As we stood up to go, Angelo came to us and hugged my bride much as a brother would hug his sister. He and I hugged as brothers might hug and then, very softly to the two of us, he said "Laku noc!"
Had this been the scene at Cafe Pita in Houston, Texas, where I have eaten on occasion with Nenad Bach and others, and had Omer Okanovic, the proprietor, been present, that would have been "normal," and I would not have taken such notice. (By the way, when you are in Houston, find Omer and eat his lamb shank.) As it was we were at Baci Restaurant, a premier Italian restaurant on Beach Blvd. in Huntington Beach, California. I was not expecting any one in an Italian restaurant in California, to say for "Good night" na hrvatskom jeziku "Laku noc."
We learned then that Angelo, a Tuscan by birth, had once been a seaman aboard boats which plied the Adriatic. Zadar had once been one of his favorite cities. I tried to share a fish stew recipe only to watch his hands make exactly the motions how you gently shake the pan and do not stir. He smiled broadly as he said "I am a chef. I know all there is to know about food," I was smiling big too because I know that not every one who calls himself a chef knows about our "brodet," but Angelo does.
The occasion this night was our second anniversary. Two and half years before, the kind Sicilian lady at "Love N' Bloom" florists one block away had delivered a dozen red roses for my lady to Baci's. I had proposed marriage to my lady that very night. The next day our then "new" Consul, Sinisa Grgic, had taken us out to lunch as we celebrated our engagement. That was in June on my birthday. We were married at her parents on the next All Saints Day which,very appropriately is a state holiday back "Home." We reaffirmed our vows in church a few weeks later on my lady's birthday.
This night, we were celebrating our second anniversary. Once again, the lady at "Love N' Bloom" had made up special flowers for my lady. Angelo greeted us at the door and he made sure we were seated in the very seats where we had been when my lady had accepted my proposal.
There was another "wrinkle" to all this that I must share with you since you have read thus far. I had promised both Sinisa Grgic and Nenad Bach an article concerning the Consul for Crown Croatia, a prominent online, mostly Enlish language, magazine about things Croatian. I still owe them both that article and some others. Sinisa Grgic is responible for a region larger than most of the countries of the world with Croats of all sorts scattered here, thither and yon across the whole area. Someone needs to write about how well he executes his responsibility in one of the largest diplomatic posts on the face of the earth.
As it was, not long after our wedding, I was in the hospital with pneumonia after which I was diagnosed with COPD from which I have been slowly recovering though I am still bothered with nuisance of oxygen assist via an oxygen concentrator for a good part of the day.
And then, in May this past year, I was diagnosed with ascites, a not so happy condition which suggests very strongly that my liver is in serious trouble. Only a too small percentage of those diagnosed with ascites live more than a very few years afterwards. The doctors, my lady, and I have been working hard to make sure that perhaps I shall be in that small percentage who survive.
Low, or perhaps nearly no sodium intake is an imperative in this quest. Blessedly, I am a Slavonian male among those Croatians whose cultural traditions is that the men do a substantial part of the cooking. I do not necessarily know how Slavonks are on this topic today - our family came to America almost 300 years ago - but this is in my family tradition at least, and one does not just willy nilly throw off the ways of his fathers and their fathers before them.
I have been able to do the research and by assiduous effort I have learned to make even "traditional" recipes without the addition of salt. Since every living thing and thus every plant and animal that we eat has in it a certain amount of sodium, portion control of certain foods is a requirement. For example, if salmon has 55 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams of fish, one does not wish to eat 200 grams of this fish at one meal. Else one risks ingesting too much sodium over the course of a day in conjunction with other meals he will eat. Through portion control and tracking my diet I generally manage to keep my sodium intake substantially less than 400 milligrams per day, most often around 200 milligrams.
We eat well and deliciously. The only thing really missing is that there seemed to be no place to go for a meal "out" because restaurant menus tend to be overloaded with NaCl (salt/sodium). Even my liver doctor had been a bit sad that it was impossible for us to eat out if I hoped to survive. And so it was that we wrote off even the possibility of any celebration at a restaurant.
But then, my dear lady called Maria at Baci Restaurant and explained to her our predicament. Maria replied that there was no problem. Angelo prepares each meal individually for his customers. It was no problem, she said, to prepare my meals without the addition of any salt. Instantly my lady made reservations.
When Angelo greeted us at the door, he already knew about my special needs. I had done research on his menu - which he posts on the internet for all to see.
