Dinner and a Movie
Frankenstein – Italian Style
Frankenstein – Italian Style
By
Steve Herte
What
a crazy week! I am convinced that if Mondays were done away with and
weeks began on Tuesdays, Tuesdays would become Mondays and the
craziness would not be diminished. Snowstorm “Janus” closed our
office at 1:00 pm last Tuesday and I decided to go home rather than
risk a messy commute after my usual karaoke night. I emailed the host
to let him know, alerted my Dad to my changed plans and even called
the bar owner so that the darling waitresses would not be worrying
about my not showing up. Told me the host told me in his email that
he would probably be doing karaoke Wednesday at Muldoon’s and I
adjusted my plans. The one thing I didn’t count on was my
peripatetic friend (and dancing partner) Betty, who showed up Tuesday
evening at Gabby O’Hara’s and called me at home to prove it. (She
lives in Brooklyn.)
Then,
on Wednesday, I show up at Muldoon’s, wave to everyone who knows me
and wonder why the manager, “Murph” didn’t pay a visit to
my table to chat - as he usually does. Then, after an appetizer I
learn from the waitress that karaoke was canceled! Harumph! Well,
they had my favorite dish - curried chicken with rice - and I
finished my dinner and went home. Thursday morning I got an email
from the host telling me the owner canceled karaoke at Muldoon’s.
It was sent at 10:51 pm Tuesday and got to me on Thursday morning.
Then, because of snowstorm “Janus” on Tuesday, Headquarters
required the timesheets be input a day early. Sheesh! After typing
and mailing 90 letters to Assembly members took my entire Friday, I
was ready for my movie night out. Enjoy!
I
Frankenstein (Lionsgate,
2013) – Director: Stuart Beattie. Writers: Stuart Beattie (s/p),
Stuart Beattie & Kevin Grevioux (story), Kevin Grevioux (graphic
novel), Mary Shelley (characters). Cast: Aaron Eckhardt, Bill Nighy,
Miranda Otto, Yvonne Strahovski, Jai Courtney, Nicholas Bell, &
Aden Young. Color & 3D, 92 minutes. PG-13.
Ever
since that stormy night in Geneva in 1816 (the “year without a
summer” due to the explosion of Mount Tambora) when Mary Shelley
wrote “Frankenstein – The New Prometheus” in a friendly contest
with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, the creature from that
story has undergone a multitude of incarnations and revivals. Up
until 1931, the monster was merely a deformed man due to his
cobbled-together birth. Jack Pierce, the make-up director for
Universal used green base make-up on Boris Karloff so that his skin
would appear deathly white in the black and white movie. Pierce also
attached electrodes to either side of the creature’s neck for
convenient “galvanizing,” and the most famous vision of the
horrific experiment was established. Still without a name, the
monster Victor Frankenstein reanimated was eventually called
“Frankenstein” and achieved a “Bride” in Elsa Lanchester, a
“son”, and a caricature in Herman Munster (played by Fred Gwynne
for television). The green make-up became a hallmark.
In I
Frankenstein the creature is admittedly still unnamed until
the Queen of the Gargoyles, Leonore (Miranda Otto), dubs him “Adam.”
He discards his 19th century scraggly locks for a more modern
appearance and rather than being tall, blocky and clumsy he is now
ruggedly handsome, buff and a martial arts master with lightning
reflexes. Eckhart plays Adam as a combination of the personality of
Tony Stark with the charm of the Incredible Hulk and the righteous
attitude of Batman to produce a new super-hero battling for life,
freedom, and his own way.
The
movie starts with a background story where Victor goes back on his
promise to create a mate for his monster and dooming his own wife by
the monster’s hands. He chases the creature into the icy forest and
dies from the cold. Immune to the cold the creature buries Victor
(Young) in the family plot and we are rocketed 250 years into the
future. There is a war going on the humans know nothing of between
the Gargoyles and the Demons which could end in the destruction of
most of mankind and the enslavement of whoever is left alive.
The
head demon, Naberius (Nighy) has been collecting corpses for 250
years, hanging them like chrysalides from an enormous structure that
resembles a titanic drying rack for smoked fish, all connected to
central source of extreme voltage for reanimation. He has enlisted
the services of two eminent scientists, Carl Avery (Bell) and Dr.
Terra (Strahovski) to recreate Victor Frankenstein’s experiment on
an Olympian scale, but so far they’ve only been able to reanimate a
rat. In order to be successful, they need either the creature or
Frankenstein’s notebook, which has been hidden away by the
gargoyles. Apparently the gargoyles have sent enough demons back to
Hell that Naberius needs replacements – demons can only possess
bodies that are devoid of souls.
I
Frankenstein is a battle royal between the forces of good
and evil, both of which want to destroy Adam. However, he will have
none of either side. It’s only when he leads the remaining
gargoyles to the secret hideout of Naberius that they realize his
value and he achieves his own self-worth as a living being. It’s a
special effects romp with demons spiraling down to Hell is huge
bursts of flame, gargoyles flashing to Heaven in swords of
bluish-white light, colossal building collapses, and dizzying aerial
views. As for acting, even Nighy’s prowess couldn’t save an award
for this film. The soundtrack is imposing (at times majestic) and the
stage sets ornate and immense. The film ends with Adam acknowledging
his familial heritage as he utters the last two words, the title. Say
what you will but the implication is that there might be a sequel.
What in the world will they do?
Rating:
3 out of 5 Martini glasses.
