Tuesday, April 16, 2013

CARBONE NOT ONE of THEM "GREAT RED SAUCE RESTAURANT"





"There may be great red-sauce joints out there, but Carbone is not one of them."

says Joshua David Stein in his Review on New York's Hottest new restaurant "CARBONE"  for The NEW YORK OBSERVER


THIS seems to be the Sentiment of many. Time will tell if Carbone IS or IS NOT  "One of The Great Red Sauce Restaurants"  in the mold of RAO'S, the old GINO'S Lexington Avenue, and ???

Monday, April 15, 2013

SINATRA DRINKS






FRANK SHIRLEY And DEAN
SINATRA McLAIN MARTIN
"DRINKIN IT UP"
SINTRA'S FAVORITE DRINK 
"JACK DANIELS on The ROCKS"
Dean "Scothch on The Rocks"
Shirley "We Don't Know"

Thursday, April 11, 2013

The "BURGER JOINT" IS EXPANDING







The Burger Joint is expanding. The have finally opened another Burger Joint, their first expansion. The 2nd ever Burger Joint of the famed Burger Joint in The Parker Meridien Hotel on 57th Street Midtown 
New York.
We've been around for 10 years, and we really were the first guys to say that we were going to focus exclusively on burgers., says the Parker Corporation President Steven Pipes who owns The Burger Joint. And, he's right, these guys were the first to focus on a create an upscale burger place, devoted to the Hamburger. Kudos for that.
So, they've opened a Burger Joint in Greenwich Village on 8th Street between 6th and 5th Avenues. The first Burger Joint has been hugely popular, selling as many as 1,000 Burgers a day. Dam, that's a lot of Burgers! And people just love them.
Pipes says, the company plans on opening more Burger Joints around the country in places like Cambridge, Washington DC, and Chicago, and will sell licensing for Burger Joints abroad.  Sounds like a plan. Let's hope they don't get too big and ruin the good thing they are now. If they do, there will always be other little guys to come along, but we think they do well.






BURGER JOINT
In The BASEMENT
of The PARKER MERIDIEN HOTEL
57th STREET NEW YORK

Thursday, April 4, 2013

ARTICHOKE PIZZA COUSINS To TV






The Pizza Empire Cousins (Cujinos) from Staten Island, New York getting a TV Show. Sal Basile and Fran Garcia of the wildly successful Artichoke Basile Pizza are the latest culinary guys to get their own show. Unlike many of the awful host of most of the Horrible Food Network, these guys have actually made something and are culinary professionals . They have a couple Pizzerias called Artichoke Basile Pizza. They opened Artichoke Basile Pizza on East 14th Street which was a huge instant success. Almost from day one, people have been lining up for the cousins Sal & Frans Pizza, and I do mean line-up literally, and day and night. Many celebs including Keith Richards, Gerad Butler, and Jim Carey are big fans of their Pizza. These guys work hard and put out a good product and the people love them. They have also opened a great sandwich shop that sells Pastrami and Roast Beef Sandwiches. Awesome!
Now the boys are getting their own TV Show on The Cooking Channel called Pizza Cuz. Sal and Fran will be traveling the country, checking out Pizzerias in Portland Oregon, Brooklyn (Pizza Capital of America), and Oakland, California and other spots around the country. Sounds like a great concept, as these guys know food, especially Pizza, they have personality, and passion, and this should be a winning combination on TV as it is in Fran and Sals establishments. We wish them well and are looking forward to the first episode. Buona Fortuna Sal and Fran.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

GAEL GREENE GOES TO THE WRONG CARBONE




CARBONE

by BELLINO







THE WRONG CARBONE !!!

OR IS IT THE RIGHT ONE?

CARBONE RESTORANTE 38th STREET
HELLS KITCHEN, NEW YORK
 
 
 
GAEL GREEN GOES TO WRONG CARBONE !!! 
The CARBONE BEFORE CARBONE !!!
 
 
 
 
The Carbone Before Carbone? What? There has been quite a bit of confusion of late in the New York and New York Italian Restaurant World ... The confusion is of Carbone and Carbone, Carbone Restorante of 38th Street in New York's Hells Kitchen and Carbone, thee "Carbone" of 181 Thompson Street in Greenwich Village ... As of this moment, Saturday March 30, 2013 thee # 1 Hottest Restaurant in Town, the restaurant of-the-moment and the one who is making all kind of noise in the Press, on the Internet and other media outlets is the Carbone on Thompson Street in the old "Rocco's Restaurant Space" in Greenwich Village, which that right there has caused quite a lot of commotion. The fat that the so-called Torrisi Boys took over the old and beloved Old-School New York Italian Red-Sauce Joint "Rocco's" has caused quite a stir.
 
