San Lorenzo a Great Place for Italian Food and Calcio

There are places where one is always welcomeincluded photographs of local celebrities such as
not because one maybe rich or famous butKasia Figura (Polish actress) but eventually this
simply because one showed up and took a likingcollection of photographs grew to include such
to the what one found as well as the people. Thenoticeable patrons as Jose Carreras, Steven
kind of place I have in mind is the one whereSegal, Roman Polanski, Alexander
guests mingle with one another in an atmosphereKwaśniewski (then President of Poland),
that is created not by anybody in particular butLech Kaczyński (current President of
by the little things for instance the way in whichPoland) and his brother Jarosław (current
guests say "ciao" (hi or bye in Italian) to onePrime Minister of Poland) and many others to
another whenever coming or going or the waynumerous to mention.
everybody knows ones name. It is these detailsThe evening was a true enchantment for the 3
and many more which make the bar-restaurantof us for many reasons but above all it had been
"San Lorenzo" located in downtown Warsaw onthe Italian cuisine. The dishes which we tasted not
"John Paul 2nd street" be precisely that sort ofonly on that evening but on many others to
place.follow were the real flavor of Italy and it is with
I am talking about a place where Italians as wellintensions of not influencing anybody who should
as their descendents like myself or even peoplego to San Lorenzo after reading this that I refrain
who have no traces of being Italian what so everfrom mentioning any by name.
are never denied the affability and joy that is inThe year was 2001 which like one can expect
the Italian way of entertaining. This holding true inwas followed by 2002. That being a world cup
San Lorenzo because of it's main owner,year which saw the greatest enthusiasm for the
Gianfranco who is equally charming when talking"Squadra Azurra" as its fans mostly Italians but
to the President of Poland (who can on occasionsnot only gathered at "San Lorenzo" to show their
be found there nibbling away at his Lasagna) assupport for what would be the fiasco of being
when talking to the most modest of guest.eliminated by South Korea before even getting to
As for my relationship with "San Lorenzo" thisthe quarterfinals. It was a bitter pill for us the
dates back to late in the summer of 2001 when I"Fratelli d'Italia" (this meaning brothers of Italy
accompanied by my wife and daughter venturedwhile also being the Italian National anthem) to
to take a table outside deciding to give this placehave to swallow seeing our "nazionale di calcio"
a go. My wife and I were not hungry so weplay 4 games which only yielded us one win
limited ourselves to ordering espresso for me andcombined with 2 losses and one draw.
a cup of tea for her while our daughter (Paullina,However it was in defeat that we see the real
The Star of "The Little Opera Singer") needing tocharacter of the individual particularly the one who
satisfy her youthful sweet tooth ordered Tiramisucan keep his dignity as that is how we did it
with her favorite drink, apple juice to wash ittaking comfort in having previously won the world
down.cup on 3 different occasions and with the hope
I as a person who had traveled to over 30that there would be brighter days for our "azurri".
countries had encountered many a restaurantAnother consolation for us was how some of the
claiming to be Italian with not as much as thelocal television stations came over to our beloved
slightest connection to the "old country" apartSan Lorenzo to see how the many nationalities
from the name of the establishment or the factliving in Warsaw were following the world cup. Me
that they served pseudo Italian dishes. I for mybeing fortunate enough to be among those who
part can not claim to have immediately noticedwere interviewed on TV.
from the outside or even the inside which I sawLike the saying goes "it is always darkest before
when I went to the men's room that this was adawn" this meaning that Italy's time would come
restaurant whose proprietor was Italian. It wasas it did last year in the "2006 World Cup" held in
not that the interior of this restaurant was in badGermany. This was the world cup in which Italy
taste as that was not the case but I also hadclaimed its 4th F.I.F.A. world championship after 7
seen places which though well decorated weregames the last two being the most grueling of all.
not Italian. I had even been to this particular placeThe last two games being the most arduous as
before which I knew to have two stories as Ithey were the semifinal and the final. It was the
had visited it on many an occasion when it wasfirst of these games which pitted Italy against
being used as both a clothing store which was theGermany, the home team as well as 3 time
upstairs part and a cafeteria on the lower level.champion and 7 time finalist. The second of these
The interior decorating I had to admit was nicegames pitted Italy against France who had won it
even more then it had been but I was still curiousall in 98 as well as being the team that had
to see if the owner was Italian so after havingeliminated us from the 86 and 98 world cups and
looked the place over both upstairs and down, Ihad defeated us in the 2000 final of the European
went outside again to join my wife and daughterChampionship.
who had already been served.It was the way in which San Lorenzo was packed
The tiramisu my daughter ordered tasted like theto capacity by all the people whom I had been
real thing (her allowing me a small taste) but Iseeing on a weekly basis for the last 5 years that
needed proof in regards to the authenticity of thisgave me the courage to believe that such
place.opponents could be overcome. These people
The verification came when Paullina stood up asafter all had been with me through the tragedy
she was 3 and a half years of age at the timethat had been the previous world cup at least as
and kneeled on the floor to play with a toy carfar as Italy was concerned.
she had brought with her and just as she was inThe semifinal against Germany was difficult to
the middle of playing a dark haired manwatch as we suffered at the agony of seeing
approached the table and said "Hey Pokemon"two of our shots hit the woodwork in overtime
due to my daughter's t-shirt of the popularbut out of it all came the moment that allowed us
cartoon character. This man whose name I wouldto yell out the word "goal" in a huge action of
eventually find out was Enrico Buscema, partrelief as Italy was finally able to break the
owner, his partner in the business beingdeadlock through Grosso who scored in the last
Gianfranco Lucese, a Florentine man living in Polandminute of O.T.. however the game was not over
married to a Polish lady whose mother is Stefanianor was the scoring which would continue less
Kozłowska, a well known Polish singer ofthen a minute later when Del Piero found the
some years back.back of the German net for what would be our
There wasn't anything special I noticed aboutsecond goal guarantying us a place in the final.
