Italian Bars of Greenwich Village

DanteBAR

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

BarPesillino

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.”

Johns12thSTREETbar

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

Watch The TRAILER

Documentary Film

“JOHN’S of 12th STREET

by Vanessa McDonell

SUNDAY SAUCE

LEARN HOW to MAKE

a NEGRONI

SPAGHETTI MEATBALLS

BRACIOLE

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

RAOSpainting

RAO’S

Hardest Reservation in NEW YORK

RaosNickyVestBartender

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

ny.EATER.com

Danny Talks Tony s Italian Bar

Mare Chiare

“TONY’S NUT HOUSE

Mulberry Street

Tucked between a partly vacant Roman Catholic church and a Vietnamese herbal store, the Beard Cafe, on Elizabeth Street, near Broome, could be mistaken for another downtown bar, priced out of SoHo or the East Village. At night, young urbanites and European tourists mingle to enjoy techno music and imported beer. Leftist literature competes for attention with a video art installation.

But during the day, the place mellows to resemble a European coffee shop with fresh muffins and stale cigarettes. When four elderly Italian men arrive, they create a bit of old Little Italy: the private social club, in the midst of a now-fashionable neighborhood. The men go to the rear of the club and descend into a hideout in the basement, where they spend several hours.

”It is the last traditional social club,” said Lillian Tozzi, a founder of the Little Italy Neighbors Association, whose family has lived on Mulberry Street for over a century.

The members of the club declined to be interviewed, but visitors say the basement is sparsely furnished with little more than a television set, a refrigerator and fading photographs of neighborhood friends. Not much happens, they add, besides watching television, playing a friendly game of hearts and chatting. Fans of ”The Sopranos” would be disappointed.

”You go to hang out with the boys,” said Tony Tenneriello, 80, the bartender at Mare Chiaro, an oak-paneled bar on Mulberry Street that evokes the area’s bygone charm. ”The bars were different back then. You could play a game of cards for a bottle of wine.”

2002

TONY

Tony Tenneriello & Family

At His ITALIAN BAR

MARE CHIARE

aka “TONY’S NUT HOUSE”

SINATRA with TONY

At TONY’S

dc100-Screen2BShot2B2016-10-302Bat2B2.25.182BPM

TONY’S FAVORITE

ITALIAN-AMERICAN FOOD

RECIPES

I first started going to Tony’s somewhere around 1984. Being myself (Danny) I always love the offbeat kind of place, whether we’re talking about restaurants, stores, Barber Shops, or in this cas bars. Don’t want anything shiney and knew, and most likely quite contrived. Give me a cool old well worn place like McSorley’s Ale House on East 7th Street (Since 1854) John’s of 12th Street, a few blocks from McSorley’s, Pete’s Tavern (Gramercy Park), or the good old Italian Bar, Mare Chiare on Mulberry Street in New York’s so-called Little Italy. Well, Mare Chiare (aka Tony’s Nut House) no longer exist. Not as that cool old Italian Bar, run by the unflappable Tony Tennerielo himself. Tony was just “Too Cool.” And he wasn’t even trying to be, he was just being Tony.

His Bar was absolutely awesome. It was low key, and had a cool old ambiance. It’s original 1908 deccor was kept pretty much intact. Tony’s was usually pretty quiet and you could go in there and get a drink, sit down at the bar or a table, throw a few quarters in the Juke Box, and play some “Dino,” Tony Bennett, and of course songs by Mr. Frank Sinatra. Sit down and relax, listening to great Italian-American music as you sipped your drink and chit-chatted with your friends. I here the place used to be busier back in the day, when the Old Police Head Quarters was still open, prior to 1973 when it was shut down and moved to it new facilities near City Hall. Before that, Mare Chiaro had a bit of a livelier crowd filled with lots of Policemen and Detectives of NYPD before the closing of Police HQs on Broome and Layfayette Streets nearby. The time-span when I went from 1984 until Tony Tenneriello sold his family’s old Italian Bar in 2003. Yes, most of the times I went to Tony’s wan’t crowded, usually, less than 12 people in the place. Regulars like me, simply called it Tony’s.

