The Post

Dinner and a Movie

By Steve Herte

The Post (Universal, 2017) – Director: Steven Spielberg. Writers: Liz Hannah & Josh Singer.  Stars: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Justin Swain, Matthew Rhys, Curzon Dobell, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Bob Odenkirk, Sarah Paulson, Bruce Greenwood, Alison Brie & Zach Woods. Color, Rated PG-13, 116 minutes.

Looking back at the scope of the Pentagon Papers encompassing the history of the situation in Vietnam from 1945 to 1965, 7,000 pages and years of compilation, it’s incredible that Steven Spielberg could squeeze the story, as told from The Washington Post’s side, into a little less than two hours.

Katharine “Kay” Graham (Streep), heiress and owner of The Washington Post, is dealing with her husband Phil’s suicide, raising her children and keeping her “cash-poor” newspaper afloat. She views it, appropriately, as a family newspaper passed down through generations and decides a partial solution would be going public on the American Stock Exchange.

Ben Bradlee (Hanks) is the paper’s editor and he wants news that will increase readership. In a restless time when America is waging a seemingly hopeless war, the opportunities for major headlines pop up daily. But The New York Times always gets the scoop first. He notices the lack of columns from investigative reporter Neil Sheehan (Swain) and concludes that he’s working on something big. He is. Twenty years of lies told to the American public about Vietnam.

Military Analyst Daniel Ellsberg (Rhys) saw firsthand in Vietnam how things were not getting better or worse, but just remaining the same. In secret, he and his friends copy 43 volumes of the papers, clip off the “Top Secret” from the bottom of the pages and present them to The New York Times. But upon first publication, President Richard Nixon (Dobell) blocks any further publication as a felony against the United States.

Assistant Editor of The Post Ben Bagdikian (Odenkirk) locates Ellsberg in his motel room and flies the papers back to Washington (he needed to purchase two airline seats to do it). As he’s strapping them in the stewardess says: “That must be very precious to you.” “Oh, just government secrets.” They both laugh it off. Ben brings his co-workers together in Bradlee’s home and together they sort through the miles of paper without page numbers (snipped off with the “Top Secret” designation) and put together a story for the paper while Tony Bradlee (Paulson) serves sandwiches.

Now Kay has a problem. She’s good friends with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara (Greenwood), creator of the Vietnam Study Taskforce, who will look really bad if this goes to press. She trusts her editor’s instinct for a spectacular headline and the paper’s survival. But she also knows through The Post’s lawyers that if the source is linked up with the source from The New York Times, they could be held in contempt of court and go to prison.

It’s one of those movies where you know how it ends because it’s mostly true to historical facts, but it’s also exciting in how the story is told. The sword of disaster hangs over every scene and you can feel it in the acting, which is superb. Meryl Streep is her usual excellent self, a Grand Dame of the movies, and Tom Hanks is somewhere between Perry White and J. Jonah Jameson. The obvious “Freedom of the Press” overshadows the whole film but it’s constantly in danger from a dictatorial government. I enjoyed it thoroughly even though I was not riveted to my seat. I guess John Williams’ musical soundtrack helped that. And, almost as a hint to a sequel, the film ends with the discovery of the Watergate break-in. Maybe?

Rating: 5 out of 5 martini glasses.

Le Zie 2000

172 7^th Avenue, New York

www.lezie.com

Though this restaurant opened in 1999, I guess 2000 was a better number to put in the title. In this age of specialization I reviewed a Sicilian restaurant not too long ago. This one specializes in Venetian cuisine. Could Calabrian be far in the future? Seriously, Le Zie was a class act from start to finish.

The burnt orange outside awning featured the name in clear, white letters. Inside, all is golden. I was seated at a table by the window, choosing the banquette side looking in because the window was half obscured and I would not be able to see out. It turned out for the best because the heating pipe was in the wall behind me and it felt really good on a cold night.

I ordered my favorite Beefeater’s martini as I perused both the menu and the restaurant. Looking around the room I estimated twenty tables, a small restaurant. But I was informed they have three other rooms – a patio, a lounge and a galleria.

There were many dishes to choose from, which took me a good while. The wine list alone had over 200 vintages. I opted for a 2014 Lucente Merlot/Sangiovese varietal from Luce Della Vite vineyards, Montalcino, Toscana. An excellent wine with lots of wild berry flavor, a tantalizing tartness, deep red color and medium body. 

My first course was the Cara Cara Orange (a breed of naval orange) Salad, with basil, avocado, red onion and goat cheese. I would never have thought these ingredients went together but they did. The citrus blended with the fatty sweet of the avocado and, moderated by the tangy cheese, was delicious.

Next came a pasta dish. I’ve been hooked on cannelloni since my last trip to Italy and their hand-rolled veal cannelloni over spinach with béchamel and tomato was excellent. The pasta and its well-ground filling melted in the mouth and the spinach was just right, tender with a slight crunch.

For my main course I chose the Bacon-wrapped Monkfish, with polenta, shaved Brussels sprouts and apple salad – a dining adventure. The almost two inch diameter cylinders were filled with tender, juicy monkfish filets and wrapped with savory, crisp bacon. The polenta was lovely, but nothing on the plate upstaged the fantastic fish.

Desserts were the only category on the menu with a limited choice, so I went with a favorite: Tartufo – chocolate and vanilla gelato centered with sliced nuts and a cherry and embraced in dark chocolate. It was served cut in quarters on the plate like a four-petal flower, and good to the last.

My standard double espresso followed, accompanied by a Nonino Picolit Grappa. Apparently, this is a “legendary” grappa, made from the Picolit white grape of Friuli, pressed at Benito and Giannola Nonino’s vineyard, Venetia. I found it delicious, more of a grape explosion than a liquid experience. A special ending of a really impressive Italian (excuse me, Venetian) feast. Don’t know when, but I’ll be back for the lasagna. It must be exceptional.

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