The Artist Hangout Where Julian Schnabel Cooked Sweetbreads

"Mickey Ruskin’s basement Waverly Place artist hangout that, despite a modest subterranean setting, became a tight-knit locus for downtown creatives; the owner knew how to welcome and take care of his crowd and a big round table—anchored by the German artist Blinky Palermo—served as the social center where Dan Flavin often held court. A charismatic young artist, Julian Schnabel, worked as the chef and on Thursdays abandoned the regular menu to prepare elaborate artists’ dinners, his specialty being ris de veau, and his famously broken plates likely stemmed from the cramped kitchen." - Jeffrey Deitch