Besides going there any old time, especially on Sunday afternoons to watch a Giant’s or Yankees game, my favorite thing to do was to get an awesome Italian Sub Sandwich (to Go) at Parsisi’s Sanwich Shop, bring it to Tony’s, get a glass of Wine, put on some Sinatra and eat our tasty Sandwiches .

Yes, I had a lot of great times at Tony’s, but the best of all, was being at Tony’s one time when it was Tony’s Birthday. His family brought a Birthday Cake, we all sang “Happy Birthday Dear Tony,” Tony blew out the candles and we all had a piecce of cake, as one of his friends sang a couple Opera Songs. “Now what’s better than that I ask you?” Getting to sing Happy Birthdday to Mr. Anthony Tenneriello and sharing the good times and Tony’s Birthday Cake with the man himself.

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

I have a few old pictures I took at Tony’s back in the day. One day I’ll dig them up and post them here, for you can never get enough of Tony, or his awesome old bar, Mare Chiaro, aka Tony’s Nut House.

Basta !

The NEW YORK OBSERVER … March 4, 2003

TONY SELLS MARE CHIARO

“Arrivederci , Tony”

Already, the regulars are suspicious.

Mare Chiaro’s was a Little Italy watering hole with oak-paneled walls, sawdust on the floor and the Old World atmosphere of an Italian social club. In the 1990’s, both the Paris Review crowd and the dot-com Wunderkinds embraced the bar as their own, despite the bright overhead lights and lack of fruit-flavored martinis. More recently, Nolita hipsters have held court-all under the watchful eye of Tony Tenneriello, who sold the bar last month. Until then, Mr. Tenneriello, 81, could be seen there every night, cigar in his mouth, working past 1 a.m., shuffling from table to table to clear glasses and staring defiantly at anyone who lingered too long or got too rowdy. Locals just called the place “Tony’s.”

Mr. Tenneriello said he sold the bar because of his age and the long hours the job required. “It looked like I was going to die in that bar,” he said. “But I sold it.”

The new owners haven’t decided yet whether to take down the black-and-white photographs of Tony posing with Frank Sinatra, Ronald Reagan, Madonna and others. “We have to retain the spirit of the bar,” said co-owner Eddy Welsh, 67, “but we also have to attract a new crowd. How much of a change do you make? Where do you draw the line?”

Indeed, Mr. Welsh and co-owner Richard Cestaro, 40, both local businessmen whose families grew up on Mulberry Street, have the unenviable task of “running Tony’s without Tony.” Their influence is already evident. In order to restore the exterior to what it looked like when the bar first opened in 1908, they’ve added copper outlay to the bar’s wooden doors and repainted the window frames, restoring them to their original white. Inside the bar, top-shelf liquor has been added, as has tap beer. The $3 Coronas now cost $5, and on the jukebox a buck buys two songs instead of three. The sawdust is gone. Soon the bar will serve lunch and late-night snacks: chicken wings, peel-your-own shrimp, eggs and peppers. Also under consideration is live Dixieland or country music. “Please God, NO !!!”

The bar had been in Mr. Tenneriello’s family since the turn of the century, when his father, Christopher Tenneriello, opened a small bar called C. Tenneriello’s at 1761¼2 Mulberry. Tony’s father worked the bar and Tony’s mother cooked Chicken Parmigiana and Spaghetti & Meatballs for a crowd of local Italians. After school, Tony would go to the bar and do his homework.

The police were the bar’s biggest crowd, coming in for lunch from their nearby headquarters on Centre Street. Members of the neighborhood’s crime families stayed away, according to Mr. Tenneriello.

“I’m not saying that no one ever came in,” he said. “But let me just say, thank God for the police.”

The police headquarters moved away in 1973, as did many of the neighborhood Italians, replaced by Chinese immigrants. By the late 80’s, the bulk of Mare Chiaro’s business were tourists who came to the city to visit the rash of new restaurants on Mulberry Street. Padding out the crowd was a mix of Artists and Writers . In the mid-1990’s, editors from the Paris Review met there every Friday night. The dot-commers would come by after long hours at their Broadway offices.

