Two weeks ago I had the great good fortune of dining with food writer Al Mancini at B & B Ristorante and it was outstanding. Al’s lovely wife Sue was unable to join him for dinner that night, so darling Hubby loaned me to Al for the evening. Needless to say I was flattered and delighted to be able to join him.

For those of you who don’t know, B & B stands for Batali and Bastianich. While admittedly I would love to meet either, or both gents, Joe Bastianich scares the crap out of me. Have you seen Master Chef?! I know everyone is afraid of Gordon Ramsay and his yelling, but the cooler than a cucumber exterior of Chef Bastianich makes me quake. I saw him spit out someone’s food on that show! (Moment of truth – I would cry big wet girly tear drops if I saw someone spit my food out. Even Rick Moonen didn’t spit my food out!)

Back to the dinner…remember a while back I wrote about Secret Food Writers? Al and I discussed that (and lots of other stuff) over dinner. He says those days are long gone. As writers with followings, they are expected to go out on the town AS THEMSELVES to get publicity and a following for the paper with which they are associated. Makes sense from a publisher’s point of view. I have to say that while I understand it, I still KNOW that I don’t get treated the same way when I am out to dinner with John as I did at B & B with Al.

The service at better restos is always good, and you should expect that, and I do. We had a fab server. Knowledgeable and really friendly. We were tossed up on a few things and magically those items arrived on our table without us having ordered them, including the charcuterie selection (Have I mentioned I am a bit of a charcuterie slut?) and really amazing bone marrow ravioli that burst flavor all through your mouth when bitten. Afterward we were given a quick look at the charcuterie aging room. The smell alone was enough to cause my eyes to glaze over and for me to swoon. I can promise you that even with my growing readership, I am not even a blip on the radar of the management of most of the high end restos in town, and I know the little extras and perks were due to Al’s cache, not my sparkling personality. It was a treat to be pampered by the staff and to eat with Al. I would never have gotten a glimpse of the charcuterie room otherwise!

A few words about Al, the first few times I met him (mostly at fundraisers for Three Square), I was more than a little intimidated (I know, shocking that I am ever intimidated). I had read his stuff and liked it, and that made me want to like him and vice versa. If you don’t know him, he has a fantastic Mohawk, funky beard and doesn’t LOOK like what you expect when you think of FOOD WRITER. He looks more like a punk rocker. Thankfully my Mom told me “don’t judge a book by its cover” and I didn’t. After striking up conversations with Al, I found him to be incredibly smart, really funny, and not at all intimidating. Oddly enough, I wasn’t in the least intimidated to meet other food writers in town.

Dominic Scali (The Vegas Foodie), me and Al Mancini from last fall

Here’s to hoping that I soon will have my OWN cache to draw upon…

Until then, enjoy the pics from that meal and you can read Al’s comments here. Now, to be sure, I am not certain if Al’s opinion on the evening was as high as mine, but it’s not JUST the food that makes a great dining experience for me. The ambiance, people and conversation surrounding the meal are what make a good dinner and great dinner.

The Salumi/charcuterie plate. Those lovely little savory beignets in the center cone were perfect for the fatty lardo.

Octopus

Lamb’s Tongue with chanterelles and a poached egg (my fave dish of the night, next to the charcuterie).

Bone Marrow Ravioli

Crab Ravioli with Seppie (squid ink) sauce

Rabbit Porchetta

And a sneak peek into the salumi aging room…

Food Memories THIS week include a recipe tasting event, late night pizza with my main squeeze after seeing Wicked and of course the DISH fundraiser for Three Square (I didn’t take a single pic – I swear).

Next week? San Francisco treats! Go out and make your OWN Food Memories!