Queries & Comments

Eating in Philadelphia

For years I’ve been waiting for that one glorious moment in the sun when I could join the long list of cut-throat letter-writers who vent their erudite spleens over some esoteric point made by a poor archaeologist. So what do I finally do? I take exception to a non-archaeological statement made by the redoubtable Hershel Shanks himself!

In “‘Annual Miracle’ Visits Philadelphia,” BAR 22:02, Mr. Shanks states that “next year’s Annual Meeting has the added attraction of being in culinary heaven, New Orleans” (italics mine). This appears to be a back-handed slap at the gustatory delights offered by Philadelphia, where the November 1995 meeting was held.

Philadelphia has some of the very finest restaurants to be found anywhere in the United States. In Le Bec Fin, for instance, we have what many experts consider to be the greatest of all French restaurants in our country. As the home of such operatic greats as Mario Lanza, Anna Moffo, Frank Guarrera and Enrico Di Giuseppe, we can also lay claim to many fine Italian restaurants that provided the food and wine necessary to nourish some very sensitive vocal cords. I’ve no doubt that we can add other ethnic eateries to support the singing excellence achieved by immortals such as Marian Anderson, Nelson Eddy, Jeanette MacDonald and Paul Robeson.