The Sweet Life
January 23, 2009
I enjoy seeing how our pieces have been used in décor here in the Kansas City area. I love everything we bring back from Italy. One item I was particularly fond of was a hand painted Cinecitta (Italy’s Hollywood) movie banner from Federico Fellini’s 1960 classic film La Dolce Vita. I loved it so much and knew that it would take a person with vision to do something great with it. Well I was thrilled to see how local designer Eric Negrete incorporated the movie banner into Michael Smith’s latest restaurant Extra Virgin. Michael Smith is a James Beard award winning chef and successful restaurateur here in Kansas City. I had a chance to sneak out this week for lunch with my sister, mother and grandmother to take a look. The restaurant has great atmosphere—lots of color, a great place to have Mediterranean tapas, a glass of wine and hang out with friends. My favorite dish was the grilled baby octopus and I was excited to see Speck—a distinctively juniper-flavored ham from Italy—also on the menu. Of course, prior to arriving, I warned my doting Italian American mother and grandmother not to make a big deal about the movie banner being a focal point in the place. My sister knows and understands this request all too well. It would have been a bit embarrassing to have them go on and on with passersbyers on the street, our waiter, patrons in the restaurant, patrons in Michael’s other restaurant next door and even Michael Smith himself if they could find him. I guess they are just proud. Ironically, the thing that makes me happy when I see how great things like the banner look in place is probably my own sense of pride. Could this be how my mother was feeling beaming with pride as she started going on and on as we approached the restaurant all the while I was begging her not to say a word. Please just be stoic for once. Don’t make a scene. And, try not to be so darn Italian! Oh my, do you think this pride thing is genetic?! I’m starting to worry for my kids…