BIG FOUR RESTAURANT/HUNTINGTON HOTEL: OLD SF MYSTIQUE

Big Four Restaurant, 1075 California Street at Taylor (www.big4restaurant.com;771-1140)Who were the Big Four? Railroad barons who built the railroads and then built their McMansions on Nob Hill: Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, Charles Crocker, C.P. Huntington. 19th century photographs adorn the bar and restaurant, except for Charles who weighed 300+ pounds and forbade anyone from photographing him. Have a gander at the huge panoramic photo of San Francisco taken in 1878 by Edward Muybridge outside the men's room. Sit in the lounge and listen to 20s,30s,40s classics by Michael Parsons tickling the ivories 6 nights a week from 5-11. He even throws in some show tunes.

I met Mike, an investment advisor from the little town of Ennis, Montana (Big Sky country; pop: 800) who was here for a conference at the St. Francis Hotel, on Union Square. We decided to meet early at the bar: a Cirque du Soleil San Fran style, with Ty preparing drinks for the creme de la creme.

My friends Lana and Barbara were already sampling Bistro Fare at the bar. (Their favorite: Chicken Pot Pie.(16). I introduced them to Mike, a divorced Irishman with a great sense of humor/joie de vivre/father of three. He had watched My Best Friend's Wedding that afternoon at the St. Francis Hotel and recounted the Billy Crystal joke. Man goes to the rabbi. "I think my wife is poisoning me. Help! What should I do?" "Don't worry, says, the rabbi, I'll talk with her. After 3 hours of conversation with the wife, rabbi goes back to the husband. "Take my advice: take the poison!"

The Big4 evokes an English gentleman's club: wonderful wood paneling, green leather, blue bloods perched at the bar. If you want to hobnob with the "new" barons, politicos, elites, this is the ticket, as Jon Lovitz would day. Our waitperson Ron, a photographer and SF historian (see website of his 25-room mcmansion filled with found objets d'art,1000's of photos of SF: www.ronhenggeler.com, and email him if you want a personally guided tour: sfbison@pacbell.net). Ron has waited on Willie Brown, Stephen Breyer's classmates, even eavesdropped on Michael Savage having dinner with Jerry Brown. Carol Burnett and Florence Henderson sang Happy Birthday on his 50th! Ask for his table in the corner, and listen to this raconteur, who is fond of sphinx cats, bison, San Francisco.

Mike and I decided to be fishmongers for the night and opt for the simpler fare. I have found that eating arrangements, such as sushi joints, for example, are as challenging as understanding a Tom Stoppard play at ACT. If you want bang for the buck at over-the-top expensive restaurant, go with the fish. Here are my recommendations at Big$4 (sic):

Knoll Farm's Organic Field Greens: Tossed in balsamic vinaigrette with dried cranberries, gorgonzola dolce, red onion, apples and candied walnuts. (10).

Dungeness crab cake. With corn salsa, crispy sunchokes, creamy caper vinaigrette. (15).

Big $4 loves is wild boar, organic chicken breast, filet mignon, but Mike & I preferred the Sauteed Petrale Sole with a pine nut-road garlic crunch, sweet corn-sundried tomato-basil butter sauce. (27) Did you know sole is named after the town which supplied this flat fish to London? The flesh of a cooked fish should be opaque and flake with a touch of a fork. If overcooked, it is tough and dry. The chef at this upscale restaurant has mastered the art!

Vegetarians/flexitarians/contrarians will love the porcini mushroom risotto made with root veggies,mushrooms, black truffles, cheese, and a lemon beurre blanc.(26).

Desserts are a must-have: we decided on the "healthy" one: blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries: Delightful with cream and coffee!

Chef Gloria Ciccarone-Nehls has worked hard to ensure that the high drama spectacle is on the food. For example, you don't need sonar to pick up any signs of anchovies in the Caesar's Salad. Outside, Mike and I saw a crescent moon big as a spotlight over Huntington Square (too late for sauntering). A perfect Ying-Yang evening and I'm sure Mike will cherish his memories of old San Francisco Mystique and the Big$4 Restaurant! Have fun in England in March and Bon Voyage!

GYPSY CARAVAN; LIMON: CAN YOU COUNT CEVICHES IN ESPANOL?

