IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOURSELF, DON'T BE AROUND NANCY OR MOOKIE

If you’re a journalist and you are about to go cover a war and you want to talk about it to people so you can vent some nervous energy because you’re a tad concerned you might be blown to smithereens and maybe talking about it will calm you down a smidgen, well, there’s two people you should not be around while you’re trying to express yourself; Nancy Silverton and Mookie Betts.

Right now I’m on an Air France flight to Paris and then to Yerevan, the unsung capital of Armenia and from there I’ll make my way to Artsakh, aka Karabakh, where the Armenians are at war with the Azerbaijanis. Can’t explain that now.

But, last night, that Nancy Silverton, the revered chef and, more importantly,  my girlfriend of almost 20 years, says we are going to a “socially distant” dinner party at our relatively new friends Jackie Applebaum and her husband Stephen over in Beverly Hills, up there in Trousdale Estates. 

So we get to this sleek house and everyone is very nice. I’m talking to the bartender – of course, I am. Glen a Mexican German. Serious. He father was in  the American Army. Had a German wife. We’re  talking and Jackie and Nancy saunter over.

“Tell Jackie where you’re going?” Nancy says.

“Nah. This isn’t the place.”

“Why?” Jackie says. “Where are you going?”

“Tell her,” Nancy says.

“Armenia.”

Jackie knows about the situation. “I saw the demonstrations on Wilshire. So why are you going?”.

“I’m gong to go cover the war “

Jackie stares at me for a second, then slowly turns her head toward Nancy.

I know what she’s gonna say to Nancy, a version of “Are you okay with him going to cover a war?” or “Did you try and talk him out of going?”

So Jackie looks intensely at Nancy. And she says, “So I hear you’re doing an event on October. 31st at the Ojai Valley Inn.”

Jeez, lady,  I’m going to dodge cluster bombs and you’re more interested in Nancy giving tips on how to grill a ribeye.

About 20 minutes later, I’m in the front room and Game 7, Dodgers/Braves is on a 80, 90 inch TV. A party guest walks over.

“Wow.  I just heard you going to go to Armenia and report about the war. Are you scared? Who you writing it for? Should be fascinating. What are you thinking?”

Right then, Mookie Betts shows up,  He’s racing back to the outfield fence, he leaps, robs an Atlanta Brave of a home run. What a catch.

“Holy shit! Did you see that?  Mookie made the same catch yesterday.”

He starts to walk away, to the dinner in the backyard, but turns back to me and says “We got ‘em by the short and curlies.  Yeah, we got ‘em by the short and curlies.”  

Me, I’m thinking “Fuck your short and curlies. I’m about to go to a war zone and you’re talkin’ about short and curlies.”

As for Mookie Beets. Damn that was a sweet catch.

Anyway,  I’m flying over someplace called Rouyn-Noranda in Canada now and I’m off to cover a war.  Who knows what will happen. One thing I know for sure, though. I gotta be back October 31. Nancy is doing an event at the Ojai Valley Inn.

CHEF HIRO SONE SHATTERS NAPA SPEEDING RECORDS IN WILD DRIVE TO SAVE LISSA AND BIBI FROM GLASS FIRE

Hiro Sone had a transformation for the ages Monday.  From someone who makes a living emulating Joel Robuchon in his own Michelin-starred kitchen, someone who derives soulful satisfaction emulating Eric Clapton on a Stratocaster at his St. Helena home, Sone, with a whoosh, transformed himself into Juan Manuel Fangio, the greatest race car driver who ever speed the Earth.

Told - and blocked - by several law enforcement agencies he could not return to St. Helena from Calistoga where he had gone to gas up his essential generator, Sone argued, pled and came close to out-and-out begging, all to no avail. Then Hiro made the transformation to Fangio.

Why go from chef/guitar player to “El Maestro”, the alias of Fangio, the mythical five-time World Champion Formula One driver from Argentina known for a determination and will unrivaled on the road? Why? . Because the love of Hiro’s life, Lissa Doumani, was stranded at their home in St Helena surrounded by the Glass Fire and he had to get back to save her.

