The first night diner

was very significant. Since we had no idea where we are, we pulled out our tourist books for restaurant recommendation. We both agreed on inexpensive pizza place on the piazza next to piazza Venneto. The piazza Carlo Alberto was featuring grand buildings and the guy on the horse with a sword in the middle, assumingly Carlo Alberto.


The first pizza place we found was on a second floor of one of the grand buildings and it was FABULOUS. Huge ceilings and windows with view on the piazza, with frescos and chandeliers. Rooms separated by doorways decorated with beautiful wood carving and mirrors in gold frames. We arrived at 8 pm and of course were first, since Italians dine much later. The food was as FABULOUS as the setting. I had the best pizza of my life (and I had many good pizzas). It had very unusual topping of smocked mozzarella and radicchio which created the earthy and savory flavor combination. We tried one of the Piedmont best wines Nebbiolo. Of course it turned out that it was not inexpensive pizza place in the tourist book, but a fancy restaurant La Smarrita. It was not all that expensive considering the quality of the food and overall experience.
BTW the next evening we found the place from the tourist book. It had a good pizza and somewhat creative decoration hanging on the ceiling:

Inspired by Alexander Calder?

Oct 25 – Nov 2, 2009 Turin Italy

The flight from Paris to Italy is always anticipated because of the view of the Alps from the plane. This time the view was surreal. The solid cloud coverage from the north looked like the sea hitting the rocks on the shore. The clouds stopped at the mountains picks. On the other side of the Alps the sky was bright and clear. Italy!

The hotel had no special charm. But view from the little balcony on the Po river brightens the boring interior of the business hotel.


If you add to that a location, just off beautiful Piazza Vittorio Venneto surrounded by porticos with all the bars, restaurants and shops the hotel was completely OK. An addition they provided a nice complementary breakfast with cheeses and smoked sausages, fruits and cappuccinos. The savory breakfast as Vera likes to describe it. And than there were bathroom slippers which were so soft that putting them on after day of walking for 8-10 hours was such a delight that I took them with me to Barcelona.
Here is piazza Venneto from the other bank of the Po and a curious bit of the history of construction:

After 1817, Vittorio Emannuele I decided to extend the city towards the river creating a square at the end of Via Po. The vast area to be leveled and the huge cost delayed the project. In 1825 G. Frizzi design featuring continuous arcades was accepted by the King and businessmen funding the project. The 7 meters difference in level between the entrance to the square and the bridge were cleverly masked by gradually altering the heights of the pavements and cornices along the facades.

Bars in Turin have all night happy hour. When you buy a drink you can pick up a plate of lively hors d'oeuvres from the selection set right at the bar as complementary snack. The most traditional include grilled red peppers cover with olive oil and anchovies, various little pizzas and foccachios, little sausages and cheeses. Bars get really creative with them to lure more customers.
After a few evenings I open for myself a drink which they call Americana and which consists of Campari, Martini Rosso, club soda and a piece of orange. I’m in love again!
A lot of young people were doing this instead of diner, but Patrick of course was not fooled and requested full diner after a drink and a snack.

I cannot believe I didn’t write anything here for a month. There is too much on my mind to concentrate on writing. I did encounter a very nice girl in the blogosphere today while looking for the Korean carrot salad recipe. Yulinka life experience must be really similar to my daughter’s. She is the same age, came from former Soviet Union in early nineties and her parents pictures look like mine from the 70s and 80s. It felt weird and warm. She writes a lovely blog about Russian food. I feel like I know her well. Take a look: http://yulinkacooks.blogspot.com/

Late spring in DC. My take on street photography:

http://picasaweb.google.com/sbelenkaya/DCstreetsSpring2009#

How difficult it was to find a woman for Frank and how easy it was for Allen. At his first corporate job Allen immediately realized the golf is a must sport for anybody who wants to move up in life. And even though the membership in the golf club was a significant expense for the young engineer, he spent money without hesitation. Allen was well prepared before he showed up there for the first time. He took private lessons, bought best equipment and expensive golf attire.
The investment paid of handsomely. The first time he was there, Karen the 19 years beautiful daughter of company vice president noticed a new attractive young club member and they went to their first date one month later. They looked so handsome together. Young, tall, well dressed with wide all American smiles and heavy chins. Like they just came off from Polo Ralf Lauren ad.
At the time Karen was attending private liberal arts women’s college majoring in classics. She was thrilled to have a boyfriend several years older, with exquisite gentlemanly manners. Not at all like these young boys with acne on their faces and cars borrowed from father for the night, as most of her girlfriends had. Allen was the man she read about in Jane Austin novels and dreamed to meet sometimes in her life. The fact that he appeared sooner than she expected was only a bonus. Karen thought that she was speared of all the heartache of looking for prince charming for years. Even her parents were really pleased despite Allen somewhat humble background the young man was clearly ambitious and promising.

Early Seventies. California. Frank just graduated Berkley University with engineering degree and got hired by division of Sony Corporation in San Francisco. His first day on the job was a dramatic introduction to corporate world. After an impulse to quit right away he decided to make an effort to fit in, since the other alternative was to go back home. He stayed. After a few months he realized that one more day in his office and he could get violent. He saved a little money and it allowed him to buy a motorcycle. That weekend he left SF and rode his motorcycle down Highway 1, following the Pacific coast.
He went to study on the other coast because as teenager he got so sick of his family presenting Allan to him as an example of all possible virtues that going as far as possible from home became a priority. Berkley was such a gust of freedom and warmth after stuffy and traditional environment he grew up, that Frank thought he could stay there forever, but few years later he graduated and come face to face with real life…

Plea to few readers I have: I've changed the previous entry, because Patrick convinced me that I'm going too fast. Please do not abandon me