Copyright 2018 Daniel Bellino Zwicke
ROCCO’S
GREENWICH VILLAGE
NEW YORK
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Frank Sinatra Cheesecake Recipe
Italian Bars of Greenwich Village
The BAR at DANTE
Dante Bar has 12 different varieties of Negronis that they offers from their well-stocked bar. In particular? Dante seeks to bring the European tradition of the aperitivo, a refreshing cocktail or glass of Prosecco or Italian Wine, enjoyed late afternoon, or early evening, all over Italy, and of late, the hottest thing to do in New York as well.
Monte’s Trattoria
Greenwich Village
Monte’s has been around a long time. One-Hundred & One Years as a matter of fact. The restaurant opened in 1918 and has been owned & operated by 3 Italian Families in the restaurants 101 year (so far) history. Originally opened in 1918 by the Monteverdi family. The Monteverde family first opened a Wine & Liquor store on the site, and in 1918 opened the restaurant, it is said as the family had heard of the oncoming event of Prohibition and the 18th Amendment of the United States Constitution, which would prohibit and outlaw the sale and consumption of alcholic berverages. The Monteverde’s took smart action and opened an Italian Restaurant in the highly concentrated Italian neighborhood of the southern part of Greenwich Village, and the rest Greenwich Village Italian New York history. The Rosasco family of Greenwich Village became the 2nd Italian family to own Monte’s.
In 1983 the Mosconi Family who came from Piacenza, Italy in Emilia Romagna, bought the restaurant in 1983, and have been running it ever since, and had a big 100 Year Anniversary Party in 2018, Celebrating the restaurants 100 Birthday.
Monte’s Trattoria is one of the few restaurants in New York that fits into the genre that New Yorker’s know as an Old School New York Italian Restaurant of which there used to be many all over Manhattan, but now few remain, and Monte’s Trattoria is one of them The restaurant is headed by Chef Pietro Mosconi with the help of his son Peter Mosconi who handles front of house operations, the business end of things and whatever else needs being done. This partnership works quite well, as Monte’s many regulars will attest to, as the restaurant is World Famous, and not only has “Local Regulars,” but regulars from all over America, and even the World.
Now most wouldn’t think of Monte’s as having one of the Best Bars in the city, or even Greenwich Village, but it does. And we mentioned the regulars? Well some of Monte’s most loyal regulars are the folks who hang out at the bar, and not just to drink, but have what many know as one of the best places to get great Italian food in all of New York City, especially Chef Pietro’s wonderful home-made pasta, like: Tortelloni, Agnolotti, Lasagna, Gnocchi, and both Meat and Cheese Ravioli.
Yes, the food is fine, as is the service, and ambience of the place, but, “weren’t we talking about the bar?” Yes, lets’ get back to the bar. It’s one of those little known facts, by a few hundred (or thousands) of those in the know, and it’s more or less those in-the-know, and those who merely serindipitously stumble upon the place by accident who truly know, the secret of the bar at Monte’s. Yeah the regulars like; John B., Julio, Dr. Mike, and all the rest know that Tony The Bartender (and Peter Mosconi now & then) mix up one of the Best Old Fashion Cocktails in town, as well as perfect Negroni’s (Superior to the more famous Dante Negroni), Killer Margarita’s made with Grand Marnier, spot-on Martinis, Manhattans, and anything else your little heart may desire. Yes the barmen (Tony & Peter) really know their stuff, and take pride in what they do. So if you’re looking for an Aperol Spritz or properly made Negroni, Monte’s is the go to Italian-Bar in Greenwich Village New York.
