'Here's Adventure...Here's Romance".....Here's................. the Cisco Kid!

In the early days of television, there were many cowboy-30 minute shows...among them was Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rodgers, Gabby Hayes, the Long Ranger and many others, but what I patiently waited for, week after week, was the 'Cisco Kid'.  The show started with an exciting, romantic theme song and narration, then Duncan Renaldo and Leo Carrillo appeared, made small talk, laughed and then rode off into the western landscape. 
The Cisco Kid and his English-mangling sidekick Pancho traveled the old west in the grand tradition of the Lone Ranger, righting wrongs and fighting injustice wherever they find it.
These two gentlemen had style that the others did not. I was a big fan from 1950 to 1956, when their series ended.
My biggest thrill, was when my grandfather took me to the local bank (where I had a savings account) to deposit my weekly allowance and there was Duncan Renaldo! I got a chance to introduce myself and talk to him for a bit and got his autograph.. It was a thrill I still cherish. 
How I miss that show and the both of them,................
All I can say is
"                         OH CISCO...OH... PANCHO"

What can be better than a sandwich from Langer's in Los Angeles? I ask you?

The Invention of the ball is the greatest single disaster to befall man................

Americans,no, Europeans no, it seems man in general worldwide insists on playing games with small or large spheres and To me its a terrible waste of time and energy. The civilized nations of the world should not encourage it.  But alas, I am spreading the word to an uncaring world.
My having played ( or forced to play) baseball for many,many, many years, I can tell you, I never enjoyed on minute of it nor have I enjoyed watching sports of any kind. 
Sport as I have discovered, fosters international hostility and leads fans, no doubt from boredom, to assault and does grievous bodily harm while watching it. The fact that audiences at the Disney hall rarely break bottles over one another's heads, and that Opera fans  seldom knee one another in the groin during long intervals 
( especially at Richard Wagner Opera's) at the Dorothy Chandler convinces me that theatre is safer than sport.

For He' is An Englishman" - One of the great TV dramas to come out of England and one of my all time favorites!!

An Englishman Abroad is a 1983 BBC television drama film, based on the true story of a chance meeting of an actress, Coral Browne, with Guy Burgess (Alan Bates), a member of the Cambridge spy ring who spied for the Soviet Union while an officer at MI6. The production was written by Alan Bennett and directed by John Schlesinger; Browne stars as herself.

Jack Buchanan - An Englishman I adore............

Hollywood had Fred Astaire, and England had Jack Buchanan. They both made their name in the musical theatre of the 20s, and between them they cornered the market in the top-hat-and-tails style of film musical. Buchanan couldn't dance as well as Astaire (who could?) and his style was more brittle; but if his films are revived less often than those of Astaire, it's certainly not Buchanan's fault. 
I grew up listening on Sunday afternoons at my grandparents home to a number of his recordings, my favorite was and is always, Jerome Kerns ‘who”
As a teenager, I always wanted to be Fred Astaire, Cary Grant, Herbert Marshall, Ronald Coleman , Clifton Webb and Jack Buchanan.

My “Cosmo” test, not how good you are in the bedroom, but how good you are in the dining room.

OK, maybe I have a bit harsh on today’s “Foodies”, so I have devised a test to really see if you are one or a fake. So...................................., 
Question: 
1) Foam is best left on an ocean wave, not on my food – Yes or No 
2) If you have a well aged steak – how do you like it cooked? Medium rare, medium rare or medium rare? 
3) Given the choice between a piece of pork or piece of chicken, which would you choose? 
 4) If you order a Cobb or Chicken salad – how should the chicken be cooked?.. 
5) Do you agree with the following statements? 
6) To put it bluntly, Peanut butter is one of the greatest foods ever created, invented, devised or developed by man and one of America’s most important contributions to civilization. Yes or No. 
7) Canned tuna is one of the worlds great delicacies Yes or No 
8) The quintessential American dish – the one that combines old-fashioned Yankee ingenuity and a striking economy of means is the classic, handsome, delectable, nutritious, forever-comforting creation called the Club sandwich. Yes or No. Would you have an ice-cold martini along with the sandwich? Yes or no 
9) Today’s unruly chefs have been gradually transforming classic items like Caesar Salad and Salad Nicoise into one calamity after another. Bastardizing it, and making it contemporary, eminently healthy and utterly tasteless and absurd. 
10) When you dine (especially in Southern California restaurants) these days, do you feel like you have to have your dinner selections cleared with your HMO? Do you agree with chef Paul Bocuse, when he yelled at a dinner who asked why his cooking was not more healthy. The chef replied “I’m running a restaurant, not a hospital’. Yes or no. 
11) Finally and if you are a ‘said’ Foodie and can’t answer this question, you are not! What Scandinavian dish (I am giving you too much of a hint, I think) when preparing this dish, it should only be prepared’      'in silence, in coolness and in shadow”? 
                                       Check back for your answers……………..

