To have dinner at Lele Usai’s, in Fiumicino, you have to be ready to be surprised. Lele’s cuisine is not something you can respond to with indifference—especially when dishes like his “iodized garden” arrive at the table, as beautiful to look at as they are ready to explode on the palate. (more…)

By now, I’ve gotten used to seeing Joe Bastianich in the role of a judge, just as I’ve grown accustomed to hearing my son Federico say—every time I put a not-so-perfect dish on the table, and with a spot-on imitation of Joe’s voice—“for me, this is a no…” (of course, spinning the plate halfway before setting it down).
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