Gypsy Caravan; www.whentheroadbends.com;SF Independent Film Festival;Director: British Jasmine Dellal;2006, 90 min. You cannot walk straight when the road bends - Romani/Rumanian proverb. The Rom people know music. And travel. This amazing documentary lets us see and hear five Gypsy bans from four countries: Rumania, Macedonia, Spain, and India on a North American concert tour with styles ranging from flamenco to brass band, Romanian violin to Indian folk. The film pulsates with performances by Macedonian diva and "Queen of the Gypsies" Esma Redzepova (she adopted 47 children); Romanian Fanfare Ciocarlia; traditional Indian folk troupe Mahraja; the violin wizardry of Romanian group Taraf de Haidouks, and the Flamenco Ensemble lead by Antonia El Pipa. Thanks to the World Music Institute, New York City, Toronto, Ann Arbor, Miami, Austin, San Francisco, and Portland were the North American cities chosen to host the Gypsies. Gadjos (non-Gypsies)were lucky to experience the culture and diversity of the Romani people in an explosion of song and dance.

Johnny Depp, a fan, spent some time in a Rom trailer(not a movie trailer this time)and was interviewed by Jasmine. "Most Americans "hate the Gypsies, and believe all the stereotypical cliches : They steal and are ignorant itinerants." Drifting, fortune-telling, scam artist musicians? We've all heard the so-called truisms! This documentary is an inexhaustible fount of wisdom, showing us the heart and soul of this persecuted minority.

Spinoza (Ethics, 1677) said that the things that act through the ears are said to make a noise, discord or harmony, and this last has caused men to love their heads to such a degree that they have believed God himself is delighted with it. Clearly the Roms have lost their heads and here is a rat-tat-tat of one/two-liners from the film.
Music is God's greatest creation.

Music is better than 1,000 sons.

If love has broken your heart, the cure is in the bottle.

Love is more than words. It's what you do for someone. It's honesty.

Flamenco is the cry of the world -- its sadness and melancholy through choreography.

I have many children and grandchildren. They will look after me. They are my flowers.

In our culture, even the bread is spicy!

Even if you have bread on the table, it hurts to be lonely.

Fate made it my destiny to feel good in old age: Our music makes money. If not money, there is nothing to support our music, dance, sadness, happiness, culture, children, and tradition.

After the movie, my friend, the banker for Citibank, and I celebrated his promotion with a trip around the corner from the Roxie theater to the Peruvian restaurant, Limon. (www.limon-sf.com; 524 Valencia Street; 252-0918). Anthony Castillo, one of the brothers-owners of this spot greeted us & put us in a quiet corner where no megaphone was needed. Did he agree with Bob Hope that a bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don't need it?

Can you count the number of ceviches here in Espanol? Dane could and did: 10!

Ceviche Camarones: Prawns marinated in lime juice and aji amarillo; served with yams and Peruvian corn (13.95). Excellent way to start the meal.

Ensalada mixta: Mixed greens with pisco, grilled and served over chimichurri mashed potatoes, with Peruvian adresso sauce lived up to its reputation! (7.50)

Picante de Mariscos: Braised scallops, calamari, shrimp, mussels, clams and diced potatoes in a Peruvian adresso sauce, served with a side of Mexican rice. (21.00)

On a previous occasion I had the Lomo Saltado: traditional Peruvian dish of Top Sirloin (free range) sauteed with onions, tomatoes and fries, served with rice. (18.95) The meat is free range, tender and delicious.

While we ate are dinner slowly and toasted his new job, I was reminded of a poem hanging in my kitchen:

We may live without poetry, music and art;
We my live without conscience, and live without heart.
We may live without friends; we may live without books
But civilized man cannot live without cooks.

I love this restaurant where the dishes are presented with a flair and attention to aesthetics and the flames from the grill are visible in the dining room which is lime and tangerine colors.

Congratulations to Martin and Anthony Castillo and their mother, head of the kitchen, for bringing a taste of the foothills of the Andes to the Mission District of San Francisco.

CAFE DIVINE: VALENTINE'S DAY, SUI GENERIS LIVES UP TO NAME!

