Snapshot Rome: Pastificio San Lorenzo

A few weeks ago I finally made it over to Pastificio San Lorenzo.

Last year an Italian friend had pointed out the building, telling me it used to be a pasta factory. Above the restaurant are artists lofts and there's also a gallery space.

My friend, Jessica, suggested we meet there for her birthday drinks. It was a fantastic idea.

San Lorenzo is a serious schlep from my side of town. While in the area I had to stop by SAID for some chocolate.

We had a great time sitting at the bar. The cocktails are excellent (Jessica and I had Moscow Mules). My wine expert friend appreciated the variety of Sicilian wines and the food was delicious. Our waiter was super friendly.

I really like the decor and the vibe. I will definitely return.

Pastificio San Lorenzo
via Tiburtina 196 (near Piazzale Verano)
+39 0697273519
Closed Monday
Open lunch and dinner Tues-Fri & Sun
Open dinner only Saturday

Some dessert for the lady celebrating her birthday.

Women in Italy demand some RESPECT

Yesterday there were nationwide demonstrations in Italy. There were also several protests in cities around the world, like Tokyo, London, etc.

Piazza del Popolo was PACKED. I have never seen it that full of people. It was great to see all the families and men who came out to support women. As I walked over to meet some fellow expats, Aretha Franklin's RESPECT was blaring from the loud speakers.

Berlusconi has dismissed those protesting against him as moralists and prudes. This is BS. Other than some hard core conservative Catholics, no one is up and arms about his sexy times.

What is a problem is while he's calling police stations to help poor Ruby, garbage continues to pile up in Naples. Didn't he campaign to clear it up? Why isn't he focusing on that? Or the brain drain, or high energy costs, or on all the other issues the country is facing.

He's paying young former show girls a salary higher than what President of the United States makes to "work" in the government. Meanwhile, the average 25 year-old college grad in Italy is lucky to make 1/10 of that salary.

Also, I thought he and his racist peeps, The Lega Nord were very anti-illegal immigration. Ruby, who was arrested for stealing, is not sent back to Morocco. Why because she's hot? Instead the Prime Minister of a G8 country finds the time in his busy schedule to call the Milan Police and say they have to let her go because she was Mubarak's niece. WTF? If this were any other G8 country, the PM would have to resign immediately. That is abuse of power.

Since he controls and indirectly controls 97% of the broadcast media, along with newspapers, magazines, a soccer team and a huge publishing company, I don't think Berlusconi is going to leave anytime soon. He doesn't give a damn. He has said so. He's "having fun"! The publications he owns print positive stories about him and say the far-left is out to get him.

The opposition is weak and divided (and charisma free). I wish Berlusconi would put the same amount of effort into making things better in Italy as he does toward avoid jail, lining his own pockets and sleeping around.

The New York Times has a good overview of the demonstrations HERE.

La Reppublica has excellent photos HERE.




The sign below says "I am a girl who does not want to be a Veline." Veline are the half naked women giggling and dancing all over Italian TV game and talk shows. Berlusconi brought the Veline culture to Italy. During a political rally he told young Italian women the way to make it is to marry rich, older men. It's this sexist culture women are fighting against. Basta!


The sign on the right says "The alumni of my school are not the nieces of Mubarak." The one on the left says, "I've read article 54 of the Constitution."

Flashback Friday - Chet Baker - "My Funny Valentine"

It's Valentine's Day Weekend. As usual, I don't have a Valentine.

In Italy it's kind of celebrated but not to the steriods level it is in the States. As a single person this is fine with me!

I picked up some amazing porcini mushrooms at the market and will make myself a very romantic dish of risotto. Along with a nice bottle of Sicilian wine, I'm good to go.

Back in L.A. the build up to Valentine's Day sent me into a funk. You couldn't even go out to dinner as every restaurant had a special V-Day menu. I felt bad for men who were under a lot of pressure to spend x-amount of money on flowers (the prices are always hiked up) and other gifts.

