APOLLONIA'S PIZZERIA ON WILSHIRE JOINS ELITE "DELTA COURSE" WITH DELICIOUS DROP AT NANCY’S HOME

Just as the bells of St. Brendan’s Church on 3rd Street tolled at high noon Saturday, the door bell at Nancy Silverton’s nearby home rang once. On the porch, a good 10 feet away, Justin De Leon was ‘drop drop droppin’’ off two of his luscious so-called Detroit style pizzas. His timing couldn’t have been better.

Nancy and I had been wondering what to eat for lunch. We have a slew of leftovers fit for a banquet, and were about to decide when Justin arrived and decided for us. One square pizza had mozzarella, garlic and oregano and the other, the Acapulco Gold, had grape tomatoes, garlic, oregano, ricotta, truffle oil and arugula.

I’ve had his pizza from his storefront at 5176 Wilshire, a block east of La Brea, several times and it’s always been excellent. But, today. it was extraordinary You know, the type of food you eat standing up even though there’s a table and chairs just six feet away.

OUTPOURING OF FOOD CONTINUES AT SAN QUARANTINE WHERE NANCY SILVERTON REMAINS IN LOCKDOWN

Nearly two weeks after she was tested, and 11 days since learning she was positive for the virus, Nancy Silverton remains in lockdown at San Quarantine, the notorious maximum security facility infamous for, among many things. the utter lack of food in the frig.

Not anymore.

An outpouring of love and food for Nancy has erupted across the city and her refrigerator has been so stuffed that a secondary frig in the garage - previously used only for vodka, beer and ice cream - had to be deployed.

The whole thing got started last week by Chad Colby, the chef/owner of Antico who, without much warning dropped off .four pints of his restaurant’s ice cream. considered by many, including Mozza Tribune restaurant critic Kate Green. to be the finest in town.

Brianna “Breezy” Valdez of HomeState, Andy Kadin of Bub and Grandma’s Bakery and Ivan Maekawa of Pollo a la Brasa took up the torch of what has become known as “Droppin’ at the Door”. Bob Dylan is said to be working on a new song tentatively entitled “Drop Drop Droppin’ at Nancy’s Door”.

See this http://www.krikorianwrites.com/blog/2020/4/6/nancy-update-3-elite-food-responders-rush-to-nancys-house

Rochelle Huppin, director of Violet L.A. Cooking School and Shop, got things in gear with chicken soup with Matzo grenades. It was comfort food designed to lure Covid to get the hell out.

Burt Bakman, the owner of Slab Barbecue on West 3rd Street, came by with enough brisket and fixings for a small dinner party.Below is a spread by Burt, Rochelle and a couple dishes by Nancy in her comeback attempt.

Andreas Krankl, Nancy’s nephew, came by with a “sugar apple”, as strange looking fruit we’ve ever seen. We were instructed not to eat it until it was as soft as a ripe avocado.. Hmm. I’ll leave that one to Nancy. There it is below with our new drink. hot ginger infused water with turmeric, lemon (and sometimes Rye from Ivan Maekawa.

Clothing store owner Caryl Kim dropped off some kimchi from an East Korean recipe that is said to have healing properties. It also can help with social distancing as no one would want to get within six feet of you after you eat it.

Stacey Gamble Shaw and Frank Laffaldano of Nancy Fancy’s came through with a large assortment that has brought variety to my frozen life. Stacey, you rule.

Later, we looked out the door and there was a big cardboard box. I wiped it off. Inside was five loaves of bread from Sara Kafadar of Izzio Artisan Bread in the Phoenix area. We are gonna use it for grilled cheese sandwiches.

Yesterday, Wednesday, Nancy got a text from Jimmy Shaw which read “Droppin at the door. Mexican vegetables. ‘ A hour or so later i went out and there was a large bag with chicken enchiladas, rice, bean and mixed vegetable.

Today, Nancy and I watched the 1934 super classic “It Happened One Night” with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert who both won Oscars. Right after Clark “explains’ to Claudette how to hitchhike, I had two enchiladas. Too bad the Academy Awards didn’t have a category for Best Enchilada.