Cafe Divine (1600 Stockton;(415)986-3414; no reservations). I have no problem finding girls, but the world has changed. Before you take a girl to bed, you have to discuss the plague. I can't deal with those sorts of negatives as foreplay.(Jack Nicolson). Where's Jack now? Probably bonding with his daughter. Wright brothers David and Wade have scored a hit with this little restaurant overlooking Washington Square Park, in North Beach. They didn't try to guess what a million foodies and music lovers will like. The know what THEY like. They do everything right and it's turned out perfect.(wrighton1@mindspring.com)

Wacky, naughty and oh-so-deep Wade-in-the water had a joke for me on Valentine's night: How do you know when Pinocchio's in love? I don't know, when his nose get longer? No, when he has a wooden heart-on! I brought it down a level: Why do mice have little balls? Because they can't dance! (Or no balls, if they hang out at the computer too much, n'est-ce pas?) I have been on a lot of blind dates and fooled around in my time, I should get a free dog! Have you tried suicide bombers? At least they commit! Kaboom!

If you come to Wade/Dave's place on Wednesday night, you'll be treated to a riveting guitar duo singing and fingerpicking songs from the 90s. The 1890s, that is! Veteran guitarist Craig Ventresco, a native of Portland, Maine and his remarkably gifted, sweet-voiced mate, Meredith Axelrod, who occasionally stands on a chair to get the guy and dolls to pay attention, are a dream team. Back from Manhattan where they chose not to live, they've settled in the sunny Mission District for good. Meredith and Craig are no lipsynching drones. Meredith keeps her pristine voice in superb, tip-top condition. Stuff from Satchmo, songs like Mississippi Mud, Mandy and Me, I love my Baby (My baby loves me)? A piece of cake for this dream team! Anything from pre-1890 to 1950. Unfortunately, Craig can rarely be cajoled into singing. If you love your TV "live" (I do), this is the place to celebrate. Sundays is jazz combo night.

Cafe Divine is a place for classic Italian comfort food: warm olives (2.5); soup and salad (6.25), thin-crusted, over-fired pizza have names lifted from Catholic liturgy: Inferno, Purgatory, Paradise, Divine.(10-13). Do you know that Italian immigrants brought pizza to America, and the first pizzeria opened in the New York City in 1905. It wasn't until after World War II, however, when soldiers returned from Italy with stories of a wonderful food eaten without utensils, that it took off, and it remains one of the most popular foods worldwide. (Life is Meals; James and Kay Salter.)

Wade and Dave support small farmers and use sustainable products when possible. Try the seafood catch of the day. (AQ), quiche with mixed greens (9), lamb & lentil stew (15). However, the prix-fixe dinners (beginning at 5:00) are highly recommended: warm olives;soup du jour or salad; a choice of three entrees; warm brownie or glass of wine.(18). The entrees are roasted chicken dinner (half and herbed all-natural, free-range chicken served with mashed potatoes and vegetables); lamb and lentil stew braised in red wine and olives; or quiche of the day. Sometimes you get a great pasta, like the spinach and ricotta manicotti. Brilliant!

Desserts are a must-splurge (6). Try the Extra Penance Chocolate Cake, and if you need an excuse to indulge, other than the fact that chocolate is an aphrodisiac and mood booster, remember dark chocolate has 15 times the antioxidants found in broccoli. Americans consume 12 pounds a year. Also excellent are the Cloud 9 Cheesecake, Lemon Tart, and Brownie Sunday.

Earlier in the evening at one of the Larkspur hotels, San Francisco wit/punster poet, Stephen Kopel recited a poem about another dessert. Bone Apart. (The Napolean surrenders in a sweet tooth busily taking aim at custard skirted in puff pastry seductively camouflaged as a tart troops recall from her strawberry swagger on the outskirts of Paris). The poem is from Tender Absurdities (Meridien; 2006) and he inscribed it to me: "a glorious nebula of feminine energy." Nebula? Thanks, Stephen. Oh, Zeus, if you regard kindly the condition of man, then send him in search of this punny volume. (YOU RIP A DEES).

I eavesdropped outside the restroom and someone was doing a Larry Miller riff from the repertoire of the sarcastic king of the bizarre narrative: I just broke up with someone and the last thing she said to me was, "you'll never find anyone like me again." And I'm thinking, I should hope not. If I don't want you, why would I want someone like you.
Kaboom!

Thank you Wade and Dave Wright for a 3-star restaurant. May it thrive on your cozy dream site overlooking Washington Square Park!

SARAH SILVERMAN/BRIAN POSEHN/MARK COHEN: COBBS COMEDY CLUB, SAN FRANCISCO: 2/10/07

On the way back from Cobbs on a rainy Saturday Night, I saw 2 guys wearing leather jackets and t-shirts. "Your ridiculous little opinion has been noted," and a pre-Anti-Valentine's one: "I think, therefore I'm single!" Food for thought as the limos zoomed past pedestrians in North Beach.

