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Scary, when you think the last time the Red Sox were World Champions, Julia was six years old.

May she rest in peace. Truly an American icon, and one of the world's culinary treausres. I will miss you, Julia - there was none better. I think I'll celebrate her life by cooking some of her recipes this weekend and serving some sparkling wine and champagne.

There is a green mixed-fruit cordial from Italy called Sciarada. I was given 8 bottles some 15 years ago and I'm down to the last one. I have tried in vain to contact the distributor listed on the bottle, and have tried a search on Google with no luck. Does anyone know if it's still made and where it can be purchased?

He phoned his regrets this morning. He said he had a long-standing date with one of his servants Saturday night, but asked me to say hello to Dick Nixon for him. He hasn't seen Dick in a long time - they've been traveling in different circles.

Not only was Nixon a great president, but that proves he was smart too! Never share the good stuff with the masses. (I do the same thing at home.)

Richard Nixon, Julia Child, Jackie Robinson, Jerry Orbach, Pope John XXIII, Golda Meir, Thomas Jefferson and Anwar Sadat. That's a terrific eight. I would cook, keep quiet and just listen to the conversation. Of course I would need single-malt scotch for Dick, California Chardonnay for Julie, top-notch vodka for Jack, Italian sparkling water for Jer, a sweet wine for Johnny, micro-brewed beer for Goldie, classic bordeaux for Tom and tamarind juice (with club soda) for Wary.

Pity the poor restaurant(s) that doesn't shoot for the "4," but gets it anyway. What to do then? Dump those extra star(s) with yesterday's leftovers?

You're correct Lisa. The place (actually its owner) reminded me of my Sicilian grandparents though. If my geography is correct, isn't Ischia an island off the coast of Naples?

I agree Bux. It seems Bruni has become more enamored with his writing style than the food. I think the food at the "Barn" is outstanding. It's a shame he didn't do it justice by fully describing a few of the available specialties.

This is a serious place foks. But one warning, it is truly Italian, not Italian-American in any shape or form. So if you don't want that type of food, don't go - you will be very disappointed. The first thing that strikes you is the published list of "won'ts." The restaurant will not: 1. serve butter in any shape or form. 2. It will not serve ice in any manner. 3. It will not serve water, except bottled. 4. It will not serve cheese on any dish with fish or shellfish 5. & 6. It will not serve espresso with lemon peel or sambuca (anisette). There are four more, but I forget what they were - not as important as the first six. The owner says this is done because that's how it's done in Southern Italy and that's how he wants to do it here - his place, his right. The wine list is exclusively Italian and ranges from $24 - $300 with some very good values in every price range. Upon seating a small oval platter with EVOO and olives are placed on the table with excellent, warm, crusty bread - delicious. I started with a stuffed, deep-fried squash blossom that was perfectly cooked with a light, fluffy interior of ricotta and mascarpone, served over a light red sauce and grilled baby zucchini- a magnifcent dish. My wife had the tuna carpaccio - outstanding quality and a substantial portion. It was served over a bed of fresh greens and sprinkled with limes and olive oil. We then ordered another appetizer to split - the fried filets of sardines. It consisted of six extra-large filets sliced open, breaded and sauteed with caper, olive oil and finely chopped black olives. I have never tasted better sardines - they are better than Landmarc's version and that's saying something. For entrees, my wife had the fettucine prepared in a cored out wheel of parmigiano-reggiano. It included pancetta and a very light cream sauce with truffle oil. The scraping of the cheese while it's being made ready adds extra richness and complex flavors. The wheel is covered with damp cheesecloth after each service, stored in a large refrigerator at night and will last a week or two. I ordered the hand-rolled pasta with a roasted cauliflower sauce. It was one of the finest pasta dishes in captivity. The olive oil, capers, red pepper flakes and the roasted cauliflower combined to make a sauce that was both earthy and spicy - truly inspired. I ordered a 1996 Barbaresco ($52 and a great bargain). For dessert my wife, a had a crisp glass of proseco and I had a glass of their house Sicilian red - full, with some nice fruit and tannin. The restaurant only has a beer a wine license, so no alcohol is served. The bill was $141 before tip, just $73 for food. Appetizers run from $6-10, pastas $14-18, entrees $18-24. They do serve pizza, but I didn't see anyone ordering. Opera singers appear on Tuesday and Thursday, other singers Wednesday & Friday. There is a nice size wine bar as you walk in (to the left) and the shop is located in the back half of the restaurant, making it awkward to shop when people are eating at those tables. Their cheese selction is superior, the meats (sausage, pancetta, cold cuts) are excellent, the fresh ravioli and cavatelli look terrific and the unusual dried-pasta choices are great. The store also features Sicilian canned tuna, olive oils and jarred pestos. As an aside, the pancetta sells for $6.55 a pound - a steal. I used some Saturday night for carbonara and it was quite tasty. I have never eaten at a more authentic Italian in this country. If you're serious about Italian food, you must go. If you're not, avoid this place. Bottom line - this is a destination restaurant hiding in the "front" of a warehouse. Escape for two hours or more and imagine you're in Sicily.

