Omerta “Mista Silverstein, how they hangin’?” boomed raucously across the main dining room in the unmistakable voice of Johnny “Roastbeef” Williams. Roastbeef is the greeter, raconteur and wisecracker at Rao’s in the heart of Hollywood, the west coast branch of the famous and exclusive East Harlem Italian haunt. My Tuscan born wife and I were…
Third time’s a charm My close friend Morrie Grossman, brother of producer Les Grossman of Tropic Thunder fame and himself a celebrated food critic (and who introduced me to Dear John’s), has another brother, Bernie Grossman. Bernie is a power attorney, a mover, a shaker, a rainmaker. He is the supreme managing partner of the…
In vino veritas “Nothing more excellent or valuable than wine was ever granted by the gods to man” said Plato, who knew a thing or two about a thing or two. It has also been said that a bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world, so you can thank…
A Tale of Two Cities It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was…
Can we all get along? While valuably spending last Friday afternoon lounging on the couch with Nolan, my pet Yorkie, and a Bombay Sapphire and tonic watching reruns of The Rockford Files, my usually dormant cell phone rang. Who do I know with a 202 area code? Out of sheer curiosity, I answered the call…
“Digressions, incontestably, are the sunshine, the life, the soul of reading!”—Laurence Sterne My movie producer friend, Morrie Grossman, co-authored a classic book of reviews of dive restaurants in Los Angeles. This was back in the day when people actually read books. When it comes to commentary and criticism of eateries he knows of what…
Man shall not live on bread alone; he must also have a bagel According to urban legend, the bagel was invented in the shtetls of Poland by the Ashkenazi Jews in 1610. It was brought to the United States, along with the other foods that form the staples of Jewish deli cuisine, during the immigration…
The Third Man “On our right is the Wiener Riesenrad.” Our driver was pointing out highlights as we were touring the Ringstrasse in Vienna. A pivotal scene in the movie The Third Man takes place on the Riesenrad, which at one time was the largest Ferris wheel in the world. For my less cultured readers…
Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk? The City of Angels is the home, the mecca, the epicenter of the trendiest of trendy diets. As one bites into one’s Langer’s #19 or double chili cheeseburger, one must suffer the slings and arrows and take arms against the advocates of the vegan, the paleo, the…
Roots II–The Chosen People “All outbound flights are suspended” blared through a tinny loudspeaker. The beautiful wife and I were in the British Airways lounge at Heathrow airport, awaiting our connection to Budapest for a cruise of the Danube with our close friends Ben and Rose Lifschitz (we were hoping they would remain our close…