PROVOLONE
Our Favorite Cheese
CACIOCAVALLO
Smoked Caciocavallo
Caciocavallo Affumicato
PROVOLA
PARMIGIANO REGGIANO
SALUMI
and
OTHER GOODIES
at ITALIAN DELI SPECIALTY SHOP
PARMIGIANO REGGIANO
Monday, March 24, 2014
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
RUCHE & RAVIOLI
RAVIOLI di UOVO
SD 26
RUCHE The PRINCE of RED
Enrico B. of Solaire Wines and Paoulo the export manager at Montalbera wine estate in Monferrato (Peidmonte) held a nice little wine lucheon at SD26 Restorante in New York today .. Montalbera is a little gem of a wine property of Monferrato near Asti in the Peidmont wine region of Italy that is most famous for the celebrated wines of Barolo and Barbaresco .. Also well known but more of everyday wines of Peidmont are Barbera and Dolcetto ... Yes, Americans know these wines but Peidmont as well as the whole of Italy has many lesser known gems available for those who journey furhter into wines, the world of wine, and Italian Wines in particular. In Peidmonte they have a number of wonderful wines that are relatively obscure and unknown. Very few Americans ever drink them, and even not that many Italians in other regions know of the wines as well. Some of these tasty little gems of Peidmonte are wines such as; Freisa, Brachetto, Grignolino, Arneis, and Ruche .. At this particular luncheon / tasting we were lucky enough to be drinking 2 of the previously mentioned wines of Ruche and Grignolino .. And the producer of Montalbera is a specialist of both .. We started the luncheon with a very rare wine of Sparkling Grignolino which was a truly pleasant little surprise that everyone at the table loved. The wine was light and crispy and a joy to drink and was a perfect pairing for our tasty antipasto of Carpaccio of Big Eye Tuna & Wild Bass with Blood Orange and Fennel Pollen "Delish" !
Montalbera Vinyeards, Monferrato
For the second course of our luncehon we were served the signature dish of the former San Domeneico Restorante which has now morfed into SD26, signify SD= San Domenico and 26 for 26th Street where SD26 resides. The famed signature dish in question is SD26's Raviolo di Uovo, which is a jumbo homemade ravioli filled with Ricotta Cheese with an egg yolk in the center. When cooked the egg yold stays lush and parially cooked and the Raviolo is dressed in a decadent Truffle Butter Sauce ... We were served the Montalbera Ruche di Castignolae Monferrato Tradizione 2012 wthe the Raviolo, and the two were a match made in heaven, abosluely fabulous. The Ruche Montalbera is text-book Ruche, whhich is to say alight bodied wine, full of flavors of ripe small red berry fruits like Rasberry and Red Courrant with nice floral notes and a twinge of spice. This wine is a pure joy. We also had a the Montalbera Grignolino d Asti Grigne 2012 which was in perfect balance and very pleasant .. The Montalbera Ruche L'Accento is a pumped-up Ruche that has 5% of the grapes dried (Apassimento) and is aged in barrique .. This wine is nice, but I feel it distracts from the true Ruche just a bit and I wholey prefer the Ruche Tradizione ... The Montalbera Barbera d'Asti "Lequilibrio" 2010 is a bit of a pumped up syle of Barbera being aged in French Barrique. The wine is just slighly big, but not too over the top. It's pleasant to drink and will be very satisfy for those who like a Barber that is a little bigger and more full bodied than the Barbera norm.
The luncheon was quite nice, tasty the wonderful wines of Enricao Morando and his Montalbera Estate ... Everyone at the luncheon truly enjoyed the line-up of lovely wines, paired beautifully with our menu by Chef Matteo Bergamini, and the company of people on hand ...
Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
Note: I've been serving The Montalbera Ruche Tradizione 2102 at my restaurant for the past two months now .. The wine is truly wonderful and his been a big hit with each and every customer I've served it to. They love it ...
RUCHE
MONTALBERA
Saturday, March 8, 2014
MEATBALL PARM MONDAYS
The MEATBALL PARM
MEATBALL
PARM MONDAYS
The Meatball Parm Sandwich, as stated
earlier, the Meatball Parm is one of thee Italian-American males most treasured things in life. Things he needs to live a happy, normal, satisfying
life, and an actual necessity for true Happiness. It’s right up there with Mom,
Grandma, Sausages and Sunday Sauce. We ask not for much!
No
you do not have to be a Man or a Boy to eat one. Ladies and Girls eat them as
well. It’s just that the male of the species
happens to Eat 5 Times the amount that Italian-American Women do. Not only
that, but the male of the species holds Meatballs and Meatball Parms in much
Greater Reverence, than do the females. They “Exalt” it, as the Meatball Parm,
it deserves such adulation. The men and
boys adore it and get quite excited at the prospect and act of eating one, the
“Meatball Parm.” And ladies who make them, know how much it is loved, cherished
even.
Yes
Italian-American ladies and girls like this thing called the Meatball Parm too,
but they don’t get quite as excited
about this sandwich as the males do.
Meatball Parms are held quite
dear to Italian men. Yes, it’s a guy thing, and more
specifically, an Italian Guy thing. Yes, Italian-American males have given the
Meatball Parm Iconic Status within our lives and realm of food. Why? We’re
Italian, that’s all.
