Sometimes on Christmas Eve, I stop and think about one very special New York Christmas Eve I had back in 1994. I was a freshman at Fordham University and got to spend Christmas Eve at a very special old school Italian restaurant. My Dad was working that day, he is a sound engineer for musical acts. He happened to be working for the legendary Laura Nyro who was playing at the Bottom Line, another historic New York establishment which sadly closed in 2004.
After the show, we went to have dinner at the famous Grand Ticino. I of course was pleased to be eating Italian and even more excited that this was the location where a scene from Moonstruck was filmed (one my my favorite Newyorkese movies).
The Grand Ticino had an 82 year run at 228 Thompson Street in Greenwhich Village (1919-2001), it was one of the old classics. From the classic menu to the old word decor, it was Italian-American at it's best. I can still remember the delicious ravioli I had, freshly made of course. I am glad I had the chance to eat there and be part of something with such history, there are not many places left in New York like this. At the time I did not know how lucky I was.