Tackling this enormous subject has been tried before by some local publications, but in my opinion, it wasn’t ever handled that well. (Full disclosure: I worked for the Grisanti company for nine years, so my perspective is wholly biased.) To his credit, Kaufman did the right thing in choosing one angle—a focus on Casa’s offspring—and sticking with it.

The story had a few minor shortcomings, however, and considering the challenge Kaufman faced juggling so many details, they’re forgivable. Still, they bear mentioning only out of fairness to those overlooked:

* The piece didn’t note that Michael Reidy, the gregarious and highly successful co-owner of Irish Rover and Irish Rover Too, was a busboy and assistant waiter at Sixth Avenue. (Yes, he was as crazy-funny then as he is now.)

* The story said Mark Stevens was the executive chef at Casa Grisanti, but he wasn’t. He was the enormously talented, workaholic executive chef at Sixth Avenue and my boss for four years there. He later co-founded (with his highly talented and woefully self-underrated culinarian wife, Susan) Stevens & Stevens Delicatessen in 1991.

* And though it correctly mentioned Tim Coury’s ownership of Porcini, it must be pointed out that Porcini’s only chef since day one, John Plymale (my old roommate and one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet), was a Grisanti veteran.

A note to former Grisanti employees: In bumping into many of you over the past few years, some have discussed organizing a reunion. Feel free to send any ideas for following through on that idea to steve@villevoiceeats.com.