MONTE’S TRATTORIA … 97 Macdougal Street, GREENWICH VILLAGE , NY NY
The Bar at BABBO
GREENWICH VILLAGE
NEW YORK
Well, Mario is gone, and the place is famous for its Italian Food. It used to be uber hard to get a reservation to procure a table there, but it’s a lot easier, ever since the departure of Celebrity Chef Mario Batali (we’ll not talk of his departure). Anyway, although Babbo may have lost a little of its luster, it’s still a dam good place to eat, and has, along with Monte’s Trattoria, one of the Best Italian Bars in Greenwich Village, New York. Yes, a great Italian Bar, and not just for its restaurant and food. What constitutes a great Italian Bar? Well first and foremost, the bartenders must be versed in the art of making a Negroni, as well as pulling a perfect Espresso Italian Coffee. You should know how to make a good Manhattan, and Martini’s, as well as have a solid knowledge of Italian Wine which are served at the bar as well. Having a great personality is required and of utmost importance. Now we don’t want to knock the bartenders at Babbo, they are professional and courtesy, and make great Negroni’s and other cocktails, but we have to say were lacking in having the personality that makes the Greatest of Bartenders, and a great Bar requires great bartenders, it’s the # 1 element in the equation. Not the liquor, nor the ambiance, though very important, the single most important aspect of a Great Bar is a great bartender, who must have all the elements required; have a outstanding personality, mix great drinks, be friendly and efficient, “that’s it.”
We found, on our rounds of the Italian Bars of Greenwich Village, our two favorite Italian Bartenders were Tony and Peter, both of Monte’s. The bartenders at Dante were quite good as well, Bar Pisellino “Not So Much.”
Someone once told me, that “going to Volare is like going to your favorite Aunt’s house for dinner.” That’s assuming that your aunt (my Aunts Helen & Fran) is a great Italian cook. Everyone treats you like you were part of the family. That’s the kind of place Ristorante Volare is. And it’s an Old School this great city of ours is losing fast. Lucky for us, Volare still survives, and it survives very well “Thank You.” Yes it’s an old school “Red Sauce Joint,” that serves all the New York Italian Red Sauce Classics, like Spaghetti & Meatballs, Baked Clams, Veal and Chicken Parmigiana just the way you like it. Yes, you”ll be fed all your classic Italian dishes, and you’ll be fed well. And if you’re hankering for just a little cocktail or two, in cool old New York Italian joint, going to Volare will fit the bill quite well. Your not going to get any new style so-called Mixologist Cocktails at all. But if you’re into the old classics, like a properly made Martini or Manhattan, then you’ve gone to the right place. And if you want a nice plate of Spaghetti with Clam Sauce or a nice thick Italian Style Veal Chop, again, “you’ve come to the right place.”
RISTORANTE VOLARE …. 147 West 3rd Street, GREENWICH VILLAGE, New York
Bar Pisellino
GREENWICH VILLAGE
Bar Pisellino has all the elements to make a great bar one day, and one of the best Italian Bars in Greenwich Village. As of now, they’re not. Yes they have, if not all, then many elements to make it a great Greenwich Village Italian Bar. They make good Negroni’s, and Aperol Spritz’s, have a good selection of Amari (Amaro), and the place is well appointed, however it’s missing quite a lot, the place just doesn’t have a great vibe. When I first walked in and looked at the menu, I thought, “Wow,” this place is great, but as I sat there looking a the menu, and then getting my drink, the place just didn’t feel right. The vibe was not good, a combination of being quite contrived (not Organic), and because of this fact, drawing a crowd that just wasn’t right, not cool, but a crowd filled with followers, the types of people who only go to a place that’s one of the hottest spots in town, and unable to find a truly cool unpretentious great restaurant or bar on their own. They have to read about it on Eater, Instgram, or wherever.
Anyway, Bar Pisellino has a lot of potential, and maybe after all the noise dies, the followers stop going there indroves, and the place starts filling with neighborhood people, along with well-healed tourists, and business people, the bar just might get a better vibe than it does now, which is, “not so good.”
The BAR
JOHN’S of 12th STREET
John’s of 12th Street is not in Greenwich Village technically, but we’ve just got to include it in our Best Greenwich Village Italian Bars. John’s is in the East Village, east of Greenwich Village, so, close enough. The fact that this place has been there on East 12th Street in New York, that it has all its original decor, including the 110 year old bar, and that the place was once a Speakeasy that saw that likes of one Charles “Lucky” Luciano who a couple blocks away, and the fact that it has many famous celebrities and famed Mobsters (Joe Maseria), we’ve just gotta include it here as well.
