The twins with flaxen hair, Anu and Kadri Tali, are instant charmers. At a cocktail party Tuesday night, the 32-year-old Estonian beauties shared their wisdom on men (dispensable), exercise (likewise), and music (impossible to live without).

Anu has just finished a critically acclaimed engagement conducting the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Back home she is the founder of the Nordic Symphony Orchestra, whose musicians hail from 15 countries. Kadri is the person who lets Anu focus on her creative work, serving as the orchestra’s manager.

The sisters are identical, but their wardrobes on this night hinted at their distinct personalities. Anu looked ready for the boardroom in a conservative black suit with white trim. Kadri wore black cargo pants and carried a silver purse.

“She loves music for music,” Kadri explained, “I love it for the people I get to work with.” Kadri invited every guest to hear the orchestra play in Estonia.

The party took place at the apartment of James and Ene Greenfield, an intellectual and artistic den befitting its occupants – he’s a former New York Times editor, she’s a former “20/20” producer. Each wall was a sight to behold: One showcased an 18th-century Japanese screen of regal cranes, another held shelves of Asian art objects. The winter scene was complete with a crackling fire.

A tanned Mike Wallace and his wife, Mary, joined the Greenfields as hosts, welcoming guests such as the composer of “Annie,” Charles Strouse; Broadway actor George Irving, and the venerable couple Shirley Lord and A.M. Rosenthal. The Talis were reunited with a childhood friend, Piret Loone, who left Estonia to attend Harvard Law School and now has a practice in litigation at Shearman and Sterling. They became acquainted as newborns through their mothers, both mathematicians.

Another guest, Antonia Milonas, passed on word of Thirst Aid, a benefit her daughters Nicole and Korinne Kotovos are working on: It’s Monday at SoHo House, to raise money for mental-health services for victims of the tsunami.

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“No one is leaving,” Anna Sincavage commanded. No one wanted to go.

Mrs. Sincavage, a native of Assisi, is the heart and soul of Skappo, an irresistible wine-and-food bar in downtown New Haven. She was speaking to about 30 customers – the restaurant’s capacity – on Saturday night, just as dinner was winding down.

Within a few moments, everyone felt a part of the Sincavage family, entranced by their hostess, who in a thick Italian accent explained how her loving brood got started – on Assisi’s Piazza Minerva, when American student Thomas Sincavage caught her eye and brought her back to New Haven.

The Sincavage children extended the same warm embrace offered by their mother. The youngest, Marc, sang Italian love songs as he played the guitar. The eldest, Michael, pulled out a map of Assisi, pointing out the location of his grandfather’s food shop and the spot where his parents met. The middle child, Yvette, showed the spot in the restaurant where Michael proposed to his wife, Louise, and recalled her own nervousness on that June night last year.

Then Mrs. Sincavage led everyone in singing “Happy Birthday” to Louise and three other diners. With that, the meal of delicacies – cured meats and cheeses, beef stew, squash and ricotta dumplings, and chocolate “salami” – was officially over. “Go home now, we have a lot of dishes to do,” Mrs. Sincavage said.

For those who need a break from the big city, make the trip to Skappo, located at 59 Crown St. in the Ninth Square. Yale alumni will be amazed at the restaurants and galleries bursting forth in this revitalized downtown area.