For an appetizer, I chose the polenta al porcin, which Angelo describes as a Roman style polenta, served with a delicate porcini mushroom sauce. He disappeared to store room and reappeared shortly with a quart jar of sauce, which he showed me at the table, saying "no salt added." Now, nobody anywhere makes a better palenta than I do. So I thought. Heaven knows, I've more than sixty years experience making it and we've come a long long way from the tedious methods of yore. Like almost all Croatians, I'm a connoisseur of palenta. In just a few minutes my plate of polenta appeared - the best flavor and texture I've ever had in my life. The the porcini sauce with it was exquisite. And he was telling the truth - no salt. When you restrict your sodium intake to under 400 mg per day, you can tell these things, food has taste without salt. This plate was loaded with delicate and delicious nuances of flavor. I am guessing a hint of truffle, of course porcini, maybe a bit of tomato, and some other flavors which teased my palate.
My lady had Angelo's homemade traditional lobster bisque. Even though Angelo warned us that this had salt in it, I had to try a couple of spoonfuls of the bisque. The only description I can make is that it was heavenly. My lady calls it "amazing."
We had then the insalata alla Baci, which is mixed greens salad with carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, tomato, and red onions. For me, Angelo held the Italian vinaigrette dressing and provided me with simple olive oil and balsamic vinegar so that I could side step the salt in vinaigrette.
Before we went to the restaurant, I had looked ahead to find a main course that lent itself to extremely low salt preparation. There were a number of choices that could have fit. I chose the Salmone Alla Baci, which is baked salmon with cherry tomatoes, garlic, asparagus, artichokes and extra virgin olive oil served with vegetables and potatoes. Again, I make a mean baked salmon, but nothing quite like what Angelo served to me. Again, no added salt and I could taste every delicious bite. Heavenly. The portions were ample - almost 200 grams, so half of that wonderful fish came home for my lunch today.
My lady had the Fettuccine Angelo, which is fettuccine pasta with chicken, sundried tomatoes in a light creamy sauce. Her words: "it melted in my mouth." I took a taste. Oh, even though the sundried tomatoes by nature may have too much salt for my diet (how does one have sundried tomatoes without salt?), it was wonderful. The delicate nuances of flavor and aromas danced seductively on my tongue.
As we turned to our dishes of sorbetto al limone, lemon sherbet imported from Italy, we remarked how such a treat as sherbet had once been a treat pretty much reserved for royalty.
As we concluded with a cappucino for me and a sambuca for her, my lady and I were feeling pretty much royal ourselves from the exquisite flavors, the service, and how Angelo made us feel like family in his place.
And then, as we stood up to go, Angelo hugged us and he said, very softly to the two of us, "Laku noc!"
Had this been the scene at Cafe Pita in Houston, Texas, where I have eaten on occasion with Nenad Bach and others, and had Omer Okanovic, the proprietor, been present, that would have been "normal," and I would not have taken such notice. (By the way, when you are in Houston, find Omer and eat his lamb shank.) As it was we were at Baci Restaurant, a premier Italian restaurant on Beach Blvd. in Huntington Beach, California. I was not expecting any one in an Italian restaurant in California, to say for "Good night" na hrvatskom jeziku "Laku noc."
We learned then that Angelo, a Tuscan by birth, had once been a seaman aboard boats which plied the Adriatic. Zadar had once been one of his favorite cities. I tried to share a fish stew recipe only to watch his hands make exactly the motions how you gently shake the pan and do not stir. He smiled broadly as he said "I am a chef. I know all there is to know about food," I was smiling big too because I know that not every one who calls himself a chef knows about our "brodet," but Angelo does.
The occasion this night was our second anniversary. Two and half years before, the kind Sicilian lady at "Love N' Bloom" florists one block away had delivered a dozen red roses for my lady to Baci's. I had proposed marriage to my lady that very night. The next day our then "new" Consul, Sinisa Grgic, had taken us out to lunch as we celebrated our engagement. That was in June on my birthday. We were married at her parents on the next All Saints Day which,very appropriately is a state holiday back "Home." We reaffirmed our vows in church a few weeks later on my lady's birthday.
This night, we were celebrating our second anniversary. Once again, the lady at "Love N' Bloom" had made up special flowers for my lady. Angelo greeted us at the door and he made sure we were seated in the very seats where we had been when my lady had accepted my proposal.
There was another "wrinkle" to all this that I must share with you since you have read thus far. I had promised both Sinisa Grgic and Nenad Bach an article concerning the Consul for Crown Croatia, a prominent online, mostly Enlish language, magazine about things Croatian. I still owe them both that article and some others. Sinisa Grgic is responible for a region larger than most of the countries of the world with Croats of all sorts scattered here, thither and yon across the whole area. Someone needs to write about how well he executes his responsibility in one of the largest diplomatic posts on the face of the earth.
As it was, not long after our wedding, I was in the hospital with pneumonia after which I was diagnosed with COPD from which I have been slowly recovering though I am still bothered with nuisance of oxygen assist via an oxygen concentrator for a good part of the day.
