes, watermelon radishes, Champagne vinaigrette, with a “swoosh” of Green Goddess dressing). Keeping with the theme, the second course was seafood in aspic (Dungeness crab and bay shrimp salad, avocado mousse, soft quail eggs, daisy-shaped carrots, and petite English peas suspended in aspic fumet), and broiled New York Strip Steak topped with “millionaire butter” and duchess potatoes. To appease every guests’ sweet tooth, an individual baked Alaska finished the scrumptious meal (house-made Bananas Fosters ice cream and vanilla génoise enrobed in toasted meringue over pineapple coulis). And if that weren’t sweet enough, guests took home chic pink crystal glass apothecary jars, each with a keepsake rhinestone brooch (available in a palm tree, flamingo, and pineapple shapes) and filled with Godiva® chocolates.

The afternoon’s illustrious guests included party hosts, Aubrey Brewster and his partner, Dr. Edward Winger; San Francisco Mayor London Breed; former San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr.: California State Controller Malia Cohen; 2024 leading candidate for California’s 12th Congressional District in the United State House of Representatives, Lateefah Simon (D); Neiman Marcus’ vice president/general market manager, Lin Huber; Union Square Alliance president Marisa Rodriguez and her husband, Sean Peak; cosmetic surgeon Dr. Carolyn Chang; socialites Sonya Molodetskaya, Komal Shah, Clara Shayevich, Heide Betz, Farah Makras, and her husband, real estate mogul Victor Makras; socialite and best-selling author Jennifer Walske; Marie-Christine Kollock; Tracy Chen and her husband, Tom Schoenherr; Nob Hill Gazette’s associate publisher, Jill Pietrowiak; NM Rotunda’s general manager Katrina Parlato; ABC7 anchorperson (retired) Carolyn Tyler and her partner, Gary Love; KTVU FOX2 anchorperson Betty Yu; fashion designers Vasily Vein and Bacca DaSilva; Mitzi Manzano and her husband, Ray Manzano; and the fabulous Liz Curtis, CEO of Fulcrum Group.

HAUTE RECIPE

Aubrey’s Chocolate-Dipped Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:

3 cups sweetened, shredded coconut

3 large egg whites

2/3 cup baker’s sugar (superfine)

2 Tablespoons potato starch, plus 1 teaspoon (or cornstarch)

1½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coconut extract (optional)

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

Prepare Macaroons:

1. In a large bowl, toss thoroughly to combine: shredded coconut, potato starch (or cornstarch, if using), baker’s sugar, and kosher salt. Set aside.
2. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together egg whites, vanilla extract, and coconut extract until foamy (about 20 seconds).
3. Stir egg white mixture into coconut mixture until thoroughly combined. 
4. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour, allowing coconut to soften. Give it a good stir every 20 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line one 1/2-sheet pan with parchment paper.
6. Give the macaroon batter another stir.
7. Using a medium-sized (1½ ounce) scoop, scoop macaroon batter onto the parchment-lined sheet pan, 1 inch apart.
8. Bake in a preheated oven for 18 minutes or until the tops and bottoms are golden brown.
9. Let cool on the pan five minutes, then transfer the coconut macaroons to a cooling rack to cool completely (about 40 minutes).

Dip Macaroons in Chocolate: 

1. Line a sheet pan with parchment and set aside. 
2. In a microwave-safe bowl, in increments of 20 seconds, microwave (on HIGH) to melt chocolate chips (about 1½ to 2 minutes total), stirring in between. When most of the chocolate chips have melted and only some lumps remain, stop using the microwave and stir to finish melting. Alternatively, use an electric chocolate melting pot.
3. Holding the top of the cooled coconut macaroon, gently dip the bottom into melted chocolate, pressing to coat up the side 1/4 inch. Gently wipe off any excess chocolate with a rubber spatula. Set the dipped macaroon onto the parchment-lined sheet pan. 
4. Repeat with all macaroons. Microwave chocolate at 15 second intervals if it starts to thicken.
5. Transfer any remaining melted chocolate to a disposable pastry bag or zipper bag. With a pair of scissors, cut the tip just enough to allow chocolate to easily pipe a thin line. 
6. In a back-and-forth, zigzag motion using slight pressure, pipe a drizzle of melted chocolate over the tops of the coconut macaroons. 
7. Allow the chocolate to set at room temperature for 3 hours or set in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
8. Store in an airtight container. Keeps for a week. 

Makes two dozen 2½-inch coconut macaroons. Store in an airtight container.