NEW YORK TIMES 3 STARS CARBONE

Pete Wells, The New York Times food critic gives Carbone 3 Stars, but his Review barely rates a Fair. It was an awful Blase Review of New York's Hottest new Restaurant, Carbone. Don't get your signals crossed, Wells didn't right badly about Carbone, it's just that his writing style of this article wasn't very good, it was again, in fact Blase and harkens back to the awful New York Times Reviews of Frank Bruni .. The article had no sustenance, no pizzazz. Wells told as that the Vongole could have been more flavorful, The Tira Mi Su wasn't that good, that the Veal Parm was the way you always hoped it would be. He liked the Rigatoni and Tortellini, as well as Lobster Fra Diavolo and Scampi.

We've been waiting a few months for The New York Times to review Carbone and we gotta say, the reveiw is a disappointment. Grub Street, The New York Observer, New York Magazine, and even The New York Post put out better reviews to The Times Blase one.

Pete Wells generally writes a good review, but this one, as The Big Boys in Brooklyn would say, Fuhgettabout-it !!! You get a "Satisfactory" on this one Pete. In the end, not many will remember how poorly this review was written, but the fact that Carbone got a 3 Star New York Times review.  And I'm sure Mario Carbone and Rich Torissi could care less that the piece wasn't written very well, but that they got 3 Stars. For now on, that's all they are anyone will say, Three Stars from The New York Times. Basta!

JOE'S DAIRY CLOSING and NEW YORK LOSES ANOTHER GREAT OLD INSTITUTION

Yes folks,sad but true, Joe's Dairy is closing. After 60 years in business, the beloved little Cheese Shop, a.k.a. "Jimmy The Cheeseman's Store" from The Pope of Greenwich Village, will sell their last ball of fresh Home Made Mozzarella (The best in The City) at 6 PM today May, 11 2013, and New York and the Italian Community of South Greenwich Village loses but one more beloved institution.

This is particularly a major blow to we Italian-Americans who lost our much loved Rocco Restorante on Thompson Street in The Village last year. Rocco's, after 90 years in Greenwich Village lost it's lease last year and The Torissi Boys quickly swooped in to open "Carbone," which promised to be a classic Old School Downtown New York Italian Red Sauce Joint like Rocco's was, but with $50 Veal Parmigiano and $52 Veal Marsala on the menu, it just doesn't seem so.

And so my friends we lose another beloved old New York Mom-and-Pop business to greed landlords.  It's a Sin, and we all wish something could be done about this scourge. Bye-Bye Joe's we'll surely miss you there on Sullivan Street, and we're gonna miss New York's Best Mozz. So we're do we go now? I still refuse to set food in that awful, overprice commercial enterprise Eataly, that's for tourist and another type of person I will not mention. Guess I'll have to walk down to DiPalo's. Joe's was only 2 blocks from my house. I'll miss it so.

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

CUOZZO DOESN'T Say "VEAL IS BEST In CITY" HE GIVES CARBONE 2 STARS

UNLIKE VIRGIL SOLOZZO in THE GODFATHER

CUOZZO DOESN'T Say "VEAL IS THE BEST In THE CITY"

Finicky (Notoriously "Off The Mark") New York Post Food Critic Steve Cuozzo gives Carbone a luke-warm 2 Stars and quotes The Godfather, saying" The Veal is not the Best in The City," a line made famous by Al Litieri as Vrigil Sollozzo tells crooked New York City Police Captain McColskey, when he ask, "How's the Italian Food in this restaurant (Louie's)?" Solozzo tels him to get the Veal, it's the best in the city. Well Cuozzo definitely didn't think that of the Veal at Carbone.

Cuzzo on Carbone's Pasta 

"Pasta monotonously lacked contrast or texture. Only one of six I tried rang the bell: modestly named, immodestly priced ($30) spaghetti de mare. The joy lay less in showoff elements like rock shrimp, bay scallops and razor clams, than in crackling tomato, garlic, chili, parsley and garlic. Most others evoked mediocre trattorias, especially dry and clumpy angel hair begging for more olive oil."

Cuzzo on Carbone's Clams:

Clams three ways batted .333; while oreganata clicked, neither lardo on top of casinos, nor sea urchin in a “fantasia” preparation was my idea of heaven.

Steve Cuozzo's Fianl Statement on Carbone:

"A restaurant born of so much talent and expectation should dazzle us from inizio alla fine. Carbone flickers like a teasing moon through billows of pomp — in a town full of truly great Italian places, it’s an offer I’ll gently refuse."

