A Lantern in Their Hands!
One of my favourite books
is A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich and it tells the story
of Abbie an authentic pioneer who lived her life on the Nebraska Prairie. Moving there as a new bride she survived
droughts and plagues but was always determined, one day, to have great wealth
in order to provide for her children.
Not only did she do this but she also carried the flag for women of her
time who sacrificed their youth to help build a better country so that their
children could go on and realise their dreams.
In 1970 Valerio Martinolli and Antonio Fassone opened a
restaurant in Glasgow and although not on the same scale as Abbie’s adventure,
it was a gamble which paid off and has had unrivalled success ever since. Today La Lanterna is one of the most
successful places to dine in the City of Glasgow and they have a list of
honours to prove this. Bookable’s ‘best
in Scotland’ 2017, entry into Peter Irvine’s 12th edition of
Scotland’s Best 2016 and they gained Trip Advisor’s Certificate of Excellence
in 2015 to name but a few.
Today La Lanterna can be seen as the trailblazer for Italian
cuisine in Glasgow and is still run by the same family. It was taken over in 1998 by Valerio’s son
Charismatic Christopher who then went into partnership with the very, Lovable
Luca Conero. Together they have
maintained their reputation as one of the Finest Italian restaurants in
Scotland.
Now, wait for it, they have expanded into the West End of
Glasgow. Feelings of trepidation crept
in as I made my way over to Byres Road as I had no idea how they could improve
on what had been done in town, so successfully, for so long..47 years to be
exact. How could they aim to replicate
the traditional feel and originality of one of my very favourite places in
Glasgow?
When I arrived there was such a chic, fresh, modern vibe to the
place that any comparison was out of the question. This was a renaissance for a new audience
that blew me away and is sure to be a massive success. The clean lines, young, crisp very stylish
décor was refreshing and the place sparkled with enthusiasm from both staff and
customers alike.
It was great to see Luca, Christopher and the gorgeous Wee
Megan there but it will be challenging because a large part of the charm of La
Lanterna are its shining lights. The
staff are always very cheery, helpful and you can tell they enjoy being part of
a family business which will go on and expand di nuovo; maybe even East
and North. Now I’ll need to go between
both venues because there is no way I could pick one over the other and look
forward to seeing all the staff at one time or another.
And of course they have my favourite coffee!
So, welcome to the West guys and after weeks of carrying out
building works and the stress involved in the refurbishment their attention to
detail and willingness to move with the times will reap the rewards of another
loyal following from a different clientele.
Be very careful to book because I wanted to go back with The Mary the
following week and didn’t manage to get a table…on a Monday night.
Now get your compass out and let the magnetic pull of La
Lanterna draw you in because, like a magnet, it has two poles which are both
fabulous but the energy is slightly different.
Poles apart in style but equally brilliant in quality.
So, like my Fabulous City of Glasgow, La Lanterna È favoloso
ogni singolo giorno e ogni sera della settimana!
Ci Vediamo Presto!
Me and The Mary
Mx
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