The City Island Diet with Andy Garcia

 by: Anne M. Raso

We caught up with legendary actor Andy Garcia at the junket for his new dysfunctional family comedy City Island - a film was shot entirely "on location", and it seems that Garcia along with cast and crew visited a lot of the local eateries! For those of you who live outside the New York tri-state area, the City Island enclave is famous for serious fishing and fish-based eateries.

Julianna Margulies and Andy Garcia chowing down in Anchor Bay Films' City Island

Garcia tells us that TV promo gigs for the City Island have resulted in more heavy-duty eating that he planned for. He told financefoodie.com, "I had to be at WPIX's morning show at 8:30 am and there was a food theme. Nino from Nino's restaurants was serving me spaghetti and meatballs and putting this beautifully presented Italian meal before me before I even had my morning coffee...and now I am ready for a Waldorf salad!" [Ed note: the press junket where this interview took place was at 9:45 AM at the Waldorf Towers in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel].

Andy Garcia chatting with press @ the Waldorf Towers

We asked about where he and cast members Julianne Margulies, Steven Strait, Dominik Garcia-Lorido (his real daughter who plays his daughter in the film) and Ezra Miller chowed down during the filming, and Garcia told us, "We did visit some of the local fish restaurants but generally we only had half-hour lunches so we ate at the (set) caterer. They have the Shrimp Box there, which is one of the most famous restaurants there, and it was very close to our set on Horton Street. Years ago (about 10) I was actually at the Shrimp Box during my very first visit to City Island--it was then Tito Puentes' restaurant just called Tito Puentes. Tito and Johnny Pacheco and I ate and then had a little jam session at the restaurant. At the time, he said, 'We are going to City Island!' and at the time I thought it was near Spanish Harlem!" I couldn't tell where we were going because it was late at night. So when I went to Shrimp Box the last time, Tito was only there in spirit."

Garcia's daughter Dominik Garcia-Lorido and Ezra Miller (who are brother and sister in the film) ham it up during the City Island press day

He added, "There is also the City Island Diner which has the old fashioned counter top with great coffee, cheeseburgers, grilled cheese and fries. And we went to Lickety Splits for ice cream. The Lobster House was nearby, too. The restaurants there are all very good and basically all have the same type of menu...they get a lot of traffic on the weekends there. We also went to the Harlem Yacht Club (named that even though it is in City Island) which is an old, traditional yacht club--they had the more formally staged lunches there."

Just in case you are curious, Garcia did tell all the journos he spoke to during the City Island press day that they could order a Waldorf Salad on him! Garcia is currently shopping around a film about Hemingway during the time he wrote Fisherman And The Sea in Cuba which will be a starring vehicle for himself as Hemingway's friend and the very brilliant Sir Anthony Hopkins as Hemingway! Now there is something to look forward to. We foodies can't wait to hear all about the great Cuban cuisine served on the set--since Garcia is of Cuban heritage, we think he'll make sure that the caterers on the set get it right!

[first photo courtesy of Phil Caruso/City Island; all other photos by Anne M. Raso]