I ADORE flowers but I think there's something weird about the mass marketing/commercializing of romance and love.

When it comes to matter of the heart, I say keep it simple. Actions and words speak louder than a dollar sign.

This short instrumental version of "My Funny Valentine" floors me. The emotion, the longing, expressed without a word. Beautiful.

Have a great weekend.

Prada and a serious case of Spring Fever

It's only February.

During the last few days we've had highs in the mid-60s here in Rome.

The store windows are full of pretty clothes for Spring. Why must I be tempted so?!

For the first time in a while, the clothes coming down the runaway were fun and optimistic.

I'm kind of obsessed with these Prada shoes. I don't have Prada money.

Every year Prada does some variation of a Mary Jane. I have a pair of black patent leather Mary Janes I bought over ten years ago. I bought them as a treat to myself after getting completely screwed over at work (long story). I couldn't afford them back then either. I convinced myself, cost-per-wear, the Pradas would make more sense in the long run.

And they did. All the cheaper shoes I had are long gone. My Mary Janes are still in excellent condition despite getting quite the work out in L.A.

If I could figure out how to walk on cobble streets, I would wear them more often here.

I can't wait until Spring fruits and vegetable arrive at the Farmers Markets.

Warmer weather means a return to sitting outside for aperitivi or lunch/dinner with friends.

I have a few big things on the horizon this Spring. Our movie Jumping The Broom opens (ahem, May 6th, Mother's Day) and I hope to move to a new neighborhood. I will miss my current apartment but with yet another bar opening in Campo, I cannot renew my contract.

I know we still have the rest of February and the month of March before we can start packing away the winter clothes. However, I've noticed the days are already getting longer.

What are you looking forward to this Spring?

Homemade Nutella Banana Pancakes

I cannot believe it's already the fifth anniversary of this glorious event!!

Thanks to the wonderful Michelle at Bleeding Espresso and Sara at MsAdventures in Italy, all across the world people will be enjoying World Nutella Day. Sara and Michelle will post a round of up all the yummy goodness on Monday, February 7th.

This year I decided to make Nutella Banana Pancakes. Before I moved to Rome I always used pancake mix. Then when I realized I could make them from scratch and not have to pay four euros for a tiny box of mix at Castroni, I never looked back.

It's so easy, no more preservatives and they taste better. Not sure why the heck I didn't make pancakes from scratch earlier.

Here's the recipe adapted from THE BIG BOOK OF BREAKFAST COOKBOOK.






Basic Pancake Recipe

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons sugar
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 large eggs
* 1 1/2 cups milk
* 3 tablespoons melted butter
* 1 or 2 bananas smashed
* 1 or 2 tablespoons Nutella

DIRECTIONS
1. Crack eggs into small bowl and whisk until foamy.

2. Whisk in milk and melted butter.

3. Place flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in medium bowl and stir together.

4. Gradually add dry ingredients, whisking briefly after each addition, just until smooth. Do not overmix.

5. Stir in bananas, Nutella

6. Heat griddle. If using electric, aim for 375; if using stove, heat until water flicked on surface bounces but does not evaporate immediately.

7. Brush griddle with oil that has a high burning point; vegetable or canola will work well. (I use butter)

8. Using 1/4 cup measure for small pancakes, 1/3 cup measure for larger, scoop batter out of bowl.

9. From about 3” above griddle, pour batter in solid stream onto griddle.

10. If batter is a little thick, spread it out so that cake is roughly 1/4" tall

11. Watch cake closely; once edges are dry, and a few dry-edged bubbles have formed on top, check the cake’s underside. It should be roughly the color of honey.

12. Flip cake, cook until golden brown.

13. Serve immediately.

TIPS:

Don't overmix the batter
Use a nonstick skillet or griddle
Use a spatual with a nonstick coating.
Turn pancakes only once

Flashback Friday - Nutella celebration "Chocolate Rain"

In honor of tomorrow's WORLD NUTELLA DAY, I decided to post this video.

