Five Minutes with Andrew Litton

by Louise Owens, Special Contributor to the Dallas Morning News

For Andrew Litton, conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, dinner and a show are almost daily occurrences. Whether in Dallas or on one of his guest-conducting engagements with orchestras around the world. knowing the score of both the music and the local dining scene have been part of his success.

"One thing I learned early in my career from my buddy [pianist] André Watts was that if you're a victim of circumstance, you should make the most of it," he says. "People think all this travel is rather romantic, but it's not, and it's getting worse."

"So, if you get to your destination and your hotel room is available, then it's a good time to explore what the local food guide has to say. I try to make notes on the places I like, but then I have to remember where I put the notes!"

"André and I landed in Cincinnati one time around midnight. He pulled out his datebook and came up with a rib place for us in a rather rough neighborhood, with sawdust on the floor, but it was phenomenal."

The biggest hazard of his job is that it often means late-night meals, which are great for the music but not the waistline. He started working out at the Cooper Aerobics Center in September and has dropped more than twenty pounds, even though "Ken Cooper and I have very different views on food. Eating is one of the great pleasures of life and a small comfort when you're away from your family."

Though the New York native rarely gets a chance to cook, he has mastered the grill that he bought for his wife several years ago.

"My wife is a tremendous cook and I bought her a barbecue grill for her birthday several years ago. She never really got into it, but I've become the barbecue master at home. It's one of the great things about Dallas, being able to cook out in your shirtsleeves on Christmas Eve."

After eight years in Dallas, he's still not a big Tex-Mex fan, though he has developed a passion for margaritas.

"I know it's wierd, but when I lived in London, I never got into Indian food, which is sort of the Tex-Mex of the UK.

Owens: What's the one thing you eat that you would never let anyone know you eat?

Litton: McDonald's.

Owens: Have you ever thought about writing a restaurant guide based on your travels?

Litton: I don't have time for that now, but the funny thing is that my grandmother lived across the hall from Tim and Nina Zagat [of the Zagat Guides], so I've had this awareness of rating restaurants all my life.

Owens: If you had to cook for the entire orchestra, what would you make?

Litton: Steak — it's the only thing I'm good at making.

Owens: What's the one cookbook you couldn't live without?

Litton: Actually, I'd have to say "my wife", since she is a great cook and does most of the cooking.

Owens: What sort of music do you consider perfect for dining?

Litton: Vocal jazz — Ella, Sarah, or recently, Diana Krall and Jane Monheit.

Owens: Where was the most romantic meal you ever had and what did you eat?

Litton: Our third wedding anniversary we were in L.A., and we ate at one of our favorite restaurants, Matsuhisa. The food was fabulous, as always, and shortly before we were about to head back to our hotel, the table right next to ours filled up with Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Chris Columbus, and Hugh Grant. While it was undeniably cool to be in such close proximity with such celebrities, the reason we will never forget the incident was that about four hours later, Hugh Grant was arrested for naughty behavior with some woman named Divine! I've always wondered what might have been in his wasabi.

Owens: What restaurant would you pick if you could go out to eat only one more time in your life?

Litton: Charlie Trotter's in Chicago.

Originally printed in theDallas Morning News on January 2, 2002, and reprinted with the permission of Louise Owens.
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