Today’s Foodie – A Sheep in Sheep’s Clothing

 In my day, the term for someone who loved food, all types of food and took great pleasure in all food (Please remember that last few words – pleasure in all foods), maybe to excess was the term – Gourmand. Today, the term used the most is Foodie. One dictionary defines it as someone who enjoys and cares about food very much. Another defines it as someone having an avid interest in the latest food fads. Since I was a child ( some 70 years plus) I have always enjoyed food and dining and when I say food, I mean all types. Today’s ‘foodie’ it seems to me, has to have an asterisks, attached to that word, because they say “Yes’, I’m a foodie and love food, but I don’t like or can’t eat……”…………… This is NOT, let me say it again, this is not a ‘foodie’ or Gourmand. So don’t kid yourself……….it is not. I like the food critic and superb writer, James Villas and agree with him and he (although he may not know it) agrees with me, when he and I say I don’t get along with superficial foodies, who spend endless time talking about (and taking photos ..a big no no!) bogus gastronomic trends, offbeat ingredients, superstar restaurant chefs and diets rather than, like ourselves, simply eating and drinking with wanton abandon. To put it more bluntly, in the age of instant expert, there now seems to be a disproportionate number of people who fancy themselves authorities on food and restaurants and all we can say is pity the poor souls who have to sit next to one of them and/or see on line ( facebook, blogs etc) their running commentary is dishes eaten or on some new hot restaurant or a long discourse on wine ( the faults and merits), I say to them..’Just shut and eat!. .and don’t get me started on today’s restaurants which are playpens for adults……………..but that’s another story.. Check back in a bit for my ‘Cosmos’ test to see if you are a real foodie or fake………………

I say, based on this cartoon...Enough already!!

Robert Morley was asked years ago, why he was so fat and he smiled and said, "My dear, because I eat well' - Bravo Mr. Morley

The appeal of a kinder, gentler, and slower pace of life from previous eras is timeless - especially my having the chance to be around my Edwardian grandparents for my formative years,( who until their deaths at the age of 90 plus) lived a measure life, a slow life and a life filled with the mores and ideas of the Edwardian age, it made a lasting impression on how I live - eat, drink and other vices. I say Vice, because by today's standards those things have become evils. 
And yet, look at the popularity of programs like  Downton Abbey?
 I believe on wearing good clothing, having impeccable manners, conversation laced with wit, food contrarianism, humor and the merits of not exercising.

This weekend I shall have scrambled eggs with mixed with heavy cream, homemade sausage ( pork of course) and buttered toast and English jam (the real stuff), then make for the week some gravlax ( so that I have at a moment notice) slices of cured salmon. and what else? let me think for a moment, but all done in a slower, more mannered pace. As it should be......................

Dreamin'...of Smoked Salmon in all its Various Glories...

Man has been smoking salmon since before the written record; but now that there is a written record, the variety of terms that are tossed out can be confusing to me. Folks from the Atlantic smoke Atlantic salmon and North Atlantic Salmon, but many of them confuse the issue by appending their nationalities to the salmon: Scottish, Nova Scotia, Irish, etc. What’s the difference? Folks from the Pacific get species-happy: they smoke Chinook Salmon, Coho Samon and King Salmon, with an occasional generic Pacific Salmon and some geographical offerings of Copper River (Alaska) Sockeye, Chilean Salmon and Wild Alaskan Salmon. And then there is of course… gravlax and we can’t forget LOX! But anyway you smoke it and serve it.., it is one of my favorite things to eat – whatever you call it . Not served on a bagel (although that is nice) but served on a plate (of fine bone China, of course, ..my grandmother taught me well....) with some virgin olive oil, fresh cracked pepper, chopped egg and onion and capers. When abroad in Europe, when offered it, I always partake as my appetizer. If I had to name my favorite meal, this would always, be at the head of the list. ALWAYS………………

The Most stylish Western of the 1950’s and the Man who Influenced My love of Education (albeit non school education)

My favorite TV western ( and there was lots of them in the 1950's) had to be Richard Boone's 'Have Gun, Will Travel' and to be honest with you, I really watched it not for the gunfights and such, no, it was because of the man, the character who was everything I was not and wanted to be - he was Well-schooled and highly cultured, Paladin was a world traveler and polyglot, conversant, if not fluent, in any foreign tongue required by the plot, including Morse code. He had a thorough knowledge of ancient history and classical literature. 
Almost every episode had Paladin dropping a line from such diverse sources as Plato, Aristotle, Julius Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, St Paul, Omar Kayyam, John Milton, Percy Shelley, Lord Byron, Miguel de Cervantes, and even Oscar Wilde, There are also several instances of Paladin recalling lengthy Shakespearean passages. Paladin was a recognized San Francisco wine authority and epicure—so much of both that he is called upon to judge wines in competition. 
He happily partook in and appreciated gourmet meals, often served in his rooms at the Carlton. He received a yearly crate of award-winning Riesling from the California winery of Renato Donatello,in return for the aid he gave Signore Donatello in a land dispute
He was always a gentleman,who even in a gun fight to the death, before dispatching the villain ,he would quote a line from Shakespeare or Milton and then shoot the brigand dead. What style, what finesse. This is who I wanted to be and so all my life I have endeavored to learn and study so many subjects and disciplines  and hoped to be like him and I can say; although I am still learning, I have, I think, become that gentleman. His style was, ..............Just before he shoots a gunman, he would say:
"The good die young, so they may not be corrupted and the wicked live on so they may have a chance to repent".
..so I say, in modern TV or movies, where are the learned heroes of today?

