The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge. Day 2.
I’ve lived in some of the best food cities on the planet including New York and San Francisco. But no matter where I live, when I return to my hometown of Newport Beach, CA, I always pay a visit to my to my favorite restaurant, Giorgio La Trattoria. Locals also affectionately know it as Giorgio’s. Nestled between the charming boutiques and cafes on Balboa Island, Giorgio’s is charming, just like Giorgio himself.
This quirky little Italian place, is adorned with pictures of soccer players and racecars on the walls, both Italian, yet still manages to feel romantic with low lighting and white tablecloths accompanied by fresh daisies.
There’s no pretense here. No trendy food foam or weird culinary experiments. You can’t put on airs when your wine is decanted in a ceramic rooster carafe.
Certainties about Giorgio’s: I can count on consistently good food and a handshake and a smile from Giorgio himself. I can count on my favorite special, which is available daily even though listed as a “special”, Swordfish Giorgio. This savory dish is a beautiful swordfish steak covered with a sauce of fresh chunks of tomato, parsley, capers, garlic, olives and a touch of brandy. I can also count on the fish being served with a perfectly simple green salad and a side of penne with marinara sauce. Finally, I can count on consistent deliciousness year after year.
Upon my return home this summer, I found something I didn’t count on. I rallied my parents and we set off to idyllic Balboa Island for my favorite meal and some good conversation.
As we approached the adorable Dutch Doors to enter this familiar food haven, we noticed the sign no longer had Giorgio’s name on it. We went inside and found Giorgio had passed away and the restaurant had been sold.
It never occurred to me that Giorgio and his delectable dishes wouldn’t be there forever. For me it was a mainstay of every visit home. An unspoken tradition. A given. With this unexpected discovery I realized, yes, you can go home again but everything may not be as you left it.
Giorgio, thank you for the good times, the good food and the good memories. I’m sure you’re cookin’ up a storm in that big kitchen in the sky.
Oh, how sad!