Last Thursday, I had the chance to visit the Murray Hill hotspot TEQA for their Cinco de Mayo celebration.  The upscale Mexican restaurant/tequileria stands out in what is usually a post-college frat boy bar scene.  Hosting the celebratory event was Mario Lopez, along with his girlfriend Courtney Mazza (I guess Jesse Spano was home studying, still trying to top Zach's unheralded 1502 on the SATs).

Later on in the night, Real Housewives of New York star Kelly Bensimon celebrated her birthday with friends, including fellow housewife and newest cast addition Cindy Barshop.  Kelly was graciously greeted with her favorite treat, three huge glass displays filled with jelly beans.  TEQA also presented the reality TV star with a special birthday cake made by Brooklyn staple "Made in Heaven Cakes."

Bensimon had some fun later on in the night by posing for pictures in the owner's 62-foot Impala parked right out front.  Others in attendance included EXTRA correspondent AJ Calloway (who stopped by to do a shot with Mario) and Broadway power couple Orfeh and Andy Karl.

One of the funnier side moments of the night was when two men were trying to pose for a picture but kept bumping into a female friend of mine.  My other friend finally said something to the pair to save her space from being impeded any longer.  One of the men was owner Derek Axelrod, who couldn't have been nicer and more apologetic about the accidental space invasion.  Axelrod made his way around the room laughing and posing for more pictures, making everyone feel at home all night.

The party was fun and lively, accompanied by an eclectic mix of people.  Guests enjoyed the sleek-presented food, top-notch margaritas and tequila, and friendliness of the crowd.  The music, by guest DJ Sky Nellor, fanatically fused hits of the '80s, '90s, and today and had the party going well into the night.  Other than one pretentious bartender who had the nasty habit of putting patrons' credit cards in his mouth while he poured drinks, TEQA provided the perfect atmosphere and credentials to celebrate the Mexican holiday.