Shoes That Never Go Out of Fashion

In the 1950s, it didn't matter if you were a bobby-soxer in a long skirt or Elvis Presley onstage in shiny black trousers—you owned a pair of saddle shoes. They were the footwear of choice for good girls and bad boys alike. I understand they are coming back in fashion theses days, but for hide-bound traditionalists like myself, they have never gone out of fashion and I have 4 pairs, I wear often. You see, classic styles never, ever go out of fashion.

PS: Cole-Hahn makes the best one around!

Bossa Nova Saved My Life

As a teenager in the 1950’s (and to be honest today) I was always a bit out of step with my contemporaries and it was most noticeable in my choice of music. I never liked the music of my generation or succeeding ones, in fact. Rock and Roll, the English invasion of the 1960’s and the music beyond I have always found laughable, uninspired, coarse, boorish..shall I go on? . I listened, have always listened and shall listen to the music of the American songbook of the 1920’s to late 19450’s. The artistry of Sinatra, Mancini, Riddle, Nat ‘king’ Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Matt Monroe, Sue Raney and the list goes on and on. I love music, romantic music, of strings, and long melodic lines. Wit and complex lyrics – no dumbing down of the English language as is the norm today. The 1950’s pushed aside many of the great songwriters and artists of the early 20th century and towards the end of that decade, I found myself more than a bit depressed as the music being tossed out to me was awful; just awful – Rock and Roll, hard rock, soul music , folk music and such. One of my best friend's father was a concert pianist and one evening on his return for South America, he played some tapes he made of a new style of music coming from Brazil. It was called Bossa Nova and its leader was a young man named Antonio Carlos Jobim. I listened to those tapes and was taken away with the music. That night was one of the greatest in my life of musical tastes; It transformed my life and gave me hope that there was some great music out there still. Rock and Roll was music that gained popularity by being reductive and primal (as is the silly, boorish music today, the worse offender is of course -Hip hop!) by stripping out the complexity. Bossa Nova did the opposite. It took the samba (basic Brazilian beat) and it added harmonic (harmony, do you hear that today in music? harmony) sophistication – extended chords and so on and added to it a degree of lyrical complexity. Tom Jobim save my life, my musical life……..Although I miss the two artists below, I was lucky to be around when they were and to be able to hear their music..live!!!. It is as fresh today as it was some 50 years ago.

James Garner - A Class Act and a Gentleman

In an era of craggy, sardonic, dangerous and downright scrawny movie stars and actors ( you know who you are and I won't name names, I'm, too much a gentleman )-actors that did not appeal to me ever! (even today) and then came along a natural, good looking, affable, charming actor, in fact to a youngster like myself, in the 1950's and into the early 1960's, he was, even by today's standards, a little out of fashion and yet someone I admired not only for his screen appeal, but as a person, he was a gift to me and many others - for he had a gentle gallantry. I had the chance to work with him on the MGM' movie epic 'Grand Prix' and even off the screen, he was always a gentleman to the max.
Thank you Mr. Gardner, for being there for me, if only being on the screen. 
and One, if not my favorite pictures and soundtrack was  (I think his favorite movie also)  was 'The Americanization of Emily".'

Why Do I Want To Eat Like An Edwardian?

To answer the question - perhaps it is a way in which to be an Anglophile/Francophile and of course I am an incurable nostalgist.
It is also likely a function of my contrarian nature, a wish to rebel against the terribly tiresome contemporary obsession and religion of health and wellness. A desire to be unashamed of good food, including cream, butter and 5-egg yolk custards. Perhaps I cannot countenance the idea of any more 'fusion cuisine' or restaurants with 'concept' that need condescending explanation by the waiters. 
My grandparents were Edwardian's and taught me how to enjoy food, real food ( and lots of it) white starched table cloths and proper dining with proper flatware and the joys of hours spending time with fine cigars/port/whiskey/music and a good book and the emance enjoyment of savories after a meal. Of the joys of dressing properly, of manners and etiquette - those things are long gone today, in my opinion.
Shopping for my clothes and spending glorious hours talking to haberdasher's about what one should wear and how.  Don't get me started, that world has gone, but in my own, I keep the flame going and always will.

In Praise of Steamer Trunks.......... Remembrance of Things Past...

My Edwardian grand parents traveled during the 1920's up to the early 1960's, via steamship ( Transatlantic steamer) between Boston and London and points east.
Before the supremacy of air travel ( which  today is a nothing more than  a cattle car - even first class)  and is no way the proper way to travel as in those early years.
My great-grandfather died ( in first class, of course ) on a Cunard Steamer in Havana Harbor in the early 1920's and his family passed on his Louis Vuitton steamer trunks to my grand parents and they used them up until their death in the 1960's. The pieces were not only beautiful, but so functional and so civilized. So many clever arrays of drawers and hooks to keep your clothing neat and pressed. Their trunks were timeless, sophisticated, that as a young boy, I was taken by their beauty. 

Hotels in Europe were geared for the large trunks, but of course today that is all gone.As is the joy of getting from one place to another.  
Travel isn't what it used to be, and that is sad. Of course today, there are only tourists, not travelers as there were in the 1920's and 30'. BUT Don't get me started.............

Coq Au Vin - One of the great dishes of France and I don't mean chicken here! Mom!...................

