“CC” doesn’t think a restaurant could get a better wrap than the one it’s received from World War II veteran and retired ANU professor, Ralph Elliott.

Prof Elliott, 91, and his family are regulars at Maestral restaurant in Weston Creek, and have been there nearly 300 times and counting.

Their visits are celebrated on their very own tribute wall at the restaurant that marks each milestone.

Prof Elliott says it’s not only the excellent food that brings him back, but it’s friendly and familiar atmosphere.

“I can’t hear very well now, but I can eat very well,” he says with a chuckle.

“We’ve eaten in almost every country and nowhere have we been so much at home.”

German-born Prof Elliott was an English professor and worked in universities all over the world before coming to Canberra to the ANU. He’s also had books published and served in World War II for the British Army as a lieutenant and was badly wounded in Germany.

FRIENDS since school days at St Benedict’s Convent in Queanbeyan, Rosa Pauletto and Marilena Felizzi are returning to class (the now trendy Benedict House eatery) on May 6 as guest cooks, to create “food defined by traditions and passion”.

As first-generation Italo-Australians, they grew up in families that “didn’t eat to live, but lived to eat”.

They will be cooking a five-course “informal and friendly” lunch feast followed by gnocchi and pasta-making demonstrations and an opportunity to discuss cooking styles and experiences.

The price is $68 and bookings to 6284 2868.

Leg assembly, anyone?

IN performing something of an unnatural act, “CC” found itself wandering the strangely titled website of the ACT Assembly (legassembly.com.gov.au) the other day.

Wearying of its content, the temptation to press the “quick links to other useful websites” button proved too much and revealed atop the thrills of “Commonwealth of Australia Law”, the “ACT Legislation Register” and the moribund, toe-curling “Australasian Study of Parliament Group”, the inexplicably lonely link to thousands of kilobytes of the pre-election 2008-2009 Budget Papers.

No others, just that one from the days before Andrew Barr and Katy Gallagher when Jon Stanhope was Treasurer (and king of the castle) and promising a surplus of $84.9 million. Oh, happy days.

Please welcome, Mrs G…

THE invitation trumpeting the Chamber of Commerce’s grand 75th anniversary dinner at the Royalty Theatre on May 2 lists starkly among its speakers Mrs Katy Gallagher MLA with no acknowledgement of her day job, Chief Minister.

Clearly the invite was finalised before her kiss-’n-tell confessions to “CityNews” earlier this month that clearly demonstrate our mother-of-three Chief Minister hasn’t yet made it to the altar.

Please explain, Les

GIVEN the A League’s snub to Canberra recently, you’ve got admire the pluck of Woden Valley FC patron, MLA Steve Doszpot, who is manfully calling the faithful to a $70 nosh-up with Australia’s Mr Football (nee Mr Soccer), SBS broadcaster Les Murray at the Southern Cross Club, Woden, on Friday, May 4.

Equally interesting is a rare public outing, as MC, by 2CC’s drive announcer Mike Welsh who, unlike the reviled soccer poobahs, is enjoying a surge in his program’s ratings. Bookings to John on 0409 627359, Alan on 0420 524631 or Mike on 0416 060098.

Never ending story

THE Sunday brunch broadcaster on ABC local radio 666, Ginger Gorman, used her two hours recently to pay tribute to her father.

“Yep, two hours, from 10am to midday,” bemoans a “CC” reader.

The program began with an interview with Ginger’s dad about his childhood in Melbourne; then interviewed a former Collingwood player about the club’s history (because her father follows the Pies); chatted at length with a colleague who joined the Foreign Affairs Department on the same day as her father did in 1973 and finished with an interview with her mother about the beach house the family had built “down the coast”.

When some listeners emailed or SMS’d to ask what was going on, Ginger replied on air she would “reveal all” just before the midday news.

Just before noon, after two hours, Ginger – herself a cancer survivor – told listeners that her father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he was fighting, and the program had been a tribute to him.

“Most people would probably think that using ABC resources and air time for, say, a couple of minutes to say gidday to her unwell father would have been about right. Perhaps. But two hours?” our correspondent grumbles.

“Taxpayers across Australia probably should be able to expect a tighter quality control on programming at the publicly funded broadcaster. Two full hours… guess that makes it Ginger’s ABC, not yours.”

Here’s PJ Peter

PYJAMA king Peter Alexander will make an appea’rance at the Canberra Centre on Wednesday, May 9, as part of his “Mothers Day Tour”.

There will be special offers in store on the day as well as the chance to meet Peter between 1pm and 3pm.

The PJ designer recently celebrated 25 years in business by treating 20 of his nearest and dearest to an African safari!

PHOTO IN SLIDER: The Elliott family’s honour board at Maestral restaurant in Weston Creek. Photo by Silas Brown