At the fire-surrounded home, too, was Bibi, their new dog that had lifted the couple’s spirits after the sudden gut-wrenching death of the beloved Koko. (For the record, a local “dog whisperer “ who viewed a video of Bibi staring quizzically at Lissa during this madness claimed the dog was asking Lissa “And just where the fuck did Sushi boy run off to? Please don’t tell me to get more guitar picks.”

Hiro was only 20, 25 minutes away, in normal times. He had left Lissa and that blabbermouth Bibi only after a lull in the Glass Mountain Road Fire which had torched much of their land, including the  family shed where Lissa would occasionally make Hiro sleep when he was bad.

Their home itself had been spared so far, thanks largely to a 25-foot fire break that Cal Fire had helped clear. .This is from a Washington Post report quoting Lissa - The entire back of our property was on fire,  we are on a small hill that is flat land behind it the big mountains to Angwin and Pope Valley. We are pretty good at knocking down the weeds around the house,  about 20' deep. This help but the cal fire guys set back fires to stop the move forward. It's a great idea but scary to watch. We had about 8 guys at our place.  For the rest of the day and into the night it was fighting the fires as they come up. This kind of fire burns the bottom of the trees and that causes the trees to fall and create more fuel for the fire.

Late last night the Cal Fire guys felt we were good and Jared also so he went back to get Katherine. Hiro was on patrol. Still putting out flare-ups as they happened. Sometime before midnight there was a tree that was really worrying Hiro so he called Cal Fire and they came back and worked the tree fire a bit but basically said he just had to let it burn its self out.

At a lull, Hiro took a opportunity to rush to Calistoga to get fuel for the generator. Told he could not take the short drive south back to his home, Hiro went Fangio. driving a Porsche 917, he head toward Petaluma like a bat out of Mar-A-Lago.

He gunned the 917, the same Porsche featured in the 1971 Steve McQueen film “Le Mans”, made a turn Gale Sayers woulda admired and headed toward, or all places, Petaluma. For New Yorkers, this is the equivalent of going from the Plaza Hotel to the Empire State Building, by way of the South Bronx.

The speed limit meant as much to Hiro as federal tax laws meant to that punkass in the White House. Bystanders, even firefighters stopped and stared. The 917’s Pirellis screamed. The engine sang Wagner. Petaluma came and went as Hiro headed for Napa.

In Napa, he ricocheted north like he was late for a reservation at Fredy Girardet. Vineyards, some on fire, whizzed by his view as his home was getting reeled in.

Meanwhile at the home, Bibi looked at Lissa and shook his head. That dog whisper, mentioned above, reportedly said the dog was saying a version of “You married him, not me.”

Seconds later, the Bibi’s ears went on alert. The howl of the Porsche 917 was piercing the smoke-filled air. Then, dramatically reducing his speed, Hiro pulled into the driveway like he had just finished a typical Sunday drive. He rushed to Lissa and all was lovely. A scary day and night, but happy ending.

(EDITOR’S NOTE - The dog is named “Bibi” which is Lebanese for ‘love’. When a reporter late Tuesday afternoon asked if the dog was named after the nickname of the punkass Israeli prime minister, Bibi went on attack mode. The reporter is listed in critical, but stupid condition at Silver Oak Hospital.)

THREE FRENCH LAUNDRY CUSTOMERS SERIOUSLY INJURED LIFTING NEW MENU THAT CREDITS ALL WHO HELPED THOMAS KELLER

When the late, nearly mythical French chef Joel Robuchon was charged last week - in absentia - for not properly giving credit to the line cook who, in anger, ( don’t ask why), put way too much buerre de baratte in what turned out to be the master’s most famous dish. pomme de terre, aka mashed potatoes, chefs around the world knew it was time to share the spotlight.

In fear of lawsuits - or a slight concerned that creamer hacks would attempt to slam them - chefs began crediting employees for any contribution they may have had to a dish. That, hopefully, reached its crescendo in Napa Valley this week at one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the world.