As a youngster, at least once a week at home we had Coq au Vin ( made with a stewing chicken) and although I learned to like it and look forward to it, it was not until I got to France many years later and had the real thing that I really fell in love with this classic dish, which one hardly sees on the menu anymore; except in far away  places in Burgundy, in small family run restaurants.

This old country dish from France, the word Coq is the French word for cock or rooster. In traditional stock farming, cocks which were good breeders were kept as long as they could fulfill their function, They would be several years old before they were killed and therefore needed long and slow braising in a casserole. Of course these days, chefs world wide use chickens, but it ain't the same.
The dish when it comes to your table must look almost red/black in color and have a pungent wine aroma and flavor. Use the best burgundy wine to make it...
Its a hearty dish and well worth trying to find.
I found such at a small restaurant that specializes in that type of preparation along one of the tiny off shoots of the Burgundy canals and go back to it year after year. It's an acquired taste, but oh! what a dish!!

What Fools These Mortals ( aka the majority of American's) be...The Perfect Hot Dog

I saw a disturbing poll taken this month that asked average American which they would prefer - a Hamburger or Hot Dog or none...the poll revealed that 85 % preferred a Hamburger, 10% a Hot Dog and the rest had no opinion. 
Ms. Katherine Mayhew, a fine writer, a BBQ friend of long standing, and one of the best people you'll ever meet, recently talked about the perfect Hot Dog and it was as she read my mind.

For those 85% that don't prefer a Hot Dog, read no further, for you'll never know or begin to understand one of man's  greatest creations. 
Here is what Ms. Mayhew said and to me, its the gospel.
~ What makes a perfect hot dog? it involves these things and they are non-negotiable
*** Hot dogs with casings. There is no snap to a hot dog without casing and without a snap there is no point.

*** Chili out of a can. Yes! you heard me, Chili out of a can and please..NO BEANS!

*** Plain yellow mustard. No Dijon, No Deli mustard, No Honey Mustard, plain and yellow, just as providence directed us to use.

*** Diced yellow onions. Enough said!

*** A buttered bun. Yes, add butter top a hot dog and chili. Why not? You're not eating these every day, well, Ms. Mayhew, I have to admit, some of us are !

*** Grilling. No boiling of the hot dogs. Can't you hear them screaming?
H.E Lewis - my heart and stomach goes back to the 1959's and the Hot Dog Show in the San Fernando Valley - the Mutt, the dachshund, the beagle, the husky, the Boston Bull, The southern hound and so many more........some of the greatest hot dogs every served,.

Savouries - My Choice for something at the end of the meal rather than some whimsical, effeminate dessert

I am reminiscing this morning about food, what else? Maybe because I was watching for several hours on Sunday, BBC television and my mind went back to my good food times in the city of London.
Today, the so-called urban man eating bowl food and Asian fusion, given the choice ( real men that is) would prefer swapping those noodles for English savouries. Ah! after a meal of smoke salmon, game and beef dishes and a menu free vegetable zone what could be better than cheese and savouries.
Just to list them, brings back so many wonderful memories.
Welsh rabbit, buck rabbit ( with a poached egg on top), mushrooms on toast, Scotch woodcock ( scrambled eggs, anchovies and capers on toast), Angels on Horseback (oysters and prunes, respectively wrapped in thin slices of smokes bacon) and so many others. 

Maybe because I have never had a sweet tooth, the idea of ending a meal with savouries was always appealing to me, even today. One of the places that I can still enjoy that is Wilton's in London. 
Edwardian men ( I count myself one in spirit) love the combination of strength and sweetness in food, something that is sadly lacking today, I find. Where today are the
foods  which emphasize smoked, curried and robustly seasoned flavors? 
The English savory course ( and in America, of those who make it at home) may
feel at odds with modern cooking, but in the end, we men must stand up and be counted and bring back one of the great types of food of our youth.

The Pleasures of a Gin and Tonic - Rediscovered

When I turned 21, my first drink that was served to me as a Gin and Tonic. For many years after it, it became my favorite libation, but as I grew older and more sophisticated, my allegiance turned to the classic martini. 
As of late, I have come back to my first love and can't image why I had for so long, spurned her. 

The New York Times the other day had a story that started with this
"Sipping a good gin and Tonic is like finding a 20th-century oxford shirt in the closet and realizing that you can still wear it downtown tonight without looking out of step with the century we're stuck in'
- I have always worn Oxford shirts since I was 7 years old and I am now 70 and this is still  my go to shirt. - HL
Gin and tonics were - like gin itself - originally developed as a medicine. In this case, to help fight malaria. When the British were in the East they became susceptible to malaria and eventually found out that quinine, an ingredient in tonic water, was useful for getting rid of the disease. Well you would expect that drinking tonic water by itself is pretty nasty and so they added Gin to it and they had no problems getting the British to drink it. 
Also, lime is traditionally served with the drink and it being a citrus fruit containing vitamin C, it also helps to prevent scurvy. Ah! those crafty English.
Tonight, after many years past, I am starting to take the pleasure of drinking Gin and Tonic.
Good times remembered? eh? and yes, 

Eli Wallach - Remembered

Eli Wallach had a great career on both the stage and in the movies, but what I'll always remembered him for was his portrayal of the Mexican bandit, Calvera in the movie 'The Magnificent Seven'. Mr Wallach died this morning and so I am sitting here remembering his film work and again I  go back to his role in that western. 
Who could ever forget one of his most famous lines in the movie
"Generosity..that was my first mistake. I  leave these people a little bit extra and then they hire these men to make trouble. It shows you, sooner or later, you must answer for every good deed"

Where is The Food That Late I ..Ate?

