Veni Vidi Mangia My worldly and sophisticated wife was born in Sansepolcro in the Valtiberina region of Tuscany, near the birthplace of Michelangelo. It is a rural area of picturesque forested rolling hills, quaint family farms and tiny walled medieval towns. Other than her parents, the remainder of her family stayed in Sansepolcro to live…
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…
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…
“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…
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…