The French Laundry unveiled its new menu which. on chef/owner Thomas Keller’s orders, credits every one who had even a remote connection to any item listed on the menu.

Unfortunately, the menu turned out so heavy, 52 kilos (114 pounds), that three French Laundry customers were seriously injured navigating it. One, a woman, who requested anonymity, pulled a right spleen and required not only surgery, but counseling. The other two, males, both suffered pulled neck and jaw muscles, separated shoulders and sprained wrists. One of the males, Florida congressman Ted Yoho, is not expected to survive.

Due to the cost of printing ink this publication cannot reprint the entire menu. However, we will include a section of the menu’s listing of one of Keller’s most famous dishes, the first course known as “Oysters and Pearls”. which was formerly listed as a "Sabayon of pearl tapioca with Island Creek oysters and white sturgeon caviar”. The oysters would vary, as would the caviar since you might get the good stuff from the Caspian if you are known.

FROM THE FRENCH LAUNDRY

OYSTERS AND PEARLS - BY THOMAS KELLER WITH SPECIAL CREDIT GIVEN TO THE FOLLOWING

ROBERT ABLE, who shucked most of the oysters this week until a cut wrist sidelined him.

DALBERT PUJOLS - Taught Robert how to shuck oysters. ( A good, though clearly not great teacher)

BOBBY VASQUEZ - Swept and mopped the kitchen floor so Able and Pujols could shuck oysters and not do so on a messy floor.

SYLVIA VASQUEZ - - Tired of her husband Bobby drinking and watching “Breaking Bad”, told him to “get a friggin’ job” which led to Bobby Vasquez landing the gig at the Laundry of cleaning the kitchen floors..Thanks, Sylvie!

MORTON “MORT” or “MORTY” GOLDSTEIN - Made much of the tapioca.

SANDRA CORE - Baby sitter for runner Luis Ramirez who couldn’t have come to work with an innocent conscience if Sandra didn’t watch his four -year old, Manny, (who likes cold french fries more than cereal).

The menu goes on to credit 43 other people for this delicious dish, but I have to get to a funeral, Fuck you.

MOLD FOUND IN RENOWNED ROQUEFORT CHEESEMAKER'S CAVES; OUTRAGED CUSTOMERS, FOODIDIOTS DEMAND EXPLANATION

In the most shocking news to strike the food world during this bewildering pandemic, a food blogger in Bahrain broke the news on Shwitter that a renowned Roquefort cheesemaker has been selling his product to the public even though the bleu cheese had been in close, perhaps even intimate contact with mold.

Gabriel Coullet, for decades considered one of France’s greatest producers of Roquefort cheese, admitted Thursday that a saprotrophic fungus known as penicillium roquefort has had what he called “an oh la la relationship with my sheep’s milk cheese since before, during and after the Battle of Verdun.”

“Let’s just say the sheep milk and the mold have a thang goin’ on,” Coullet told the media assembled at a cave in Roquefort-Sur-Soulzon. Coullet sang the last three words as if he were Billy Paul cooing “Me and Mrs. Jones”.

More than 35 people worldwide - many in Los Angeles - had fecal fits about the mold contacting the cheese and it made headlines in once-important newspapers. Coullet however blew it off as the reaction of foodidiots with nothing to do. “I didn’t realize eating it could cause American foodidiots, already a bunch of merde creamers, to suddenly think they were Woodward and Bernstein by making; a big deal of it. Get a life.”

A story about a Los Angeles restaurant that may have had mold on jam was the most prominently displayed story Wednesday on the Los Angeles Times website . The four homicides in Watts during the first week of July - including two girls, ages 6 and 4 - did not get a mention in the same Times site. Pathetic.



EDUCATION SECRETARY DEVOS BOTCHES SCHOOL QUESTIONS BUT TAKES CREDIT FOR CHEF TRACHT'S IMPROVED CONDITION

In a bewildering nationally televised interview, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos fumbled badly on questions regarding the reopening of public schools and somehow managed to make matters worse by bizarrely saying the Trump Administration should be credited for the vastly improved condition of a hospitalized Los Angeles chef.

