top loin steak, grilled, then immediately spread with finely-chopped shallots, oil, lemon and thyme; served with grilled spring onions finished with a splash of balsamic vinegar and chopped parsley); also parboiled haricots verts re-heated in oil with a little bruised garlic, then sprinkled with champagne vinegar (all major ingredients from Whole Foods)
yellow cauliflower and Parmesan cheese unflipped frittata
duck breast stuffed Sienese style (garlic, fennel seeds, rosemary, Parmesan), served with oven fries roasted with garlic and thyme and finished with chopped parsley
wines: Garnacha de Fuego (Calatayud, Zaragoza) 2007 with the frittata; Barco Reale di Carmignano (Tuscany) 2005 Casa Contini Bonacossi with the duck
thinly-sliced raw fennel, seasoned, topped with excellent oil, drops of lemon, and slivers of Parmesan on top, served with with crusty Italian bread
loin lamb chops (Ceriello, in Grand Central Market), marinated in oil, chopped rosemary, slightly-crushed garlic, salt and white pepper, then grilled on ribbed enamelled cast-iron pan, followed by a dribbling of oil and lemon; served with vegetables prepared in a separate ribbed pan: grilled seasoned tomato halves finished with Balsamic vinegar, and grilled spring onion halves (Vidalia) finished with lemon and parsley