"Chocolate Rain", with over 62 millions hits, was an Internet sensation a few years ago. The first time I saw it, I thought WTF is this?

I love it. The lyrics are so freaking random.

Tay Zonday was interviewed on Late Night shows, newspapers etc. I wonder what he's up to now.

I will post a recipe tomorrow for World Nutella Day.

Have a great weekend.

Style Inspiration - Italian Rustic by Elizabeth Helman Minchili

I bumped into Elizabeth last week in Monti which reminded me to buy her book.

This book is gorgeous. Packed with photographs of farm houses (interiors and exteriors) in Tuscany and Umbria, the book also gives clear details on how to bring this type of decor into your own home.

Elizabeth's husband, an Italian architect, contributed to the book and I found the how-to sections very accessible. They also highlighted several artisans in the region. This is so important. I get why fast fashion, fast food, cheap furniture, etc. is successful but there's a value and quality to craftsmanship that cheap and fast could never replace. Never.

Italian Rustic 's chapters cover flooring, kitchens, outdoor spaces, bedrooms, roofs, etc.

Even if you're not going to buy a place in Tuscany or Umbria soon or redecorate your home, this book is a great read. I have an issue with home decor books that skimp on the photography. That makes no sense to me.

I'm obsessed with outdoor showers and on page 174 there is one on a terrace. I DIE! Really, to have an outdoor shower off your bedroom or bathroom? Sigh. Someday.

Snapshot Rome: Drink your eggs! - Trionfale Market

A year later, I'm still exploring my market.

I used to buy my eggs at the supermarket until I "discovered" the egg vendors. The prices are cheaper and the eggs are fresher. What the heck took me so long?

I met up with Erica at the market last Friday. She wanted to check out the fish. Afterward, we stopped by my egg vendor.

Erica wrote a lovely ODE to the egg and the memories of her Roman nonna feeding her a raw egg "shake" for her merenda (Italian for a mid-afternoon snack).

The eggs marked "Da Bere" (to drink) are the freshest of the fresh. You have to eat them within a short period of time.

The vendor was speaking Italian very quickly, so I missed the explanation regarding how these eggs are different from the others.

She said the eggs come from the Le Marche region.

Their eggs are delicious. I can totally taste the difference between their eggs and the ones I used to buy at the supermarket.

Trionfale is not the closest market to my house but it's worth the schlep.

Flashback Friday - St. Peter's cell - Mamertine Prison

We're talking very old school today...over 2000 years.

I wrote a guest post for Nile Guide about Rome's Mamertine Prison.

It is believed to be the first maximum security prison in Rome and the place where St. Peter was held before his crucifixion.

It's an incredible place to visit. Post is HERE.

Have a great weekend.

Made In Italy, Food & Stories...a fantastic cookbook

I know I've said several times I'm not going to buy anymore cookbooks. I couldn't help myself.

I heard great things about this book. While waiting for a friend, I started to skim though it, then bought it.

It's excellent. Some of the recipes are beyond my culinary level but I found it accessible.

Giorgio Locatelli grew up in a small town near Milan and has been cooking since he was five. He owns a very successful restaurant in London. Most of the recipes have a Northern Italy influence.

This is more than just a book of recipes. Locatelli is an excellent writer. He gives great insight into the history of various foods/recipes. The book is well illustrated and I loved reading about his family.

It took me a while to read this book. I wanted to savor every single page. If you love Italian cooking, especially Northern Italian cuisine, I recommend this book.

Flashback Friday - "A Star Is Born" Beyonce to star in remake

Hollywood is abuzz with the news that Clint Eastwood will direct Beyonce in another remake of "A Star Is Born."

Very curious to see how the story is updated and who the male lead will be.

Beyonce better bring it. She has VERY big shoes to fill. While Bey is one of the most famous pop stars in the world, musically Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland are in a completely different world.

Nikki Finke mentioned Puffy as a possible co-star. No. Just no. Who do you think would be a great male lead for Bey?