I have been accused more than once in my long life, as to being a throw back, wallowing in my past, especially my eating past. 

I say here and now, I am proud of that. 

On this Friday late afternoon, with the world scene somewhat crashing around me, I taken great delight in remembering such restaurants of my youth as Tail O’ the Cock, Tractons, The Cove and so many others, that I grew up in and had some of the best meals of my life. One such place and its still around, is the Smoke House in Burbank, across from Warner Brothers Studios.

Even as a child, I had the great pleasure to eat there many, many times and it still has a warm corner of my heart.

What I remember best was the ‘Coast Guard orange’ colored, wonderful ‘slap you in the face’ taste of their redolent Garlic Bread.  I am told they still produce it.

Another reason I enjoyed eating here was the series Peter Gunn was filmed at the studios across the street and that one of its stars ( I was smitten by her to say the least) was Lola Albright, who to me was one of the most stylish, sultriest and beautiful actresses in Hollywood with one of the throatiest, smokiest and most distinctive voices around. She came in here on a regular basis after the days shooting.

As Geo and Ira Gershwin once penned “Who could ask for anything more”.

Why Don't Movies make You Cry Anymore?

Last night, I viewed the 1942 MGM classic film, Random Harvest and once again ( my 100th time, I think?) I began to cry as soon as the opening titles appeared. Its a film that really transcends time - of course the plot is implausible, but who cares, two eloquent speaking actors who when they come into sight and open their mouths, suspension of belief becomes effortless and pure enjoyment begins. I defy anyone with a heart to not watch this movie and not cry at the end. A cry for happiness, yes!
It has something, as many MGM films did during that time, a sweetness, that is all but lacking today in movies. 
This along with the'Enchanted Cottage', is my comfort film to go to whenever I need to rejuvenate my soul.
and did the mention the score by the not well known and under appropriated MGM composer, Herbert Stothart?

Margaret hurries to the cottage and calls "Smithy!", he turns, memories flooding back; he cries out 'Paula" and they embrace!
It does not get any better than this...................

Wine is meant to be with food - that's the point of it.” Julia Child

This is my day to rant - so be aware
Having just come back from a month in France, I am more convinced than ever that wine is meant to be eaten with food, not to just taste it. I have never seen the point of going to a winery and just having a tasting. I have had to do that many, many times in my lifetime and have always found it boring. Just tasting wine at a vineyard, I have found boring, Wine, I repeat wine if suppose to only be taken with a meal. 
First of all, let's face it, drinking wine, first of all  is for the nice 'buzz' one gets and second, its is only good because it enhances a meal. That's it.
In my latest France sojourn, I spent a few days in the Beaujolais region at the fabulous Chateau Bagnols.
http://www.chateaudebagnols.com/
The kitchen is phenomenal, with the cooking of the young chef, Jean-Alexandre OUARATTA.
But, the real joy here, what made the meal extra special was the interaction with the dining room wine steward, Robin. A man of considerable knowledge and charm. I put myself in his capable hands and we paired wine for each dish. It was through him, that I discovered a St Joseph Rhone white wine. The red St Joseph has always been a favorite of mine, but I was unaware of a white wine, and OH! what a find.
i am sure if I had the wine alone, it would not have impressed me as much as when I had it with my meal.

so, I will never be convinced to drink just wine alone, but always, always have it with a meal and cocktail parties in the States that only serve wine and not cocktails..DON'T GET ME STARTED!

Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire and Me.......

In the 1950's, as a teenager, I used to love to go the movies once a week, on a Saturday morning at 10:30am and stay until 5:00pm, when my father would pick me up.
Those days they made movies for adults, not children, today its reversed and there is nothing to see these days or 'movie stars' one can look up to and try to emulate. Thank god, I was around to see the Clark Gables, Gary Coopers, Greg Pecks, Cary Grants, and Audrey Hepburn's and Grace Kelley's and so many other wonderful and exciting people on the silver screen. There was true romance then, not just in the sexual way, but the romance of life, and the romance of places to visit.
Think about it, I was maybe 13 or 14 years old and the movies stars I mentioned about were already in their 40's and 50's and yet, and yet, they excited me as a young man as to someone I wished to be, to dress like, to have great lines to say, to visit exotic locales and the music, ah! the music, was beautiful, stirring, lots of strings and long melodic lines. 
Today, I was thinking about when I first say Paris on the big screen ( not realizing then) how important that city and country would be in my future life. 
The movie was 'Funny Face' ( music by the Gershwin, who could ask for anything more?) starring Paris and Fred Astaire ( who didn't want to be a Fred Astaire?)  and Audrey Hepburn ( and who didn't want a girl like her to be your pal?) 
How lucky to have lived in the 1950's and the movies that came out in that decade!

It's So Audrey! - She Would Have Been 85 This Past Weekend!

Off to France for a Month - Hurrah!

