Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Carbone Going Corporate


CARBONE
and
The Former ROCCO'S SIGN

Thompson Street
GREENWICH VILLAGE
NEW YORK


The juggernaut, as the New York Times recently called then, The Torris Boys (Major Foods) is going corporate. "Watch Out Boys and Girls," that means exclusiveness, cachet, and overall cool factor goes down. Major expansion, they going corporate, McDonaldesque if you will. Well not quite, but you know what I mean. The so called Torrisi Boys, Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and partner Jeff Zalaznick who own and operate; Carbone, Parm (2 locations), Torrisi Italian Specialties, and ZZ plan on major expansion in the next couple of years with a large bakery/ restaurant downtown, that will partner with Melissa Weller and feature fresh baked; Bagels,Danish, Bear Claws, Challah Bread, yeast based and other baked goods. Jeff Zalaznick states, "It's going to be our version of Barney Greengrass."
     The partners whose Parm Restaurant on Mulberry Street next to their first place Torrisi Italian Specialties has been super successful from day one and quickly spawned a sister Parm at Yankee Stadium. The Torrisi Boys (Major Foods) plan on opening several more outposts of PARM all over New York, in; Battery Park, 2 in Brooklyn of which one be near to The Barclay's Center and another in Williamsburg, the Upper West Side and who knows where else? The New York Times says they plan on building Parm into a citywide Shake Shack style franchise. "Good Luck." Corporate, make a ton of money, but majorly lose cachet and so-called cool-factor. You can't have it all boys. They probably do.
    Most well-heeled New Yorkers hate chains a corporate conglomerates when it comes to restaurants. Many giant nation-wide food chains who've made it big in a large part of the country thought they'd come in to New York and knock-em-dead. Not! Discerning New Yorkers tend to like small independent restaurants, not corporate like Applebee's and Bennigans. When you see restaurants like Red Lobster and Olive Garden doing well around Times Square it's tourists and the less well healed New Yorkers going to them, the rest of us hate chain restaurants. 
    So it will remain to see what happens with Parm, Carbone and the now much smaller Major Foods (Torrisi Boys) empire. With a good number more Parm Outlets open, will the original loss it cachet and hot-factor? Who knows? Probably. And what of Carbone, the flagship of the corporation which has from day one and to this point (March 20, 2014) been uber-hot and still New York's Hottest Restaurant Ticket in Town? Time will tell, and ...


DBZ





PARM

Mulberry Street


Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin



FRANK & DEAN

NOW THAT'S COOL" !!!!











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!”




by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

Excerpt from SUNDAY SAUCE



SUNDAY SAUCE is Available in Paperback and Kindle Editions on AMAZON.com