Russian Tea Room Revives Its Gilded Age; After a 4-year, $22-million restoration, the New York City landmark is once again the place to see and be seen.: [Orange County Edition]

The Russian Tea Room, an old favorite of A-list celebrities, reopened Monday, and the see-and-be-seen crowd was back to judge whether the restaurant still has it after a four-year, $22-million renovation.

The ladies who lunch streamed through the revolving doors "just left of Carnegie Hall" beginning promptly at 11:30 a.m., greeted by waiters in red tunics pouring vodka and dishing caviar.

Reminiscent of the restaurant's glory days, the well-to-do were seated in buttery red leather seats that look nearly identical to the vinyl ones once reserved for Jackie O. and Paul Newman.

Shiny hunter-green walls and gilded molding offset period Russian paintings and antique samovars, making the old crowd feel right at home.

Among those with reservations...