South O' the Highway (and the North too)

Hamptonites such as Cynthia and Dan Lufkin, Caroline and Tom Dean, Rick Kimball and Holly Peterson, Somers and Jonathan Farkas, Karen and Richard LeFrank, Barbara and Bobby Lieberman and Carroll Petrie will be happy to hear that Swifty's, the popular watering hole on Manhattan's Lexington Avenue where they all dine regularly, will be coming to the Hamptons this summer. The restaurant's owners, Robert Caravaggi and Stephen Attoe, are taking Swifty's Catering on the road for East End events.

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Quite a few East End locals are among the investment world heavyweights slated to take part in the M&A conference organized by Warren Strugatch that will take place June 16-17 at a Southampton location. Among them are East Hampton's William A. Brewer and Michael Bruder, Bridgehampton's Marvin A. Davis, Amagansett's Warren Feder, and Southampton's Clifford E. Neimeth. Fortune editor and Marketplace radio commentator Allan Sloan will keynote, bankruptcy legend Harvey Miller will share anecdotes and Dan Rattiner, founder and executive editor of Dan's Papers will read from his new book, In the Hamptons. For tickets, call 212-618-6375.

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Things may not be good on Wall Street but they sure seem bullish for Hampton Sheet publisher Joan Jedell, who tossed herself a "surprise" birthday soiree at LeCirque. "If you want to be sure things are done right, then you have to do it yourself," says Jedell. Guests included Cornelia and Marty Bregman, Donna and Dick Soloway, RFR Realty's Richard Farley, Ken Starr and Diane Passage, Francine LeFrak and Rick Friedberg, Andrew Stein, Loreen Arbus, Riki Kane Larimer, Catherine Saxton, and Jacob "The Jeweler" Arabov.

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Hampton gals Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall have reason to celebrate. The Sex and the City movie earned a record-breaking (for an R-rated comedy) $55.7 million on its opening weekend.

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Academy Award-winning actress and East Hampton resident Renée Zellweger doesn't mind dining alone. She was seen at a table for one at The Palm Restaurant, drinking red wine and eating salmon.

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Hamptons and Manhattan society may want to steer clear of the opera. A recent restaurant inspection at the Met found "evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or nonfood areas."

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Prudential Douglas Elliman chairman Howard Lorber is the new owner of Savanna's in Southampton, which is expected to open in mid-June. The restaurant closed when previous owner Howard Gittis, who was an advisor to Ronald O. Perelman, passed away last year.

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An advertisement for Dunkin' Donuts featuring Southampton's Rachel Ray was pulled last week because the pattern on the scarf she was wearing resembled that of a keffiyeh, which has become a symbol of the Palestinians. Ray insists she is not a terrorist.

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The most recent celebrity approached to join the cast of Donald Trump's "Celebrity Apprentice" is Hamptons regular Star Jones. But Jones may be at a disadvantage, as the phrase "you're fired" isn't exactly a foreign concept.

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Congratulations to WordHampton Public Relations for receiving the prestigious Big Apple Award in the Marketing Consumer Services, Travel and Tourism/Hospitality campaign for Long Island Restaurant Week by the Public Relations Society of America NY Chapter. WordHampton was the only Long Island-based firm to win an award this year.

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Sagaponack's Kelsey Grammer suffered a mild heart attack while paddle boarding in Hawaii. The actor's rep said he is doing fine.

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Further Lane's Jerry Seinfeld performed at Madison Square Garden last week for a show benefiting Stand Up for a Cure, a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating lung cancer. Fellow Hamptonite Alec Baldwin, who is currently promoting his new book, A Promise to Ourselves: A Journey Through Divorce and Fatherhood, hosted the event.

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Rory and Elie Tahari learned from Vered's mistake. The fashion powerhouse couple got a permit to serve liquor at their flagship store on Main Street in East Hampton, where artist Kenny Scharf celebrated his limited edition collection of caftans, pareos and surfboards.

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Chairman and CEO of Hudson City Bancorp Ronald E. Hermance Jr. was recently named one of America's Best Performing Bosses by Forbes magazine. The bank expects to open more Long Island branches during the next year.

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Kathleen Russo presented writing awards to six Ross School students on behalf of the Spalding Gray Memorial Scholarship writing competition, a tribute to her late husband. This year's winners are Adrian Trunzo, Raphael Odell Shapiro, Joseph Saunders, Hayden Aldredge, Kate Fitzsimons, and Ben Okin.

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