$50.00 VEAL PARMESAN Is ENOUGH For TWO

NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW "THE BIGGY" YET To COME

STEAK AND STEAK-HOUSE CAPITAL of THE WORLD ? NEW YORK !

NEW YORK Is The STEAK and STEAK-HOUSE CAPITAL of THE WORLD ! 
Where The Famed PORTERHOUSE And NEWPORT STEAKS WERE FIRST CREATED !!!



New York is a Steak Kingdom. One of the greatest places on Earth and a World Capital of  Steaks. Some would say Argentina. Yes Argentina is a land of Steaks, and the Argentinians eat more steak then any other peoples on earth. However when it comes to Steak Houses and Steaks and the experience of going to a great Steak House and having Great Steak Houses, there is no place on Gods good Earth that comes near New York "The Steak House Capital of The World" with the # 1 most Famous Cherished Steak House in all the World "Peter Luger's" in Brooklyn, New York ... Luger's is legendary and in terms of Steak House's "God Like," no other can touch it. New York has other great and famous Steak Houses such as; Smith & Wollensky, Frankie & Johnnies, The Old Homestead, Keens, and others including the famed Sparks where Mafia Boss Paul Castellano was gunned-down "Whacked" in on e of the most famous "Mob Hits" of all-time.
    Yes, New York is the World Capital of Steak Houses, as it is a World Capital and Thee American Capital of Pizza, World Capital of Jewish Delis, Pastrami and Corned Beef, a Burger Capital and in competition with Paris for the # 1 Dining Restaurant Capital of The World. A Lot of Capitals ! And that's just food, not to mention, Capital of The Publishing World, Finance, Art, Music, Theater, Fashion, writing and what-not.
   Back to the Steak Capital. Do you know where the Newport and Porterhouse Steak was invented? Yes, New York of course. The Newport Steak, a great steak that's relatively unknown even in its native Greenwich Village where it was created by Italian immagrant butcher Jack Ubaldi at his little Butcher Shop in the heavily Italian populated neighborhood back in the 1940. The Newport Steak is quite wonderful, a tasty little steak cut from the Tri-Tip Bottom Sirloin. If you've never had one, do yourself a favor and run over to the Village a snag a Newport or two from the famed famed butcher shop still open, where the Newport was created, Florence Prime Meat Market in Greenwich Village. Pino's Prime Meats, a 100 plus Year Old Italian Butcher Shop on Sullivan Street cuts a mean Newport as well.
    Well, now on to the Porterhouse King of Steaks. Back in the early days of our lustrous city, in the 1700 and 1800 there were places (Inns / Restaurants) called Porterhouses where weary travelers; sailors or whom ever would go to and rest, eat, have a ale or two or what-not. Porterhouses were usually located at Stagecoach stops, Railroad Stations, and sailing ports. They got their name Porterhouse in that they served Porter Ale, along with certain eats such as soup, stew, steaks, and various other foods.
  The invention, creation of the Porterhouse Steak? It was at a Morrison's Porterhouse on Pearl Street in lower Manhattan in or around 1814 .. A sailor who was quite hungry walked into Morrison's Porterhouse on Pearl Street and ordered a steak. Not too many minutes Martin Morrison had served up the last steak he had on hand. None left he told the hungry sailor. The sailor was not having it. He was dam hungry and said he must have a piece of Beef, and only Beef would do. Morrsion had a large Roast Cooking up in his kitchen that was a long way off from being done. Martin Morrsison had an idea. An idea that would satisfy and make the hungry sailor quite happy. He was gonna get the steak, piece of beef he said he just had to have. Not only would the sailor get his steak, but now, here we have this very day, Martin Morrison being written and talked about and acknowledged as the man who created the famed Porterhouse Steak. A bit of Culinary Fame, but no compensation for creating such a glorious thing. Well Morrsion never knew, and hopefully he was a happy man. Anyway, what did Morrsion do you say? That large Roast Beef he had that was far from being finished, well Morrsion cut a piece off the end. That piece included a piece of sirloin and a piece of the filet of the beef with a bone in-between the two cuts of meat, a 
T-Bone. Morrison cut this piece off the big roast, cooked it up and served it to the Hungry Sailor. The sailor devoured that Steak (The First Ever Porterhouse Steak), of course with a stein of Porter Ale to wash everything down. The Sailor was satisfied. Very much so, and ordered up another, and told Morrsion, "For now on, I'd like my Steak always served this way," exactly  the same cut and everything. And so it was. Morrsion had hios butcher cut him steaks this way, what we now now as a Porterhouse Steak, created in Lowere Manhattan, New York, NY, World Capital of Steaks and Steak Houses, "There is No Disputing This," New Yoprk and Steaks, they go together.