Sapori d'Ischia is located in Woodside, Queens and I have received several calls about it in the last couple of months. A search provided no matches, so I'm assuming it has never been mentioned on eGullet. It's certainly not a neighborhood place, since its "neighborhood" is the the middle of a warehouse district. (I drove passed it two weeks ago.) I'm hoping it will be a destination restaurant. It also has a speciality shop attached. The calls have all been favorable, even outstanding. It's been described as better than Parkside (Corona) or Roberto's (Bronx), two of the best "real" New York Italians. In any event, I will be traveling from Staten Island to Queens this evening and will report as soon as possible.

Checked with the NY Times and it was confirmed the reason for Ici was the television connection. Thought the review waxed poetical - not my kind of writing, but that's just a personal choice. All in all is was fine, but I think it further clouded Bruni's concept of the star system. I'm afraid there's no simple solution to the $25 and under problem vs. the main reviews. I think it would terrible to award stars to that category however, since the Times can't even determine (with any certainty) how stars are given in its main category. Their entire review system needs to be revamped so more restaurants get into print. First, I think the Diner's Journal should not be a prelude to a major review - that's tantamount to giving a restaurant two reviews. At least that minor adjustment would allow for fifty-two more "reviews." The "Old Gray Lady" needs a facelift - the lines are beginning to show on more than her face.

I've never met a food magazine I didn't like and all the ones mentioned are excellent. Please add Chili Pepper magazine to your list for "real" food.

The reason owners care, is that there are diners who care. Which is the perfect reason to get rid of the damn star system - as I have been advocating for the past 20 years or so. It's unreliable, it's totally subjective and it's compiled by different reviewers for the same publication. THE TIME HAS COME - Your fate should no longer be controlled by the stars.

Except for the owner, does anyone really care how many stars a specific restaurant gets? What does it matter? It's one person's opinion. Go, enjoy the food. Be happy!

This was a well-written review. At least he emphasized the food more than in his other reviews. The stars or lack thereof doesn't affect me. That's just his opinion. Another reviewer may give "V" no stars or four stars. It really doesn't matter what one person's opinion is (unless you're the restaurant owner). What I find interesting is that Bruni has reviewed two steakhouses in his first six reviews. I guess the NY Times has decided to review steakhouses afterall.

I don't even know how to answer this, so I won't. If he introuduced you and a lot of other people to cooking, great! I may be different then some because I'm somewhat older (53), but Jeff Smith did not introduce me to cooking. He introduced me to the history of food and explained why different cultures prepared and ate specific foods. I was cooking long before Mr. Smith's "Frugal Gourmet" hit the airwaves, but he made me understand what I was cooking, its origins and the cultural influences. As an aside, I'm not writing this because Jeff Smith has passed away (as suggested by the Reagan reference). I have said the same things in other Jeff Smith threads over the last two years.

Actually, it's not. His shows were and still are the highest rated food programs in history. His books and products outsold anything on the market. If it wasn't for people like him, Julia Child, Jacques Pepin, etc. there would be no Food Network. But Jeff's shows were better, not because of his cooking expertise (which was not his strong suit) but because of the history and background.

May you find peace and a better place to cook, Jeff. With sincere apologies to Julia Child, Jeff Smith's "Frugal Gourmet" was the finest televsion food program ever produced. The history lessons alone set the "Frugal Gourmet" apart from every other show. His was not just a cooking program, but an entertaining seminar on the relationship of food, history and mankind. (The Itzhak Perlman episode may be the best 30 minutes in food television history.) He was able to grasp and portray the fundamental commonality of man (and all beings) - food. Jeff Smith showed us that no matter how different we were, there was always the "binding agent" of food to bring us together. His shows will probably never return because of his alleged indiscretions and that's a shame. They should be considered a totally separate entity. No show, no television cook (and Jeff would be the first to say he wasn't a chef) before or since had a better understanding of the unifying characteristics of food. People who "break bread" together, cannot remain enemies for long because they are sharing the ultimate life necessity. Thank you Mr. Smith for teaching me that - may you find serenity and joy.

One can pick out some positive aspects from any of his reviews, but with the exception of the Babbo review, the negative inches are far ahead of the positive ones. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation.

The review was fine and I think a pattern is beginning to emerge. Bruni enjoys writing more about ambience and the problems with the food, rather than positive food decriptions. (However, as soon as the Bouley connection was mentioned, I correctly guessed where this review was going.) As long as everyone knows this, I think it's an acceptable formula. I would surmise Bruni is more of a "glass half empty" guy in "real life."

Does that mean Sydney Portier is eating there tonight?

That's surprising. I always feel "cosmicly" connected to beautiful women.

We were there at the same time. I was in a party of four upstairs that was seated at 8:30 p.m. Food was outstanding. The $17 cheese course, which can serve four is the second best value in NYC (after their $12 fois gras pate). Had a 2000 Hanna Zinfandel ($24) - incredible value. This place is getting better and better. Hard pressed to find a better meal at any price in NYC - great views and ambience upstairs.

I respectfully disagree Bux. Cleanliness has nothing to do with the "cardiology" comments. There has been enough press about the pros and cons of eating beef over the last 20 years that to "waste" space on this type of "humor" is pointless. If a reviewer wants to mention that a restaurant serves heavy sauces and rich food that's fine. But when you're reviewing a steak house, it's totally redundant to discuss the problems with eating beef. I would assume when people decide to patronize a steak house, they have already made their decision about that. I haven't noticed anyone trying to put Bruni down. It seems to me, the major concerns have been his lack of insight, writing style and methodology. Those are just observances, not personal attacks. In fact, if anyone has been "personal," it was Bruni in his Bouley review.