Belly up to the bar that Lucky Luciano drank at, and where the great John Lennon once ate at, and the likes of legendary Italian Prize Fighter “Rocky Graziano,” also of the neighborhood. Have the bartender make you a Campari & Soda and just soak up over 100 years of New York Italian History, you’ll not find another place like it, as sadly two great 100 year old Italian Food Establishments, DeRobertis Italian Pastries, and Lanza’s Restaurant (Sicilian American) closed down in the past few years (A Sin!).
John’s of 12th East Street (302 East) East Village … New York NY
John’s of 12th Street
NEW YORK , NY
photo Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
Documentary Film
“JOHN’S of 12th STREET
by Vanessa McDonell
SUNDAY SAUCE
LEARN HOW to MAKE
a NEGRONI
SPAGHETTI MEATBALLS
and More …
Fanelli Cafe
PRINCE STREET
Soho
Cafe Fanelli is one of New York’s oldest we, preserved Old Bars. What is w Cafe Fanelli’s first opened as a bar on the corner of Prince Street & Mercer as Prince Cafe in the year 1872 by Italian immigrant Nicholas Volpe. The Fanelli family bought the bar in 1922 and re-named it Fanelli’s Cafe. The building was first erected in 1847 and its commercial space was operated as a grocery store from 1863, before a var opened there in 1872. During Prohibition Fanelli’s was a Speakeasy from he years of 1920 to 1933.
Though no longer owned by Italians, nor in Greenwich Village, because of its Italian-American history and the fact that Fanelli’s has retained so much of its former old-bar decor, we’ve include it in this piece. So if you’re looking to experience a wonderful piece of old New York, go have a couple drinks at Cafe Fanelli.
GENE’S
West 11th Street
GREENWICH VILLAGE
Gene’s first opened it’s doors in 1919, and operated as a “Speakeasy” during Prohibition. Gene’s has a long storied history of Italian and Artistic Greenwich Village, providing, staving artists, poets, and writers of the Beat Generation, and other eras, with inexpensive affordable Italian meals.
Old Vintage Postcard
GENE’S
The Bar at GENE’S
GREENWICH VILLAGE
NEW YORK
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RAO’S
Hardest Reservation in NEW YORK
New York’s most Famous Bartender
“NICKY The VEST”
Tending Bar at RAO’S
East Harlem
Frank Pelligrino Sr holds court at RAO’S
East Harlem NEW YORK ,
as PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON looks on.
New York NY
2003
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The Day Caffe Dante Closed
“IT’S OFFICIAL”
CAFFE DANTE HAS CLOSED
Caffe Dante shut its doors yesterday, Sunday March 22. 2015 … A very sad moment as I watched my friend of 30 years Mario Flotta pull down his pictures of the many Celebrities that have spent time at Caffe Dante over the years. I had to hold back my tears when I said goodbye to Mario and he and his two sons Mario Jr. and Anthony locked the doors for the last time.
I said goodbye to Mario and his sons and walked around the corner to go home, knowing my second home had closed for good. One of those sad moments in life, but one one must deal with never-the -less.
ME & MARIO
Greenwich Village Writer Daniel Bellino Zwicke
and
Mario Flotta Sr. at Caffe Dante on The Day of its closing, 100 Years
after opening on Macdougal Street in Greenwich Village … A Very Sad Day to say the least.
MARIO
Copyright Daniel Bellino Zwicke
Yes it was quite sad day, the day my favorite caffe closed. I first started going to Caffe Dante in the Summer of 1985, after my first trip to Italy. I had passed by numerous times but never went in, for some reason the place didn’t appeal to me at the time, Caffe Luca around the block on Bleecker was my spot, and I loved it. I had been going to Caffe Luca quite often for three years before I set foot in Dante for the first time. The thing that got me going to Caffe Dante was that my good friend John Lee went there almost everyday, and he loved it, so I figured I’d give it a shot, and so I did. And so I went, and I liked it,and after a while, Dante became my daytime caffe, and Luca was were I went for my night time caffe, and I did this for a few years, never going at night, but several times a week, during daytime hours, and I soon became a regular Caffe Dante, and all the Maltese waitresses knew me, and I knew them, and I got to be friendly with the owner Mario Flotta and his sons; Anthony, Peter, and Mario. The waitresses at that time were Grace and Patricia, both from Malta, there was a Moroccan girl as well, my good friends Ada and Antionetta both came from Naples, Italy about a year later in 1986.
