Armand Assante • Mar/Apr 2008
Features
Hollywood's Tough Guy
Sometimes," claimed famed psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, "a cigar is just a cigar." Armand Assante, the 58-year-old gravel-voiced actor best known for playing street-tough wiseguys, …
Faking It
In an unglamorous garage in London stands a fake Ferrari 1967 P4. The P4, Ferrari lovers assure me, is one of the world's most beautiful cars, with all the curves in the right …
Helmut Newton: Provocateur with a Camera
Few artists have bars named after them, let alone a museum dedicated to their legacy. Photographer Helmut Newton has both, as evidenced by the Newton Bar in Berlin where you can …
The PGA's Players with Pizzazz
One of them has been knocked out by an orangutan. One of them has tried to knock himself out with a putter. One of them has a preference for skull belt buckles. One of them has …
In the Month of Madness
At 8 a.m. on March 20, the Mirage in Las Vegas will be a little different than usual. Typically at that hour, the casino is populated by an intersecting mix of bright-eyed …
It's a 4-Wheel World
Even in the best of weather, the entrance to Hell's Revenge is daunting: a long, steep climb up a narrow ledge, sheer drop-offs on either side. On this particular autumn morning, …
Sound in a Box
I always liked Garanimals, that line of children's clothing introduced in the early '70s that made it possible for any style-challenged kid to dress himself. Each top and bottom …
The (Almost) Lost Art of Custom-Made Shoes
It is an anomaly that Paul Moorefield and Joan Silverman's business—custom-made shoes, handcrafted the old-fashioned way—survives at all in America. That it thrives on Lexington …
Cigars
An Interview with Ernesto Padilla
A conversation with Ernesto Padilla, owner of Miami's Padilla Cigar Co.
Capital Connections
Florida Congressman Kendrick Meek leverages cigars and politics
Cigar Diary: Mexico's Cigar King
Max Gutmann is one of the world's great collectors of Cuban cigars as well as Mexico's official Cuban cigar agent
Ratings from this Issue
Up Front
Disappointed
By now, you have probably heard that we were forced to cancel the Big Smoke in Chicago this April because of the new Illinois smoking law that took effect on January 1. We didn't …
Out of the Humidor
Dear Marvin, I've enjoyed your magazine for many years and the December 2007 issue hit a chord close to home. The article on Errol Flynn was a treat to read and thank you for …
The Good Life
Amazon Kindle
I'm pretty sure that when Amazon named its new digital book the Kindle, the thinking was that it would "kindle the imagination" and not my initial image from the futuristic film …
The Sweater Vest
T. S. Eliot might have called April the cruelest month for breeding lilacs out of the dead land, but for those of us who are simply concerned with dressing appropriately to the …
The Breakers -- Palm Beach
I have been to most of the best hotels in North America and the Caribbean, and The Breakers in Palm Beach, Florida, is simply one of the best I have ever stayed at, anywhere. …
Lotus T3 Tabletop Lighter
To the untrained eye, the Lotus T3 seems like the biggest pocket lighter ever created. Paranoiacs, petrified of being stranded with a beautiful cigar and no fuel, may delight in …
illy Francis Francis! X7
The perfect cup of espresso can be elusive. Even assuming the roast is right and the gear is well calibrated, a brain-dead barista can ruin everything. Try to roast, grind, tamp …
Callaway FT-i Squareway Woods
I am far from being an authorized critic of golf equipment, but I do play a lot. I recently had the opportunity to try out the new square-headed fairway woods (FT-i) being int…
Cadillac CTS
The rise and fall of Cadillac is a familiar tale. Already this country's standard of luxury, the carmaker defined the era of postwar optimism and affluence with such finned …
Breitling Flying B Chronograph
When Bentley Motors and Breitling watches joined forces a few years back, it seemed a perfect match. Bentley is recognized as one of the most distinguished marques in the …
Getting the Irish Up
Devotees of Irish whiskey know that the breadth and quality of Old Sod spirits offered in the United States has been on a steady incline in recent memory. Expect that level to …
Stunt Driving School
Everyone gets the same question: "Do you get carsick?" Of course, no one attending Bobby Ore's stunt driving course is going to say "yes." That would mean losing your invitation …