Have fantastic weekend.

Here's the trailer from the 1954 version starring Judy Garland.



And the trailer from the 1976 version starring Barbra Streisand.

Medium Raw, Glamorama and The Three Weissmans Of Westport

Anthony Bourdian's follow up to Kitchen Confidential was very entertaining. It was interesting to read about how much his life has changed since he wrote that book ten years ago. He never thought it would become a hit (earlier he had written a novel that did not set the publishing world on fire). He's a beautiful writer. Despite his unexpected success, Bourdain still writes from the gut. He's as hard on himself as he is on the people he rips to shreds. His writing is personal and some of it is not pretty. Bourdain does go into detail about his beef with Alan Richman. I wonder if Richman responded to it?



I finally got around to reading Bret Easton Ellis's 1998 novel. It took me a while to get into the novel and his very specific dialogue. I remember hearing about the crazy plot but I still cracked when it became crystal clear what was going on. Not sure if I need to do a spoiler alert for a famous novel that is over a decade old but SPOILER ALERT...





Okay, supermodels who are assassins and terrorists? HILARIOUS! No, really. In this post 9/11 world I skimmed the very detailed descriptions of the bombs aftermaths.

The world Ellis captures at the end of the '90s is superficial and pathetic. Who would have thought the 00's would be worse? I laughed out loud when he named dropped Stanford Blatch. Priceless.



This book received many positive reviews when it was published last year. After fifty years of marriage, Betty Weissman's husband announces he's divorcing her. She's kicked out of her very nice Central Park West apartment and moves to a small run-down cottage at the beach in Westport, Connecticut owned by a generous and wealthy cousin. Her two middle aged daughters join her at the beach for different reasons. All are going through difficult times emotionally, financially and socially. It's a funny take on Austen's Sense and Sensibility.

Happy Birthday...Steve Wonder's MLK Jr. Tribute

This song appeared on Stevie Wonder's 1980 CD "Hotter Than July" (which is a GREAT CD by the way). The CD has a heavy reggae influence thanks to Stevie spending a lot of time with Bob Marley before he went into the studio.

At the time Stevie was very active in the campaign to make Martin Luther King Jr's birthday a Federal holiday. The holiday was very controversial.

In 1983 President Reagan signed the bill making it a holiday. The celebration started in 1986. However, not every state celebrated the holiday at first. For the longest time Arizona refused to. In Mississippi and Virgina the holiday was combined with the celebration of Confederate heroes Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee.

Virgina finally split the holidays after many complained it wasn't very appropriate.

Happy Birthday Dr. Martin Luther King.

Flashback Friday - Whitney Houston - "Love Will Save The Day"

Hands down this single from Whitney's second album, released in 1988, is one of my favorite Whitney songs.

Produced by John "Jellybean" Benitez, there was never a video cut for this single.

Overall, a really crappy week. Rejections (I hate emails from my manager that say "They're going in a different direction"), bills, the cold that wouldn't go away, etc.

I wanted to hear something upbeat and positive to kick off the weekend.

Have a great one.

EBONY magazine....Somewhat shameless self-promotion.

I say it's somewhat because I would link to Courtney's post even if I weren't interviewed for her article on black expats in Rome.

Some of you might recognize fellow Blogger Courtney by the name Coco Cooks or Glamah16. She's a very talented cook, baker, photographer and writer.

This is her first print article for EBONY. Courtney was in Rome for a tribute to her great-uncle, dancer and artist Bob Curtis. The way she writes about her uncle and his legacy is very moving.

I really enjoyed meeting Courtney. I'm excited for her. I hope this article will lead to more writing assignments for her.

EBONY has been going through some major changes lately. It's difficult to update a magazine and yet not alienate a loyal readership.

It will be interesting see what direction the magazine goes in after bringing on Desiree Rogers.

The February issue of EBONY is on newsstands (in America) now. Here is Courtney's POST.

Congrats Courtney!!