Devos, speaking on CNN, said schools “need a plan”, while offering none, but then switched directions like Gale Sayers in the open field when she went off on a tangent about Suzanne Tracht, the chef/owner of Jar Restaurant on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles.

Tracht who has been at Cedars Sinai Medical Center for 12 days showed marked improvement over a mysterious illness that was originally thought to be Covid-19, but - after five negative tests - left doctors scratching their heads as to wait was the actually medical problem. Tracht suffered from some of Covid’s classic symptoms such as high fever, body aches. weakness and most disturbingly a near shutdown of her breathing system.

This weekend her condition improved dramatically, so much so that her daughter, writer Ida Trevino, actually got her an Egg McMuffin. This seemed to inspired DeVos, considered among the stupidest education secretaries of the modern age.

“I’m not sure about how the schools will reopen, but I am sure Chef Suzanne is doing better,” DeVos told CNN’s Dana Bush who couldn’t have looked more perplexed if an aardvark showed up and asked her to dance. DeVos went on to say, “Thanks to President Trump it looks like pot roast will be available sooner, rather than later.”

Tracht’s press secretary Michele Huckabee Rivera. who has been at her side throughout the ordeal, said she was not surprised by DeVos statements because “she is a stupid idiot. Damn. that lady is dumb.”

Doctors at Cedars were very encouraged by Tracht’s progress.

“When she first came in here, she couldn’t cuss at all,” said Dr.. Julius Irving, a lung and dunk specialist. “But, this morning Suzanne said “DeVos is a dumb fuck” six times. That’s terrific. If she can maintain that tomorrow, and maybe add a “stupid shit” or two, we will release her.”

UPDATE - Tracht followed Dr, Irving orders and was released Monday at 3:27 p.m..

MICHELLE HUCKABEE RIVERA PRAISED FOR "SUE'S NEWS", PRESS RELEASES ON CHEF SUZANNE TRACHT'S CONDITION

When Suzanne Tracht fell ill recently and rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, family, friends, colleagues and fans around the nation were thrust into a quandary.

How would the countless admirers of Tracht, the chef/owner of Jar restaurant in Los Angeles, stay informed about her condition? Fortunately, Tracht, as sick as she was, knew this as well. And she had the solution.

She hired back her former press secretary – and rumored lover – Michele Huckabee Rivera to oversee the information released to the not only the media, but those very people who were worried sick that Suzanne was sick.

(Tracht has been at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center for the past nine days with a mysterious illness that had classic Covid-19 symptoms including fever, back ache, extreme difficulty breathing, but she tested negative of the virus five times. Doctors are still not sure what the problem is and it still might be Covid despite the negative tests. The good news is the last two days she has been improving.)

Rivera began by announcing over a week ago she wouldn’t be able to handle all the calls and message requests for Suzanne’s condition individually, but set up a group system which became known as “Sue’s News”.

Sue’s News soon went viral.  By Thursday afternoon, more than 100 million people worldwide were following Huckabee Rivera’s updates.

“Michele has been a savior for me,” said Tracht, whose complex diagnosis was interpreted by Michele in words understandable to most, although both Nancy Silverton and Michael Krikorian had some issues with the briefings.

For example, several times they asked each other  “What that hell does she mean by that?” and “Why is she on ‘anti-fungal meds?  Is she allergic to porcini or morels?”

Chris Baron, Tracht’s financial advisor, said Huckabee Rivera was doing “a nice job in a difficult situation. But, what I want to know is who is taking care of her dogs. Please don’t tell my wife Teri i said that. I don’t want to give her any ideas.”

Still, Michele Huckabee Rivera has been tremendous on all fronts, both in encouraging and loving Suzanne and informing the public.

“I don’t know what I would have done without her,” Suzanne said.

Neither would have we.

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TRUMP ORDERS MICHAEL SINGER STATUE REMOVED FROM ST. LOUIS PROMENADE, BUT PROTESTERS BLOCK NATIONAL GUARD

When President Donald J. Trump ordered a statue of a revered American journalist best known as a fighter for the downtrodden to be removed from the promenade of St. Louis’ Gateway Arch, authorities thought it would be a simple “Tank and Yank ”, the term the National Guard uses for wrapping a thick iron chain around a monument, attaching it to a M-1 Abrams tank and yanking it down.