For those of you who might not know, "The Torrisi Boys" are the team of Rich Torrisi, Mario Carbone, and Jeff Zalaznich, with Zalaznick the so-called "Money Man" and Carbone and Torrisi the Restaurant Guys and Chefs. This team exploded onto the scene about three years ago with their first place Torrisi Italian Specialties on Mulberry Street. The Guys had a great idea and concept. Torrisi Italian Specialties was a small place that barely sat about 30 people, I beleive. It was operated as a sort-of Italian-Deli during the day, selling mostly; Chicken Parm Sandwiches, Meatball Parms, and there famous Fresh Roast Turkey Sandwiches and other sandwiches, along with a couple soups and a few pastas. In the evening the place operated as a restaurant with one option a Five-Course Set Menu for $55 ... Both the lunch (daytime) and Dinner as the 5 Course Meal were excellent. Torrisi Italian Specialties quickly became a immediate and huge success as well as the two Co/Chef Owners Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi became huge as Chef Personalities and media-darlings. Yes Torrisi was a great success and it was less than a year and a half when this team opened a second place next door, called "Parm" which served at both lunch and dinner the kind of food the original Torrisi Italian Specialties served just for lunch, Italian and Italian-American Classic, with a Chinese Ribs thrown in as a a quirky special. Once the opened the 2nd place Parm next door, they turned their first place Torrisi Italian Specialties into set menu dinner only restaurant with no more Lunch Time Italian Deli, that was Parm next door.
 
OK, move forward a couple years. The much loved Red-Sauce Classic Rocco's Restorante on Thompson Street is losing their lease. The landlord as in so many sad New York "Greedy Lanlord" stories jacks-up Rocco's Rent to a point where they can not afford to stay in business. Rocco's had been doing good business, but not gang-busters and not enough to support the huge rent increase, they lose their lease. In move The Torrisi Boys, Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick. They sign a lease, and plan on opening what they call a 1950's Downtown New York Old School Italian Restaurant. They renovate the old Rocco's leaving the great old neon sign and superimposing in Neon Letters "Carbone," some locals, any of whom are hard-core old-school Italians from the neighborhood "Don't Like It." There's much action and talk on the internet on food and restaurant sites like, Grub Street, Eater, Chowhound and such. The talk on Carbone is both positive and negative.
 
Carbone opens to much fanfare in mid March 2013 to mixed reviews and comments on Eater, Chowhound and such. Carbone becomes the hottest ticket in town restaurant-wise. Many want to eat there and check it out. Tables are hard to come by, now the confusion. It seems as though "Carbone" is not the only Carbone in town? There's another one, and it's in midtown on 38th Street in Hells Kitchen, New York. It's own by an Italain from Italy, who has never head of Mario Carbone the Chef/Owner who the Greenwich Village restaurant Carbone is named after. Some people trying to get reservations and don't know any better, go on Open Table or call up the Hells Kitchen Carbone and get a reservation, "No Problem." But they get a reservation for a table at the wrong Carbone, not the one they were intending. Even the famed long time New York City restaurant critic Gael Greene made this mistake. So what's a person to do?
 
GAEL GREEN MAKES A MISTAKE at Carbone
 
GAEL GREENE'S TWITTER TWEET  @GaelGreene
Spent 20 minutes at wrong Carbone lasngt.Finally grumpy owner there gave me address of THE Essential new Carbone, Missed seeing TonyBennett.
 
 
EATER Guest Comments about Gael Greene 
at "Wrong" Carbone: 
  
 
GUEST Comment 1 :  She probably would have had a better dinner if she stayed at her first stop.
 
GUEST Comment 2 :  Step 1:   Go to Hell's Kitchen Carbone.
                                      Step 2:   Create a Yelp account.
                                      Step 3:   Review Old Carbone and Post to New CARBONE.
 
GUEST Comment 3 :   Perhaps she went to all the wrong restaurants? 
                                      That would mean that all her Reviews are Wrong!?
 
GUEST Comment 4 :   DUMBASS !!!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
The INFAMOUS CARBONE SIGN !!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The RIGHT CARBONE !

or IS IT WRONG?


