Eastside Cinema
Semifinals Preview
With three upsets out of four quarterfinal games (well, depending on who you listened to coming in), this is not the set of semifinals most anyone expected. But it promises to be a great pair of games. As for the suggested menus, as we eat our way through the WC schedule, it's basically breads, cheeses, meats, beer, and wine. But who does those better than France, Italy, and Germany? Portugal's kind of the odd country out at the table as well as on the field, but, just in time for the big games, Portugal found their game, and I found a very nice recipe for fried codfish-and-potato balls. Very exciting.
Tuesday, 1:55pm: Germany-Italy.
This is a rematch of a March "friendly" that Italy dominated, 4-1, with only a late German face-saver bringing it that close. After that game, played in Florence, German fans were calling for head coach Juergen Klinsmann's head. But now we're in the fatherland, Klinsmann's a genius, and Germany's a 2-1 favorite. Maybe so, but for my money Italy's still a better team. We shall see.
There was bad news for the hosts on Monday: midfielder Torsten Frings, who's been having a great tournament, has been ruled out of the semifinal, suspended for throwing a punch during a post-game dustup with the Argentinian team and staff. Key defender Alessandro Nesta (groin) is still iffy for Italy, but they'll have Marco Materazzi back from his red-card suspension if Nesta's not ready to go.
Menu: German black bread, with various cheeses and sausages, and a Bitburger (or maybe a Dortmunder Union, since that's where the game's being played); or Pane Rustica with prosciutto & salami antipasto; fresh mozzarella, mascarpone, and other cheeses; cornetti; espresso; Peroni; vino rosso.
Wednesday, 1:55pm: France-Portugal.
This has the makings of a classic: two very, very good teams, who no one thought were going to make it this far. Two attractive, attacking styles of play, as well, and some good individual matchups, too. Both sides will be at full strength, as Portugal gets Deco and Costinha back from red-card suspensions.
Menu: Croissants and baguettes, with fromage & pates; a couple of nice Portuguese cheeses; various fish products; and a new find from the quarterfinals: Pastéis de Bacalhau (Codfish Pastries); thanks to Sofia Resnick and Michael Schwarz for the idea and recipe. Vin and vinho, verde, blanc, et rouge. Benedictine or port to finish, depending on who wins.
Tuesday, 1:55pm: Germany-Italy.
This is a rematch of a March "friendly" that Italy dominated, 4-1, with only a late German face-saver bringing it that close. After that game, played in Florence, German fans were calling for head coach Juergen Klinsmann's head. But now we're in the fatherland, Klinsmann's a genius, and Germany's a 2-1 favorite. Maybe so, but for my money Italy's still a better team. We shall see.
There was bad news for the hosts on Monday: midfielder Torsten Frings, who's been having a great tournament, has been ruled out of the semifinal, suspended for throwing a punch during a post-game dustup with the Argentinian team and staff. Key defender Alessandro Nesta (groin) is still iffy for Italy, but they'll have Marco Materazzi back from his red-card suspension if Nesta's not ready to go.
Menu: German black bread, with various cheeses and sausages, and a Bitburger (or maybe a Dortmunder Union, since that's where the game's being played); or Pane Rustica with prosciutto & salami antipasto; fresh mozzarella, mascarpone, and other cheeses; cornetti; espresso; Peroni; vino rosso.
Wednesday, 1:55pm: France-Portugal.
This has the makings of a classic: two very, very good teams, who no one thought were going to make it this far. Two attractive, attacking styles of play, as well, and some good individual matchups, too. Both sides will be at full strength, as Portugal gets Deco and Costinha back from red-card suspensions.
Menu: Croissants and baguettes, with fromage & pates; a couple of nice Portuguese cheeses; various fish products; and a new find from the quarterfinals: Pastéis de Bacalhau (Codfish Pastries); thanks to Sofia Resnick and Michael Schwarz for the idea and recipe. Vin and vinho, verde, blanc, et rouge. Benedictine or port to finish, depending on who wins.