Delmonico

He rendered the dank horrors of Manhattan’s tenement life, its sadistic gangs and the seedy brothels that were peddling children, as well as the city’s lush hubs of power, like Delmonico’s restaurant.

Toward the end of World War II, Ms. Irvine met a naval officer at Delmonico’s restaurant when he was on leave; they married in 1947.

Leslie had become a regular at the restaurant Delmonico’s, a favorite among the elite, known for its famous Delmonico steak.

Some 20,000 people carried gold membership cards inside Cartier cases, enabling them to access all of her venues, whether in Kuala Lumpur, London, Cairo or New York, where in 1976 she opened the Manhattan restaurant and dance club Régine’s at the Delmonico Hotel.

With enormous fanfare, she opened her New York club in 1976 on the ground floor of Delmonico’s Hotel, at 59th Street and Park Avenue.