Enrico till he sat down joining the group of peopleIf the semifinal was a spectacular show then the
who were sitting at his table who were speakingfinal could not be any less as the brave Italian
Italian. I don't know what it is but there istifossi at San Lorenzo some of which were Polish,
something about hearing people speak myEgyptian, Russian etc braced themselves for what
language in a foreign country that unites me towould be a game against "Le Blue" of La France
them. Perhaps it is knowing that that person iswhich would be winner take all. The place was
also a foreigner from the same place I am fromnaturally packed to capacity one more time on
or curiosity to simply share impressions ofthe Sunday of the final with tensions running as
another country but be what it might I alwayshigh as the expectations of being world champion
seek to became acquainted with people whom Ifor the fourth time. If truth be known I do not
hear speaking Italian outside of Italy.think I would have preferred to be any where
This being a large group made me shy aboutelse but at San Lorenzo with the sole exception
approaching making me bid my time till the partyof the site of the final itself in Berlin. This was
that had been at the table nearby was reducedwhere I would celebrate or cry with my fellow
to a party of one. A well attired redheadedItalians like I had done 4 years ago but win or
gentleman who was rather on the portly side hadloose the friendships would not fade.
been left alone leaving me with my chance toThe final kicked off with us sitting in many tables
speak.drinking our beers and eating our pasta, pizza and
"Excuse me, are you Italian?" me of coarseother Italian dishes and just as we were getting in
addressing him in Italian which seemed to catchto the flow of the game a mistake by the
him slightly of guard as he in Italian replied "yes, Ireferee gave France a penalty. A penalty which
am and you?". I at this point having his fulllead to France drawing first blood when Zidane
attention told him that I was American but mybarely converted giving France the early 1 to 0
father was Italian, like the actor Sylvesteradvantage.
Stallone. I also introduced by wife and child to thisWe the Italian tiffosi were down but far from out
man whose name escapes my memory as it hasas it took a little over 5 minutes for San
been over 5 years since I last saw him. We mustLorenzo's supporters to once again shout goal
have conversed for about 5 minutes when Enricowhen Matterazzi's header leveled matters at one
came back to the table and upon hearing that Ia piece. As anybody who has ever seen his
spoke Italian introduced himself to me and thecountry in a final can confirm there is nothing like
rest of my family.seeing ones country score and for us it was
This was my first visit to San Lorenzo which likeelation extraordinaire as we had not come this far
most firsts we never forget specially when theyto give up after trailing by only one goal.
are not lasts as this place saw me come back theThe rest of the game including overtime went by
following week on August 9. This date being ofwith the score leveled at one a piece
significance because it was the one on which 4necessitating penalties which had never at least in
years prior my then fiancée and I took oura world cup seen Italy come out on top but this I
vows in the church in the act of holly matrimony.felt deep down was our day as all the people
Our daughter was past the age of 3 and capablewhom I had known for so long were not going to
of proper conduct prompting my wife and I to letbe denied.
her join us on that occasion for a relatively late8 penalty kickers took their turn with only
dinner. A dinner which delighted all of us speciallyTrezeguet missing for France and it all came
Paullina (the restaurant having a special chair fordown to Grosso (scorer of Italy's first goal
her) by including some of the finest dishes in whatagainst Germany) to deliver us to the promised
is known as Italian cuisine with the wine that againland that was our 4th title leaving us with only
could not be other then Italian.one less title then Brazil. The moment of truth
One of the things that impressed me about thathad arrived one kick, one goal to end all and earn
particular visit was that several of the guestsall, would he do it? Our hearts were in our mouths
whom I had not yet introduced myself to whoas we saw Grosso step up to take the penalty
saw me sitting at my table or walking around thewhich he converted sending me along with
place with my daughter seemed to know who Ieverybody else in to a wild frenzy that lead to
was. They knew my name, that I was a writerfireworks on the street as well as an all night
born in New York but could speak Italian becauseparty.
of my father and many other things all of which IItaly winning the world cup was wonderful and it
had told the gentleman with the red hair in theno doubt would have been such no matter where
short conversation I had had with him.or with whom I had seen it (as had been in 82
Another thing that caught the eye of my wife aswhen we beat Germany in the final 3 to 1) but
well as my own (my daughter being to young atfor some reason I felt that being at San Lorenzo
the time) was the photographs on the walls of allmade it just that wee bit better particularly
the famous people who had already been there.because all those familiar faces were there to
Then the place being open less then a year onlyshare it with me.