Rau had a recipe for success during the World Series — hosting VIP dinners at his popular NYC as well as Los Angeles locations for Major League Baseball.
We hear MLB commissioner Rob Manfred brought out the first official meatball at a private dinner Tuesday night before the Yankees beat the Dodgers in the Bronx.
In the first L.A. version of the Saucy Series ceremony, MLB Deputy Commissioner Noah Garden presented the honors at the inaugural Meatball.
Among the attendees were former baseball greats CC Sabathia, Gary Sheffield, Nick Swisher, Dylan Bettins, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins.
At the uptown celebration, Run-DMC rapper Daryl McDaniels performed an impromptu rendition of “Walk This Way” for the lucky diners.
Rao’s Frank Pellegrino Jr. hosted the L.A. event, while the iconic resto’s other partner, Ron Strakey, was in NYC. The Mayor of Meatball, Chef Dino Gatto, was behind the menu.
Stirring up the proverbial sauce behind the events was serial entrepreneur Kenny Dektor, whose latest venture is REAL SLX, a “global sports and lifestyle experience club,” a source said.
Rao’s and Dichter have previously teamed up on sporty pop-ups at the eatery at events including the Super Bowl and the Masters.
We also reported that Rao’s is eyeing a permanent Las Vegas location — after the restaurant’s previous permanent Sin City spot closed in 2021 at Caesars Palace after an impressive 15-year run.