R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Il Sorrento, one of the premier Italian restaurants 1-2 in Dallas, will soon celebrate its 50th year of continuous 1-3 operation, and it is indeed a privilege to pay tribute to Mario 1-4 Messina, the owner of this venerable establishment; and 1-5 WHEREAS, A Dallas institution, Il Sorrento has been providing 1-6 fine dining experiences for North Texas residents for half a 1-7 century, maintaining the highest levels of service and quality, and 1-8 introducing Dallasites to the joys and delights of traditional 1-9 Italian cuisine; and 1-10 WHEREAS, In 1950, long before the current caffeine craze, 1-11 Mr. Messina opened Il Sorrento as the city's first sidewalk cafe 1-12 and server of traditional espresso; no mere spaghetti-and-meatball 1-13 eatery, Il Sorrento has transcended stereotypical Italian-American 1-14 cooking by offering classic Old World fare that continues to 1-15 satisfy the restaurant's legion of regular customers, while still 1-16 captivating the uninitiated; and 1-17 WHEREAS, In the late 1960s, Il Sorrento moved to its current 1-18 location and catered to celebrities such as Vic Damone, Tony 1-19 Bennett, Larry Hagman, Carol Channing, and Sonny and Cher, though 1-20 Mr. Messina attributes much of his success to the fact that he 1-21 treats every guest as a star; and 1-22 WHEREAS, A World War II veteran and former Fighting Irish 1-23 halfback, Mr. Messina was born in Dallas, though he was raised in 1-24 Los Angeles; after a five-month ordeal as a prisoner of war in Nazi 2-1 Germany, he returned home; prompted by the paucity of food 2-2 available during his imprisonment, he began his venture into the 2-3 restaurant business, and he hasn't slowed down since; and 2-4 WHEREAS, In the touch-and-go world of the restaurateur, half 2-5 a century is an eternity, yet Mr. Messina and Il Sorrento have not 2-6 only endured, but thrived, and his legacy of business savvy and 2-7 culinary contributions should be noted at this time; now, 2-8 therefore, be it 2-9 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 76th Texas 2-10 Legislature hereby honor Mario Messina and congratulate him on his 2-11 50 years of success as the owner and operator of Il Sorrento 2-12 restaurant; and, be it further 2-13 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-14 prepared for Mr. Messina to commemorate this grand occasion and as 2-15 an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Goolsby _______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 726 was adopted by the House on May 8, 1999, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House