Educating My Palate: Meeting Lidia Bastianich at Felidia

So, when one of your oldest and dearest friends is the GM at Felidia, a 3-star restaurant in Manhattan, where you have enjoyed the delectable cuisine of Lidia Bastianich, you get a little spoiled. It is truly one of the best dining experiences one can have in NYC. However, when Lidia is actually there and you get to speak with her, the excitement level grows exponentially. That is what happened earlier this evening. While I was having a Manhattan at the bar and catching up with Genji, I noticed her out of corner of my eye. Genji introduced me and I immediately mentioned how enjoyable it was to see her make octopus salad with Christopher Walken and Anthony Bourdain on the NY holiday episode of the Layover. She was very gracious and generous with her clientele and it was fun to get a chance to chat with her about cooking. I will be making her octopus salad that she encouraged me to try out.