Nowadays, the crowd is thinner. A recent Thursday night found the bar sparsely populated with a mix of tourists, hipsters (White Stripes look-alikes) and stockbrokers. Sinatra’s “Summer Wind” played on the jukebox; an eager, short-haired female bartender was offering shots.

One of the stockbrokers, Mike, in his mid-30’s, had been coming to Mare Chiaro for the last six years.

“It was better when Tony ran the place,” he said, lowering his voice and looking around the bar. “The new owners want to get the yuppies in here. You can tell by the little things they’re doing-raising the prices of the drinks, the jukebox.”

Asked about this, Mr. Cestaro looked pained and said, “You can’t run a business selling $3 drinks.” He added that the bar’s prices are now on par with the other neighborhood bars.

If Mr. Cestaro and Mr. Welsh don’t have the full support of some of the regulars, they seem to have earned the respect of locally owned Italian businesses.

“To be honest, the bar needed an update,” shrugged one Mulberry Street restaurant owner. “The new owners are good guys. They realize they’re dealing with an institution; they’re not going to change it too much. Tony knew what he was doing when he sold it to them.”

Mr. Tenneriello said he has no interest in what the new owners may or may not change.

“What people want, and what people don’t want, it doesn’t matter,” he said, laughing hoarsely. “Things are going to change. It’s called progress, honey.”

READ about TONY in Italian-American New York Writer Daniel Bellino-Zwicke ‘s book La TAVOLA – ITALIAN-AMERICAN NEW YORKERS ADVENTURES of The TABLE La Tavola

AVAILABLE on AMAZON.com

READ About TONY

An His MULBERRY STREET

ITALIAN BAR

MARE CHIARO

aka “TONY’S NUT HOUSE”

In La TAVOLA

BOLOGNESEcookbook

The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK

And The WORLDS BEST BOLOGNESE RECIPE Ever !!

Sinatra Bellino Luciano n Cappuccino

Best Selling Italian Cookbook Author

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke and Frank Sinatra

Family’s are from LERCARA FRIDDI, SICILY

FRANCIS ALBERT SINATRA

ROOTS Are From LERCARA FRIDDI, SICILIA, ITALIA

Best Selling Cookbook author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke has some things in common with the late-great Francis Albert Sinatra and famed Mafia Kingpin Charles “Lucky” Lucciano … What? Their families all hail from the town Lercara Friddi, Sicily in the Provence of Palermo in Italy … Lucciano was born there in 1897 and immigrated with his parents in 1907 to New York and the United States. Sinatra’s father Martino Sinatra was born in there in 1892 and his parents immigrated to New York in 1903 … Bellino’s maternal grandparents Josephina and Philipo Bellino were born in Lercara Friddi and immigrated to the United States to New York City in 1904, and later settled in the Italian Conclave of Lodi, New Jersey where Daniel’s grandfather set up a Shoemaker shop on Main Street … Take note that Sinatra’s grandfather was also a shoemaker in Lercara Friddi, and it is certain the these two grandfathers must have known each other in the small Sicilian town.

More on LERCARA FRIDDI

Lercara Friddi is a commune (municipality) in the Province of Palermo in the Italian region Sicily , located about 45 kilometers (28 mi) southeast of Palermo .

Founded in 1595 by local feudataries, it is on the slopes of Madore Hill, between the valleys of Fiumetorto and Platani rivers. In the past it was an important mining center, the only one in the province of Palermo where sulfur was excavated.

On December 25, 1893, eleven people were killed in the massacre Lercara Friddi During The Fasci Siciliani

uprising after a rally of peasants and sulfur miners That asked for the abolition of taxes and better working conditions.

Andrea Finocchiaro Aprile (1878-1964), politician

Mauro Picone (1885-1977), mathematician

Anthony Martin Sinatra (1892-1969), professional boxer and father of singer, Frank Sinatra (1915-1998)

Lucky Luciano (1897-1962), gangster

Pietro Scaglione (1906-1971), magistrate

Nicolo Nicolosi (1912-1986), football player and manager

Pietro Lo Forte (1920-2004), musician

Frédéric François (b. 1950), singer-songwriter

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke (b. 1958), cookbook author

GRANDMA BELLINO’S ITALIAN COOKBOOK

RECIPES From My SICILIAN GRANDMOTHER

by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

Based on Sicilian Recipes from Daniel’s Maternal Nonna Giuseppina Bellino ..

