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BIG Night with Tony Shalhoub

Petaluma Argus Courier

December 13, 2006

In the 1996 movie “Big Night,” two Italian brothers opened a restaurant together in New Jersey in the 1950s. Ten years later, the newest star in Petaluma’s downtown restaurant constellation, Risibisi, had its own big night. Last Wednesday, chef Fabio Flagiello and manager Marco Palmieri, two friends from Trieste, Italy, celebrated the recent opening of their restaurant at 154 Petaluma Blvd. North with an invitation-only celebration that included actor Tony Shalhoub, star of the “Monk” TV series, and more than 150 other guests.

Shalhoub flew up from Los Angeles for the event because of his friendship with Flagiello, who taught him how to cook for his role in “Big Night.” The two became friends during that movie and have stayed in touch since.

Flagiello, who lives in Sonoma, said Petaluma was his first choice when looking for a place to open a restaurant in the Bay Area.

Shalhoub, who said it was his first visit to Petaluma, was clearly enjoying the festivities, mingling with guests and even donning a chef’s jacket in the kitchen.

During Risibisi’s big night, “Big Night” was projected on the façade in front of the restaurant and on a wall inside while hors d’oeuvres, wine and dessert were served. Shalhoub, who has become well known for his role as a San Francisco police detective in the television series “Monk,” said he stayed in touch with Flagiello when he was the chef at a restaurant in Los Angeles.

While the place was packed like sardines with people sipping wine, noshing on hors d’oeuvres and clamoring for autographs, Argus-Courier reporters managed to steal away Shalhoub for a brief chat about what else? Food! Though Shalhoub’s busy schedule doesn’t allow him much time in the kitchen, he does enjoy cooking for his wife and two children. “A favorite dish I like to make comes from a special family recipe: Lebanese beef rolls,” said Shalhoub. “It’s the food I grew up on that I enjoy making today.” His other passion is pancakes. He admits to being obsessed with trying to find the perfect pancake recipe. “I’m a big breakfast person and a bit of a pancake freak. I’m always searching for the best pancake recipe. Also, the syrup on pancakes has to be real maple, none of that sugar syrup stuff. I also like to take fresh fruit and cut it up halfway into thin slices so I can fan it out and put it on my pancakes.” Though Shalhoub had to be on a plane to Los Angeles the next morning, leaving no time for sightseeing, he did say he plans to return. “I’ll be back to visit Petaluma and the restaurant. The people here are really nice.”