The fortified village of Eze dates to the Roman Empire and at one time, sat, impregnable, high over the Mediterranean Sea – its citizens ever watchful for invaders.

Eze, as seen from the highest corniche from Nice to Monaco.

Eze itself is a wonderful example of a “working” medieval village with its tiny and wandering cobblestone streets. And, to-day, it has all of the modern conveniences such as power and water but no automobiles are allowed. Actually they wouldn’t fit anyway!

When I say “working,” I mean that people live and work in Eze while the majority of the businesses are restaurants, art galleries and jewelry stores aimed primarily at the tourist trade.

The Chateau Eza, a luxury hotel, is located at the extreme top of this beautiful and picturesque village – a 200 metre climb which affords the visitor a dazzling view of the coastline between Nice and Monte Carlo. The Chateau Eza offers elegant and serene bedrooms with large terraces – facing the sea, of course. This sort of ritzy and breathtaking lodging is naturally very, very expensive – but failing staying there for a night or two, you get much the same idea by having lunch or dinner in their award-winning restaurant which is perched, somewhat perilously it seems, at the very edge of the mountain, “teetering” over the sea.

An example of the terrace "teetering" over the sea!

The ambience and the view are, I repeat, fabulous, the other diners are usually well-heeled, agreeable and the menu is excellent! A “recipe” for a great evening – you might say.

My Eze “adventure” began during a beautiful Miptv (April) afternoon when a producer acquaintance of mine invited myself and my companion (who will be known as “Heather”) to accompany him and his group to dinner that evening at the Chateau Eza.

My producer friend’s group was made up of two other very successful Hollywood producers – all being accompanied by striking and beautiful women who were not their wives. I, of course, was flattered to be invited into the intimate confines of such a powerful bunch and was nursing a faint hope that just possibly my charm and maturity would give fruition to at least one of my “floundering” deals.

Our little band of television, fun-seekers started out to Eze from Cannes sitting cheek to jowel in a stretch limo (it, of itself, being an anomaly in Cannes) while drinking champagne – which I knew was particularly dangerous for me but had no idea of how much booze Heather could, and would, consume that evening – with shattering results.

Once there at the chateau and settled at our primo table by the window, Act One immediately began. All were a little tipsy and in great spirits when it was noticed that at the next table sat a “silently” squabbling Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. You know the kind of quarrel where the participants are barely in control, snarling comments are made in badly hushed tones leading to an angry exit or two to the restroom and, finally, tears.

This is the view from Goldie and Kurt’s table during their fractious dinner.

Despite ourselves, we stared (while trying not to) thus becoming obvious and intrusive. Finally, the angry stars got up and left!

At our table, the wine flowed, the Russell-Hawn affair was discussed while I, unnoticed, started to quietly get drunk.

Somewhere around the serving of the entrees, one of the “girlfriends” noticed the “rock” on Heather’s finger. She only wore it on serious occasions, but it was a very large diamond ring that looked the size of an ice cube but likely was closer to that of a sugar cube. I had never been privy to its provenance – and now, do not care to.

One young lady asked Heather; “Aren’t you nervous walking around with something so obvious as well as being so obviously valuable?” Heather replied calmly, “No, because if anyone ever tries anything I just shoot them!” At this, there were nervous giggles and suddenly Heather became the center of attention. I looked at my watch, calculated the time remaining, poured another glass or wine and resigned myself to the inevitable – this evening was not going to end well!

Heather, who to this point in the evening, had spoken almost not at all, inexplicably took her dinner companion’s question as a cue to begin a long and rambling soliloquy that revealed among other things, the state of her inebriation. She added coolly, by way of explaining the earlier remark, that she was no stranger to gunplay, having shot, in the mouth, with his own gun, a “dirty” narcotics officer who was holding her hostage in a run-down, lakeshore motel on the outskirts of Toronto. The “hostage-taking” was apparently the result of a disintegrating cocaine deal. And this tidbit was just the beginning!

