Mountain Views News, Combined Edition Saturday, June 19, 2021

Mountain Views-News Saturday, June 19, 2021 7 Mountain Views-News Saturday, June 19, 2021 7 
TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dillsthechefknows@yahoo.com 
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY 

It has been said, that there is no substitute for time. Only through 
its passage can many of life’s experiences be fully understood. This 
Fathers Day I reflect back on a lesson of life and a Father that has 
ceased to teach and comfort me. I would like to invite you along 
for a single night with a man that has left this Earthy place but 
dwells eternally within my heart. The article below was written and 
published before his passing. 

My Evening with a Restaurant Critic. 

My entire life has been an eight course meal. In my late teens I had 
the distinguished position of bagger at the local supermarket, and 
later with references, I was able to move to Jurgensen’s Gourmet 
Grocery. There I was to learn about fine wines, exotic cheeses and 
my kryptonite, dry aged beef. I guess it all started there because 
at twenty-three I was pretentious about food. For many years I 
thought that was where it all started for me, there in those markets, 
but I have come to realize that I was wrong. For some in life it is the 
famous baseball player; or possibly a religious figure, for others it is 
a musical master or the profound artist. How many times in life, if 
ever do you get a chance to sit with those that inspire and challenge 
life with a depth of wisdom? For most they will never get the opportunity. I can claim one prize in this life; 
I have had the opportunity to observe, speak with and lastly follow in the footsteps of one person that holds 
that place for me. They have been labeled “The greatest generation” for a reason. Each day another from that 
stratum of America, “slowly goes into the night.” 


Many of you know that my Father Elmer Dills was on TV and radio for twenty-eight years here in Los 
Angeles. I had the opportunity to dine and share with my mentor a few weeks ago. I have been out with my 
Father at least five hundred times but as a fine wine, wisdom increases in its depth and flavor as it ages. 
On this night our adventure took us to Madeleines(since closed) in Pasadena. Seems that my Dad is a regular 
there and lately he’s been a little under the weather. I have heard him say nothing but praise of this place, so 
it’s off to Madelienes. 
“Table for three, please,” on this evening we have, my daughter Lauren (the budding Critic), Pops and Me. 
Whenever I see courteous, well behaved children; I know their parents are invariably going to be respectful 
people. Likewise whenever I get a compliment, I know it goes beyond just me. As we sit to dine, there is no 
call for attention and gratification, just a smooth easy in being in his court. As we talk, I am struck that there 
is no air of condemnation but rather one of deep respect for the people that more often than not get it right 
in this business. My Dad the legendary restaurant critic doesn’t even ask what the ingredients of the dishes 
are as he orders. He doesn’t request to see the sommelier. Is he a restaurant critic, I am waiting for a sign? It 
is just as natural as going to dinner with a group of friends, I think. 

The restaurant is quietly attractive, cozy and well spaced. You feel a little smarter here, knowing that Albert 
Einstein often slept upstairs while he was visiting Cal Tech. 

We began with a cheese plate ($9), nice but it could have used less nuts and more of cheese and crackers. My 
Dad is a creature of habit, just like many of us. He orders the Rack of Lamb, “I just loved it,” just like a young 
kid would say. The waiter was kind enough to have it cut for him. Daughter Lauren ordered the Pork Chops 
and gave it two training thumbs up. Now that is a compliment. Not sure if high heels work in this business 
though, as you never know when you may encounter a chef that feels you have leveled capricious discourse 
with your pen on the one hand and possess a frying pan in the other. She will discover soon enough why I 
wear running shoes and a sport coat.
I order the Spencer Steak, of course I am the difficult one, so once we get the steak the way I wanted it cooked, 
it vanishes quickly. 

Back to Dad, the waiter asks, “How was the meal” and I know 99% of you when asked would give the 
response, “Fine, Thank You.” Nope, the restaurant critic said, “The lamb chops were great!!!” “And the dessert 
was?” A shrugged of the shoulders told it all. That is the honesty and passion that got me involved in this 
business. Today, I still work at a restaurant to keep up on the trends and I even get a crazy dream that I may 
own one someday. You can be sure he will be one of the first to give a thumbs up or a shrug of the shoulders 
if I do. 

Happy Fathers Day – I would never trade sitting across the table from you for anything. 

This was a re-print and may just run it every year at this time just to remind you and all to hold these special 
days near your heart. 

