Flavor Town USA: Adam Berlin
Michelin Star Stool
Le Cirque’s maitre d’
leads us past candelabras
dripping wax on polished
cornucopias, mostly Dionysian grapes.
He pulls chairs, takes menus tucked
under his tuxedoed sleeve, hands them
to Steiner’s (on his wrist
a Patek Phillippe) party of eight.
The M&A shark
with the stuffed belly
questions me,
his ex-secretary’s boy
friend on subjects
he knows well,
severally:
Marriage.
Children.
Time.
Get rid of him, his
three-martini
pronouncement
to her.
He’s old
(he’s dead now) so I fold
my fist in white cloth:
the tab’s his.
Next morning I rid myself
of the richest shit,
rillettes and remoulade,
au beurre and apricot.
Adam Berlin is the author of four novels, including Belmondo Style (St. Martin’s Press/winner of The Publishing Triangle’s Ferro-Grumley Award), and a collection of boxing poems: The Standing Eight. He teaches writing at John Jay College/CUNY and co-edits the litmag J Journal: New Writing on Justice.
Image: finedininglovers.com
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