NEW YORK and THE $3.00 PBR "PABST BLUE RIBBON BEER"

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PABST BLUE RIBBON BEER

New York & The $3 PBR

"IT STILL EXISTS" !!!! 2022

New York and the $3.00 PBR, Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer has been a God-Send to many New Yorkers. As you all know, the US Economy has been in the Shitter for the past 5  years or so.

Many people are out of work, and many who are working, are taking home Half-as-Much Money or more of what they used to make. People have had to buckle down and give up or curb many things they enjoyed previous to the current state of our economy, which is in almost a Depression Era State.

Yes, everybody says that we are not in a Depression, we're in a recession. Those are the Rich and Well-Off, The 1%-ers  talking. To many, the state of our Union and their feelings are of Depression.

So, because of the Terrible State of our Economy you have given up eating out 3 times a week, you buy less clothes, spend less on Entertainment and any number of things. You haven't had a vacation in the past two years, maybe more. You've given up a lot. We all have.

Now when it comes to socializing, going out for a few Beers or Cocktails with some friends, you've had to cut back on that too. But hey, you gotta draw a line somewhere, and everyone is entitled to a few drinks to unwind every now and then, and to be with friends. Yes times are bad, people are hurting, you need your friends more than ever. And having a few Beers or Drinks is one of the most common adult ways to do so. It's natural and part of everyday life. You should be able to have two or three drinks or beers and not have to spend a small fortune doing so. You should be able to have 2 beers for about $10 including tip, and about $16 for tow drinks including tip. That's reasonable. That's what most people pay around America, and even less. But we don't live in America, we live in the greatest City in The World, New York, and Cocktails and Beers here can be oh-so-dear. "Expensive!" Expensive as Hell, "Ridiculously Expensive." It's absurd and outrageous, with many places thinking it's normal and OK to charge $16.00 or more for a measly little Cocktail made by a friggin so-called "Mixologist." Ha!  It's not OK, what's a person to do? So yes, we live in New York, and having a couple cocktails here can be a costly undertaking.. What is a Poor Working Guy or Working Girl to do??? Well Boys and Girls, let's Thank God for that great thing of wonder and the Bars and establishments who so graciously and kindly serve it, The $3.00 PBR, That's right, a $3.oo Beer in The Land of The Over-Priced $16.00 Cocktail, Manhattan, New York, NY..... It's quite Sad, Greedy too, not to mention "Ridiculous Ludicrous and Insane."

Yes, Thank God and let's thank the Kind-Hearted proprietors who serve $3.00 PBR'S or any Beer for just $3 or $4 in a New York Bar. You are doing your fellow man a public service and we thank you for that. Whoever you are, you are to be commended, and Shame-On-You, all those places that serve $14 PLUS Cocktails. "RIP-OFF" !!! Wish the masses would Boycott these places and patronize places like Blue & Gold Bar, 7B, and anyplace who has a heart. Bars that serve 3 and 4 Dollar Beers.

I just have to say, it's great to go to a place like Blue and Gold Bar on East 7th Street and know that you can have 3 or 4 Beers for just $12 to $16, accounting for a Buck a Pop for the Barkeep. Now that's pretty good. I have had the best times hanging at Blue & Gold with some friends. You sit at the Bar or get into a nice comfy booth, drink your Beers ($3 PBR'S), relax, listen to the Music, Chit Chat, and just enjoy, and it's not going to cost you The Shirt Off Your Back.

Yes, you can have 4 Beers, tip included for the price of 1 Rip-Off Drink at one of those Rip-Off Joints. And if you are Dumb enough to have four drinks in one of those places, guess what it's going to cost you? About $75 my friend.

Well, do the Math, and if you can afford $75 for only 4 drinks, God Bless You. And if you can't, you've got an alternative. Right, your local $3.00 PBR Joint. They're a God-Send.

 Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Copyright 2008 Daniel Bellino Zwicke

PLACES To GET A $3.00 PBR in NEW YORK

BLUE & GOLD BAR in the East Village, on East 7th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues. Blue & Gold has long been a favorite of mine ever since I lived in the East Village from 1982 to 1994. It's just a cool ol normal old style bar with a pool table, standard 50's 60's Bar Decor, and Best-of-All $3.oo PBR'S and $6.00 Cocktails. I love it.

