Celebrating ‘Mayhem’ at Joanne Trattoria With Lady Gaga’s Dad

So, when I then heard there was a listening party at Joanne Trattoria on the night of the album’s official release, I reached out to Joanne’s press team—and was immediately met with: “We sold out in 30 minutes, no can do.” Fair. I moved on with my life and didn’t think twice about it. But two weeks later, I got an email offering me a table for two. I immediately said yes. 

My friend and I rented a room at Arlo SoHo for a proper staycation and, while painting our faces with sparkly eyeshadow, debated which songs were best (we collectively agreed “Vanish Into You” and “Don’t Call Tonight” are serious bangers), and which ones we thought she would perform on SNL, conspiring a stripped down version of “Blade of Grass.” (She’d end up performing “Abracadabra” and “Killah.”)

We got to Joanne Trattoria at 6 p.m. sharp for our reservation. The tiny main dining room was at maximum capacity, with 85 fans filling each of the 29 tables and 10 bar seats. As Mayhem played over the loudspeakers, plates of Silician-inspired fare like arancini and family-recipe meatballs were passed around. I eventually wandered back to a private room, where Joe Germanotta, Lady Gaga’s dad, sat at the head of the table. There were a total of three other guests, including Cindy Adams, the famed gossip columnist from the New York Post. Joe kindly offered my friend and me a seat at the table.

Over a “Lady in Red” cocktail, Joe tells me for the past year, the restaurant has hosted all types of entertainment, from acoustic sets to magicians, saying he wants Joanne’s to be a place where people know they can come to see quality local talent. The Mayhem party was hosted by Jupiter Genesis, who books all of the restaurant’s weekly drag events. Tierney Allen, a Gaga impersonator, was there, too, and at one point, performed “Disease” and “Million Reasons.”

We got to talking about the underground music scene in New York, and I asked him where, aside from Joanne Trattoria, the best talent in New York can be found. “The Bitter End,” he said without hesitation, the famed Greenwich Village bar where Lady Gaga got her start as Stefani Germanotta. “I want to be one of those clubs.” He also divulged his top three favorite Gaga songs: “Edge of Glory,” “You and I,” and “the song about the burka”—which we eventually figured out was “Aura.” And his favorite song off Mayhem? “Abracadabra,” he revealed. “It has a ‘Bad Romance’ feel.”

Of course, being the owner, and the restaurant overflowing with hardcore fans, many of whom want photos with him, our conversation was cut short. But, shockingly, he offered me his phone number and we continued the conversation a couple of days later. 

“Did you watch Saturday Night Live?” I asked him that following Sunday, unsure if he was actually able to take in his daughter’s impeccable performance. “Oh, I did,” he said. “She was fabulous. I texted her that her acting, her singing, her dance…they were spot on. She’s always been funny like that.” He added that Joanne’s had been packed Saturday night since they had an SNL viewing party and it was the latest they’ve stayed open in years.

And so concluded my Gaga-fueled weekend, where I was granted an in-depth look at an inconspicuous trattoria that’s slowly becoming the stomping grounds for some of NYC’s best hidden talent—conceptualized by the man who watched his daughter find success in the exact same way. “It is the only entertainment like this on the Upper West Side that has the breadth of drag to emerging talent,” he told me.

Once again, more than a decade after my first Little Monster moment, Gaga’s music expanded my world, stamped my memories, and soundtracked an experience I’ll be talking about for decades. 

If you want to perform at Joanne Trattoria, you can apply online.