The Recipes are mostly Sicilian as well as Neapolitan dishes from Giuseppina’s friends who hailed from Napoli, Salerno, and the surrounding cities and towns of Naples.

RECIPES : ARANCINI (Sicilian Rice Balls), CAPONATA, STUFFED ARTICHOKES, BRACIOLA, ZUPPA LENTICHE (Lentil Soup) SPAGHETTI & MEATBALLS, PASTA LENTICHE, and More ….

CHARLES “LUCKY” LUCIANO

Charles “Lucky” Luciano, born Salvatore Lucania November 24, 1897 – January 26, 1962) was an Italian-American mobster and Crime Boss. Luciano is considered the father of modern organized crime in the United States for the establishment of the first Commission. He was the first official boss of the modern Genovese crime family. He was, along with his associates instrumental in the development of the National Crime Syndicate in the United States.

Luciano was tried and successfully convicted for compulsory prostitution in 1936 after years of investigation by District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey. Luciano was given a thirty-year prison sentence, but was allowed to live his life freely outside the United States when he struck a deal with the government during World War II while still imprisoned.

Sunday Sauce

When Italian-Americans Cook

by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

Recipes :

SINATRA SUNDAY SAUCE

PASTA FAZOOL

SPAGHETTI MARINARA

and More …

SOPHIA LOREN

Frank & Dean Sinatra & Martin

FRANK & DEAN

SINATRA & MARTIN

SINATRA

Frank

Frank Sinatra Scrambled Eggs

Frank Eating a Scrambled Egg Sandwich at home … Palm Springs California

Besides eating his Italian-American favorite foods, Frank loved eating a nice simple Scrambled Egg Sandwich on good old American white bread for breakfast and anytime during the day as a in-between meals snack prepared by his Valet George Jacobs ..

SCRAMBLED EGG SANDWICH alla SINATRA

Ingredients : 2 slices White Bread, 2 large Eggs, 2 tablespoons Milk, Butter, Salt & Black Pepper, 4 tablespoons Olive Oil

Place 2 tablespoons Olive Oil in a large non-stick frying pan and turn heat to medium low .. Add bread and cook until slightly brown. Turn bread over and cook to slightly brown. Remove from pan and set aside on the plate you will serve the sandwich.

Add eggs to a small bowl with a pinch each of Salt & Pepper and the Milk. Beat eggs with a fork until completely mixed …

Add remaining Olive Oil and Butter to pan and turn heat to medium.When the pan is heated and the butter starts to sizzle, add the eggs to pan and let cook while stirring for about 15 seconds. Turn heat to low and let the eggs cook without stirring for 45 seconds.

Flip the eggs over and let cook for 60 seconds on low heat. Turn heat off.

Place the cooked eggs on one piece of bread. Sprinkle a little salt & pepper over eggs. Top with second slice of bread and serve.

VEAL MILANESE “FRANK’S FAVORITE”

SUNDAY SAUCE

LEARN HOW to Make SINATRA’S Favorite VEAL MILANESE,

Dolly Sinatra’s Meatballs and Marinara and more .. In SUNDAY SAUCE by Daniel Bellino

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BAKED ZITI with MEATBALLS

Like SINATRA, a SICILIAN FAVORITE

FRANK & AVA GARDNER

“MANGIA BENE”

Grandma Bellino’s Cookbook

SICILIAN Like FRANK

DOLLY SINATRA ‘S SUNDAY SAUCE

Recipe in SUNDAY SAUCE by Daniel Bellino

3d895-screenshot2014-04-13at1-10-39pm

Gangster CHARLES “LUCKY” LUCCIANO was from LERCARA FRIDDI , SICILY

as Was FRANK SINATRA’S Father Marty

and Author Daniel Bellino

SOPHIA LOREN

“What a Beauty?”

