The clock started on Rome’s day when the sun rose at 06:38.
The celestial chronographer will click the stop button at 19:46, giving us each day a few more minutes.
The Ave Maria is still to be rung in the 20:00 cycle.
On this Thursday in the Octave of Easter, the Roman Station is at XII Apostoli. I would have mentioned it in a podcast, but I decided not to do more. Those were perhaps the last hurrah.
Happy Feast of St. Liborius.
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Last night we happy few went to a Japanese place recently opened in Rome. It seems that it is a high class “chain” and these restaurants are all over the world: Nobu. I had not heard of them. We had a very pleasant evening in the beautiful, somewhat Art Deco decor. The food’s presentation was splendid and it was deeply enjoyed. Our host knows these restaurants well from his travels and was familiar with the menu, so he chose everything for the whole table, lots of selections which we shared. Here are some of the options.
I think you can see from the decor in the bar why I thought of Art Deco.
Some of my shots were rather from a distance and quick.
Crispy Rice with dips and tuna which had a delicate spring onion touch.
Our soup choices divided between Miso and Mushroom.
This was great: Yellowtail with jalapeno.
Beef tartare, caviar and egg white.
Little shrimps and sauces. Excellent.
Black cod in miso.
Duck breast in miso with oranges.
Oh my, this one was good. Creamy spicy crab.
Lobster something-or-other.
At the end there were desserts. A basil and … something… sorbet was my favorite. I tried also an Umeshu. Umeshu is a fermented fruit drink. It had sweet sour citrus quality and was worth trying.
One of the desserts was slight shifted around by the waiter on delivery. No, it is not lower denture. Don’t think of a denture.
While I would have preferred a sake or range of sake our host’s wine choice – Luigi Felluga Sharis – was terrific and married up well with everything we had.
My meals will seem a little dull after this. However, I am happy to have access to wonderful things that I can’t get at home. That’s a plus.
It was a great evening out and a great way to say farewell to our Stateside friends, also a member of the Archconfraternity at The Parish™. They came for Holy Week and got a whole lot of church and, as a bonus, simply beautiful weather. From damp cold and windy on Good Friday and Saturday, we switched into warm sunshine, gentle breezes and blue skies.
I’ve been so busy I haven’t kept up with the Candidates or the “Freestyle” event in Germany. It seems that after 9 Rounds young Jakovir Sindarov is still dominating. Anish beat Fabi yesterday and is in 2nd. Hikaru has struggled. In Germany, Vincent Keymer took the prize. He is really good at Fischer Random. Magnus tied for 3rd.
White to move and mate in 4.
NB: I’ll hold comments with solutions ’till the next day so there won’t be “spoilers” for others.
Meanwhile… one cannot possible admire the Hawthorne Dominicans enough.
BREAKING: A nursing facility operated by Catholic nuns is SUING the State of NY over a law requiring them to affirm a patient's made-up name and pronouns, and allow men to invade the women's restroom.
The nuns argue that the law directly violates their religious rights and… pic.twitter.com/hG0Ndcq3Aa
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) April 8, 2026
Father, speaking of chess . . . . I’m not sure if you watched the documentary I suggested previously on Netflix “Queen of Chess” about Judit Polgar or not but there is a brand new one about Hans Niemann on Netflix. “Untold: Chess Mates”. It involves the cheating dispute between Niemann and Magnus Carlsen. Interesting.
Good grief that looks delicious. Except for the dentures.
I massively despise that sort of food, Father, and when one is in Italy I can’t help but wonder — WHY ??!!!?!!!
But oh well, de gustibus non est disputandum as is said in local dialect over there.
Ume is the fruit sometimes called apricot and sometimes called plum.
There are various alcoholic drinks made out of them, and they are often made in one year and drunk in the next, at plum blossom time or when the fruits come again.
South Koreans and Chinese people do this too.
JabbaPapa says: I massively despise that sort of food, Father, and when one is in Italy I can’t help but wonder — WHY ?
Oh dear. I genuinely feel pity for you in this moment. The Roman/Italian genius is that it absorbs all. And, since I am not exactly leaving Rome tomorrow, there’s a lot of Italian food in my future.
Be a little flexible.
Also, it was immensely satisfying. We did not leave hungry. We had a GREAT evening together.
Food can be beautiful. Food can be varied. Food, creatively used and enjoyed in common gives glory to God.
Unclench a little. Japanese food – even fusion – is among the great cuisines of the world. Where better than to have it with GREAT Romans in Great Rome?
The restaurant chain Nobu began in NYC, but the chef, Nobu Matsuhisa opened his first restaurant in the late 1980s in LA. It was called Matsuhisa.
Father Z :
We had a GREAT evening together.
Excellent !!
Q F5+ P F6
Q F7+ K H6
R H8+ K G5
Q E7++
White to move and mate in 4
1) Qf5+ g6 (or Kh6)
2) Qf7+ Kh6 (forced)
3) Rh8+ Kg5 (forced)
4) Qe7# mate
If
1) Qf5+ Kh6
2) Rh8# mate
About the Hawthorne Dominicans, is anyone keeping score in lawsuits? Little Sisters of the Poor are something like 8-0 at the Supreme Court, and now Governor Hochul wants to show how to lose to the Hawthorne Dominicans?