“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…
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…
Let’s try Greek tonight, honey “What the hell kind of name is Constantini?” This question, which has baffled humankind for millennia, indignantly burst from the lips of an Alabama Highway Patrolman in the mold of Buford T. Justice upon reviewing the driver’s license of my medical school friend of Greek extraction (whose given name is…
Perhaps You Can Go Home Again My friend Morrie Grossman, like his older brother Les Grossman, is a movie producer at Sony Pictures. Morrie ascended the Hollywood ladder, crushing the fingers of those below him on every rung. He started in the mail room, became a renowned supervising sound editor and finally reached the summit…
Don’t hate me because I am beautiful I prefer to dine at restaurants where people are younger and more attractive than I am, which, since I got my Medicare card recently, are not all that difficult to find in the City of Angels. Maybe I should rephrase that; I prefer to dine at restaurants where…
Grazie a Marco Polo My wife is an immigrant from Italy, self-described as off the boat. Her father Gino moved from Tuscany to the San Fernando Valley (as schizophrenic as that may seem) to start a successful tile and marble business. Gino was an American success story, a penniless immigrant with a sixth grade education…
Faith Restored What does one say about the restaurant scene in the City of Angels in the 21st Century? To be granted the privilege, the permission, to be allowed to spend $300 per couple to be told what to eat, how it shall be prepared and how it shall be served by an unemployed Thespian…