My Radio Show is back on AM 830 KLAAA Sundays at 5 PM 

L.A. COUNTY UPDATE 
COVID-19 TRANSMISSION REMAINS LOW AS LOS ANGELES COUNTY 
REO-PENS; 56% OF RESIDENTS ARE FULLY VACCINATED 

L.A. County is in a better place than any other metro area of similar size in the entire 
nation. Each day, on average, only 1.5 cases per 100,000 people are diagnosed in L.A. 
County, compared with 2.8 cases in the same population in the New York City metro 
area, 2.9 cases in Chicago, 3.5 cases in At-lanta, 5.3 cases in Houston, and 9.1 cases in 
Miami. Only 0.4% of COVID-19 tests in L.A. County are positive, compared with 0.8% 
in New York, 1.3% in Chicago, 1.7% in Atlanta, 3.3% in Houston, and 3.7% in Miami. 
Over the past six months, the tremendous effort to get the vaccine into the arms of residents 
has gotten the County to a place where as of June 11, more than 5,490,637 (66%) of 
eligible L.A. County residents have received one dose of the vaccine and 4,668,783 (56%) 
are fully vaccinated. 

"I know so many of us will forever grieve the family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors 
we’ve lost. We share in your heartbreak, and we know that the path to recovery will be a 
very difficult one for so many," said Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public 
Health. “After 16 months of enormous upheaval and loss, we can now move forward with 
a genuine sense of hope. We can and should feel joy while recognizing and honoring the 
immense collective effort that brought us to the point where we can fully reopen. We 
remain committed to protecting your health and to closing gaps in health outcomes associated 
with COVID-19. Case counts and transmission are low because of our shared 
efforts to implement a layered approach to preventing transmission. As we reopen, we 
are mindful that for those not yet vaccinated, protection is highly dependent on our continued 
actions to take care of each other. Sensible protections for our essential workforce 
will be instrumental in keeping transmission of COVID-19 in check." 

As of today, workplaces remain under the current Cal/OSHA standards which continue 
to require dis-tancing and masking for all employees. The Cal/OSHA standards board 
may vote on proposed modifi-cations to the current standards on Thursday. 
Masks are also required for everyone regardless of vaccination status on public transit 
and in trans-portation hubs; indoors in K-12 schools, child care and other youth settings; 
healthcare settings, in-cluding long term care facilities; state and local correctional 
facilities and detention centers; and homeless shelters, emergency shelters, and cooling 
centers. 

People who are not fully vaccinated, including all children between the ages of 2 and 
12, are required to wear masks at all indoor public settings and businesses; this includes 
retail, restaurants, theatres, family entertainment centers, meetings, and state and local 
government offices serving the public. 

Everyone can remove their masks outdoors, except people who are not fully vaccinated 
attending large outdoor events – they should stay masked. Additionally, everyone has a 
right to wear a mask; a person may not be prevented from wearing a mask as a condition 
of participation/entry into a busi-ness. 

To stay in this good place with low COVID-19 transmission after reopening, we need to 
continue to get vaccines and high-quality information to people who aren’t yet vaccinated. 
Public Health is part-nering with businesses and community-based and faith-based 
organizations countywide, with mobile vaccination teams making nearly 270 visits each 
week to the places where people shop, worship, and gather. 

Unvaccinated people need to remain very careful and wear masks when they are around 
people out-side their household, and if in close contact with others, including at worksites, 
they should consider upgrading their masks to a respirator, such as an N95, or 
a KN95. These masks do a much better job protecting the wearer from other people’s 
germs. 

For anyone that gets sick, you need to take the right steps to prevent further spreading 
the virus. That means getting tested if you have symptoms, staying home and keeping a 
distance from people in your households, especially unvaccinated people, and working 
with the County’s contact tracers to help protect others. 

Public Health continues to urge unvaccinated people to get vaccinated. Through Thursday, 
June 17 at County-run vaccination sites, participating LA city and mobile sites, and 
St. John’s Well Child and Family Center sites, everyone 18 and older coming to get their 
first vaccine or who brings a first-time vaccine recipient with them to their second dose 
appointment, will have an opportunity to win a pair of season tickets to the 2021-2022 
home season of the Clippers, the Rams, or the Chargers. Official rules and participating 
site locations are posted online on the Los Angeles County Vaccination Sweep-stakes 
page. Winners will be contacted by phone and/or email.

 County Reopening Protocols, COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard, COVID-19 Surveillance 
Interactive Dash-board, Roadmap to Recovery, Recovery Dashboard, and additional actions 
you can take to protect yourself, your family and your community are on the Public 
Health web-site, www.publichealth.lacounty.gov. 

LOCAL STATISTICS AS OF 06/18/2021 

TOTAL LA COUNTY CASES 

Cases: 1,247,216 

Deaths: 24,435 

CITY POPULATION CASES DEATHS 

Altadena 43,260 3,356 76 
Arcadia 57,754 2,739 137 
Bradbury 1,069 38 0 
Duarte 22,016 2,323 98 
Monrovia 38,800 3,193 78 
Pasadena 141,371 11,317 349 
Sierra Madre 10,989 473 13 

Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com