Brunch with American Madness: Chez Ritossa

Posted by Josh Friedlander | 2 Comments

I’ve always enjoyed the Financial Times’ Lunch with the FT series, and I do revere Stravinsky’s notion that “the good borrow while the great steal.”

Fortunately, I’ll have a good deal of source material for this theft-in-progress. As a journalist, when I’m not cowering under my desk at an approaching editor, I’m usually out of the office at a conference, drinks night, or formal arterie-clogging sit-down meal.

As a result, I retain a profound knowledge of acceptable, even superb, places to excercise one’s corporate expense account. But for my first column, I must select not a restaurant, but a recent Bar-B-Q thrown by a good friend of mine, Anthony Ritossa. The food was as sumptuous as any I can recall in my tours of Manhattan gastronomie, and our brilliant hosts made Le Bernardin’s best service seem brusque by comparison.

Ritossa, who was hired not long ago to head up Nomura’s sales of various services (including synthetic prime brokerage) to hedge funds, could probably sell anything, as he’s the sort of social wunderkind who should have his picture plopped down in the Merriam-Webster next to the definition of convivial.

It was therefore little surprise that the Ritossa event should prove the kind of summer-starting watershed we’ll all remember fondly in mid-September when a chill sets in to the air.

In attendance were a crew of Wall Street competitors by day, their swords sheathed on this occasion, primarily united in the common bond of Australian descent, and as Falstafian in their hedonistic ways as one is like to find. But as their wives and children were all in attendance, they satisfied themselves with a merely decorous level of revelry, and therefore I escaped with my manhood intact (as a mere mortal of Eastern European ancestry, I might otherwise have gone down with the bottle had I been compelled to go drink-for-drink with the Aussies).

The surroundings, it should be noted, were more than equal to the occasion. Casa de Ritossa was recently profiled in the Pelham Weekly for the outstanding job Ritossa & Co. did at completely revamping their new house (which had not been making full use of its magnificent view of the harbor).

Food, Wine & Spirits
The food selection and quality of preparation was exceptional. I’d never before seen a live lobster lanced in half (nor boiled, for that matter), but Ritossa’s Henckel blade made quick (humane?) work of the matter. And though the lobster died having had its guts revealed, it nonetheless displayed more dignity, I can reflect now, than has Bear Stearns in a similar situation.

Along with grilled lobster, there actually were some shrimps thrown on the bar-b, and some Flintstones-sized steaks rounded out the protein.

In the ensuring meat coma, I can scarce remember the side dishes, but they were all of a high quality. If Anthony wants to open a Ritossa’s chain of bar-b-q spots, I do not doubt he would beat Manhattan’s meager offerings in this area (I do not compare this meal to the sort of fare offered at Blue Smoke or Dallas BBQ, which is clearly southern and not Australian style bar-b-q. I have never been to Outback, so I have no idea how that ranks).

Chez Ritossa placed similarly high in the quality of its beverages, which included several superb Southeast Australian blends, which were later to be followed by a late-night order of port (and supplemented by another guest’s generous supply of Montecristo cigars).

The Company
Among our distinguished guests were the Hon. John Olsen and his wife. Olsen, described to me as the Arnold Schwarzenegger of Australia for his recent role governing a massive portion of the country, now serves as the Consulate General of Australia in New York. An intimate of many famous Australians — names doubtless familiar to you all — he shared one hysterical story of Hollywood entitlement that must unfortunately remain among those present.

The event went off much like a state function with Mrs. Ritossa expertly monitoring the proceedings and scarcely taking a moment to rest. I was seriously interested in meeting the woman who had managed to tame the irrepressible and boyish Ritossa. Learning that she was by profession a child psychologist, I understood at once.

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