If like me, you’re in love with New York’s restaurant world, no doubt you watched Andrew Rossi’s fabulous documentary Le Cirque, A Table in Heaven on HBO.

Rossi has created a masterpiece—funny, smart, endearing, presumptuous and above all intimate. The film follows the life of the Maccionis over the year that preceded the reopening of the restaurant in the Bloomberg Building. Sirio, who started his career as a 13-year-old waiter in his hometown of Montecatini, takes location advice from Kissinger. His wife of 40 years, Egidiana is seen cooking at home, making the kind of pasta dough that has accumulated around her imposing girth. Oldest son Mario has somewhat escaped paternal tyranny by moving to Las Vegas where he runs the successful Le Cirque La Vegas. And Mauro and Marco struggle with their Italian male identity as they play second noodle to their formidable father in New York.

Thanks to an amazing soundtrack (from opera to Neapolitan folk songs) and the best quotes in documentary history—“I want your fish,” thunders Donald Trump at the reopening party, “I’ve been working in restaurant all my life,” sighs Sirio, “but I hate this business. I do it for my three son.”

This is pure Italian drama, half Dolce Vita, half Mastroianni, and as in any dysfunctional family business, love gets in the way.

http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/lecirque/index.html

Who are the 10 most influential people on the New York food scene today? Opinions vary but following is a list of Manhattan mavericks who may not all cook, but all eat, breathe and think about food almost as much as I do.

Frank Bruni: The New York Times food critic is a busy man. Not content to just bestow stars, he now writes almost daily on the Times’ blog, Diner’s Journal, encouraging his readers to communicate with him. Often criticized for a positive bias towards Italian restaurants (Bruni came to the job from the NYT bureau chief position in Rome), he now happily dissects annoying behaviors (hot restaurants not even bothering to answer their phones), habits (too much or too small a tip) and trends (is spaghetti carbonara the new tuna tartare). Last week, he mentioned that our President-elect doesn’t like beets. “It’s ok,” responded a reader, “I’m sure he hasn’t tried them roasted.” And I’m sure he would like the small, sweet and melt-in-your-mouth specimen at Jean-Georges’ Mercer Kitchen. My favorite Bruni highlight? Three stars for David Chang’s 12-seat Momofuku Ko.

Daniel Boulud: A few years ago, Boulud declared that he could never envision running more than one restaurant. Today, it’s fun to take stock of the Daniel empire, with Bar Boulud on the West Side, the soon to open French “diner” on the Bowery but also DB Bistro Moderne in Vancouver, Maison Boulud in Beijing, Café Boulud in Palm Beach and DB Brasserie at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort. Says Boulud, “In 2009, patrons will seek value and comfort in places they are well cared for. My favorite dish at Daniel this winter, the Scottish wild hare à la royale with chestnut pasta, porcini, and civet sauce. Manhattan offers the best possible quality, from the most down market to the most elegant, and every possible type of cuisine.” His front-runners: Raoul’s, Lombardi’s, Del Posto, Sushi Seki and Masa.

Dan Barber: With his two restaurants, Blue Hill in the West Village and Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Westchester, chef/restaurateur/writer Dan Barber teaches us what farm-to-table meal really means. On his experimental farm, he constantly searches for and refines the purity of the ingredients he produces and then serves. From perfectly poached duck to the prettiest and tastiest peas, Barber now often speaks up about farm policy and the environment. “Chefs and restaurateurs need to be more prepared to answer their guests’ questions because there’s growing interest and consciousness about where the food is coming from.” He adds, “Today, I’m all about the different varieties of spinach I just saw in the greenhouse. Because of the climate, they’re incredibly sweet and I’ll serve them tonight with just some olive oil, salt and pepper.” The best thing New York has to offer? “A diversity of flavors and cuisine that truly mimics nature. You can graze on different diets and cuisine and find pleasure in celebrating the diverse cultures: A winning combination.”