FBI DETAINS SOAP OPERA STAR JULIE BURRISE IN "ICE CREAM FOR MIKE" SCANDAL

Julie Burrise, the actor who moonlights as a Pizzeria Mozza server, was acting this role out of the kindness of her ample heart. Knowing a Los Angeles man was locked down because his girlfriend had tested positive of the virus, Burrise offered to shop for him and her.

The confined man had one request. Wiretaps, made available to the Mozza Tribune, caught the following from the man, whose name is being withheld,” “Julie, love, get me some Haagen Daz Chocolate Peanut Butter ice cream. As many pints as you can find.”

Burrise braved three Corona-infested supermarkets before finding a rare double - two pints- of the ice cream infamously known on the streets as “Daz CPB” or simply “CPB”, a flavor that is hard to find in peace time. Federal authorities believe the man was a high level distributor of CPB in the Los Angeles area.

Unbeknownst to Burrise, the mastermind’s home on Van Ness Ave, was under surveillance by the FBI and after she dropped - at proper distance - the contraband off, she was immediately taken into custody.

Burrise is being held at an undisclosed FBI so-called “Safe House”. Reached by phone, Burrise said her “confinement’ was “not at all what I expected”

“Hey, three FBI agents are watching me 24/7. Hmm. This pandemic is not gonna end anytime soon. Is it? Excuse me. Hey Agent Connery, pour me another single malt scotch, would ya, love? Laphroig or Balvenie or lagavulin. You pick.”

"THE BIG SPILL"; ARE PAPER TOWELS AN ENDANGERED SPECIES?

“Since when did paper towels become essential?” Nancy Silverton asked me. “Do you mean to tell me that Americans spill that much?”

For whatever reason. when the pandemic hit, among the first items to vanish - along with toilet paper and hand sanitizer - were, indeed, paper towels. Opinions of paper towels skyrocketed almost overnight.

And, as it turns out, by March 30, a week after learning Nancy had tested positive we were down to one roll of Bounty.

That was not some exaggeration. some desperate plea for help. It was hard cold inventory. One roll of paper towels. How the hell is a family of two suppose to survive on one roll of paper towels?

Has it ever even been done? Some hard things in life are inevitable. I get being stuck 27,500 feet up on the side of Mount Everest for a few days. Clinging big time. That’s not unusual. Hell, that’s a monthly occurrence and you know those Sherpas will come get you. That’s what they do. The Sherpa economy survives on stranded mediocre climbers. But, an entire house with one roll of paper towels? Who could ever predict that?

It became painfully clear in the early evening hours of March 30 that we would have to start rationing. Run of the mill spills would have to be wiped with my socks - while still on my feet. Minor spills and leaks were granted immunity.

Mixed emotions hit us hard. We looked back wistfully to the time our friend Duke, in a stupor, lavishly peeled off seven, eight sheets of Bounty just to wipe up a drop of fallen onion dip. Boy, those were the days.

With us at San Quarantine and under orders from wardens Garcetti and Newsom - who we admire - not to go anywhere, what was gonna happen.

The, like a bolt of lightening out of the old Testament. Lance Ohnstad, the legendary host at Pizzeria Mozza. called. ‘I’m going to the market What do you need?”

I wanted to tell him “Do you have any idea of what we’ve been going through?”. But, I simply said “paper towels.”

“Paper towels? lance said. “That all? Maybe a McLaren Senna while i’m at it?”

But, two hours later. against all odds. a 1969 VW Bug pulled up in front of the house next door and Lance got out with two, count em. two rolls of paper towels. He dropped them off on the neighbor’s lawn, a safe 45 feet away and drove off.

i sprinted to the towels before the hoards got to them

We had defense against spills. For now.

ELITE “FOOD RESPONDERS” DROP OFF GOODS TO NANCY SILVERTON IN LOCKDOWN AT SAN QUARANTINE

(EDITORS’ NOTE - This is not a “siren song” -  something alluring on the surface, but ultimately dangerous - to chefs or Mozza employees and friends or anyone in Los Angeles to drop off anything to Nancy or Michael, but rather a heartfelt “thank you” to those who already have )

Friday night, as we were getting ready to watch the 23rd episode of ‘'The Restaurant”, the Sundance Channel show that helped us get through one anxious week, I got this text from Chad Colby, the ex Chi Spacca chef and now main man at Antico; “About to do a drive by.” If you know me, even a little, you know what that brought to mind. But, Chad quickly followed it up with a “dropping ice cream at your porch in two minutes.’