Dear Readers,
I am off to France for a month and will pick up my blogging on my return in late May.
You ask? where in France?
I am spending most of my time in my beloved Brittany and then on to Lyon and Northern Provence.

Lots of good food awaits, LOTS!!!  ( Chez Jacky), solitary walks on the beach and in quaint villages and time with new and old friends ( The French are the best) 

A platter of taste - This is worth getting up each day for -

 As George and Ira Gershwin once penned "Who could ask for anything more?"

"All I Want is the Best Of Everything and There's Very Little of That Left " - Lucius Beebe

I recently came upon a photo in an old London Magazine taken during WW2 ( in the underground) and the sign on the wall  read
                                    "Temperatures Will Fall, Standards Mustn't'.

My Edwardian grandfather and to a lesser extant my Bostonian father, were constantly hammering that into myself and my brothers. It was not a snob thing, far from it, but an idea to live your life in a style and manner that reflected well on the family, but moreover,a style you wished for yourself. My grandfather use to say ( among so many things) that being a gentleman ( the thing he prized most) was a 24 hour a day profession, not just sometimes. 
Smoking a cigar or having a glass of single malt Scottish whisky was something you did in the quiet of a room,to enjoy the full flavors. You sat there and thought about what you were smoking or drinking, taking time ( 45 minutes to smoke a cigar was the norm) to really get all the satisfaction you could out of it. That was one, of many, of life's pleasures that I was taught. 
As a boy, my grandfather ( many times) took me to visit his cigar maker and to really understand the time and craft that went into it and thus be able to appreciate it to the max. 
He was horrified, as I am today, by people who rudely open bottles of Champagne and let the glorious ingredients spray everywhere as if its the way you do it. 
As I love Champagne ( and cigars, port,whisky, foie gras, Tweed clothing and so many other refinements)  and have spent much time in the French Champagne countryside and see how long it takes to produce a bottle, I always looked at people in horror who let corks fly in all directions and guzzle the 'stuff' . I guess I am just old fashion....I think there is a song by that name by Jerome Kern...
What this all leads up to, as an Edwardian at heart, I live and have lived since I was 13 years old, in a style and manner that has never changed and I am happier for it as the world today seems that ' have gone to hell in a hand basket', my god, have you seen what young men are wearing today and how they groom themselves..I think they all need a bath and manners? Don't ask and young ladies with tattoos? They look like gangster's molls? Is that attractive? Not to me! Never!!!

OK, OK..I am sounding like my grandfather! Well...that's the nicest thing you could ever say to me.

The American highly civilized non-conformist ( and one of my life's heroes) Mr. Lucius Beebe

Locke-Ober – The restaurant that gave hope to generations of Boston men that if they just followed the rules, they too could find their rightful place

Established in 1875 – the restaurant was a fine dining haven, serving the cities’ most powerful people and old line Bostonian families ( Men that is –the restaurant only admitted women in 1970) for over 100 years.

The restaurant was an institution, a sort of manners-school-meets-lunch club for the Irish, Jewish and Italian men who worked downtown but weren’t welcome at any of the exclusive clubs controlled by the Boston Brahmin. It was the place for men of Boston to learn how to behave like Yankee gentlemen.

To me, it was not only the atmosphere, the wait staff, but it was the food and drink and great company. Now lost on today’s dinners, here was the food of my past and still lives with me - Lobster thermador, finnan haddie, calfs liver, Bay Scallops with bacon, Lobster stew, Scrod, lobster Newburg and many more dishes that gladden the heart and cocktails – like the Ward Eight and ice cold Gin Martini’s ( for lunch!!) I had arrived when I was able for lunch to down a few Ice-Cold Martini's

My grandfather and father and then just myself, were frequent clients, no! Frequent members, for it felt like an exclusive men’s club with better food and people. Men dressed (albeit) in Boston conservative dress, and if you too where dressed correctly, you would get the Nod of approval, not only from the staff but from other dinners.

It was and will forever remain one of the great joys in my lifetime.

It closed after 136 years, because the world had changed, the younger generation did not care a fig and still does not about tradition, or style or manners (Ok, don’t get me going!).

But who cares, I had my time ‘to bask under the sun’ and experience this magical place.

Who Screwed Up the Classic Caesar Salad - I'd Like To Punch Them In The Nose

A Warning - If the photo below is your idea of a classic Caesar Salad, then leave now, because I am going to hurl insults at you,

                   Le Cirque - shame on you (A Caesar Salad, this is not)
if your Classic Caesar salad must have shrimp or chicken on it, starting running, because I am going to through things at you, if you want your classic Caesar Salad without anchovies, then don't even talk to me, you have no idea what great food is about and never will and don't tell me you (like it seems for a vast majority of US Citizens)  have the need for Gluten Free products, I don't believe it, that kind of thing has reached epic proportions in our country and a Doctor I know at the CDC (Center for Disease Control) says that only 1% of the population has the disease known as Celiac (which requires a Gulten Free diet).  
When I was young, about 7 years old, in the late 1940's and into the early 1950's, I was taken to a classic continental style food restaurant (where one had to wear a coat and a tie - which I still do today, I am happy to say)  and had a table side prepared classic Caesar salad and that salad, its taste and preparation has stayed with me for over 70 years. I, early on made that dish one of my cooking repertories. There is not a week that goes by that I don't make that classic dish it in my garlic-rubbed wooden bowl ( de rigueur, of course) and my mind goes back to those happy days of dining in the 1950's.
The world today, as it does so often of late, has bastardized that dish and many other from my youth. 
My blood is boiling, so I need a Caesar salad to calm me down!!!
Here is the classic Caesar from my 1950's days and of course , its correct - never, ever deviate. 

