Calvin Trillin Quotes

Whenever I'd go to restaurants, the main chef came out and was cooking for me, and he's asking me how the food is. I get, like, VIP service, so it's weird.

'Fine dining.' I'd love to know who coined the term and whether they meant it to be as offputting as it is. The words evoke an idea of phoney refinement, of needless flummery, snooty waiters, and an atmosphere designed to intimidate the customer.

Just being able to go out to dinner at the trendiest restaurants - in Italy, I can't do that.

I never really knew what fine cuisine was when I was a little boy in Canada. For me, Italian food was 'Kraft Dinner' or pizza. When I moved to New York, that's when I discovered all the Italian food.

Italy will always have the best food.

Roberto Donna is a great Italian chef.

I'd like to have any sort of Mexican or Italian food any time of the day!

Fine dining is an occasional treat for most people.

I eat leftover caviar by hand, with baked potato, like peasants.

I think fine dining is dying out everywhere... but I think there will be - and there has to always be - room for at least a small number of really fine, old-school fine-dining restaurants.

A workday lunch that lasts as long as a transcontinental flight is an impossibility for all but the most pliant and footloose of food tourists. To get in the game, you need a thick wallet, an adventurous palate, and a whole lot of time.

When I go out, I love steak and caviar.

In heaven, after antipasti, the first course will be pasta.

I don't like venison or sushi - I don't want to eat what some people think are 'luxurious' foods.

I don't go to the cool, trendy restaurants. I go to either the holes in the wall or the super-fancy restaurants where there are no cool people.

Gordon Ramsay, the only chef in London honored with three stars by the 'Guide Michelin,' is not a monster.

To eat well, I always disagree with critics who say that all restaurants should be fine dining. You can get a Michelin star if you serve the best hamburger in the world.

I love the intensity of the fine-dining kitchen, but loathe the fine-dining experience.

Give me Caviar Kaspia and give me a hamburger. I love the two extremes.

If you like foie gras, that doesn't mean you no longer need a regular steak.

One of my favorites to order in fancy restaurants is escargot.

We are thrilled with the response we are getting to Le Cirque at The Leela Palace New Delhi. Our goal is to bring a luxury dining experience consistent with international standards of excellence to the expanding and discerning clientele in India.

If I have a preference, I'd rather have a home-cooked meal than go out to the fanciest place.

My mother and sisters cooked Italian food, and I never heard of half of the dishes you see in these Italian restaurants. I just go in and order spaghetti.

I'm into the food in Vegas. I'm willing to go to nice restaurants for sushi and stuff like that.