I went outside three minutes later and saw a paper bag. Inside were four pints of Antico Ice cream. considered by many, including Mozza Tribune restaurant critic Kate Green, the best in Los Angeles. There were two honeycombs, one cookies n’ cream and a vanilla almond crunch You talking about hitting the spot.

it was the first of several elite “Food Responders” dropping off goods to Nancy, who is in lockdown at San Quarantine after testing positive for the virus last week and Michael, who, ,somehow, tested negative.

The next day, Brianna “Breezy ‘ Valdez, the empress of HomeState, called to check in. I told her of the many people who had kindly offered to bring foods to the house. “What would you like?” Breezy asked.

I said “A 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO”, which, for the record, sold for $48 million at a Monterey auction in 2018.

A few hours later, I got two texts from Breezy which read. ‘Approaching your doorstep” followed by “With a Ferrari”.

i went outside and inside a HomeState bag were six mouthwatering tacos, 12 award-winning flour tortillas, a creamy queso sauce that was so delicious I ate it like a soup, and most importantly, 12 bags of Fritos, original.

So, Sunday, i was staring at a gold wrapped package of Rudy. aka Rodophle le Meunier buerre de baratte, my favorite butter. Alas, I had no bread.

Minutes later, like a scene out of Homeland where they know what’s going on thanks to a drone, i get a text from Andy Kadin, the owner of Bub and Grandma’s s Bread. Their sesame loaf is my favorite and with the Rudy butter. one of the top meals one can have. i once made a midnight supper for Nancy which was just that, the Rudy slathered on Bub’s sesame. Nancy and I decided this would be our Last Supper.

“I’m gonna drop some bread off to you. 13 minutes away,” Andy’s text read.

So, 12 minutes later, Andy comes by with two loaves of sesame, a loaf of poppy seed and two pastries with dates kumquats and frangipan. It’s slathering time.

On Monday I called Polla a la Brasa, Nancy’s favorite, just to check on their hours. Thirty minutes later i get a call form Ivan Maekawa, the owner. “What’s your address, I’m gonna bring you and Nancy a chicken.”

Two hours later, Ivan is walking up to the porch, not only with a roast chicken but a bottle of A Midwinter Nights Dram, a prized rye whiskey. You can have a chicken on rye i’ll take the chicken and rye.

NANCY UPDATE: STILL NO CORONA SYMPTOMS, BUT CONCERN RISES OVER UNUSUAL BEHAVIOR

Today, April 6, at noon will mark exactly seven days since Nurse Practitioner Mary DeNicola told us over a cell phone video “Chat” those miserable words. “Nancy, you tested positive”. Every atom in my body suddenly drooped. My knees buckled. “Michael you tested negative.” My only thought was at least I would be able to take care of Nancy. My second thought was why the fuck do they call this a “Chat”. Chat’s used to be all sweet and warm. Fuck a chat nowadays. Someone come up to me asking me if I wanna chat? Oh, hell no.

But, we must say these past seven days since that “Chat”, a week which i was dreading, hunkered down for the worst, turned out to be as good as they could have been. We want to emphasize we knew she is not out the dark woods yet - but so far the symptoms have not come. Nancy checks her temperature several time a day. ( a 97.2 average), every cough is a brief cause for concern, every bite of food sniffed to make sure her sense of smell is turned on and all bites carefully chewed to confirm some of the world’s finest taste buds still have it. They do. She salvaged a leg of lamb two days ago by adding a copious amount of chef Jenn Louis’ provided “Ray” shawarma spice blend.

Still, there have been some cause for concern. There was behavior by Nancy - and by me - that before Corona would have likely got us admitted. Last night - and I want to be clear I have not been drinking heavily this morning - but last night we watched two Doris Day movies. Watched them back to back Let me repeat that. Last night Nancy Silverton and Michael Krikorian stayed home and watched two Doris Day movies.

The first one was ‘Move Over Darling” in which Doris, presumed dead after a plane crash, reappears after living five years on a desert island. Nancy has the brilliant line. “Look at Doris. She was on a desert island for five years. She looks good.” Her husband, James Garner had just recently remarried. And, well, you get the picture. It’s a remake of the Cary Crant/Irene Dunne 1940 screwball comedy ‘My Favorite Wife’.

