Vespaio opened one year before I started writing for The Austin Chronicle.
For the first decade they were in business, Vespaio was my most frequented restaurant, and while the food and drink were always exceptional, what kept me coming back were its people. The three owners were a big draw. I seldom even looked at the menu. I just asked Alan Lazarus to recommend something. He loved the attention, I loved the food. Claude Benayoun knew so much about European wines and as soon as Alan picked the food, Claude picked the wine. Sometimes Claude was so excited about a wine that we would start with that and then get Alan to pick the food.
The other owner, Scott Bolin, and I paid little attention to each other … Until we found out we were fellow Deadheads. Then every visit included us exchanging cassettes of live Dead and having discussions like: “What’s the best version of ‘Dark Star’?” Or, the fan favorite – this will sound like Sanskrit to non-believers – “‘71, ‘72, or ‘77?” Or the more obscure: “Bill Kreutzmann or Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann?”
Each visit to Vespaio started at the bar. Now, this was before every bar in Austin was a great bar. Back then, Vespaio was truly something special and out of the ordinary. The emperor of the bar was a dude named Tom Upthegrove. Tom knew my drink (Manhattan straight up) and he knew I was a regular, so one night, my wife and I sat down at the bar and Tom said, “I got something for you. Just for you. I’ll keep it hidden in the back so I can make sure it’s here when you want it.”
I looked quizzically. He handed me a bottle, and my heart exploded with joy. It was Rittenhouse 100 Proof Bottled-In-Bond Rye. In those days, Manhattans were always made with Bourbon. But Tom knew the real liquor for a Manhattan was Rye. In that era, I could go to 25 bars and ask for Rye, and, if I was lucky, two would have just a single bottle, usually of Old Overholt.
We also felt the love from server Susan Shields. If Alan wasn’t there, we could count on her recommendations. We also knew that we would get special service: joking, knowledgeable, and smart enough to know exactly when to be personal and when to be professional. We would always take out-of-town guests to Vespaio. Between Alan, Tom, and Susan, we knew that our guests would be impressed by the experience.
One last thing about Alan. He was always available to help on any community activity I was doing. During a Food & Wine Festival, I had worked hard to get Fred MacMurray’s daughter to come do an introduction to her father’s most famous film, Double Indemnity. I wondered if Alan might make one of the dishes the audience would receive during the film. He agreed, and when I invited him out to tell the audience about the dish, Alan gave a quick description, and then spent a good 15 minutes talking about how he had stopped doing so many public service events, but that he had decided he wanted to do this one because of what a great customer I was.
I have seldom felt as proud as I did at that moment. Alan was a big name, I was not, and his compliments were thoughtful, backed with examples, and specific enough that the audience could perceive his sincerity.
My wife encouraged me to write out these memories of Vespaio and at the end of the process, she came up to me and said, “You know, the place felt like family. They served great food and excellent libations, but the important thing was the feel. From the second you walked through the door, it felt like the best version you could imagine of family.
“Vespaio was a happy place. They respected both their customers and their fellow staffers, and, in a way you don’t often see in competitive business like restaurants, they were genuinely loving.”
Vespaio has had a great, long run. I have so many happy memories from there. I would like to thank the many Vespaio staff for the glorious experience.