So I’d go to Dante several times a week when I could, which were any days that I didn’t work lunch at the restaurant, or I had the day off completely. And, as for Caffe Luca which I loved going to for years, and loved it, something happened. The old Italian guy *can’t remember his name), sold it to the two brothers who worked there. I hate to say it, but for some reason, the water glasses started smelling like a wet mop, and it didn’t stop. Som although I loved Caffe Luca, because of this, I just stopped going there. I didn’t want to, but the “wet mop thing’ wasn’t a one-time-deal, it was constant, and because of it, I just stopped going, no more Caffe Luca. About 8 years after I stopped going to Luca, the place, sadly closed down.
So, Dante was my caffe, I went ther almost everyday for 30 years from 1985 to 2015 when my buddy Mario Flotta sold the place. Yes, Mario had become a good friend. You don’t go to a place almost every day for 30 years, and not become friends with someone. Going to Caffe Dante was like being with family. I had my Espresso, Cappuccino, and many Caffe Lattes over the years, thousands of each. Some days I went there two times in a day, and on a few occasions I’d make 3 trips in one day to Caffe Dante. The days I went twice in a day, which were many, I’d go in the morning or afternoon, and then I’d go there, meeting Jimmy S. or Jimmy B., or with Dante or Merceditas, both ex-girlfriends who I had long relationships with.
Yes many times I’d be there with friends or a girlfriend, hanging out socializing, having a good times. Going there with friends was I’d estimate somewhere between 20 to 25% of my total visits of thousands of visits over the years, the other 75 to 80% I’d go there on my own, to read and relax, or write, But I was never alone, most of the time, some of my caffe-friends were there and we’d chit chat, and converse, and one does in a cafe. Ad if none of my cafee friends were around, there was always the girls. The girls? The waitresses, some of which became friends and we’d have dinner parties together, sometimes go to Arturo’s or Lomabardi’s for Pizza with Rose, Tony, Ada, and Jimmy Starace. We were all friends.
Yes, I read a lot of books in Caffe Dante over the years. I read The Count of Monte Cristo at least 2 times there, biography’s on Maria Callas, Aristotle Onassis, Grace Kelly, Talouse Lautrec, Picasso, Gaugin, Vasco de Gama, Christopher Columbus, Ernest Hemingway, and many more. Yes, I love biography’s. Yes, I read novels s well, and I started writing, mostly essays on all sorts of things, some short stories like “Espresso at 4” about the four Italian Ladies from the neighborhood who had espresso at Caffe Dabnte at 4 PM everyday for years. These ladies were wonderful, and I’d sit there with my Cappuccino and listen to theit entertaining conversations. These ladies, you’d think could solve all the problems of the world, listening to them. And I loved there heated discussions on how to make, Meatballs, Pasta Fazool, Lasagna, Marinara Sauce, or Ragu Napoletana. Yes I loved seeing these ladies every day at Dante, and listening to their lovely little conversations about this=that-and-every-other-thing. I miss these sweet lovely Italian Ladies; Babe, JoAnn, Mary, and Maria. I miss Caffe Dante and seeing Rose (friend / waitress) and talking about food and all sorts of things with here, but mostly about food, recipes, and how to make different dishes. Rose was a dam good cook (still is).
I always said, Caffe Dante was my second home, and it was. It was the same I believe for all of the many regulars. I wrote my first book (La Tavola) in Caffe Dante. Yes I had so many good times there over the 30 years that I went there. The caffe opened in 1915, and my buddy Mario Flotta owned it for the last 44 years of its existence. Mario wanted to keep the place going, and for his sons to have the place, but they weren’t interested. It sad. When Mario had his second heart attack, it took a lot out of him, and since his sons had no interest in the caffe anymore, Mario decided to call it quits, and very sadly so.