Adam Tihany has designed the interiors of more than 300 restaurants around the world. He’s worked with Thomas Keller for Per Se, Jean-Georges for his eponymous Columbus Circle eatery, and with Sirio Maccioni for Le Cirque 2000, among others. He is also one of the early architects in the development of Las Vegas as a culinary destination. This year only, Tihany has put his personal blend of retro classicism and style on Apsleys at The Lanesborough in London, The Westin in Seoul, and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel du Rhône in Geneva. In New York, he just unveiled the redesign of Daniel and is preparing the new Aureole digs at One Bryant Park. “I see moderation as the number one trend for 2009 in the way people eat out. For me, the best thing New York can offer a foodie is choices.” He adds, “My favorite dish? Rice pudding!”

After 40 years at New York magazine, Gael Greene was laid off last week. Good news is, no need to buy anything to find out where she’ll send you to clench that particularly difficult deal, break up with your lover or just savor the new creations of a sexy young chef. Just type in www.InsatiableCritic.com and you’ll be connected to her wonderful sweet and sour pen, years of Ask Gael archives and all the hot food gossip this City has to offer. And did you know that 27 years ago, she co-founded Citymeals-on-Wheels with author James Beard? As of today, the largest philanthropic public/private partnership in the country has delivered more than 40 million meals to homebound elderly. For 2009, Greene sees, “People eating at home; eating in the neighborhood to save money on taxis; favoring less-expensive restaurants, wine bars and bistros; sharing plates; eating two appetizers and skipping desserts; wine by the glass; and saving for a splurge in certifiably great restaurants rather than rushing off to hit the new. My favorite dish? Macaroni and cheese, not too creamy or cheesy, super crusty on top. Almost anything with sea urchin.” She adds, “Manhattan is a glorious smorgasbord for the gourmand.”

Why does it feel like David Bouley owns Tribeca? Because for more than ten years, he’s played musical chairs with various eateries around his favorite city blocks. So to recap, Danube has been replaced by Secession, a multi-ethnic chaotic eatery. Bouley has reopened as Bouley but around the corner (!), Bouley bakery will move into the old Bouley and become Bouley Market while a new concept will be implemented in the bakery. Oh and then there’s Brushstrokes, a Japanese restaurant he will unveil next year. In these difficult economic times, it’s nice to see that some of our best chefs keep up their optimism.

Ruth Reichl is an icon. At the helm of Gourmet since 1999, she has put her trademark of excellence on a dusty magazine, bringing in the best photographers, food stylists, recipe testers and of course the writers who make us laugh, cry or drool over the simplest ingredients. She still finds time to edit books and if you haven’t yet, pick up a copy of Remembrance of Things Paris: Sixty Years of Writing from Gourmet. Best way to keep in touch with Ruth? Bookmark Gourmet.com and devour her latest words. This month, she wants us to line up at West Branch, Tom Valenti’s newest outpost on the Upper West Side and sends us to the new Bouley if we can’t go to France for the real thing! “A trend for 2009?” she said, “Saving money!” and her favorite dish? “Uni with yuzu-whipped tofu at Momofuku Ssäm Bar.” Time to bring it back on the menu David Chang! “For those willing to take the subway and explore some of the ethnic eats in the outer boroughs, New York is a feast.”

Drew Nieporent is one of the City’s top restaurateurs. Owner of the Myriad Group, he operates Tribeca Grill, Nobu, Nobu London, Mai House and Centrico. He is credited with bringing gastronomic restaurants downtown and for literally creating Asian fusion cuisine. His latest project is Corton, a modern French restaurant with chef and partner Paul Liebrandt, an endeavor celebrated last week by New York magazine with a glowing four stars. Nieporent’s career soared in 1985 when his first venture, Montrachet, earned three stars from the New York Times, a feast he kept for 21 years. With his partners, he offers consulting services to a wide group of hotels and restaurants. Even though his restaurants vary one from another, Nieporent’s forte is an emphasis on quality, service and value. “What I see today,” says Nieporent, “is how much better the food is, everywhere.” His favorite dish? “The quasi candied veal sweetbreads with poached Violet Hill Farm egg confit at Corton.” And a word on New York, “Well you know I love Paris but the depth of the diversity, the ethnic restaurants, you can’t beat that.”