Next up was “The Thrill Of It All” where Doris outshines her doctor husband (Garner, again) by becoming a TV soap ad girl. Don’t ask. But, the thing was, they were enjoyable. We’ll watch some more today. Maybe “Send Me No Flowers” with Rock Hudson and Tony Randall.

Anything that gets the mind off Corona and a days eases by with no symptoms. that is a great day.

Gotta go. Nancy is yelling at me. “Michael! Michael! You gotta turn on ‘Let’s Make A Deal’.

.

NANCY UPDATE; SILVERTON NAMED EXECUTIVE CHEF OF SAN QUARANTINE MAXIMUM SECURITY

Nancy Silverton, who last week was diagnosed with the dread of our time, the Corona virus, was named executive chef of the infamous maximum security institution known as San Quarantine, the Mozza Tribune reported today.

The Black Site at an undisclosed location in Los Angeles has housed Silverton since March 27 when she took the test after being in contact with a person who tested bad. (The Tribune’s new policy is to no longer say a dreaded test result was “positive”. That doesn’t make sense.)

Anyway, the magnificent news is that Nancy Silverton continues to feel good. “I feel fine. I don’t even feel “pretty good’. I feel good,” she just now said.

She is showing NO symptoms. Right now, 8:25 a.m., she is on the Ruth Couch, blue mask and gloves on. reading the Sunday L.A.Times and the NY Times. - the actual paper, by the way. - while listening to the daily briefing of NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s,

But, last night, after mostly staying away from the food and letting her boyfriend cook, she took over as Executive Chef with a grilled thin-cut beef short ribs on the outside grill that were finished with black olive tapenade. They were accompanied by roasted carrots with cumin and coriander, little gems lettuces with an oregano vinaigrette. A 1961 San Pellegrino sparkling was served.

That Nancy is cooking is a wonderful thing. We think of the countless world wide who have contacted the virus and can’t even eat. let alone cook. So, I know she has a lot of friends. lot of fans. lot of admirers out there and wanted to let you know that she is good. She is also strictly adhering to Dr. Gregg DeNicola’s orders to stay away from people. except this reporter.

There was a disappointment last night when we realized we, after watching 23 episodes of the Sundance TV show “The Restaurant” - Season 3, Ep. 3 - that we were all caught up and have to wait until Friday for a new episode

I’m still worried about her. And everyday that goes by without a symptom is wonderful.

Maybe the best news of today just happened. She was sarcastic to me. People not feeling well don’t have time to be sarcastic. I had asked her “Should I call Sundance and talk to Robert Redford and tell him because of the Insanity to make the last five episodes of “The Restaurant” immediately available?”

“Yeah, Butch go ahead and call him. I’m sure Sundance would love to talk to you.”

NANCY SILVERTON TESTS POSITIVE FOR THE VIRUS

Nancy Silverton has tested positive for the Corona virus. Those are the most dreaded words I ever wrote. But, the most hopeful words I ever wrote are these; Nancy feels fine. She has zero symptoms.

We got the news this past Monday morning from Nurse Practitioner Mary DeNicola, wife of Dr. Gregg DeNicola whose staff gave us the virus test Friday, March 27.  We were on a video conference call with Mary and she said those words “Nancy, you tested positive.” My knees actually buckled. Nancy’s didn’t.  “Michael,” Mary continued, “You were negative.”

She was right. I was negative, a negative angry motherfucker immediately after we got off the phone. But, what good is that? None. I rallied and my positive thoughts pushed the bad ones aside. They try and sneak in, those worst case scenarios, but I push them away.  After all, I am Nancy’s personal Delta Force operator and I got no time for the negativity.

Up top I said Nancy had shown no symptoms, she was acting totally normal. But, as the hours wore on, and I replayed the recent days and realized there was something quite strange that happened very recently.  She was chomping at the bit Sunday evening to go on our three-mile walk and I talked her out of it. Maybe that was symptom, at least it was extremely unusual. It’s extremely unusual Nancy to actually be talked out of something by me.

Last night, Thursday, we watched what has been a salvation of sorts this week, “The Restaurant” an Amazon show set at a high end restaurant in Stockholm right as World War II ends in Europe on May, 1945. We are on episode 23, a record for Nancy and almost “The Wire” stats for me.