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7B   a.k.a. The Horseshoe Bar, also in the East Village, a bastion of cheap and fare prices in Manhattan and Land of The $3.00 PBR and other $3 and $4 Beers.  7B  is located on the corner of Avenue B at 7th Street, hence the name "7B"  ... The nickname Horseshoe Bar comes from the shape and dimensions of the bar, "Horseshoe Shaped." The bar has been the setting of numerous movie shoots, including the scene in Godfather II when Frankie Pantangeli (Frankie 5 Angels) goes to this bar for a meeting with the Rosato Brothers, and Danny Aiello raps a Piano-Wire around his neck. A scene from Crocodile Dundee and other movies as well ....  But Best of all, at 7B they serve $3.00 Beers, cheap drinks, and they have a photo and sell Potato Chips and Pretzels which practically no bars in Manhattan ever do any more. And this is a good thing when you get the munchies from the Beer. Glory Hallelujah, thank God for 7B .. 

AMERICA'S FAVORITE FOOD

And SECRET RECIPES

BURGERS TACOS BURRITOS

SOUP SNDWICHES BBQ

And MORE ...

AMAZON.com

LUCY

"LUCY'S BAR"

135 AVENUE A  NY NY

Lucy’s Bar is the most aptly named bar in New York. For Lucy—the quiet and small and sweetly proper Polish owner with the well-coifed gray hair and floral blouses—is who you’ll see when you go there, and Lucy is the one who will serve you. If there are other employees, they’ve hidden themselves somewhere in the back.

Though Lucy’s is undeniably a dive (and one of the last in the neighborhood), it feels more like your aunt’s aging rec room, a place where you’d never think of disrespecting the house’s hospitality. It’s also one of the last vestiges of the Polish community that was once made up a significant part of the East Village’s character.

Ludwika “Lucy” Mickevicius moved from Poland to New York in the late 1970s and soon got a job at Blanche’s, a bar on St. Mark’s Place run by another Polish woman. She became such a fixture that people began to think of the bar as Lucy’s, and, when Blanche retired, she sold the place—by then located on Avenue A—to her bartender.

Lucy’s life doesn’t range much further than the twin poles of her joint and Poland, which she visits regularly, shutting up the tavern at a moment’s notice and disappearing for weeks at a time. Most nights, she stations herself at the far end of the bar near the ancient cash register. (It’s cash only here.) One recent evening, the Halloween balloons hadn’t yet been taken down. Then again, assorted Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations were already out. Maybe none of the decorations are ever packed up?

Lucy doesn’t budge much behind the bar, but she keeps herself busy for a woman in her mid-70s. She will draw you a pint or a glass of tequila. And, if she likes you, she might pour you a shot of żubrówka, a Polish bison grass vodka, on the house. When the place gets stuffy, she’ll swing open the door to let some fresh Avenue A air in; just as quickly, she’ll close it if it gets chilly.

The clientele ranges from a less-intense sort of downtown hipster, who exchange a few friendly words with Lucy—who, even all these years later, still speaks in broken, accented English—and then retire to their personal conversations, to old Polish regulars. In fact, on another recent night, a young couple came in to show Lucy their young child. All four spoke entirely in Polish and a delighted Lucy let the little scamp climb atop the pool table. As they left, she handed the kid one of the old Halloween balloons. For those few minutes, Lucy’s was a family bar.

2022 and You Can Still GET a $3 PBR

LYS MYYKTA aka  "The SLY FOX

142 2nd Avenue, New York NY - The EAST VILLAGE

LYSMYKTA aka "THE SLY FOX" is a Ukranian Bar in a Ukranian neighborhood in

New York's East Village. There's a Ukranian Restaurant in the back, serving delicious Ukranian Food and very reasonable prices. Yes this is thee main neighborhood of Ukranian peoples in New York City. The restaurants great, and any bar that serves $3 PBR Beer is great in my book too.

If you can go some place for drinks (beers), to hang and chit-chat  and have 3 Beers, and not have to spend more than $15, that's a place for me. You shouldn't have to pay $40 plus for just 2 drinks (or $60 for 3). People who don't make quite so much money as Lawyers, Wall Street Guys and whoever, should be able to afford to go for 2 or 3 drinks and not spend an "Arm and a Leg" to do it. 

The SLY FOX is a place where you can do that, and thank God we have them, and a few other joints that we can do so.

LUCKY'S BAR

168 Avenue "A" New York NY , East Village

Get $3  PBRs at LUCKY'S BAR

168 AVENUE "A" NY NY

EAST VILLAGE

JOHNSON'S BAR  ... 168 RIVINGTON STREET, LES NEW YOIRK NY

Inside JOHNSON'S BAR

$2  PBRs

PABST BLUE RIBBON BEER

Johnson's Bar

NY NY

MORE PLACES to GET $3 PBRs

CATS SPORTS BAR -  96 GREENWICH STREET at RECTOR NY NY  $3 PBRs

WALTER'S BAR - 389 8th Avenue Near 32nd Street and MADISON SQUARE GARDEN .. $3PBR

DOC HOLIDAY'S   141 AVENUE "A" East Village NY NY  - $2  PBRs

MILANO'S

MILANO'S

51  EAST HOUSTON STREET

NEW YORK NY

One of the last authentic old-school bars in NYC. How old-school? Milano's opened in 1880, and maintains a no-frills comfortably old-fashioned atmosphere.