Danny Meyer has re-invented the word hospitality. Another downtown pioneer, he opened Union Square Café before the area was hip, and saw the potential connection with the Farmer’s Market before anyone else did. Meyer has spent so much time thinking about what makes a restaurant successful that he now seems to turn everything he touches into gold. From Gramercy Tavern, Tabla, The Modern, to Shake Shack and 11 Madison Park, his true brand is top quality paired with the warmest attitude. But when you hear Meyer speak about his journey, as he was this past summer in Bridgehampton, New York, touting his management book, Setting the Table, it’s clear that he has made mistakes. But each time he faltered, he learned and grew from it. The number one trend for 2009? “Spontaneity.” Answers Meyer. “Even in a down economy people have a deep need to be with others and to get out of the house for a delicious meal. These days, no need to make plans weeks in advance.  With no long buildup to the big night out, the experience of an extemporaneous restaurant outing can be even richer and a lot more fun!” A favorite dish? “Sausage and mushroom pizza with a bottle of Bricco Manzoni.” And the best Manhattan has to offer? “Variety. Within 15 minutes I can taste the entire world. More specifically: Greenmarket cooking.  More and more chefs know how to remind me of what day of the year it is by cooking with fresh, local ingredients now available in Greenmarkets throughout the city.”

When chef Thomas Keller left New York in the early nineties after closing Rakel, his doomed downtown enterprise, we couldn’t have predicted his glorious return. Entrenched for years in Yountville, California, he developed one of the best restaurants in the country, the French Laundry. But New York was calling and he came back with a grand plan. Today at Per Se, he offers two menus, one vegetarian and one tasting menu of nine courses each. Keller believes in respecting not only the food he prepares but the whole process, from the relationships to the purveyor who sends the baby lamb from Sonoma to the vegetables he creates with the farmer. Happiest in his kitchen, Keller wants to please his guests above anything else and he doesn’t skimp. Lobster, foie gras, caviar all find their place on the daily menu and onto the 16 lucky tables.

What: An online foodie adventure with delicious prizes!  

Who: This contest is sponsored and administered by Gael Greene, Insatiable Critic and Alexandra Bruskoff of Alexandra’s Cookie Dreams.

How: Posted on the Alexandra’s Cookie Dreams blog, Talk Is Sweet (www.AlexandrasCookieDreams.com/blog) titled, “Feast Your Eyes On This Life!” an exclusive and amusing interview with my friend Gael Greene, the legendary novelist and restaurant critic, about her life in food. One answer is missing on the blog posting. For clues leading to the missing answer, participants will be directed to Gael’s BITE: My Journal on her web site. Participants then email the response they find to Alexandra@AlexandrasCookieDreams. All the correct responses will be placed in a lottery and three winners will be selected. Each winner will receive a personalized, autographed copy of Insatiable: Tales from a Life of Delicious Excess, and one of three gourmet cookie prizes.  

When: Contest starts November 10^th,  2008 and ends December 10^th  2008, winner to be announced December 11^th,  2008.

Where: www.AlexandrasCookieDreams.com and www.InsatiableCritic.com

Lucky enough, I sit in the front cabin of Swiss International Airlines from Geneva to New York (See July 8 archives for 50 ways to leave Geneva). With an initial noon departure time, we’re delayed about three hours because of a wheel problem—better than a wing. By the time we reach that sweet cruising altitude, passengers snatch the menus from the tense wardens/flight attendants. Every few months, the airline touts a new Swiss chef and today we are treated to the cuisine of Maestro Pierre-André Ayer from Le Pérolles in Fribourg, one Michelin star. He recommends lamb rump. How bad can it be? It’s inedible. The poor lamb has been turned into antique mutton, and I can only wish my rump was that hard. The mushy green beans swim hopelessly in a muddy pond, a remnant from the glacial era, no doubt. I force myself to ingest tough clumps of mashed potatoes. Only seven more hours to go….