The Great Ritual of the Meatball Parm Monday
and it ties to the Sunday Sauce. You make the Meatballs for the Sauce, The
“Gravy.” On Saturday you will buy all the meat, the Sausages and the rest of
the ingredients for your Sunday Sauce (Gravy) to be made on Sunday. However, on Saturday you are already thinking
about those Meatball Parms for Monday’s
lunch.
Yes
Meatball Parms on Monday, following the previous days Sunday Sauce. You see,
you have to think ahead. Every good Italian
knows that when you go through all the effort and time it will take to make
a pot
of Sunday Sauce, that you don’t just make it for
Sunday’s consumption alone. No, that would be a waste of time to make just
enough to eat on Sunday. It takes time,
effort, energy, and work to make a
Sunday Sauce, which of course
is well worth it. You do not mind the work involved at all, for in the
end, the “Rewards are Great.”A Sunday
Sauce will yield, the beloved Sausages,
Gravy, Braciole, succulent
Ribs, and Meatballs for Monday’s Meatball
Parms.
It does not really take much more time to
make a larger quantity in order to have leftovers for the next day or two, and
this is just what one wants to do, is to keep
the sauce going, and going for
another day, even two. And in those
leftovers are the much Prized at Monday’s Lunch for, of course “Meatball
Parms.” Yes, the men love and need Meatball
Parms on Monday, for the Ritual of the Meatball Parms of Monday is
“Time-Honored” and enjoyed by many. As the saying goes, “The Simple
Pleasure of Life,” here it is quite apropos.
So, you see, on Saturday when one goes to
buy the ingredients to make the Gravy, they automatically know to make sure they get enough
ground meat to make plenty of
Meatballs that will last the
Sunday Supper as well
as yielding numerous left-overs for Monday’s Meatball Parms for Monday.
The men, methodically make sure that there are enough leftover Meatballs for
Monday’s lunch. When all are finished eating the great “Sauce” on Sunday, they
set some Meatballs aside for the next days Meatball Sandwiches. These sandwiches will make a
dreaded Monday so much better. Think
about?
And if there are leftover Sausages? On
Tuesday one can make Spaghetti with Sauce and Sausages, or even a Sausage Sandwich.
Think ahead boys and girls, and Mangia
Bene!”
Friday, March 7, 2014
LITTLE ITALY NEW YORK
LITTLE ITALY
MULBERRY & BROOME
NEW YORK
CAFFE ROMA
TONY'S NUT HOUSE
GROTTO AZZURA
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
SINATRA
SINATRA
Excerpt From SUNDAY SAUCE
by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
SINATRA
It’s
almost impossible to speak of Italian-America and Italian-American Food without
mentioning Italian-America’s favorite son and most cherished icon of all, one
Francis Albert Sinatra, Frank Sinatra, or simply Frank. Frank Sinatra achieved great success in his life, becoming
one of the 20th Century’s Greatest Recording Stars, and a Movie Star
as well. He achieved the great American Dream. Well, Frank went way beyond
that. Most Italian Americans back then, the poor and middle class had
upbringings like the Sinatra’s (lower Middle-class), whose greatest wish was to
have a good job and possibly buy ones own home. That was the dream. Frank
achieved it, but he had even higher dreams and aspirations. Dreams of becoming
a great and famous recording artist, which he achieved and far surpassed, not
only to become one of the top musical artist of his day, but one of the
greatest of the century and of all-time.
And as
great as all these achievements were and still are, Frank was much more than
that. Frank Sinatra was greatly beloved by his Italian-American brethren in an
enormous way. He was and still is “almost God Like” to his millions of loving
and adoring fans. Frank Sinatra was a man who Italian-Americans looked up to,
and bragged about as being one of our own, “Our Paesano.” And not only to us
(Italian-Americans), but to Americans of all creeds and races, who simply loved
and enjoyed the beautiful music the man made.
Frank Sinatra couldn’t read music and in the
beginning and didn’t have music lessons, but his voice, “The Voice” as he was
known, his voice was his instrument and many great musicians who were
classically trained and accomplished musicians often stated that Sinatra was a
great musician, one of the greatest. For Frank, his wonderful voice was an instrument;
an instrument Frank knew how to use to absolute perfection. The man could sing
a love song and particularly a Torch Song like no other. Sinatra was the King of Torch Songs. One of the reasons
many have said he was so adept at singing these torch songs, songs of lost love, was that when singing them,
Frank was always singing about the greatest love of his life, Ava Gardner and
the love lost between them.
Any way, yes Frank’s music was and still is
some of the most wonderful of all time. People love and listen to the music,
the music of Sinatra. It makes them feel good, and brings back memories of good
times, and maybe even bittersweet
feelings of love lost, the music of
Frank Sinatra always moves you. I know it does for me. Bravo Frank, your memory
and music live on, today, tomorrow and forever more, we shall cherish and enjoy
the music and the man, Frank Sinatra.
FRANK & DEAN
Dean Martin (Dino) & Frank Sinatra
Partying in VEGAS
Read about Sinatra and the Italian-American lifestyle, the people, the kitchen, the table, and traditions of the Italian-American peoples, which one of the biggest and most beloved traditions was listening to "The Man & His Music" one Francis Albert Sinatra of Hoboken, New Jersey. Read of Frank and Italian-America, cook and eat, as Frank plays on your Record Player .. Ladies and Gentlemen, "It doesn't get and better than that."
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