Howard’s Classic Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

1 – Large garlic clove, mashed

½ lemon

1 – tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce

1 – teaspoon of Dijon-style mustard

2 to 3 Anchovy Fillets

3 tablespoons of Olive Oil

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan Cheese (fresh or prepared)

1 head of Romaine Lettuce - chopped

1 whole egg (coddled or raw) -This is NOT an option, without it,its not a CAESAR salad - nuf said!

Salt

Pepper

Croutons –  freshly made, of course!! 

Put your serving dishes for the salad in your refrigerator to chill

In a wooden bowl – make your dressing:

Mince the anchovies and mash in the bowl with a pinch of salt with the back of a spoon

Add the Olive oil – mustard – mashed garlic – few turns of fresh crushed pepper - Mixed well, pressing the ingredients against the side of the bowl until well blended.

Note: Try to make the salad just before serving so it remains fragrant and crisp.

~ In a large bowl, put in the lettuce and pour over it the dressing. ~ ~ toss gently, but not to long.

~ Add the egg and toss well, so that the leaves are coated well.

~ Add the Worcestershire sauce, squeeze the lemon over the lettuce (be careful not to let the seeds into the salad) and then add enough Parmesan cheese to lightly cover the top.

~ Mix well.

~ Add the croutons and more Parmesan Cheese to cover the top (again based on your preference)

Toss well

On the chilled plates – sprinkled a bit of pepper first and then plate the salad.

                                       Hail Caesar!

 Of course it even tastes better if you prepare it table-side in your dinning room, what you don't have a dining room but an open kitchen - Dining room? Don't talk to me !

Wilton's London - Not For the Impoverished of Dress nor Pocket...

For those of you who know me (How lucky they are), they know that although I am mad for France and anything French, I am also mad for a touch of Edwardian London.
I never go to London without dining at Wilton's - 55 Jermyn St. It has become my home away from home for most of my 70 years. One dresses to eat here and does one.... eat!!! 
I must admit and am rather surprised and in truth ever-so-slightly-disappointed when I arrived as of late, to be informed that I am no longer required to wear a tie ( a coat, still, yes!), This was always a pre-requisite to getting into the building. Well, I guess one must make some kind of nod to the 21st century, but I can tell you, I hope it does not go any further than this!
As you glide through, past the doorman, into the soft-carpeted bar area ( Sammy; the bar man, preparing your oysters as he sees you pass), then into the dining room, there is the most palpable sense that you are leaving behind a world of vulgarity, of hashtags, and reality TV and entering an altogether different sphere. The tone is that of the London Gentleman's club, of staunch Conservative principles and undeniable elitism, but here, for a quiet, stolen couple of hours from the mania of modern life, I care not a jot. Dining at Wiltons for over 65 years has been and will be an experience to savor. 
So tuck into a Pullman booth, have you service Nanny take your order and be prepared to return to another world of manners and glorious food and drink. Ah! don't forget at the end , have your savory ( Anchovies on toast is my recommendation) and then a glass of port and some Stilton!

Grits - A Perplexing Thing To Folks North Of The Mason-Dixon Line..BUT....

Southerners have a love affair with grits and as a Born-Again Southerner ( at least in my heart, if not in my soul) they are part of our past, our customs, our hospitality and sheer Southern-ness!
One of the best places to experience this dish of Southern Love is in Charleston at the Charleston Place Hotel in their dining room.
Served on an well starched white tablecloth, a large bowl of love - Shrimp/Sausage and Grits, of course served along with a side order of salty country ham. It does not get any better than this.. 

"Now Give Three Cheers and One Cheer More" As G & S Once Wrote..Hurrah For the True British Soul...

Today a modest band of immaculately dressed chaps and chapettes descended upon Savile Row ( London's key street synonymous with good taste, sharp cutting and bespoke tailoring for more than two centuries ) to protest against the opening of a children's store by Abercrombie and Kent. "We felt ( and I totally agree)  "rather strongly that Savile Row is not the right sort of street for the sale of T-Shirts, cargo pants and thongs with suggestive slogans on them"
If WS Churchill was still alive, he'd have something to see about it! By god!

Indiscreet - They Don't Make Them Like This Anymore - The Movies nor the Stars.....

One of my favorite movies of the past - the movie still proves yet again that great acting, crackling writing, deft direction and two handsome stars never go out of style. 
If you have never seen it, shame on you!

My Watch Of Choice - Ingenuity and Simplicity Are Always My Choice When It Comes to Wrist wear....