I reflected on the ridiculous popularity of these "comedians" from the Sarah Silverman Show who flew in from LA for a 2-night gig to adoring fans. Sarah Silverman and cohorts are abrasive, offensive, obscene, vulgar and this is the sad part: not very funny. Form, structure, and informed intelligence in Sarah's "act" are sorely lacking. She deals in shakily-constructed puppy vignettes and tired cliches/stereotypes about Jews, blacks, Asians, Mexicans, gays and lesbians. And she doesn't know when a guitar is in tune! Maybe I'm an old fogey or possibly seen to many authentic comedians/comediennes in my time. I must confess I was disappointed but the predominantly under-30 sitcom/MTV/sound bite kids clapped for more.

Here's the rub. A.O.Scott in his recent NY Times review: " her act is the latest evidence that mocking political correctness has become a form of political correctness in its own right....She depends on the assumption that only someone secure in his or her lack of racism would dare to make, or to laugh at, a racist joke, the telling of which thus becomes a way of making fun simultaneously of racism and of racial hypersensitivity...in short, she seems naughty but in reality is playing it safe." On some level, she gets it because she admits she feels "gross" after her act (is that her conscience?). I know I felt queasy. Here's a sampling of a hostile act by a 36-year old who channels an immature Valley girl 20-something demographic. The same crowd who worships Sacha Baron Cohen's BORAT.

If you get Aids make lemonade.
Kabala comes from inside US Weekly.
It's dangerous to get pregnant when you're over 30. Best time? When a black teenager.
She wants to adopt a boy in China (she heard girls are useless).
Palestinians and Jews hate each other: Who can tell the difference?
Dated a guy who's one-half black. Calls herself a loser: Why not half-white?
SONG: I love you more than bears love honey/I love you more than Jews love money/
I love you more than Jews driving German cars...
A joke about blowing a Mexican and getting diarrhea for a week!.
SONG: I wish every child had a mother/I wish we could love one another/If I had one wish I'd wish the retarded were smarted!

My wish for Sarah: get "resmarted", girl, hire intelligent writers who crack the spine of a book occasionally, and puh-lease learn how to finger a few more chords on the guitar: basic C, F, G are not enough to satisfy this old soul! It takes guts to get up and make a boozy crowd laugh, and I applaud her for trying. To many, she killed! I sat up front and saw how nervous and insecure she was & in my book, she bombed! Good luck, Sarah, in your future endeavours and The Sarah Silverman Show: does it put the mean back in funny or is it just not funny? May you regain your conscience, dim though it may be now, and moral sanity!

And here's my RIDDLE of the day: What's orange and beds four? A Caltrans truck? A Los Angeleno?

JUDY STONE: NOT QUITE A MEMOIR/FILMS/BOOKS/THE WORLD

Judy Stone, Author/Interviewer, baby sister of I.F. Stone (A Minority of One;d.1988)has collected her interviews conducted over 40 years. (j.stone01@rcn.com;www.silmanpress.com;$29.92;486 pages). Studs Terkel: The wit, independence and journalistic guts to call the shots as she sees them. An amazing collection of characters, says Paul Newman, I wish I were one of them. On 2/7/07 Judy was interviewed by Turkish documentary film maker, Alev Croutier Harem World Behind the Veil/ and Judy was as humble, modest, unpretentious as always. Alright, her big brother Izzy was reading Spinoza as a wee lad of 10; Judy was writing her first film criticism at 13. Twice she dropped out of prestigious universities and fled Philadelphia (like W.C. Fields) to be in San Francisco filled with creative people" and through a circuitous route wound up happily as a copy editor for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Egad, someone remarked, Judy likes HUNGARIAN films --let's give her a job as film critic. The rest is history and she never looked back! Steve Wasserman of the Los Angeles Time calls her a genius at unlocking defenses and coaxing self-revelations from artists/thinkers/filmmakers as diverse as Milosz, Doctorow, Amos Oz, Ali Nasser, Joan Chen, Gus Lee, Maya Angelou, Jean Genet, Orhan Pamuk, Manuel Puig, Guillermo del Toro (pre-Pan's Labyrinth), innovative Iranian directors, Kureishi, Doris Lessing, Alfred Hitchcock, Rolf Hochhuth, Salyajit Ray, Leonard Wolf, Gus Van Sant, Jeremy Irons, and scores of others.

