Showing posts with label MARIO FLOTTA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MARIO FLOTTA. Show all posts

Sunday, June 21, 2015

DANTE NYC Not Really Italian






What is It ???

SMALL PLATES ECLECTIC MENU

Non-Driven Italian Wine List

Old Patrons Probably Won't Like It


Screen Shot 2015-06-21 at 5.00.55 PM

The New Dante
South Room Bar




Linden Pride

Caffe Dante's New Owner


DANTE The new owners, including Linden Pride, formerly of AvroKO, have spruced up the 100-year-old cafe with green leather banquettes, but the space retains a vintage Italian Greenwich Village look with its pressed tin ceiling. The menu is now mostly small plates: beef tartare, burrata, flatbread and cold pasta salad. Italian aperitifs dominate the cocktail list: 79-81 Macdougal Street (Bleecker Street), 212-982-5275




A Picture of Former Caffe Dante Owner
Mari Flotta on the Homepage of The New Dante

The new Dante on Macdougal Street in Greenwich Village is
absolutely nothing like the former beloved Caffe Dante, a caffe
that was a fixture of Greenwich Village for exactly 100 years
before closing earlier this year, when former owner
Mario Flotta sold Caffe Dante to Linden Pride who has been
quoted as saying the new Dante will be very much like the old
one with some changes. "Not" !!! The new Dante looks very nice
although quite different from the former caffe .. The entire concept
of the new Dante pretty much has nothing to do with the old one.
The New Dante has been billed as a Small Plates / Apertivo Bar 
that has little resemblance to anything remotely Italian .. It's billed
as an Italian Apertivo Bar, yet the Wine list has barely 20% 
Italian Wines in its makeup an the food apart from a few
Italian items, seems anything but Italian.

Although the new owner (s) has stated that the New Dante
will be very much like and in the spirit of the former Caffe Dante,
it seems doubtful that writers & students would be able to go into
the place, get a Cappuccino and sit writing for an hour or two.
The former Caffe Dante was a Greenwich Village Italian Caffe where
people could go just for a Cappuccino or Espresso and maybe a
pastry if they liked, hang out with friends or be there on there own just 
relaxing, reading, writing, whatever ..

There was a rumor that the new Dante would be serving dinner and drinks
at night and that is what customers would be expected to order, and
spend probably a minimum of $30 and upwards, but during the day 
people would be able to just go in for a Cappuccino or Espresso. it seems
doubtful that this will be possible, but time will tell. Time will tell what the
New Dante is, if its successful or not and if it stays the same as the owners
now intend or if it will morf into something else.


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The New DANTE
North Side Dining Room



APEROL SPRITZ

On The Menu









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Monday, March 23, 2015

It's Official Caffe Dante Has Closed

"IT'S OFFICIAL"
 
CAFFE DANTE HAS CLOSED
Caffe Dante shut its doors yesterday, Sunday March 22. 2015 ... A very sad moment as I watched my friend of 30 years Mario Flotta pull down his pictures of the many Celebrities that have spent time at Caffe Dante over the years. I had to hold back my tears when I said goodbye to Mario and he and his  two sons Mario Jr. and Anthony locked the doors for the last time.
 
I said goodbye to Mario and his sons and walked around the corner to go home, knowing my second home had closed for good. One of those sad moments in life, but one one must deal with never-the -less. 
 
 
ME & MARIO
 
Greenwich Village Writer Daniel Bellino Zwicke
and
Mario Flotta Sr. at Caffe Dante on The Day of its closing, 100 Years
after opening on Macdougal Street in Greenwich Village ... A Very Sad Day to say the least.
 
 
 
MARIO
 
 
 
Copyright Daniel Bellino Zwicke
 
 
 
 
 
 
SUNDAY SAUCE
 
by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
 
 
 
 
 
SEGRETO ITALIANO
 
SECRET ITALIAN RECIPES
 
 
by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
 
 
 
 
 GRANDMA BELLINO'S ITALIAN COOKBOOK
 
RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN GRANDMOTHER
 
A NEW COOKBOOK
 
by Daniel Bellino
 
 
 
NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED SICILIAN RECIPES
 
DUE Mid APRIL 2015
 
In Paperback & Kindle on AMAZON.com
 
 
All Photgraphs & Art Work are the Property of Daniel Bellino-Zwicke and may not be published or used without written consent.