Eating On The Road

Tuesday, May 15 - One of my favorite aspects of touring is the opportunity to dine out. I love trying local specialties and having the chance to spend time with my colleagues and closest friends. When we are in our daily routines back home in Philadelphia, occasions to spend time together don’t come up very often. Tour can provide a great bonding experience as we become closer with one another. What better way to do that than over a terrific meal?

Wednesday, May 16 - One of my first enjoyable meals on tour followed the concert at Symphony Center in Chicago. Wagner a dear friend of mine from Chicago, arranged for a small group of us to eat at a Spanish tapas restaurant called Iberico. It is ranked one of many popular establishments for its fun atmosphere, quality of food and overall price. And this was apparent the minute we stepped in the door. Over the course of a couple of hours, we must have shared 7 or 8 wonderful dishes, including the house paella. The evening was also particularly special for me because my closest college friends rubbed shoulders with my some of my closest orchestra friends. What a treat to sit back and watch.

Thursday, May 17 - Omaha provided my next memorable meal with fellow clarinetist, Raoul Querze and his wife Lorraine. Although Raoul and I see each other every day at work, it was extra special to spend the evening together, while enjoying a fabulous steak dinner at Omaha Prime. He and Lorraine told side-splitting stories of life in the orchestra of days past. If you should ever have the chance to spend the evening with the Querze’s, take it. I promise you will not regret it. They will make you laugh like you never laughed before. Thanks Raoul and Lorraine!

Sunday, May 20 - Ah San Francisco….! We’ve been here for several days, and with so many top quality restaurants, it is difficult to list my favorites. However, every time I visit San Francisco, I make it a point to stop in at House of NanKing. On this trip, it certainly lived up to my expectations. The owner and chef took care of us in his typical fashion: first he made sure we had a glance at the menu just to wet our palates. Then he asked his classic question, “Have you been here before?” We say yes, and the menus are quickly taken away, and then followed by special dishes of his choice. I have a feeling the same thing would have happened if we had said no. We don’t mind, as every single entree was perfectly balanced with flavors and seemed to have a special ingredient that we couldn’t quite put our finger on. On our return to San Francisco later in the tour, I definitely plan to visit one more time.

Monday, May 21 - Before we departed for Los Angeles, I visited a few Italian restaurants in the North Beach area. The homemade pastas, pastries and gelato are all hard to beat. Tonight I actually enjoyed a wonderful dinner by myself, which I don’t do very often. My search for just the right Italian restaurant proved quite fruitful. I settled on one that was very crowded (always a good sign) and negotiated a small table off to the side. It was called Rose Pistola. The waiter brought house favorites, which included a fava bean and pecorino salad, osso buco with garlic herbed mashed potatoes, and for dessert, a moist fig cake drizzled with a balsamic reduction and a homemade caramel sauce, dried cherries and a side of crème fraiche. A wonderful cappuccino almost completed a great evening. However, the only thing missing was some company.