And then, in May this past year, I was diagnosed with ascites, a not so happy condition which suggests very strongly that my liver is in serious trouble. Only a too small percentage of those diagnosed with ascites live more than a very few years afterwards. The doctors, my lady, and I have been working hard to make sure that perhaps I shall be in that small percentage who survive.
Low, or perhaps nearly no sodium intake is an imperative in this quest. Blessedly, I am a Slavonian male among those Croatians whose cultural traditions is that the men do a substantial part of the cooking. I do not necessarily know how Slavonks are on this topic today - our family came to America almost 300 years ago - but this is in my family tradition at least, and one does not just willy nilly throw off the ways of his fathers and their fathers before them.
I have been able to do the research and by assiduous effort I have learned to make even "traditional" recipes without the addition of salt. Since every living thing and thus every plant and animal that we eat has in it a certain amount of sodium, portion control of certain foods is a requirement. For example, if salmon has 55 milligrams of sodium per 100 grams of fish, one does not wish to eat 200 grams of this fish at one meal. Else one risks ingesting too much sodium over the course of a day in conjunction with other meals he will eat. Through portion control and tracking my diet I generally manage to keep my sodium intake substantially less than 400 milligrams per day, most often around 200 milligrams.
We eat well and deliciously. The only thing really missing is that there seemed to be no place to go for a meal "out" because restaurant menus tend to be overloaded with NaCl (salt/sodium). Even my liver doctor had been a bit sad that it was impossible for us to eat out if I hoped to survive. And so it was that we wrote off even the possibility of any celebration at a restaurant.
But then, my dear lady called Maria at Baci Restaurant and explained to her our predicament. Maria replied that there was no problem. Angelo prepares each meal individually for his customers. It was no problem, she said, to prepare my meals without the addition of any salt. Instantly my lady made reservations.
When Angelo greeted us at the door, he already knew about my special needs. I had done research on his menu - which he posts on the internet for all to see.
For an appetizer, I chose the polenta al porcin, which Angelo describes as a Roman style polenta, served with a delicate porcini mushroom sauce. He disappeared to store room and reappeared shortly with a quart jar of sauce, which he showed me at the table, saying "no salt added." Now, nobody anywhere makes a better palenta than I do. So I thought. Heaven knows, I've more than sixty years experience making it and we've come a long long way from the tedious methods of yore. Like almost all Croatians, I'm a connoisseur of palenta. In just a few minutes my plate of polenta appeared - the best flavor and texture I've ever had in my life. The the porcini sauce with it was exquisite. And he was telling the truth - no salt. When you restrict your sodium intake to under 400 mg per day, you can tell these things, food has taste without salt. This plate was loaded with delicate and delicious nuances of flavor. I am guessing a hint of truffle, of course porcini, maybe a bit of tomato, and some other flavors which teased my palate.
My lady had Angelo's homemade traditional lobster bisque. Even though Angelo warned us that this had salt in it, I had to try a couple of spoonfuls of the bisque. The only description I can make is that it was heavenly. My lady calls it "amazing."
We had then the insalata alla Baci, which is mixed greens salad with carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, tomato, and red onions. For me, Angelo held the Italian vinaigrette dressing and provided me with simple olive oil and balsamic vinegar so that I could side step the salt in vinaigrette.
Before we went to the restaurant, I had looked ahead to find a main course that lent itself to extremely low salt preparation. There were a number of choices that could have fit. I chose the Salmone Alla Baci, which is baked salmon with cherry tomatoes, garlic, asparagus, artichokes and extra virgin olive oil served with vegetables and potatoes. Again, I make a mean baked salmon, but nothing quite like what Angelo served to me. Again, no added salt and I could taste every delicious bite. Heavenly. The portions were ample - almost 200 grams, so half of that wonderful fish came home for my lunch today.
My lady had the Fettuccine Angelo, which is fettuccine pasta with chicken, sundried tomatoes in a light creamy sauce. Her words: "it melted in my mouth." I took a taste. Oh, even though the sundried tomatoes by nature may have too much salt for my diet (how does one have sundried tomatoes without salt?), it was wonderful. The delicate nuances of flavor and aromas danced seductively on my tongue.
As we turned to our dishes of sorbetto al limone, lemon sherbet imported from Italy, we remarked how such a treat as sherbet had once been a treat pretty much reserved for royalty.
As we concluded with a cappucino for me and a sambuca for her, my lady and I were feeling pretty much royal ourselves from the exquisite flavors, the service, and how Angelo made us feel like family in his place.
And then, as we stood up to go, Angelo hugged us and he said, very softly to the two of us, "Laku noc!"
Laku noć my friend!
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