But, it sure didn’t go smoothly Tuesday in St. Louis as thousands of protesters, many from organizations including Journalists Matter, gathered near the statue of investigative reporter/producer Michael Singer and prevented the National Guard from removing it.

Pro-Singer demonstrators gathered in the early morning hours near the Missouri side of the Gateway Arch and surrounded the 17-foot tall Singer statue - known locally as Mike’s Perch - as the sun rose over the Mississippi River and the National Guard began assembling for the take down. With speakers blaring blues harmonica legends Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson II, the crowd began chanting slogans such as “Singer Singer We’re Gonna Cling here” and “So he’s a little cranky, he’s tougher than your tanky”.

The pro-Singer Statue crowd, estimated at 13,000 people, were vocal, but mainly peaceful. Many carried signs, including dozens which read “United for Singer”, “Mexican Farm Workers For Singer” “Black Panthers For Singer” and “Armenian Americans Usually For Singer”. One woman, being interviewed on CNN, carried a sign which read “If Ruth Reichl Knowingly Lives With Him, How Bad Could He Be?”

As the National Guard and Missouri State Police tried to force their way to the base of the Singer Statue, one young man stood in the tank’s way. It was Nick Singer, Michael Singer’s son.

“That young Singer went Tiananmen Square on those motherfuckers,” said Stan Musial, a local baseball player. “He went ‘Tank Man’ on those robots.” Musial was referring to the famous incident on June 5, 1989 when a lone young Chinese man stood face-to-tank on Chang’an Avenue in Beijing during student pro-democracy protests. (As an aside, Fox News reported that while the younger Singer was confronting the tank, a Russian made T-72, he received a text from a Monica Albu which read as follows - “How long r u gonna stand in front of stupid tank??? ‘Woman Under da Influence' starts at 6”)

Meanwhile as this was unfolding, Trump tweeted furiously about the failure to remove the statue and, according to White House sources, spent much of Tuesday in the Oval Office toilet. “Knowing that little creamer bitch, he probably was gassing all day,” said White House Director of Laundry, Debbie White.

Among the pro Singer marchers was Tammie Featherstone of Atlanta, Georgia who drove down to help prevent the tank and yank. “Singer is a good man who fights for those who need his voice,” said Featherstone, whose nephew Jimmy Atchison was shot to death by an Atlanta policeman in January, 2019. “My nephew was killed and a week later D’ettrick Griffin was killed. Singer spoke up for them, Tweeted for them long before it was the right thing to do. It’s still the right thing to do, of course, but Singer been doing it for his whole career. “

One man seemed perplexed about the whole situation.

“I mean i know the dude’s bool,” said Cleamon “Big Evil” Johnson in a phone interview from Men’s Central, using the Bloods word for “cool”,. “But the thing is why he even have a statue in the first place? The man ain’t dead. Statues are for the gone. The long gone. Singer alive and kicking. You feel me?”

Singer, who turned 80 today, could not be reached for comment. He is said to be in quarantine somewhere in the South Bronx.

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HELLO STRANGER, IT SEEMS SO GOOD TO SEE YOU BACK AGAIN, OSTERIA MOZZA'S GREATEST NIGHT AS THE CORNER ROARS BACK

By Jimmy Dolan, Mozza Tribune Staff Writer

Hello Stranger, it seems so  good to see you back again. How long has it been?  Ooh, seems like a mighty long time.  

Those are the opening lyrics of one of the most enduring songs ever, Barbara Lewis’ 1963 monument to emotions, “Hello Stranger”.  And last night in Los Angeles, the tide of emotions broke deep as Osteria Mozza roared back to life with what was - not arguably, it just was - the greatest night ever on the Corner.

It was great because it had been so bad and the great redemption on Saturday made the triumphant return to being open and full of life all the sweeter.  As Knuckles Washington from Imperial Jordan Gardens in Watts says “The best thing about getting knocked down is getting up and having a magnificent redemption. 