Even though the kitchen seemed a bit distracted today, it’s always fun to sit at the counter at Casa Mono and watch the action. At this early Batali/Bastianich & Co. venture, chef Andy Nusser prepares elastic and garlicky razor clams on the grill, so easy to make I will try soon. The gorgeous heirloom tomatoes I saw earlier at the Union Square Market are now sliced and mounted as a delicious bicolor tower of Pisa. Too bad the kitchen forgot the marinated anchovies on top. My personal challenge? No olive oil sopping with that crunchy bread. 52 Irving Place, 212-253-2773

This week, in between backpacks, elusive transparent book covers and cafeteria horror stories, I stole a few hours and a few bites:

Le Cirque

Fabulous sophisticated solo lunch break at the bar of Le Cirque. The Caesar Salad à la Maccioni comes with plump marinated anchovies fresh with vinegar hints, not the desiccated bony ones, accompanied by a circular crouton halo holding a sunny pudgy egg yolk in its mist. With a drink and the best espresso della città, the tab comes to $22. Completely worth it. 151 East 58^th Street, 212-644-0202

It’s official, I’m not a soba fan. That said, I’m a Jean-Georges fan and find plenty to savor at the new Japanese outpost he runs with the Matsushita Brothers. Homemade tofu, both soft and firm delicately served in a wooden basket leaves soft milky whey on the tongue, a perfect preamble to the bakudan (bomb in Japanese), a bowl of uni, salmon roe, baby scallops, and poached egg. I am told to mix it all up and wrap it in the rectangular nori sheets that rest on a heating vessel. Ever tried to wrap goo in crispy seaweed? It’s not pretty but is it good! 241 Church Street, 212-925-0202

So where does a maverick foodie stranded on the East End of Long Island go for her birthday? She leaves it all behind—the August vacationers, the traffic on route 27, the farm stands who get their wares delivered by a Baldor truck, and she crosses the Sound en route to the North Fork Table and Inn in Southold. There, pastry wizard Claudia Fleming and her husband Gerry Hayden have created a wonderful country inn, dedicated to seasonal and organic cuisine. I pick a colorful assortment of roasted baby beets with local fresh Catapano goat cheese (crowned 2005 winner of the best chevre by the American Cheese Society) and move to Hayden’s version of a paella made with risotto. Each bite brings a perfect example of seafood at its best, salty but not too much, chewy but just so, and the rice brings a softer ocean bed than in a traditional paella, great idea!

Things heat up with the dessert menu. I can’t choose. Claudia comes out, eager to help but alas, I can’t cross anything off the list. You guessed it… My favorite pastry chef sends a little of everything! http://www.northforktableandinn.com/

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

with Strawberry Sorbet and Toasted Pistachios

BLACKBERRY CORNMEAL TORTE

with Sweet Corn Ice Cream

RASPBERRY AND VANILLA MERINGUE SANDWICH

with Yogurt Sabayon, White and Red Raspberries and Raspberry Sorbet

UPSIDE-DOWN CARAMELIZED PEACH COBBLER

with Blueberries and Vanilla Crème Fraiche

CHOCOLATE CARAMEL TART

with Chocolate Mousse and Caramel Ice Cream

COCONUT TAPIOCA

with Passion Fruit Sorbet and Crispy Coconut Wafers

We had just emerged from the fragrant Theriso Gorge, a narrow passage thick with eucalyptus, close to Hania in northwestern Crete. Stunned by the early summer sun and the soft roar of the car, our two children slept in the back. All of a sudden, the road started pitching up. The ear-popping ping-pong in my head took me back to my Alpine childhood, albeit without guardrails!