Classic Frank

AL PACINO

Speaking of Great ITALIAN-AMERICANS

A Handsome Devil to Boot

eb490-patsyssssssssssssssss

PATSY’S

56th Street .. New York, NY

FRANK’S FAVORITE RESTAURANT

Eat Like Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra & Ava Gardner …. “Mangia Bene”

Wanna Eat like the late great Frank Sinatra? Who wouldn’t? Frank was Sicilian-American and ate Sicilian food, but even more so he loved classic Italian-American Neapolitan Cusisine, with dishes like Clams Posillipo, Spaghetti Marinara, Eggplant Parmigiano, and Veal Milanese were Frank’s favorite dishes, and his favorite restauarnt to eat these dishes at was the great Old-School Italian Red-Sauce Joint on West 56th Street in New York called Patsy’s .. Yes it was Frank’s favorite, and when in New York Frank also liked to go to The 21 Club, PJ Clarke’s, Gilly’s, and Gino’s on Lexington Avenue …

Patsy’s … 56th Street

FRANK SINATRA’S Favorite Restaurant

One of FRANK’S Favorites

CLAMS POSILLPO

FRANK Loved VEAL MILANESE

Pounded Extra Thin

Two of Frank’s Favorites

Together on One Plate

EGGPLANT PARMIGIANO & Spaghetti Marinara

GNOCCHI POMODORO

Charle’s “Lucky” Lucciano

Was From Lercara Friddi Sicily

The Same Town as Sinatra’s Father Anthony Martino

FRANK Pours DEAN

a Shot of JACK DANIELS

Another of FRANK’S Favorites !!!

Sammy Davis Jr. Looks On

Another of Frank’s Favorites

PJ Clarke’s .. 3rd Avenue .. NEW YORK, NY

Where Frank Downed Many a JACK DANIELS

FRANK Eating a Scrambled Egg & Bacon Sandwich

Yes Another Favorite

LEARN HOW TO MAKES SINATRA SAUCE

In Daniel Bellino’s SUNDAY SAUCE

Recipe in SUNDAY SAUCE

When Italian-Americans Cook

COOKING ITALIAN

GREATEST HITS COOKBOOK

by Daniel Bellino Z

Italian American Food History

Frank Sinatra in Mosaic

ITALIAN-AMERICAN FOOD … A Brief History

Italian food is one of the most popular ethnic foods in America. In fact, it’s so popular that Italian food authorities have become concerned with what they call “Italian sounding” or “fake Italian food products.” According to one study, authentic Italian food — that’s food imported from Italy — accounts for only about one-third of Italian food purchased in the United States. The remainder is foods that have Italian names, but are not authentic Italian products.

Authentic Italian food products are available at specialty food stores in the United States –most notably in Italian food markets in cities with large populations of Italian Americans. Italian food producers say that Italy’s high standards, the importance of freshness and the cost and time of exporting have limited authentic Italian food products in the American market. However, the Internet has narrowed the gap, as more Italian products become available online.

Many say the trend toward Italian food started in the late nineteenth century as Italian immigrants began to make their homes in America. The waves of immigrants from Italy continued passing through Ellis Island, traveling further west, yet holding on to their cultural identity through their cooking.

One of the earliest dishes attributed to an Italian, and still extremely popular today, is Chicken Tetrazzini. It was created in the early 1900s in honor of Luisa Tetrazzini, the operatic soprano known as The Florentine Nightingale. The famous muffuletta sandwich of New Orleans, named after the muffuliette rolls baked in Sicily, was created in 1906 for Sicilian workers. The ever popular Philly cheese steak was invented by an Italian, and the specialty fish stew of San Francisco, cioppino, originated from the Italian fish stew ciuppin, made by the Genoese fishermen who settled there.

Soldiers returning from Italy after World War II brought with them their desire for the foods of a grateful but war-torn nation. Enterprising immigrants opened restaurants providing the soldiers with the foods they had developed a craving for and introduced the soldiers’ families to spaghetti and meatballs, sausage and peppers, ravioli, lasagna, manicotti, baked ziti and pizza.