The “knockdown” was not one, but several. The shuttering of a city, of a nation, really. Then, after two weeks of a food giveaway program, the entire Mozza Corner locked because of the greatest blow of all,  Nancy testing positive for Covid. Then Nancy going into San Quarantine with her trouble-searching boyfriend Michael Krikorian as they waited and prepared for Covid’s worst, which, thanks Zeus and ginger-infused hot water, never came. Then the powerful protests of the inhumane homicide of George Floyd swept through our city’s streets, and in its ugly wake, the trashing of our lovely neighbor MelroseMac and a dust up on the Corner itself by cockroach bitch ass punks.

So tension was thick before Osteria Mozza opened Saturday night. There was none of the usual banter, no wise cracks among the wait staff. It was all business.  The staff was lean.  But, they were elite. Five of them had been previously awarded the prestigious Employee of the Month. The Corner’s Director of Operations, Kate Greenberg, was the evening’s host. There were no somms, but Joe Bastianich, a wine guy from New York City, filled in. Even the kitchen crew, head by executive chef Liz Hong, was somber. The only thing her chef de cuisine Nicolas Rodriguez said at all to this reporter was “I finished ‘The Wire’ last night.”

The first hour of service was borderline awkward, it was that quiet. It took awhile to get used to not seeing people at the bars. But, as the night wore on, and the comfort level grew, the trepidation of being out in a public dining room dissipated and the place began to feel like, well, like Osteria Mozza.

Hello stranger, it seems so  good to see you back again.

Eddie and Coco were back at table 31. Sid and Joni were out in the patio. Nancy, with the joint’s most striking mask, strolled the room, stopping to greet old friends, to congratulate a college graduate, to enchant a young chef.

For the vast majority of diners, it was their first meal out in months. And the staff felt honored they had chosen Osteria to be their initial foray into a sit down restaurant. Walk by a table and you could feel the relief people had of being out and feeling good. The wine flowed and the conversations did, too.  So much so that people stayed longer at their tables than usual. So  much so that by 8:00 there were 30 people outside on the corner of Highland and Melrose waiting for their table. Thankfully, at Nancy’s urging and Joe the Somm’s pouring,  they all had a drink in their hand and were excited to be where they were.

If one table stood out it was 72, the hidden corner table nearest Highland and southside bar, where two Los Angeles fire fighters held court with their ladies.  They were having a ball. They were the reason people go into the restaurant busines, to have customers like that. . One of them LAFD battalion chief Richard Fields had even briefly went to the same high school as Nancy, Birmingham.

But, our host asked Krikorian if he could get them out of that table so some of the sidewalk crowd could take it. They had reveled for three and half hours, but they had the vibe of people who would get it. So Krikorian explained and they were delighted to give up their table and join Nancy and Michael at the bar for a couple more.  Alain Birnbaum, the Mozza GM, said today they were the coolest table of all time.  Patrick “Paddy” Daniel, the bartender, agreed.

So in the end, we saw some old friends and met some new ones that we will be able to one day say ‘Hello stranger, seems so good to see you back again.”

One of the servers last night was Elyssa Phillips who this reporter enjoy messing with. But she said something that I thought was beautiful. Elyssa said “Last year we were awarded a Michelin star. Tonight we showed the world what that really means.”

Damn, if I’m ending a story with a quote from Elyssa, I guess the world really has changed. Hopefully, in a positive way,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSa0EH0LiGk That’s a link to Barbara Lewis singing a live version Hello Stranger. Who wrote Hello Stranger? Barbara Lewis did.

L.A. TIMES OP-ED BY NANCY AND MICHAEL, "A VERY BUSY NIGHT ON THE CORNER"

THIS IS REPRINTED FROM THE JUNE 4TH ISSUE OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

About 9:30 Saturday night, we got a text saying MelroseMac was being looted, a hideous spillover from the demonstrations protesting the killing of George Floyd. Curfew was on, but out of what we thought was over caution, we decided one of us — Michael — should go check on “the Corner,” our name for Highland and Melrose, where three Mozza restaurants and a takeout prosper next to a computer store.