The SPRING LOUNGE

aka SHARK BAR

45 SPRING STREET NEW YORK NY

The SHARK BAR

SPRING STREET at MOTT

Back in the day, when it was an ITALIAN NEIGHBORHOOD here.

Where it GOt its NICKNAME "SHARK BAR"

Nobody "In The KNow" calls it Spring Lounge, only Green Newcomers to Downtown New York would ever call it SPRING LOUNGE. For years it was a neighborhood "Shot & Beer" Joint. It became treny about 20 years ago (1999)

Those "In The Know" like me, only ever call it "The Shark Bar" ... It got this name from

the fake SHARK hanging over the bar, and that's that!

You can't get $3 Beers here, but we incuded it anyway. And although it's a Trendy so-called Hipster Bar, those of us Old Timers who still call it The Shark Bar, it still has a special place in our hearts.

Basta !

   

GOT ANY KAHLUA ?

The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

Daniel Zwicke

AMAZON.com

169 BAR

Lower East Side

If Clockwork’s happy hour special seems too good to be true, you’ve got a little good old fashioned neighborhood competition to thank. Located right around the corner, 169 has been in operation since 1916. And its 11:30am-7:30pm HH is among the best in the city. $3 will get you an “Old Man Can/Bottle” of beer (PBR, Carling Black Label, Schaefer, Genesee Cream, High Life/Miller Lite) and any well shot. Subtly New Orleanian environs (window shutters look like they’re fresh off a Creole cottage; beads are strung here and there; there’s crawfish on the menu) evoke genuine good times.

    .

ITALIAN AMERICAN ... WHAT IS IT?

There has long been a debate, fights, and Mud-Slinging in regards to Italian and Italian-American
food served in restaurants in New York and the rest of the U.S.. Culinary Snobs, people who "Think" they know what they are talking about and what not. I can set the record straight, being an
 Italian-American who has been eating Italian and Italian-American food for more than forty years, who has been professional Chef and someone who has eaten all over Italy on some 15 trips to the great peninsular. In addition to studying Italian Food in Italy for some 25 years, I am constantly reading all sorts of articles , cookbooks, and historical facts on this subject, in addition to being one of the countries foremost authorities on Italian Wine.
   Anyway, let me tell you. I myself was once a uninformed Food Snob who badmouthed and was slightly disdainful of unauthentic Italian food being served in restaurants all over the city. That's just in restaurants. Of course I Loved eating Sunday Sauce, Eggplant Parmigiano, and Meatballs that my aunts made at our frequent family get together s. And on the occasions that we weren't at one of the family's homes but in an Italian restaurant in Lodi or Garfield, I usually ordered Chicken  or Veal Parmigiano. Yes I loved it, but these dishes, for me at the time (1985-1993) had their place, and it was not in the kitchen or on the plates of any serious Italian Restaurant in Manhattan.
   Eventually as I learned more of the history of food in New York, Italy, and the World, I realized that there was actually a real true Italian-American Cuisine and that it was completely valid.
  Do you realize that if you think there is not a true valid Italian-American Cuisine, then you also must concede that there is No True French Cuisine, because the origins of what we now know as French food and Cuisine is really Italian. Yes, I said Italian. For the food and cuisine of French was quite primitive and did not begin to form into what we now know as French Food and French Cuisine until Caterina Medici of the Noble Florentine Family of the Medici married the King of France and brought her Florentine Chefs with her to the French Court way back in the 15th Century. So there. Many dishes which most people think of as French in origin, like Duck ala Orange, Bechamel, and others, are really Italian. "So there!"
   Anyway, back to Italian-American food. Food and cuisines are constantly changing and evolving. This is how Florentine Chefs of Italy, went to France with the newly crowned French Queen who was of the Italian Peninsular in one Katherine Medici  and taught the French how to cook. Thus Italians immigrating to the United States in the early 20th Century brought their ingredients and techniques from mother Italy to cook the dishes from their homeland, with some modifications do to financial issues (being poor) and the unavailability of certain ingredients, and started forming what would one day be known as Italian-American  food (Cuisine).