A dangerous woman!

Heather went on to point out that she and the cop were quite lucky as the bullet only took out a few of his teeth and a good section of his cheek – thus, he lived and she, not being guilty of murder, only had to serve a few years in the maximum security prison for women.

She did note, however, that while her prison experience was horrible, it became endurable once she paid for and secured protection while “in the joint.”

From this point on, the remainder of the evening focused on Heather as she answered every question eagerly and in detail demonstrating an indefatigable and drunken “joi de vivre” while indulging in a kind of “dinner invasion!”

The evening at the Chateau Eza ended with Heather being helped down the difficult 200 metre descent over damp and sleek cobblestones to the waiting limo while her conversation became increasingly incomprehensible and her heels increasingly a liability.

As for me, I kissed all thoughts of any deal goodbye, fell off my chair with considerable clamor, staggered out to the famous terrace high above the darkened sea, and threw up!

“Dinner Rush,” with Danny Aiello at his best, is a superb, little surprise of a movie that I promise is enjoyable and a very good companion piece for the “Eze” soiree. 

I don’t drink anymore.

Movie Review:

Dinner Rush

Directed by Bob Giraldi — 2003
Starring: Danny Aiello, Sandra Bernhard

“Dinner Rush” is small and contained, but within its lexicon, very satisfying and enjoyable — some reviewer comments:

“Dinner Rush” is redolent of “Big Night,” the sleeper restaurant movie of 1996, directed by Stanley Tucci, but whereas “Big Night” is compassionate, gentle, and humorous, “Dinner Rush” is compassionate, edgy and violent. The latter movie is set in a trendy, Tribeca eatery on its way up and out of the bookmaking operation it fronted for so long under the guiding hands of Luigi — aka Louis or Gigi — played superbly by Danny Aiello.

Luigi and Udo discussing ownership of the restaurant.

The movie takes place over the course of one day where such fundamental questions as these are asked (and answered):

•  When (if ever) will Udo, the contemporary and trendy chef take over the family business from his father Luigi?
• How will the seemingly, conflict-averse Luigi keep the very dangerous musclemen known as Black and Blue from taking over a large part of the restaurant?
• How will Luigi deal with Duncan, the sous-chef and pseudo son; an inveterate gambler whose actions are endangering them all?

Black and Blue, who are attempting to muscle in on the business.

All of this seen against a frenetic kitchen attempting to please the cast of poseurs, gangsters, jacked-up Wall Street barflys, full-of-themselves food critics, et al upstairs.

This kind of kitchen is ordered chaos.

Again it reminds me of the excellent book “Heat” by Bill Buford who spent a year, gratis, in the kitchen of just such a restaurant researching his book in the making.

Much of what provides us with such solid entertainment is the fact that it is unexpected. Danny Aiello has been a splendid and dependable supporting actor for decades; there are no other notable castmembers – while all are excellent - and Bob Giraldi, the director, is famous for his music videos (Michael Jackson and Pat Benetar).

So, of course, we are surprised when what we get is undoubtedly one of the best pictures of 2000 – very much superior, in my opinion, to “Erin Brockovich” and “Chocolat” which were both nominated that year. And frankly, I also prefer it to “Gladiator” which won the Oscar in 2000.

Restaurant is packed on a weeknight.

What we see is a superbly-crafted film that doesn’t miss a beat, which offers a nicely different take on the Italian mobster deal, a “verite” look into a kitchen of the restaurants we/I so enjoy and lastly a take on the line “revenge is a dish best served cold” that is so satisfying that we take it to our breast as something just correctly sweet and right – like a great dessert!

This is the kind of movie that lovers of the cinema are always hoping to see – we go to the theatre or rent the DVD without great expectations and are blown away! I suppose it’s a little bit like going to the “legitimate” theatre consistently because you know that catharsis is just around a theatrical corner and when it happens it is so satisfying and exciting that your faith in the genre is renewed!

“Dinner Rush” fits into this catergorization for me.