Showing posts with label italian food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label italian food. Show all posts

Saturday, May 11, 2013

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






Thursday, October 18, 2012

SO You Want to "MAKE SUNDAY SAUCE"



So You WANT to Make "SUNDAY SAUCE" ?
Well a Great New Book on Just That Hit the Market today. SUNDAY SAUCE "SAUSAGE MEATBALLS & PASTA FAZOOL"  was Released on Amzaon KINDLE today and is Available for KINDLE iPhone iPad and all Androdi Devices and for the rest of October is Available at the SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY Price of Jusr $2.99 ... This Book is Awesome, and is sure to Please its ITALIAN-AMERICAN Following of Author DANIEL ZWICKE as well as anyone Interested in the Great Subject of Italian-America and ITALIAN FOOD .. And is there possibly anyone out there who isn't? A few i guess but not many.

SUNDAY SAUCE "Sausage Meatballs & Fazool" is Filled with wonderful Stories and recipes of "SUNDAY SAUCE" MEATBALLS "ITALIAN GRAVY" Sausage & Peppers "MEATBALL PARM SANDWICHES" PASTA FAZOOL and more .. All the most important Italian-American Favorites are in Sunday Sauce and its sure to Please. Looks Like SUNDAY SAUCE - Sausage Meatballs & Fazool is going to prove to be the "Hot Food Read of Autumn 2012 ... We at NyFoodie agree! 






Anthony Ragusa


Friday, May 11, 2012

ANOTHER GREAT BRUNELLO TASTING ... BACK To BACK BANNER VINTAGES 2007 and 2006 BRUNELLO RISERVA .... New York ..May 2012




VINCENZO ABRUZZESSE
with a Bottloe of His Great Brunello
CALDCAVA BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO 2007





GIACOMMO CASANOVA
with a Bottle of His Famed
BRUNELLO DI MONTALCINO TENUTA NUOVA 2007





 Well I was wondering what to expect when my cousin Joe asked me if I wanted to go to Brunello tasting at City Winery with him. He said it was with James Suckling (a Top guy at Wine Spectator and # 1 with Italian Wines for WSp) and David Suckiling.. Joe didn't give me details so I figured it was a Wine Spectator Event which is usually more about a lot of BSing making Money for the Wine Spectator and Markin Shanken as well as sucking up than anything else. Well me being in the wine and restaurant industry for more than 20 years, I go to a multitude of industry Wine Tastings, Wine Luncheons and Wine Dinners along with other events of the highest caliber. this tasting was geared toward retail buyers and novice wine enthusiast, a pay to go to event. Not the kind I usually go to, mine are more of the insider type. Well my cousin Joe wanted to go, so I went along for the ride. The day of the event I went on line to see what it was all about. It was not a Wine Spectator Event but one held and organized by James Suckling and David Sokolin. Ok. I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary. My cousin drove in from Long island and met me at my house (apartment in Greenwich Village). We walked over to City Winery. I saw my friend Marco poring a wine and went over to his table. It was the Brunello Normale 2007 from Fabio Tassi. Wow! It was great and a precursor of things to come. The Tassi Brunello 2007 was outstanding. i couldn't beleive my eyes. My tastebuds. This wine was a perfect textbook Brunello, perfectly balance, correct in weight, not too heavy not too light but full of wonderful and perfect Sangiovese Grosss taste. The tasi Brunello Franci Riserva 2006 was equally good. Excuse me great! oh and by the way, this tasting was one special one as the wines being tasted, the Brunello di Montalcino 2007 and Brunello Riservas 2006 where two back to back vintages where of the highest caliber of ratings of mid-90s fro each vintage as a vintage overall. Outstanding, the pair of 2007 Normale and 2006 Riserva Brunellos. It's hard for me to remember back when I tasted so many great wines at one tasting. I was shocked. when after wine, Brunello after marvelous Brunello were oustanding. I couldn't believe it. they were almost all good. "Excuse me, Great!" All except for those offerings of Capanna and Uccelliera fo which neither of these producers thrilled me with their offerings as almost all others did.
   As I stated, pretty much all the the Brunello on hand were outstanding, well balanced, tasty and indicative of what great Brunello should taste like. 


Here is a list of the standouts:

Valdcava Brunello Di Montalcino 2007
Valdcava Brunello Di Montalcino Del Piano Riserva 2006
Carpzao Brunello Di Montalcino 2007
Carparzo Brunello Di Montalcino 2006 Riserva
Poderina Brunello Di Montalcino 2007
 Poderina Brunello Di Montalcino 2006 Riserva
Lisini Brunello Di Montalcino 2007
Livio Sassetti Brunello Di Montalcino "Pertamali" 2007
Tassi Brunello Di Montalcino 2007
Brunello Di Montalcino Castello Banfi 2007
Silvio Nardi Brunello Di Montalcino 2007
Silvio Nardi Brunello Di Montalcino Vigneto Manachiara 2006





Daniel Bellino Zwicke








Wednesday, September 17, 2008

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