"to be Continued"


Daniel Bellino Zwicke

FRANK SINATRA

ONE of THE GREATEST

ITALIAN AMERICAN'S of ALL

Sebastiano Rosa, Daniel Bellino Zwicke, and Givani Folnari at New York Tasting

BIG BOYS of ITALIAN WINE Piero Incisa Rochetta, Giovani Folnari, Daniel Bellino Zwicke, Sebastiano Rosa and ,A. Chiarlo at Recent new York Italian Wine Tastings

             














Piero Incisa Rochetta of SASSICAIA with Giovanni Folnari (Nozzole in Greve) and Alberto 
Chiarlo of MICHELE CHIARLO BAROLO






  






Sebastiano Rosa with Daniel Bellino-Zwicke and Giovanni Folnari

New And Old Ideas Of Absinthe

Absinthe or as it is called, The Green Fairy, has quite the reputation to live up to if one were to believe all of the accusations made against it of bygone days. The drink, a bright green alcoholic beverage is made up of herbs and ethanol. Those who made it famous during the early 19th and 20th century include many artists and writers such as Vincent van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse- Lautrec, Charles Baudelaire, and others. While there is an essence of creativity tied to the drink, there is also a history of lunacy or outrageous behavior. In this, the drink became outlawed with the belief that it had high doses of the ingredient thujone, which was making people act bizarre or insane. It hasn't been until the last few decades that advocates of absinthe and scientists alike have taken another look at the drink to see why it received such a bad rap. With modern technology, it was determined that the drink itself was not dangerous at all and the amounts of thujone were actually rather innocuous. Scientist Ted Breaus published a treatise in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, stating that most absinthe-based liquor being produced now contains the chemical in a 5:1,000,000 ratio. That's 5 parts thujone to a million parts of absinthe. So why did it make people behave so bizarre? And why have countries spent years treating absinthe as contraband only to be purchased on the black market? Historical evidence has shown that during the early days of producing absinthe, many of the home brewed or bootlegged brews did not undergo any type of distillation or sanitary processing. This may have caused impurities to show up in the drink and contaminate it. Such impurities could have caused dangerous forms of hallucinations. This, followed by early researches done on the drink proving it bad, can also now be proved to be faulty. In truth, people just drank too much of it and the bad behavior of people was simply about being very drunk. Today, like all alcohol, absinthe is highly regulated by both international and national laws. Only absinthe liquors with thujone-free labels (or less than 10:1,000,000/10ppm thujone.) are allowed to be put up for public sale. There are also medical warnings included regarding over-consumption of liquor. Many countries that had outlawed absinthe in the past are now changing their laws around. In the 1990s, the European Union began to reauthorize absinthe's manufacture and sale. As of February 2008, nearly 200 brands of absinthe were being produced in a dozen countries, most notably in France, Switzerland, Spain, and the Czech Republic. Commercial distillation of absinthe in the United States resumed in 2007 Other countries never banned absinthe, notably Britain, where absinthe had not been as popular as in continental Europe. Absinthe was also never banned in Spain, and its production and consumption has never ceased. Australia was another country that never prohibited the manufacturing or use of absinthe, although they do have strict rules on importing any product containing oil of wormwood. In 1906, Belgium and Brazil banned the sale and distribution of absinthe, although they were not the first. Absinthe had been banned as early as 1898 in the colony of the Congo Free State. The prohibition of absinthe in France in 1915 led to increased popularity of pastis (and of ouzo, to a lesser extent), which are anise-flavored spirits that do not contain wormwood.

In Switzerland, the ban drove the purchase of absinthe underground. Clandestine (illegal) home distillers produced absinthe after the ban, focusing on la Bleue, which was easier to conceal from the authorities. In the Netherlands, restrictions on the manufacture and sale of Absinthe were successfully challenged by the Amsterdam wine seller Menno Boorsma in July 2004, making absinthe legal once again. Belgium, as part of an effort to simplify its laws, removed its absinthe law on 1 January 2005, citing (as did the Dutch judge) European food regulations as sufficient to render the law unnecessary (and indeed, in conflict with the spirit of the Single European Market). In Switzerland, the constitutional ban on absinthe was repealed in 2000 during an overhaul of the national constitution, although the prohibition was written into ordinary law instead. Later that law was repealed, so from 1 March 2005, absinthe was again legal in its country of origin. Today, matter-of-fact, most members of the European Union are now allowed to sale absinthe, as long as it is limited to 10 milligrams of thujone per kilogram (some of the absinthes of yesteryear boasted up to six times that amount). You can buy absinthe in grocery chains in the Czech Republic and in liquor stores in Denmark, Sweden, New Zealand and Japan. Bars and restaurants in Britain began serving it when they discovered it was never formally banned in the country. Yes, the legacy of absinthe as a mysterious, addictive, and mind-altering drink continues to this day - this is why it is said there is an absinthe of old and new. But even with this legacy, more and more people are starting to enjoy absinthe again, knowing it is a safe yet unique drink, finally back on the shelves for consumption.Green Devil provides information, tips and kits on the making and history of absinthe throughout the ages. Learn more about the allure this beverage has held over the centuries or make your own absinthe alcohol and find out for yourself. Visit online for more information.