Throughout the 50s and 60s, Italian food was becoming a part of the American diet and delicatessens offered salami, capocollo, mortadella, pepperoni, mozzarella and provolone, while spumone was a popular dessert, and variations of minestrone abounded. During the 70s and 80s, many Italian-inspired regional dishes became popular in America — Eggplant Parmigiana, Fettuccini Alfredo, Penne alla Vodka, Shrimp Scampi, Chicken Piccata, Chicken Cacciatore, Steak Pizzaiola, Osso Buco, Veal Marsala, Pasta Primavera, Fried Calamari, Saltimbocca, Caponata, Calzone and Stromboli. Grissini, semolina bread, risotto, broccoli rabe, arugula, radicchio, Gorgonzola, Parmigiano Reggiano, ricotta, olive oil, pesto, prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, pizzelle, cannoli, zeppole, torrone, gianduja, panettone and espresso were common additions to meals.

The 90s heralded a mass influx of Italian ingredients and foods, with bocconcini, mozzarella di bufala, ricotta salata, fontina, Asiago, Taleggio, Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano, caciocavallo, mascarpone, ciabatta, crostini, bruschetta, focaccia, panzanella, polenta, gnocchi, pancetta, specialty pestos, black and white truffles, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, dipping oils, pasta — of all shapes, sizes, and colors, numerous pasta sauces, various types of pizza, cappuccino, flavored syrups, biscotti, tiramisù, granita and gelato.

So far, the twenty-first century has brought more attention to frittata, timballo, panini, Insalata Caprese, Burrata, Arancini, homemade specialty pastas, flavored balsamic vinegars and oils, artisan breads and cheeses and, although not a food, but food related — the barista.

SUNDAY SAUCE

aka GRAVY

GREAT MOMENTS in ITALIAN FOOD HISTORY

1492 … Christopher Columbus discovers the Americas .. Soon thereafter, foods like Potatoes (Gnocchi), Tomatoes (Sugo di Pomodoro), and Corn (Polenta) are exported from the New World to Italy.

1880s … The first 5 Million Italian Immigrants arrive in America and eventuall invent one of the the World’s Best Loved Cusines “Italian-American”

1889 … Raffael Esposito invents Pizza Margherita in Naples, Italy honor of Queen Margherita ..

1891 … Florentine baker Artusi Pelligrino writes the first modern Italian Cookbook .

1905 … America’s 1st ever Pizzeria, Lombardi’s is opened by Genaro Lombardi on Spring Street in New York .. Lombardi’s Pizzeria is till there, and is the 1st and oldest Pizzeria in the United States ..

1906 … Barbetta Restorante opens in the Theater District in New York .. It’s still open and run by the founders daughter Laura Maioglio ..

1908 … John’s of 12th Street opens on East 12th Street in the East Village .. Charles Lucky Luciano would whack (Murder) someone outside the restaurant one day.

1917 … Alfredo di Lelio invents Fettuccine Alfredo at his restorante in Rome .. Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks eat it on their honeymoon in 1926 and love it, and spread the word back in Hollywood, and the word spreads. Within a year, a recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo is in cookbooks in the States . Fettuccine Alfredo becomes one of America’s favorite dishes and is a bug part of Italian-American cuisine and is served in Italian restaurants all over America, where millions of dishes of it have been enjoyed by enthusiastic customers over the years. The recipe created by di Lelio is made with fresh fettucine egg noodles and the sauce is made by tossing butter and grated Parmigiano Reggiano together with the just cooked pasta. Italian restaurant owners in America make it a bit differently and their devoted customers just love it. In Italian restaurants in America the same fresh fettuccine egg pasta is used, but the sauce is different, it’s made of heavy-cream and the grated Parmigiano Reggiano instead of butter and Parmigiano, either way is equally tasty.

AMERICA’S GREATS OLD SCHOOL ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

RAO’S

East Harlem , NEW YORK

JOHN’S

EAST 12th STREET , NEW YORK NY

Original DECOR SINCE 1908

GINO’S

Lexington Avenue , New York , NY

“Sadly, has closed, but it was one of America’s greatest Italian restaurants ever, so we just want to keeps its memory alive. Basta!”