And this Grecian mountain, covered with gnarled olive trees and fuchsia oleanders had its very own personality. Rocks and ancient stonewalls, walnut trees scraggy bushes, and even an occasional cri-cri, the much-celebrated wild goat.

After a string of Cretan turns, we saw a sign for the village of Zourva, our destination. A few houses, and then nothing. Had we missed it?

We backtracked, to the sound of the now very awake, “I’m hungry, Papa.” Yes, that majestic plane tree on the side did lead to a few tables. We climbed the few steps to a cool and shaded terrace where Nikos was sitting, smoking. He stood and called, “Vasso!” A young woman, a mix of 21^st Century punk and strong Greek features, stepped out of the kitchen with a smile. “Is this Emilia’s?” I asked. She nodded, “Yes, we waiting for you.”

Woven reddish striped tablecloths covered the simple tables. Vasso brought the menu and we began the familiar dance, ordering what our host wanted us to eat.

She continued, “Do you want sausage? My papa makes.” We nodded enthusiastically. “Do you like mizithra cheese? My papa makes. Do you want zucchini pie, My grandma makes.”

What’s the best?” I asked. ‘

The cook,” answered Vasso.

Testing recipes for an upcoming cookbook, I place into the oven a thick and sticky beige dough. Dubious, I follow the directions for an apple cake filled with more oil and flour than fruit. But at the end of the process, the mass has risen and the apples seem to have wriggled to their rightful place.

I serve it with vanilla ice cream to my summer blended family, still dubious. I don’t come from an apple cake culture. My apples lounge in tatins, stand in elegant rows in tarts and swim in calvados. But I’ve severed my French roots married an American boy and sprouted two bilingual tri-nationals.

The cake is a success. My two teen American step-kids enjoy its coffee cake quality, my sister-in-law praises its lightness (almost two cups of vegetable oil!), my young son, 4, gulps it down and declares to my horror, “C’est bon la tarte, Maman.” Only my daughter, 6, tastes it reluctantly and declares, “You know, I’m not a cake person.”

Fleeing the threatening storms looming over the Alps, we arrive in Bergamo. No bustling Città Bassa for us with its daily business and shiny boutiques, but the more romantic Citttà Alta, the stunning and proud walled town watching over the valley. There, on the mostly pedestrian via Colleoni, that is until a zooming vespa threatens to run you over, we suddenly see women in whites hurrying from one side of the street to the other. They carry trays followed by delicious whiffs that immediately make their was from my nostrils to my brain. It’s lunchtime and the cooks at Mimi prepare most of the dishes that are being served at Da Mimmo.

Since 1956, The Amaddeo family has run Da Mimmo, a traditional trattoria known for its authentic cuisine. Now, Massimo and his wife Silvia, the third generation Amaddeo, also run Mimi, La Casa dei Sapori (The House of Taste), a jewel of a gourmet store across the street. Says Silvia, “Our passion for the top quality food goes against any hope to be profitable. We only use fresh, regional products. My butter comes from the valley behind Bergamo and all our ingredients are organic.”

At Mimi, I tasted the best grissini (bread sticks) of my life and left with a whole collection of Italian salati, savory biscuits, delicate, buttery and addictive.

Try Silvia’s gorgonzola biscuits:

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 stick plus 1 tablespoon butter

2.5 oz gorgonzola

1/4 cup plus 1/8 ice water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Using a food processor, mix flour and salt. Add butter and cheese, and pulse to create a crumbly mixture. With the food processor running add the ice water, just until the dough holds together. Do not overwork. Let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes in a plastic wrap. Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. Cut with a square cookie cutter or with a sharp knife. Let the biscuits rest in the fridge for another 30 minutes or more and then bake for 15 minutes

Mimì, Via Colleoni, 26, Bergamo, tel. 011-39-035-248358