Renato e Luisa restaurant

My first trip to this restaurant in my area was with my infamous Italian friend, G, and a friend of ours who was visiting from L.A.
I wish I had written down what we ate it was so freaking good. We ordered three of the daily specials. I remember there was one fish dish, a ravioli dish and a spaghetti dish with a tomato based sauce.

We barely spoke as we were too busy eating. The restaurant was packed and the service a little scattered. We didn't mind. The food was worth the wait. The crowd was a mix of locals and tourists. The restaurant is located on a side street near Largo Argentina. It's tiny. There are only a few tables.

Renato e Luisa
Quelli della Taverna
Via dei Barbieri, 25
+(39)06-68-69-660
http://www.renatoeluisa.it/

Words do mean something Mrs. Palin

I found it fascinating that Palin took down her offensive map after the shooting. She also tried to erase the Tweet and Facebook postings that told her supporters to not "retreat but reload."



Congresswoman Giffords complained about this crosshairs maps back in March.


We need to reign in the hateful political rhetoric in America. All this screaming and violence over a health care bill and an immigration bill? The leaders of the GOP started lowering the political discourse way back with Lee Atwater. It's only getting worse. A Republican candidate saying if you don't get what you want at the ballot box, resort to the using the Second Amendment? Where was Michael Steele?

Fox News (aka Radio Rwanda) needs to stop enabling hypocritical idiots like Beck and Palin. At least O'Reilly tries to be open minded. I get it. It's all about ratings but Beck and Palin go too far.

I remember doing meet and greets with Senator Bill Bradley in Jersey. There was never any security. Members of Congress need to meet with their constituents. How can we have a representative government if we can't interact with the public officials we elect?

That innocent people would be gunned down in the middle of the day in front of supermarket breaks my heart. One of the victims, Christina Green, was a nine year-old who was born on 9/11. She was just elected to her student council and wanted to meet her Congresswoman. Now she's dead. Murdered in front of a Safeway supermarket.

How did a man who was turned down by the army for being unstable able to buy a gun?

I'm not sure if there will be any positive changes after this incident. I fear in a few months it will be back to business as usual as people gear up for the 2012 Presidential election.

Flashback Friday - Leif Garret - "I Was Made For Dancing"

Before Biefer Fever there was Leif Garret.

His VH1 Behind The Music episode was so sad.

This video from 1979 cracks me up. It's not the most upbeat crowd for a disco song.

Have a great weekend.

Places to eat near the Spanish Steps?

I'm asked this question a lot. I run errands in that area but other than GiNa's, I never eat around there.

GiNa's a great place for lunch, especially if you're craving a salad. They have a fantastic selection.

The decor is hip and bright and it's excellent people watching. The crowd is a mix of chic Roman mommies and fab singles with Birkins, Chanel's 2.55, etc., business lunches, high school students from the private school nearby, and the occasional tourist. Prices are moderate, especially for the area. Reservations are recommended. It can get packed, especially during nice weather and sales season.

My friend Shelley wrote about GiNa a few years ago HERE. At that time she raved about their picnic lunches. I don't know they still do that. I've only been to GiNa during the fall/winter.

The New York Times also wrote about their picnic lunches.

GiNa
Via San Sebastianello, 7/A
Piazza di Spagna
www.ginaroma.com

If you have a favorite place for lunch (and/or dinner) near the Spanish Steps, please feel free to share in the comments.

So you want to write a novel

This video has been making the rounds. Priceless.

I've just started working on my second novel. My first novel is sitting a drawer.

However, I finished it. I had very generous writer friends who took time from their own work to read multiple drafts and give me feedback.

Screenplays and novels couldn't be more different. Working on the novel is helping with the rewrite I'm doing on a spec script. It's as if I'm using two separate but related muscles at the same time.

Finally, I'm back on a writing schedule. The worst of the procrastination has ended.

I really like the world my novel is set in. I'm 10,000 words in. Only 70,000 plus (bwahaha) to go.