Charles Masson was ousted from La Grenouille by his brother Philippe — and many of his loyal customers are outraged over the coup — but Charles doesn’t want the classic French restaurant to be boycotted.
“I worked with the staff there for so many years, they are like a family to me,” Charles told me on Thursday night. “If people stop going to La Grenouille, they could lose their livelihoods.”
Many regulars surrounded Charles at Swifty’s on Lexington Avenue, where the walls of the back room were hung with the multitalented Masson’s oil paintings.
The show was organized by Deeda Blair, Charlotte Ford, Elizabeth Peabody, Susan Burke and others. Several of the impressionistic still-lifes and flowers were sold. The crowd included Liz Smith, Duane Hampton, Mary McFadden and Michael and Eleanora Kennedy.
Charles started managing La Grenouille at 19 when his father died. But his older brother Philippe, who is now in charge of the dining room on East 52nd Street, always had the controlling interest.
After his ouster in March, Charles was deluged with offers. The one he picked is managing the restaurant in the new Baccarat tower being built on West 53rd Street by Starwood Capital. It opens in December.
“The restaurant will have about 90 seats, similar to La Grenouille,” Masson told me. And it’s just a stone’s throw away, too.