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08/20/2007: "DINNER WITH FRIENDS AT BELLA LUNA"
(NEW YORK) - It's something that we all take for granted. You call a friend
... they call a friend ... they call a friend ... and the next thing you
know, you're all having dinner in some fine restaurant.
It was myself, artist Matthew Beall and his lovely lady Violetta, both
visiting from Germany and Ellen Fisch, a beautiful and funny artist from
Long Island. We all agreed to meet, chat and eat.
We dined at Bella Luna. It's a really cool Italian restaurant on Columbus
Avenue between 88th & 89th streets on the upper Westside of Manhattan. What
makes the place so great is the fact that it's a hip, classy place with
great ambience and service AND it's quite affordable. Oh, the food is
really good too. When nice restaurants make themselves accessible, we must
support them.
I had the Penne alla Fresco with shrimp, Matt had the Rigatoni all Norcina,
Violetta had the Ravioli al Pomodoro e Basilico and Ellen had the Rigatoni
all Norma which she hardly ate because conversation and great stories were
on HER menu. I would repeat them to the best of my memory, but the stories
are hers alone. Ellen is an extraordinary storyteller.
Anyway, another thing that I love about Bella Luna is the fact that they've
got original art from living artists on display and available for purchase.
Of course, this isn't really new, but more restaurants should follow suit.
Lose those posters! Put original works by living artists on your walls! In
fact, one of the reasons why I wanted to write this piece was to pat Bella
Luna on the back. In our society, we spend so much time publicizing and
ultimately applauding ill behaved Hollywood and sports celebrities or
everyday people who do horrid things that land them in jail. But how often
do we actually see something in everyday life that we think is great and
give it kudos? We claim to want a better society, but most of the time we
don't actually DO anything that'll help make that happen.
Supporting emerging artists is one of my personal causes. I wanted to
congratulate Bella Luna for doing the same. Several days after we dined
there, I spoke on the phone with manager Esra Candaner who told me Bella
Luna has been displaying original art from area New York artists for almost
the entire 21 years it has been on Columbus Avenue. She was quick to tell
me that SHE hasn't been there 21 years, but the art has!
"We just try to help local artists and most of the people around New York,"
Candaner said. "It helps them and helps us as well. It changes opinions of
the restaurant." she added.
Sadly, Candaner told me that the art does not always sell, but that doesn't
stop Bella Luna from continuing to rotate it and show the works of other
artists every few months. "It means helping them, so why not do it?"
Candaner said.
So, there we sat and dined in moody, yet affordable elegance in the shadow
of great, original art, most of it cloaked behind us. Apart from the art,
Ellen was the "star" of the evening. She told us her great, funny stories
(hers alone to tell) and we talked about just about everything beneath the
good moon ... art, politics, personal goals, wayward teenagers, you name it.
It was great having dinner with friends ... you know, people with whom you
can drop your guard and relax ... people who don't judge you because after
all, they're human just like you.
We chatted, ate and dined at Bella Luna for a LONG time. FIVE HOURS! It
was fun. When I called for an interview and spoke with Esra, she said,
"Yes, I remember you!" Why wouldn't she? While we dined, I got the feeling
that the waiters might have gone home earlier that night were it not for us.
Sorry guys, but thanks.
After we left the restaurant, we walked around the block and Ellen realized
that she had forgotten her bag. We walked back around the corner onto
Columbus where there he was ... a waiter out front holding Ellen's bag out
to her.
Again, Bella Luna is located at Columbus near 89th street, but as far as I'm
concerned, it's at the intersection of Art & Life.
Magnifico!
MICHAEL CORBIN IS AN AVID ART COLLECTOR AN AUTHOR OF "ART IN KING SIZE BEDS:
A COLLECTOR'S JOURNAL," NOW AVAILABLE ON AUTHORHOUSE.COM