To me, the Rolex Watch, although well made, is an ugly, not very stylish wrist watch,( crass if you wish to know)  but that is my opinion. Having forgone wearing watches the last several years and relying on my Smart Phone, I have seen the light and have gone back to wearing a wrist watch. I have also given away my Kindle ( going back to reading hard back books) and have forsaken my computer on my days off among other things. But that's d another story..................
Having visited Zurich last December ( what a WOW! city), I wanted a watch that shouted under-stated elegance,  something thin ( not those over-powering gunky sports watches you see men wear theses day), so, shopping one day, I came upon an example of 20th century design, an easy-to-read face,  distinctive watch hands and the famous red seconds hand ( this look is the official Swiss Railways Clock) and I knew I had found my watch.
It's made by the MONDAINE WATCH CO.
In fact, their design appears to take a place in the eternal hall of fame along side other well known design icons such as Coca-Cola, the Mercedes star, The Toblerone Packaging or the design of the US dollar bill.

I am back after a long ( blog site Respite) that is........

Last December, I had the good fortune to travel to Germany & France along with my famous chef brother, Robert Lewis (The Happy Diabetic) 
We took the Uniworld  river cruise from Cologne to Basel during the fabulous Christmas market period in Germany. I am not, to be honest with you,  a great fan of Christmas celebrations in general, but seeing these special markets devoted to that season in Germany was an real eye-opener WOW!
Check back for more on that story...................... 
If you have never taken a river cruise, you are in for a treat and no one does it better than Uniworld's River Cruises.
The above photo was taken in one of my all time favorite cities ( and areas) Eastern France - in Strasbourg. Behind me is the old town section called Le Petit France and its a must to visit when you come to the marvelous city. 
So, I am glad to be back and stay tuned for more to follow everyday..
~ Howard

Caviar Dinner at Wiltons, London - My Favorite Restaurant in London - Missed this years event, but there is always next year.

                                         The Caviar Dinner 11 May 2011
The Dinner will be hosted by Laura King from "Kings Caviar" who is a well known caviar aficionado. The night not only promises to be a gastronomic delight but an education into this wonderful food.
Bollinger with canapés
 To Start
Smoked sturgeon parfait
Rio Frio Spanish Naccarii Sturgeon
The only Sturgeon indigenous to Europe farmed in Andalucia. Subtle in taste a little like a mild Osceitra
Complimented with Pouilly-Fumé “Les Cornets” 2009 Domaine A.Cailbourdin
 Intermediate
Carpaccio of Rose Dutch veal, goats cheese “Angels Delight” with truffle and pickled salsify
Farmed Sevruga caviar from Bulgaria
 A delicately small egg with a taste of salt and the sea
 Complimented with
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 2008 Domaine Vincent Dancer
Pre-main
Gratin of langoustine, asparagus, basil and tomatoes
Farmed Osceitra from Belgium
 Large egg with golden tones, subtle flavours with a hint of brie
 Complimented with
Meursault “Les Vireuils” 2007 Domaine Dupont-Fahn
Main Course
Cornish turbot and Dover sole with bacon, onions, mushrooms and red wine sauce
Farmed Beluga Caviar from Bulgaria
 The largest and most opulent egg, walnut and creamy in flavour
 This is The King of the Caviars  
 Complimented with
Chablis Grand Cru “Les Clos” 2008 Domaine Christian Moreau
Dessert
Raspberry Pavlova iced soufflé with tapioca and mango pearls
 Complimented with
Dom Pérignon 2002
 Coffee and sweetmeats with chocolate caviar
                          HOW MUCH YOU ASK?

You know the old saying 

             " If you have to ask, you can't afford it"

Cooking is a long march that never ends....Temps Perdu

This past weekend I was laid up with the flu ( that seems to be everywhere these days) and so, when I do occasionally get ill, my prescription is always the same, I take to my bed with a cup of hot Assam tea and lemon, several good book, my IPOD and two to three plumped pillows. This weekend, I did the same, turned on my IPOD and listened to Rachmaninov’s Piano concert #2 (a favorite of mine since childhood) and pulled out some favorite restaurant menu’s for days past. As I lay there, dreaming of past delights, I was reminded of a line from Evelyn Waugh’s “Brideshead Revisited”,
“Just the place to bury a crock of gold," said Sebastian. "I should like to bury something precious in every place where I've been happy and then, when I was old and ugly and miserable, I could come back and dig it up and remember."

These menus’s I have saved for the years, and when revisited, truly make me happy. Dinner in my day was when people would dress up and use the restaurant as a stage, a setting for a night’s entertainment. Today, they just eat out for convenience, and then rush off elsewhere. For me, eating out was like going to a theatre. I prepared for what I was going to eat; I dressed up certainly and wished to spend at least 2 hours, if not more, enjoying the, meal, the service, and the atmosphere. To me, it was like going to church.

One of my fondest memories of dining was in London at the wonderful (now not so wonderful) Edwardian Hotel, The Connaught. That hotel, up to recently was like stepping back in time. Retreating to some safer, cozier era when ladies worn hats and gentleman wore suits. The big draw for me was always the Restaurant and Grill room. Here the low hum of conversation ( that is gone now world wide in restaurants), the genteel clink of polished silver on old china, waiters in tails exuding an a air of quiet efficiently and old fashioned servility. The atmosphere, of course was always clubby, exclusive and stuffy. An menu of mixed English comfort food and classic French cuisine and all under the eye of maitre-chef Michel Bourdin. M. BOURDIN retired (sadly) in 2001 and that began the fall of one of the best restaurants in the world. ………………, Please check back for more on this greatest of chefs and greatest of dining rooms.