FOR MORE GREAT ARTICLES of ITALIAN AMERICAN FOOD and CULTURE

CLICK HERE !

FOR NewYork Italian

Gino’s Secret Sauce Recipe Salsa Segreto

At GINO’S

And The FAMOUS ZEBRA WALLPAPER

SECRET SAUCE

“SEGRETO”

Tagliolini with Salsa Segreto. Secret Sauce? Shhhh!!! We lost our beloved Old-School Italian Red-Sauce Joint Gino’s of Lexington Avenue a couple years back. Gino’s opened in 1945 by Neapolitan Immigrant Gino Circicello, was a Gem of a
Restaurant loved by its many loyal customers who kept the place packed and vibrant night-after-night, year-after-year. The place was perfect; Great Food and good wine at reasonable prices coupled with excellent service by friendly attentive waiters inside a homey comfy dining-room that everyone loved, from its cozy little Bar at the front of the restaurant, its Phone Booth (one of the last surviving in New York), and the famed Scalamandre Zebra Wallpaper that is as much a part of Gino’s as the tenured old waiters, the Phone Booth, and the popular Chicken Parmigiano.

Among all the tasty pasta dishes, the Pasta with Salsa Segreta, (Segreto) “The Secret Sauce,” was a perennial favorite at Gino’s. All of Gino’s legendary clientele loved it. Some of the clients just happened to be, people like; Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Joe DiMaggio, to name a few of a large string of luminaries to grace Gino’s over the years. Gino’s had many wonderful dishes that were soul satisfy, unpretentious, and tasty as heck. They were all the usual suspects of Italian Red-Sauce Joints everywhere; from Baked Clams Oreganata, to Shrimp Cocktail, to Spaghetti With Clam Sauce, Lasagna, the famed Veal Pamigiano, “the entire menu.” I used to go to Gino’s with my cousin Joe quite a bit. My sister Barbara came a couple times, as did my brother Michael. But it was usually me and Cousin Joe, and if anyone else was tagging along as well. Now I love my pasta as all good Italian-Americans do, but my cousin Joe? He had me beat. The guy loves his pasta, and wanted it practically every day. I believe we tried the Salsa Segreta (Secret Sauce) on our first trip there. I think with Tagliolini, but you can have it with Spaghetti, Rigatoni or whichever pasta you like. Well we loved it from the very first, and would get it every time we went. Often we’d get Baked Clams and Shrimp Cocktail to start, followed by a Half Portion each of Tagliolini with Salsa Segreto, and as our main we might split a Veal Milanese with a “Nice bottle of Chianti.” We’d finish the meal with Espresso and a couple of Desserts, maybe a Tiramisu and a Chocolate Tartufo.

So the Secret Sauce, what’s in it, you want to know? Yes I identified the Secret ingredients one day, I made it, and it tastes exactly the same, and that’s as tasty as can possibly be, a 10 out of 10, you can’t get any better. It’s quite simple and you’d be amazed, but that’s the essence of all Italian Cooking, simply tasty. The Secret of The Secret Sauce is, “I shouldn’t tell you but I will.” I should be charging you $100 just for this one recipe but I won’t. “I hope you know what a bargain you people are all getting; my Sunday Sauce, Clemenza’s Sunday Sauce, my Lentil Soup recipe, Marinara Sauce, my famed Bolognese and more.

I’m getting robbed here!” But here you go, The Secret-Ingredients in the Secret Sauce from the former Gino’s Restaurant on Lexington Avenue across from Bloomingdales are _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ added to a
simple tomato sauce. That’s it! Basta !

The Cat is out of the Bag. Enjoy! Are you Happy? “You better be!”

Excerpted from SUNDAY SAUCE by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

The RECIPE and “SECRET INGREDIENTS”

For SALSA SEGRETA “GINO’S SECRET SAUCE are in SUNDAY SAUCE

by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

CLICK HERE !

The FORMER GINO’S

On Lexington Avenue, New York, NY