An hour or so ago. I walked her up to our  bedroom which Dr. DeNicola and his wife Mary – and Nancy – had ordered me to stay out of. Nancy stood at the bedroom door for a couple seconds looking at me. I told her how I felt about her. She stared at me and smiled as she slowly closed the door. I tell you, and I ain’t just saying this, but Nancy Silverton never looked more beautiful.

A thousand ships

It’s five o’clock Friday evening and we just got back from Dr. DeNicola’s office in Orange who was very encouraging. That Nancy has no symptoms is wonderful.. I mean, i know it’s good, it’s obvious it’s good, but to hear a doctor stay it. too, it makes even more comforting. Kinda like how when you know you didn’t rob that liquor store and the judge backs you up.

On the way to the doctor’s office, on the 101 Freeway, as I drove, at an unheard of 61 mph, under the homeless tent-lined overpasses and over the Los Angeles River, Frank Sinatra came on the radio with “Nancy (With The Smiling Face). The opening goes “ If I don't see her each day, I miss her…Gee, what a thrill each time I kiss her…”

By now i was driving over where the old impoverished and proud Aiiso Village housing projects used to stand wobbly and Frank went on. Believe me, I've got a case ..On Nancy with the laughin' face” .

That moment was like that moment in your favorite movie that only lasts a second or two - a look of something - that only you get, only you appreciate. Defying social distancing, I reached over and touched Nancy’s thigh.

“Don’t touch me,” she said tenderly..

Now, in the last 18 years or so, Nancy Silverton has told me “Don’t touch me’” scores of times, much to my disappointment. But, this time she was looking out for me. It was, as we say, good lookin’.

I’ll keep you posted.

THE NIGHT NANCY SILVERTON MADE A MEDIOCRE OMELET

If Nancy Silverton had one single moment when she felt maybe something wasn’t right with her, it was last Friday night when she made an omelet at her house in Los Angeles.

Earlier that day, March, 27, she and I took the Corona virus test because someone we had been in contact with had tested positive. We hooked up an appointment with a family friend who is a doctor and made the drive to his office in the city of Orange, 42.5 miles away, which around here is basically a road trip.

I’m not a silver lining guy, but I would dread to have taken that drive in normal times. It would have been at least two maddening hours. That day, with the Frank Sinatra station on and all the songs about spring it took 40 minutes.

So we took the test, I shopped for eggs and cheese at a market in the same shopping center as the doctor’s office, we drove home – this time almost sad there was no traffic because we knew why - and that night Nancy made an omelet for her son Ben.

‘It was during the making of the omelet that I realized something was not quite right, “ Nancy said. “When I cook I am very organized. I lay my mise en place out in front of me in the order I will use the ingredients.

“In the case of this omelet, I had the ingredients out -the eggs, butter, salt, Gruyere a wedge of Parmesan and coarsely ground black pepper – and the tools to make it - a small nonstick skillet, a mixing bowl, a fork, a micro-plane, my heat proof red spatula, a small glass of water to emulsify the eggs.

“But, they were scattered all over the work table. They weren’t in my normal properly aligned order. I thought to myself ‘This is not the way I cook. Why am I doing this this was?’ This just did not feel right.”

So Nancy Silverton made the omelet.

It wasn’t the normal Nancy omelet. For one thing, it had a hint  of color to it. Her omelets don’t.  It wasn’t folded properly. Her omelets are. It’s didn’t lay seductively on the plate.  I’m sure most people would have truly relished it. They woulda told their friends about it when they got home. Instagramed it. But, Nancy knew something was wrong.

“That’s when I knew I was sick, When I made that omelet. That wasn’t the way I cook. That omelet was cooked by the virus.”

Three days later, the doctor’s wife called. Nancy had tested positive.

http://www.krikorianwrites.com/blog/2020/3/31/odlfsdioqb59rp0z8n2yxvm8k8v7j3

NANCY OMELET ON A GOOD DAY IN JULY 2019, IN PANICALE, UMBRIA, ITALY

That’s hard to write, What i love to write is Nancy has has no symptoms. She is in lockdown at San Quarantine, aka her home, with her cellie Michael Krikorian who tested, somehow, negative. They have got hooked to two shows. “The Restaurant” and , of all things “Let’s Make A Deal”.

“I’m one of the lucky ones so far.” Nancy said.