A nightmarish sight awaited. The thought-to-be impregnable metal gate at MelroseMac had been breached and inside was an eerily silent free-for-all. Next to it, Mozza 2Go and Chi Spacca had been thrashed — the entrance charred, the walls graffiti-smeared, the wine display ransacked, stacks of cookbooks burned, upended tables broken and hundreds of dishes shattered, along with four windows.

What made it sadder for us was that Chi Spacca had remained open after Mayor Garcetti ordered L.A. restaurants closed on March 16, and for two weeks, in what the in-house Mozza Tribune called “our finest hour,” it fed thousands with the Restaurant Workers Relief Program. Then Nancy tested positive and had to retreat (she barely got ill). To find Spacca beaten up Saturday made the hardship of the last three months hurt even more.

You can’t see a deadly virus and, until it’s captured by a cellphone camera, it’s difficult for much of the population to grasp day-to-day racism. But a smashed window, a building in flames and vandals dashing out a door with loot are mesmerizing sights, on television or in person.

This week, the virus that has killed, is killing, more than 100,000 Americans, and the sickening, maddening realities of never-ending racism are sharing — stunningly — equal billing with the theft of an IMac Pro and a case of barolo. The demonstrations are profound — and we praise them — but it is the upheaval in Los Angeles and across the country that has really kicked the media into high gear and, remarkably, relegated COVID-19 to the inside pages. (You remember the pandemic, right? That virus? We quarantined and wore face masks?)

So we watched, and Michael tried to thwart, the throngs targeting MelroseMac and stragglers going for the wine at Osteria Mozza. The looters mostly sprinted east on Melrose, computer boxes tucked in like a football, making the sidewalk turn at Highland and getting into waiting, almost always shiny, newish cars — one was a black AMG Mercedes — then peeling out. Police were nowhere to be found.

Twice, though, it looked like the cavalry had arrived. Around 11 p.m. and later at 11:30 or so, 10 LAPD cruisers approached, sirens on. “Police!”, the looters shouted, and scatted like bitch ass roaches. But the black-and-whites drove right by our mayhem, headed west. We understood. It wasn’t like saving Gaja or Giacosa reds was a priority for the police. They had bigger branzino to fry.

On Sunday, there was this MSNBC headline: “Chef who survived COVID-19 describes watching her restaurant looted, lit on fire on TV.” That was Nancy, but she would never have come up with such a “woe is me” headline. Compared to so many, we are lucky.

We took a walk on Monday and several passing motorists stopped to offer their “deepest sympathies.” Not necessary. Any sympathy you want to throw our way, toss it instead to those who need it more, to George Floyd’s family, for instance. Especially send it to his brother Terrence.

Actually, don’t send Terrence sympathy, give him respect and heed his words. Of all the comments about the destruction over the last week, none rang out to us as much as those Terrence offered at a memorial for his brother George. It was a Rodney King “Can we all get along” moment.

“I understand y’all are upset. I doubt y’all are half as upset as I am, so if I’m not over here blowing up stuff, if I’m not over here messing up my community, then what are y’all doing? What are y’all doing? Y’all doing nothing.”

That’s what we think too. How many of those creamers wrecking MelroseMac even knew the name of the man the protest was about?

On Saturday night, on Sunday and Monday, the looters got away with more than computers and bottles of wine. They took the spotlight off the essence of the protests. They blocked the point that black lives matter. But Tuesday night, at least in L.A., the balance shifted. The demonstrators showed us the true colors of America at its best, the marchers clarified our righteous outrage over what happened to George Floyd. We hope — they hope — this time it will finally make a difference.

If it does, then it will be worth the knockdown our beloved corner took one Saturday night in 2020. We will get back up. We can always find another case of barolo or barbaresco. Terrence Floyd can’t find another brother.

Nancy Silverton is the chef/owner of the Mozza restaurants. Michael Krikorian, a former Times reporter, covered Watts.