by ROBERT BELL

Big Guns of Italian Wine in Town

Giuseppe Tasca D'Almerita and Daniel Bellino Zwicke, Vittorio Fiore with Marilisa Allegrini, and Angela Macullan at Winebow Tasting 2008



Some ot the "Big Guns" of ITALIAN WINE where in Town and at the Winebow Portfolio Tasting on September 16th & 17th. First-Off was Vittorio Fiore, one of the Greatest Italian Winemakers of this time or anytime. Vittorio was Show his renowned Super Tuscan Wine "Il Carbbonione"
Vittorio produces Il Carbbonione on his beautiful wine estate Podere Poggio Scalette high up in one of Greve's highest vineyards where you can see the whole Chianti Classico wine zone from this vantage point. It is a beautiful sight where I have been forunate on two occasions to spend time tasting wine with Vittorio and his sons while nibbling on the wonderful homemade Salami and Prosciutto that son and Vineyard Manager Jyuri Fiore makes with the help from great old friend "Dante." Dante is a wonderful old village farmer who knows how to make fantastic Salumi, among other things. He's a absolute gem!

Il Carbbonione is made of 100% Sangiovese. The 2004 vintage that Vittorio was pouring at the tasting was absolute perfection, strong but not too concentrated, exhibiting nice Black Cherry and earthiness in ,the mouth. Vittorio says it is one of his best vintage ever, "I agree completely."

Merilisa Allegrini (another Heavy Hitter) was on hand as well. Showing all the great Allegrini wines, including; La Grolla, La Poja, and thier 2003 Amarone, which as usual is one of the regions top producers of famed Amarone.

Giuseppe Tasca d' Almerita was present. Giuseppe and his family make one of Sicily's most famous and renowned wines "Rosso del Conte" Rosso del Conte is mad of 100% Nero d'Avola. This wine along with "Duca Enrico" is the greatest and most prestigious in all of Sicily. When tasted, I had a incrediable explosion of Ripe Red Fruit flavors in my mouth. The wine was phenominal, smooth, silky, and perfectly balance as Rosso del Conte usually is. This is one of Italy most consistenly wonderful primium wines. "Always Great!"


reported by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

SUNDAY SAUCE ....... Daniel Bellino Zwicke

SUNDAY SAUCE
Meatballs

and the "Meatball Parm Sandwich" you make on
Monday after the Sunday you make the sauce.








SUNDAY SAUCE


One of the great traditions of the Italian American enclave in the U.S. is the ritual of Sunday afternoon when the entire family gets together for Mama’s or Nona’s famed “Sunday Sauce.” What is it? Well there are a number of variations on the theme. Most Sunday Sauce’s are made with Italian Sausage, Braciola, and Meatballs. Some people make theirs with pork ribs, beef neck, and possibly chicken thighs and backs. These meats are slowly simmered for several hours with tomato, minced onions, garlic, celery, and carrots. I generally like to make my Sunday Sauce with sausage, meatballs, and pork ribs. Other times I’ll make it with sausage, ribs, and braciola. An old tradition in some families is that mother or grandma would start the sauce early on a Sunday morning, get it simmering away for a couple hours on top of the stove, then put it in the oven for a couple hours while everyone goes to church, the sauce slowly simmers and when you get back home, the sauce is ready.
The Sunday Sauce that my mother would make was with sausage, meatballs and beef braciola. My memories are vivid watching my mother stuffing the braciola with garlic,
parsley, Pecorino, and pignoli nuts, then sewing up the bundles with a needle and thread so they would hold together while simmering in the gravy (many families all over the New York and around the country simply call Sunday Sauce “Gravy”). Another fond memory was helping my mother roll and shape the meatballs.
As for me, my Sunday Sauce will vary depending on my mood. One thing I love to do when making the sauce is the addition of pork spare ribs, which not to many people use, I love it.
Whenever people eat my sauce, they go nuts for the ribs and some are surprised cause they might never have had them in a sauce before. They didn’t know that you could use pork spareribs. The ribs are traditional with some but not everybody. It is quite a shame for those who don’t add the ribs because they give the sauce some wonderful flavor and they are incredibly delicious to eat after braising in the sauce for a couple of hours. Whenever I make the sauce and I’m dishing it out to friends and family, I always make sure that I have my fare share of the ribs. Pork ribs cooked in this manner, simmering in the sauce are oh so succulent and tasty. They are far beyond compare. “They are Out-of-this-World!!!” The friends, one-by-one, go nuts for them. “Yes they are most than tasty!”
And what to serve with the Sunday Sauce you ask? It should be a short macaroni; rigatoni, ziti, or gnocchi are best.
The rituals of cooking, serving, and eating Sunday Sauce is a time honored one. It is a beautiful thing. If you mention the term Sunday Sauce to any number of millions of Italian-Americans, the wheels start turning in their heads. Thoughts of how tasty it is, all the different components; the meatballs, sausages, braciola, (maybe ribs, beef or pork neck), the pasta, and the gravy itself.
They think about sitting at the table with friends and or family, people they love. They think about the antipasti that will start the meal and about some good Italian Wine, maybe a nice Chianti. They think about the warmth in the air, loved ones, Dino, Sinatra, and of course, the
Sunday Sauce itself. “It’s a beautiful thing!!!” If you’ve never done it, “Try it!” If you haven’t cooked one for some time, plan a get-together soon. “Sunday Sauce, it brings people together,” in a most delightful way.

