HUNGRY GERALD

The Freeman/Riva family is lucky. Love, laughter, mutual admiration binds us–from the oldest to the youngest–together in joyous affection. And, of course, all of us fervently appreciate well prepared meals, curated wines, and select spirits. The family reunion at HG/BSK’s Prince Edward Island oceanfront home has been a wonderful experience for everyone. In attendance: The Tokyo family–SJ, wife Maiko Sakamoto, grown up son Haru and adorable young daughter Teru; The Rhode Island family of gifted daughter Lesley R, her brilliant husband, Massimo R., their daughter Sofia, Italian movie star looks and an academic luminary. (Still to arrive is HG’s daughter, Vicki Freeman and stepson, Marlon). The HG/BSK family has some successful restaurateurs in its ranks. Vicki and her husband, the noted locavore chef, Marc Meyer, plus a long term business colleague , own five much lauded New York restaurants: Shukette, Shuka, Vic’s, Rosie’s and Cookshop. SJ and Maiko own and run Tokyo’s Freeman Shokudo, a “Brooklyn Barbecue” izakaya.  The dazzling cooks that have been turning out great dishes  for the  family are BSK, Lesley, Maiko and SJ. Massimo shucks oysters with skillful precision and curates wines with Italian flair. These are some of the dishes: Wild mushroom risotto (Lesley); Fish curry (SJ); Linguine con vongole (BSK and other family members harvested the clams and led the team that prepared the dish).Maiko is  one of the world’s best chefs with knife skills that are spectacular. She made two dishes that will live forever in HG’s memory:  Soba in cool, savory broth—accompanied by ultimate tempura served directly to the table from the wok in a whirlwind of action. Fantastic. The other dish was super fresh tuna served in two ways: Maiko inspected the slices. The fatty parts were cut into slices of sashimi. Maiko finely chopped the rest of the tuna, added Negi (Scallions thinly sliced into airy spirals);Nori (dried seaweed). The tuna was dressed with a blend of Kewpie mayonnaise, soy sauce, wasabi and sesame oil. Fabulous. HG is so glad Maiko is part of HG’s life (Besides cuisine, Mako has many other virtues and talents as a wife, mother and businessperson).

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