Diverse areas: Hot/cold wars;One land/Many voices;Eastern lights;Transitions;Transitions;What are dissidents good for;Are we European or Asian;Latin Beat;Means & Ends;The Veiled Society;Middle East; Family; G-d Forbid that we should use His name; Balkan Bombshell; Another way of life; and Journeys.

We hear their voices as they discuss art, politics, and culture. A writer's lot is never a happy one, so some say, but Judy always won people over with her compassion, wit, good humor. She believes the whole world is a diaspora now. "We're all exiles." She is an exceptional woman who was so unobtrusive that she kept her prejudices out of the interviews. For 40 years, all she did was ask and boy, was she good! Read the book and see how she plucked pearls of wisdom!

MAX'S WORLD OY VEY! CONGRATULATIONS DAVID BERKOWITZ!

Max's (Opera Plaza; 601 Van Ness/Golden Gate Ave.;771-7301;www.maxsworld.com) Are you up for New York's Carnegie Deli Western style? Upbeat schtick?Addicted to pleasures of eating and show no signs of breaking the habit? Want to be sung to by aspiring opera-singing waitpersons? On Wednesday nights ivory tickler Sean Bart (dizzy_fingers@hotmail.com)is required by law to woo you with 3 popular classics standards: Memory (Cats);Theme from Charlie Brown (Linus & Lucy); and My Way.

Max's world is for SHARING SO EAT, DARLING, EAT!. Try the popular 1/2 lb. corn beef or pastrami on corn rye served with sides of potato salad or Caesar's, coleslaw and unlimited pickles. (Add $2 and each person gets an extra salad if you share). And remember, if you're dining during rush hour (5-8:30), there is a $15.00 minimum per person. Can't get enough of dry-aged charbroiled steaks? The 10-oz.top Angus sirloin (17.95), 14 oz. spicy blackened Angus boneless ribeye (24.95) and scores more are delectable. Not grass-fed or hormone free but who's kvetching? Maybe Morton's of Chicago fame, at double the price?

At Max's world you'll find meatloaf,pot pie, Mediterranean chicken, and hearty peasant-style cabbage soup. This is even a great place for a diet if you are carb. conscious with its delicious veggie burger (9.95);salmon remoulade (17.95); lemon-herbed grilled chicken (14.95). There's even a fat-free sundae with raspberries (6.95) and a dark chocolate decadent cake! (4.50).

And a Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not! "Have a drink on me if you spot a food critic." These days, who isn't a critic? There are 12 locations, including a new Max's in the Heartland's capitol of beef, none other than Chicago, where owner Berkowitz is taking on the Big Guys!

I love Max's and am reminded that poor Henry David Thoreau who died at 45 partly of malnutrition could have visited a place like this on one of those 40-mile solitary hikes on the outskirts of Concord. Imagine, he could have doubled his life span!
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover I had not lived. (Walden)

CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVID BERKOWITZ, YOU HAVE MADE YOUR FATHER AND GRANDFATHER PROUD!

TRES AGAVES - JOE MANZARE,SAMMY HAGAR, ERIC RUBIN: CANTINA ROCKS!

