The Maître d'

Good episode thanks to expert turn from a droll James Lanphier (Leslie). Seems somebody blew up Leslie's gourmand restaurant, now threatens to kill him, and aims to sabotage opening night at Edie's (Albright) upscale nightclub. Whew!—it's a packed plot for 30-minutes but pretty well woven together. Still, the entry belongs to Lanphier who pulls off being snooty and fairly likable, at the same time. I love that extended scene where he plays French one- upmanship with Edie's chef. He also gets a round of awkward fisticuffs that I could have done without. Nonetheless, Edie's delectable, Jacobi's dour, and Pete's his usual cool even with a backseat role. And catch that great opening hook, in a series that specialized in them.