The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
Dining Around Edinburgh
The first stop of the day was Frankie & Benny's, a "New York Italian Restaurant" ... and it did have a bit of that feel to it. Apparently this is a small Scottish chain and seems to execute well, albeit with that too cute chain formula feel. It was one of a number of restaurants all in a row inside a new glass-and-steel building. The bottom few floors seemed like a vertical mall with office space above ... but the primary tenant or purpose of the building itself was never really clear. Across from Frankie & Benny's was a restaurant whose graphic presentation was first rate. I would have advised them to re-think the name, however.
We met an old business colleage and his wife at the Royal Cafe, a classic upscale Scottish pub that was used for a location shot in the movie Chariots of Fire. I will have to rent the DVD and look for it. I just love the feel of places like this ... and apparently so do the movers and shakers of Edinburgh. The double-sided bar was packed with the after-work crowd. It rather reminded me of the scene in my San Francisco restaurant back in another life.
I met Erik Hansen when we both worked for Laventhol & Horwath back
in the 70's. I was in San Francisco, he was in San Diego. I even attended his first wedding
but over the years we lost touch as our careers moved in different directions although I would
hear of him now and then in the alumni bulletin from the Cornell Hotel School (which is how I
knew he was in Edinburgh).
Vanessa is originally from South Africa and sits on the board of several prestigious international
corporations. Their board meetings are held all over the world and since all expenses are paid
and spouses are welcome, they did a lot of traveling. Along the way they fell in love with
Scotland and decided to move here a few years ago. They kept their house in LA and bought a
flat in a small town about half an hour from Edinburgh.
Erik chucked his own corporate gig and returned to his first love as a full time jazz bassist.
Vanessa still jets off to board meetings drops in on their home in LA just often enough to
satisfy a few obscure tax provisions. It was great to get caught up on what had passed under
the bridge in the last thiry years(!) and the evening went all too quickly. With luck our paths
will cross again ... here, there or somewhere in the world.
© 2009 Restaurant Doctor
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