Tres Agaves(www.tresagaves.com;130 Townsend near AT&T ballpark;415-227-0500) is more fun than a barrel of monkeys. If you're jonseing for a delicious Jaliscan specialty, try this South Beach cantina owned by rocker Sammy Hagar and his amigos, chef Joe Manzare, and managing partner Eric Rubin, a Southern boy originally from Nashville. One thing for sure Joe is prince of hocus-pocus in the kitchen. He is also known about town as the boy-genius on the bike: formerly tutored by Wolfgang Puck, he was not in the kitchen that evening. I asked Eric Rubin, in a buoyant mood, the title of his favorite Hagar song? "Everyone thinks it's You're Driving Me Crazy but it actually Bad Motorcycle. Old joke: Do you know 98% of the Harleys are still on the road? The other 2% made it home!
Joe Manzare is the force behind the Jaliscan, handmade tortillas, fresh & dried chilis, toasted pumpkin seeds and the famous Agave Tequila. Most expensive shot is $350(!). Does Sammy serve this with a limo waiting outside, asked the "drug peddlers" (pharmacy students) at the next table? They'd been imbibing the stuff all night long. This stuff is meant for sipping and not shooting said one joker. A bumper of good liquor/will end a contest quicker/than justice, judge or vicar. (Richard Sheridan). I suppose nothing is given so profusely as advice. If you're tired of wasting away in Margaritaville a la Jimmy Buffet, try the specialities: carnitas, tacos, wood-fired rotisserie chicken.
You can judge the quality of a Mexican place by first things brought to table: salsa & chips! Here they are made fresh everyday: chips melt in your mouth & salsa satisfies: hot! The ancient Aztecs would be proud! Each meal is preceded with corn tortilla, refried beans, cilantro rice, black beans, mango cabbage salad. Try these dishes:
Ensalade de Jicama: jicama, orange & cabbage salad with arbol, chile powder and toasted pumpkin seeds. We were forewarned; my dining companion's assessment? It rocked! Hot!Hot!Hot!(9) Try the tacos al Pastor: adobo-marinated pork & chicken tacos from the wood-burning oven: Excellente!The many side plates include a Mexican corn dog: a fresh ear of corn with crema, cotiga & arbol chile.(3) A brilliant idea! Other favorites are the classic guacamole (8), the raw shrimp, cucumbers, tomato, avocado tossed with serrano & habanero which I've tasted on a few occasions.(9)
Carne Asada con salsa de chipotle and tomatillo : a skirt steak with smoky & hot sides is a favorite of mine.(22)What's up next for Joe? He's the proud chef-owner of Globe, Zuppa, and the new Pescheria, in Noe Valley. He's thinking of a high-end sushi bar with amazing fresh fish. He'll be flying to Japan to do research. One thing I know for sure, as John Cassavetes said: No matter who old you get, if you can keep the desire to be creative, you're keeping the man-child alive. Good luck, Joe, in your next creative playground!

YAYA'S: SHALOM; MARY PICKFORD; MERYL STREEP: WOODY ALLEN

Mary Pickford: If you have mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down.
Meryl Streep: Integrate what you believe in every single area of your life. Take your heart to work and ask the most and best of everybody else, too.
YAYA'S; 2424 Van Ness Avenue (415) 440-0455;yayacuisine.com. Shalom to Yahya Salih, 54-year-old ("old and tired")who has recently sold his 2-year-old cult favorite Mesopotamian restaurant. It will reopen in the Spring as a French restaurant. The sweet, gracious, fun-loving chef-owner will close his doors, disheartening the adventurous diners who love the intimacy of this beautiful place decked out with murals of 300-year-old Babylonia.

Yaya's is the victim of 3 things: Location, location, location. And the concomitant parking problems faced by people who drive, whether they're from Carmel, West Portal, East Bay, or Marin. Who doesn't love the amazing Iraqi and Middle Eastern dishes? You have one month to make reservations before Yahya shutters his establishment. The chef believes that the more you are blessed, the more you should give back. It's heartbreaking news that SF will lose this gem on the edge of Cow Hollow and its chef versed in the basics of Iraqi cooking. Good luck & Shalom!

Many dishes (dolmas & kababs) are his Mom's recipes. Here are my recommendations:
Start with the Mesopotamian Salad made with mixed greens, cucumber, red & green onions, tomato, feta cheese with sumac & rose water vinaigrette. (5.50)
Also, the Fatoosh is excellent with sumac marinated onions, mint, parsley, cilantro and toasted pita bread with a light mustard vinaigrette.(5.50)
The pomegranate Chicken Breast Nomad: Fetta: Marinated and cooked chicken breast with roasted red bell, and eggplant in a pomegranate, and yogurt. Fesenjoon: Marinated and cooked Chicken breast with pomegranate molasses, walnuts, and fresh herbs sauce. Keysee: Marinated and cooked chicken breast in apricot and pomegranate cause, and almonds. All three are delicious and surrounded by saffron bulgur, and salata. (15).
Dolmas (15) are rated by Zagat as the "best in the cosmos." Try them and see! For dessert, try the Kanafa which is hot shredded phyllodough stuffed with Middle Eastern cheese topped with pistachio and date syrup! Delightful and big enough to share!

Woody Allen used to be astounded by people who want to "know" the universe when, he said, "it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown."

I hope you all walk, jog, run, crawl to YaYa's for the final hurrah. Or take a cab-- just don't drive if you don't need to! Shalom!