What was Caffe Dante, New York’s most authentic Italian Caffe for exactly 100 years, is now a high-price cocktail bar / restaurant. Mario sold the name, and the guy who bought it was smart, and he wanted to buy the name Dante, so now he can say that his place has been there since 1918. Yes this is true, but sadly Caffe Dante died in the year 2015. Those of us who were regulars miss the place dearly. We miss seeing each other (the regulars), we miss Mario and the girls, Ada, Antoinetta, and Rose. Well, as they say, nothing last forever, “things change,” and quite sadly Dante change, it died and we miss it dearly.
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Damiel Bellino Zwicke
SUNDAY SAUCE
by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
SEGRETO ITALIANO
SECRET ITALIAN RECIPES
by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
GRANDMA BELLINO’S ITALIAN COOKBOOK
RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN GRANDMOTHER
A NEW COOKBOOK
by Daniel Bellino
NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED SICILIAN RECIPES
DUE Mid APRIL 2015
In Paperback & Kindle on AMAZON.com
All Photographs & Art Work are the Property of Daniel Bellino-Zwicke and may not be published or used without written consent.
POSITANO is Coming
POSITANO The AMALFI COAST
TRAVEL GUIDE / COOKBOOK
From Best Selling Author
Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
Publication May 31, 2019
Coming Soon! Positano – The Amlfi Coast, Travel Guide by Best Selling AuthoreDaniel Bellino Zwicke, is due for Publication May 30, 2019. Daniel is the best selling author of Mangia Italiano, The Ragu Bolognese Cookbook, La Tavola, and the # 1 Best Selling Italian Cookbook on Amazon for 2 years, SUNDAY SAUCE – When Italian-Americans Cook. We’ve read our pre-publication galley copy of POSITANO and we “Just Love It!” It is a guide book and true guide-book fashion gives you all the vest information you need to know on Positano, Sorrento, Naples, Capri, and the stunningly beautiful Amalfi Cost of Southern Italy.
Yes, Daniel gives you all the information you need to know on this, one of the World’s msot prized and coveted vacation destinations of all, the Amalfi Coast. He has the inside scoop on where to eat, what to do, how to get there and getting around once you are there, and a bll the best hotels in the area, of which the charming little town has two of the most renowned hotels in all the World, in the World Famous, Le Sirenuse and the equally famous San Pietro.
Daniel will tell you the best beach spots in Capri, Positano, and all along the coast. And when it comes to eating, Daniel has been going to Positano and has eaten at all the best restaurants over the year. He’ll tell you about his favorites.
As with all of Daniel’s books and writings of New York, Italy, and Italian Food, Daniel weaves his wonderful stories throughout, something that you’ll not get on any other Amalfi Coast Guide that we’ve ever read, Daniel’s special knack for story telling. And not only will you get, all the info and the stories Daniel has to tell of Positano, Capri, and Napoli, but this book, like no other Guide Book before, is part cookbook. Daniel gives advice and more than 30 of the best and most loved dishes of Naples, Positano and The Amalfi Coast, Italy. Daniel notes, that vacations on Capri and Positano hold treasured memories for all who go, and that there is nothing like re-living these wonderful times once you are back home, and the best way to do so, is by eating the food. Have dinner partied at home, with your favorite dishes of the Amalfi Coast. You’ll learn how to make them from one of America’s best selling Italian Cookbook author’s, Daniel Bellino Zwicke. He gathered these recipes of Positano and the Amalfi Coast for over 30 years, has cooked them and written them down, and compiled the in this new book. You’re sure to Love it. We do.
So, whether you’re going for the first time, you’ve been there before, you want recipes of the region, or you’re an avid armchair traveler, we highly recommend Positano -The Amalfi Coast, Enjoy!