PROSCIUTTOLESS In NEBRASKA

PROSCIUTTOLESS in NEBRASKA



It’s a well-known fact that there have been ten’s of thousands of displaced Italian-American New Yorkers over the years. Former Italian-American New Yorkers who have been in serious distress and mental anguish over the lack of good Italian restaurants and availability of quality Italian food products in the rest of the country, excluding of course cities like Boston, Philly, and San Francisco.
It’s a sad fact-of-life that many cities and towns in the U.S. are completely devoid of good Italian restaurants and specialty stores where people of Italian descent in need good fresh Italian sausages, bread, Prosciutto, Salami, Parmigiano Reggiano, olive oil, fresh mozzarella, cannoli, or any other simple necessities required to live a happy productive life, can purchase real good quality Italian food products or go out to eat at a proper Italian Restaurant or Pizzeria.
“Yes, believe it or not,” there are many places in this great nation of ours where the local citizenry are denied some of life’s greatest treats. It may be alright for the local natives who were born in these deprived areas, as for Italian-Americans who move to one of these places for whatever reasons, the deprivation caused by the lack of good honest Italian food is enough to cause un-nesesary anguish, yearning, and outright sadness in these displaced Italians.
Those of us who live in New York are extremely fortunate to have a plethora of the simple pleasures of outstanding Italian restaurants, pizzerias, bakeries, caffe’s, pasta shops, pork stores, wine shops, and Italian Specialty Shops that supply us with every Italian culinary treat under the Sun.
Yes we are blessed with restaurants like Rao’s,
San Domenico, Gino’s, Patsy’s, Elio’s, Lupa, Becco and others that serve tasty authentically prepared Italian food along with bakeries that bake magnificent bread, biscotti, cheesecake, cannoli, and other pastries. We have the best Pizzerias outside of Italy, like; Totonno’s, Lombardi’s, and John’s of Bleeker Street.
New Yorkers have great pork stores that prepare wonderful fresh sausage, braciole, Sopressetta, Cacatitorini, fresh mozzarella, and more. There are great Italian food emporiums where you can buy imported olive oils, vinegar, pasta, Prosciutto de Parma, Mortadella from Bologna, Gorgonzola, Fontina, Aceto Baslamico from Modena, porcini secco, and the sinful Tartufo Bianco when they are in season from mid October through early January is any true gourmands favorite time of the year, “White Truffle Season.”
We New Yorkers are blessed with amazing Italian Caffes that serve authentic pastries, gelato, and properly made espresso and cappuccino. Culinarily, we want for nothing!
“My condolences to those Americans who are deprived these simple little pleasures, excuse me, necessities to good, happy living!”

Prosciuttoless in Nebraska is excerpted from Daniel Bellino Zwicke's upcoming new Book, "La TAVOLA" filled with the adventures of ITALIAN AMERICAN NEW YORKERS and their Culinary Adventures cooking, tjrowing Dinner Parties,shopping for Italian Pastries at Rocco's Pastry Shop, Bread at Vesuvio's, and PROSCIUTTO, Salami, and Sausages at Faiacco's Pork Store. Dining out at such restaurants as Bar Pitti, Gino's, Elio's and Da Silvano's, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Calvin Klein, Paris Hilton, Richard Gere, Graydon Carter, and David Bowie just to name a few. They eat Pizza at John's Pizzeria,and Lombardi's, they cook, they laugh they cry.