I miss Basta Pasta in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco. It was an institution for years, then went down-hill, then closed some years ago. (The neighborhood has correspondingly changed, too.) A reminder that nothing lasts forever.

Though there is no shortage of good restaurants in Las Vegas, I used to love Renoir at the Mirage. One of my fondest food memories is flying there for dinner from Washington, D.C. when I heard that it was closing.