Best Spaghetti Carbonara in New York and Rome Italy Bucatini Amatriciana
John’s of E. 12ths Street
So you absolutely Love SPAGHETTI CARBONAR? You have a hankering for it and was wondering who makes the Best Carbonara in the ccity of New York? look no further than East 12th Street and John’s of 12ths Street in the East Village. John’s has been turning out great Italian Food in what once was a neighborhood that was highly populated with Sicilian immigrants when the restaurant opened its doors more than 110 years ago in 1908 … Sicilian immigrants like Charles “Lucky” Luciano his family and peers. Luciano’s family came from the same town in Sicily as one Martino Severino Sinatra ( father of Frank), as well as 2nd generation Sicilian-American and Best Selling Italian Cookbook author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke whose grandparents Giuseppina Salemi and Fillipo Bellino immigrated to New York in the Year 1904 …
Spaghetti Carbonara is not a Sicilian dish, but a dish of Rome and Lazio. The dish was most likely not served at John’s until sometime between the 1950s and 70s, we’re not really sure, we do know that it was on the menu by at least the late seventies if not before. We also know that John’s makes one of the best plates of this dish in all of New York, if not the # 1 very Best of all. Try it yourself and see if you agree.
We can also tell you that John’s makes great Baked Clams Oreganta, Spaghetti & Meatballs and other dishes, including, without question the # 1 Best version of Speedino alla Romano in all of New York. This is fact.
John’s is a wonderful restaurant that thankfully has kept all the original decor of 1908 intact, from the old tile floors, wood bar, terrazzo side-walls and painted murals of Italian Citys and their landmarks, like; Venice, Naples and Mount Vesuvius, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and Rome.
Yes we are quite fortunate to still have John’s old Italian restaurant to go to, places like this are a great part of the faric of our wonderful city. Sadly we have lost some great old Italian Red Sauce Joints like; Rocco’s of Greenwich Village, Gino’s of Lexington Avenue, Lanza’s around the block from John’s and De Roberti’s Pasticceria both of which were Sicilian owned and over a 100 years old each before they both sadly closed in the past few years. But you can still go to John’s, and a few other old joints, like Volare and Gene’s both in Greenwich Village and Beamonte’s in Brooklyn.
Trattoria Danilo
Are you going to Rome? Looking for the Best Carbonara in the Eternal City? Trattoria Danilo is considered to make the best Carbonara in town.
Via Petrarca 13, Roma, Italy tel . 39 06 7720 0111
“YOU SAY that You LOVE PASTA al AMATRICIANO?”
You can make it home ! The RECIPE is in SEGRETO ITALIAN, Secret Italian Recipes ..
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Stories of Italian Food
RECIPES SPAGHETTI CARBONARA
MEATBALLS – BRACIOLE
STUFFED ARTICHOKSE
and ???
READ about JOHN’S, Lanza’s , and DeRoberti’s, 100 Year Old Italians in the East Village of New York, Charles “Lucky” Luciano, and New York Italians
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How to Make a BELLINI – Recipe
HARRY’S BAR
VENICE
ITALY
HOW to MAKE a BELLINI
By JAMIE OLIVER
BELLINI COCKTAIL RECIPE
INGREDIENTS :
4 medium White Peaches, peeled and diced
1 cup Water
1 tablespoon fresh Lemon Juice
1/4 cup Sugar
Prosecco
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1Puree Peaches, water, lemon juice and sugar in a blender until smooth.
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2Fill a Champagne Flute a quarter with Peach Puree, and then top off with Prosecco, champagne or sparkling wine.
NOTE : If you cant get White Peaches, you may substitute yellow ones, adding a little Grenadine Syrup to give the puree a Pinkish color.
If you don’t have the Grenadine, you can still make them, but the will look more authentic if they look Pink.
Good Luck and Enjoy !
A Bartender Mixing BELLINI COCKTAILS
HARRY’S BAR
VENICE
ITALY
READ ABOUT VENICE
HARRY’S BAR
BELLINI COCKTAILS
ITALY
And ITALIAN FOOD
In MANGIA ITALIANO
STORIES of ITALIAN FOOD
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