Gigino
Trattoria
323
Greenwich Street (Bet. Duane & Reade Streets), New York
When
last in Italy I learned the difference between a “Trattoria” and
a “Ristorante.” A “Trattoria” is basically a sidewalk café
where one would go for lunch or a casual supper. You can have pizza,
pasta, salads and various dishes without overdoing it. In a
“Ristorante” you commit yourself to dining, including appetizer,
pasta and main course with or without a dessert and there is rarely
pizza served.
When
I arrived at Gigino sheltered by its large corrugated tin,
warehouse-like awning I was early for my reservation at 7:30 pm (a
7:15 time was not available) and the young lady at the Captain’s
Station edged her way between several pizza delivery boys to greet
me. She suggested the empty table right next to the pizza oven – a
hulking maize-colored dome immediately to the left of the entrance. I
felt the intense heat coming from it as well as the freezing cold
whenever the door opened and demurred. She suggested I wait at the
bar and she would obtain a table for me closer to my reservation
time. The bar was situated immediately after the pizza oven and had
exactly four stools, all occupied. I asked the young lady if I could
wait anywhere else and she allowed me to sit at the first suggested
table (I couldn’t imagine anyone besides a bloodless vampire
wanting to sit there) and I agreed.
Gigino’s
has been in existence for 20 years and is still doing a brisk
business, even though it shares a wall with another Italian
restaurant, Roc. (The movie Dinner Rush, starring Danny
Aiello, was shot almost exclusively in Gigino’s.) Chef Luigi
Celentano prides himself on fresh ingredients, homemade pasta and
making dishes to order, a fact I was soon to learn through
experience.
At
exactly 7:30, a young man came to escort me to my table, the first
table after the bar. The open brick walls enclosed several tables of
families and couples both on my level and the upper level at the back
of the restaurant. It was a bit of a tight squeeze getting into my
chair because the portly woman sitting at the table immediately to my
right had her chair too far back and wasn’t about to move. But I
managed and, once seated was quite comfortable, that is until any
servers or customers had to pass between her chair and my table. It
was a good thing they were all agile, slim and experienced.
The
menu and wine list were already at the table and another young lady
brought me a glass of water. My server, Sarah soon appeared and asked
if I would like a cocktail. I decided on the “GGG” which is short
for gin, Grand Marnier, and grapefruit juice, garnished with a slice
of lime. It was a nice concoction – not too sweet, not too sour.
Fortunately I had examined the menu online first because choosing a
three-course meal would have taken a lot more time than it did. The
menu features 16 antipasti (appetizers), 10 insalatas (salads), 3
soups, 5 recipes for Foccacia (a sinfully delicious bread), 13
different pizzas, 15 pasta dishes, 16 main courses, 6 contornos (side
dishes), and 16 desserts. This is in addition to the daily specials.
I thought it would be easier to order the wine first. After
discussing what Italian reds would satisfy my palate I asked about a
curious entry dubbed simply “Super Tuscan”. The description from
Sarah convinced me and I ordered it. It was a 2011 varietal Bruciato
from Tuscany involving the grapes of six different varieties,
including Sangiovese and Barbera and proved to be perfect for the
feast I was constructing.
The
first course was Cozze al Gorgonzola – mussels in a light bleu
cheese cream sauce. When it arrived I extricated all the mussels from
their shells and was left with a wonderful cheesy soup that I
relished with a soup spoon (provided with the plate for the shells)
to the last drop. Sarah dropped by and wondered where I got the soup
but, upon explanation, admired what I did and wished she were dining
with me. The remainder of my cocktail actually complimented the
mussels, as did the first sips of the wine.
The
pasta course was a half order of one of the daily specials. The
obviously (from the delicate, slightly firm texture) homemade
Cavatelli was mixed with ham, sausage, broccoli, cherry tomatoes and
basil and wore a crown of shredded Romano cheese. I was in Heaven (or
back in Italy – same thing) and briefly wondered how I would finish
both it and the main course. Slow and steady, pace yourself, sip the
wine, and suddenly the dish was done and I was mopping up the remains
of the sauce with the little home-made rolls they provided.
I
adore lamb and I love Osso Buco (l always assumed the phrase meant
“Marrow-bone,” but a friend whose opinion I highly respect
corrected me: Osso Buco means “bone hole” not marrow bone.
Thank you, Karen.), so when I saw on the menu an “Osso Buco
d’Agnello,” I was in love. The braised lamb shank on the bone was
served with a mixed vegetable, red wine and herb sauce and pillowed
on a white bean and mint risotto. I was torn whether to eat it or
take it home to bed with me. The tender meat fell off the bone with
coaxing from a fork and the risotto only had the perfect hint of
mint. The white beans added just a touch of fiber and brought the
whole dish together in an erotic experience. I almost forgot the
delicious wine. There were no leftovers.
How
does one top a feast like that? At Gigino there is a dish called
“Sirena” (the Siren) consisting of ripe strawberries dipped in
fine dark chocolate and nestled in individual beds of creamed
Zabaglione (whipped egg yolks and Marsala wine). Yes there is life
after death and it’s beautiful. Add to that a steaming cup of
espresso (double, of course) and a small snifter of Strega (an
Italian liquor – the “Witch”) and I was no longer in Downtown
Manhattan. I was somewhere on the Amalfi coast, possibly in Positano
over-looking the Mediterranean.
I
was so comfortable after my meal I forgot to ask for my traditional
business card at the exit. Oh well, that means I’ll probably have
to return to Gigino Trattoria. Soon, I hope.
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