SUNDAY SAUCE

alla PACINO

alla BELLINO









GREENWICH VILLAGE ITALIAN



 
 
 

BEST BANH MI SANDWICH In NEW YORK







The Banh Mi in America. It's one of the hottest sandwiches in New York, I guess in places like Los Angeles, San Fransisco, Seattle, Boston, and Portland, Or. Well they are big in New York. There are Bahn Mi shops all over the city, but after trying a few, of which some are grossly overpriced. Why would I pay $8.50 for one when I can get the "Best" at Saigon on Broome Street in Chinatown. I just won't do it. It's absurd.
OK, the recent article in the New York Times, on "The Banh Mi Sandwich in America" was pretty good, except for one "Huge Mistake. Jordan Michellman states that a Banh Mi always begins with a Baguette and dressed with an Aioli spread infused with pork, garlic and fish sauce. Here is the quote, "They all begin with a whole baguette, preferably baked in-house and dressed with an aioli spread infused with pork, garlic and fish sauce. These ingredients then hold a wide variety of fillings: barbecue pork, fried tofu and thick-sliced ham are the most common options, along with pork pâté, grilled chicken, meatballs, sauteed vegetables and, occasionally, whole sardines." End quote.
Wrong Jordan. Yes they all do begin with a Baguette, but not the Aioli as you state. I've eaten Banh Mi in a number of places in Vietanm, in New York, in Washington D.C., and Montreal and never had Aioli on them. That's an American thing. Anyway, just wanted to set the record straight for the people. Aioli is an American thing. Yes the Banh Mi is a mixture of French and Vietnamese cuisines coming together, but the French contributions ends with the Baguette and sometimes pork pate.
One of the very important things that Jordan stated, was that you should never pay more than $6.00 for one. I couldn't agree more. But living in new York, where I can get the Best Banh mi in town for $4.50 at Saigon on Broome Street in Chinatown, I'd go one step further in saying, I won't pay more than $4.50 for a Banh Mi. Not until Saigon raises their prices that is.

DBZ




THE BEST BANH MI in NEW YORK
ALSO THE # 1 BEST SANDWICH DOLLAR-for-DOLLAR
In NEW YORK
SAIGON, BROOME STREET, CHINATOWN, NEW YORK

Friday, March 29, 2013

CARBONE THE GOOD THE BAD And THE UGLY





THE GOOD


1)   These Guys are Accomplished Cooks and have done good things as
       far as Italian Restaurants 
and Italian Food is concerned.

2)    Good intentions, by the team at Carbone.

3)    Nice Decor.

4)    It's in Greenwich Village.

5)    Many Good comments on; Eater, Chowhound, Foursquare, Yelp, and ...
 


Some Good Comments Made on Foursquare, Yelp, and Twitter




RUTH REICHEL  TWITTER TWEET     @ruthreichL  on TWITTER
Dinner tonight:Carbone. Perfectly cast. The past on a plate. Great soundtrack.
To eat? Baked clams.Truffled carpaccio. Zuppa di pesce.


FRANK BRUNI  Tweet  @FrankBruni
Smashing dinner at NYC's new Carbone. If u go don't miss caesar salad, carpaccio w/black truffles, spicy rigatoni vodka, cheesecake. f u go don't miss caesar salad, carpaccio w/black truffles, spicy rigatoni vodka, cheesecake." 

Mathew W. on FOURSQUARE
The Veal Parm is out of this World!

George K. YELP
Incredible! My wife and I went there last night and had the best meal we've had in a long time. The T Bone steak is amazing!!!!! 
The Bow Tie pasta with lobster is one of a kind. Great atmosphere and staff!



THE BAD


1)    $87.00 For Lobster Fra D'Avlo Special
2)    What some deem insanely Over-Priced Specials and some Menu Items.
3)    $50.00 for Veal Parmigiano "VP" aka Veal Parm
4)    Zac Posen Unifroms
5)    Many Bad comments on Eater, Chowhound, Foursquare, Yelp, and ...
6)    Slammed by Two Italian Grandmothers on Grub Street
7)   $52.00 for Veal Marsala



THE UGLY

1)    Zac Posen Uniforms

2)     $45.oo Per Person for Hot Antipasto    

 3)    The took over the Old Rocco's space and many long-time Rocco's fans
        (and Local Italian Residents) are  outraged that
 they did, and that they
         are using Rocco's old sign and have Carbone superimposed over

         the old Rocco's sign with a big "Neon Carbone"

4)      Some followers on Eater, Yelp, Foursqure, etc., are getting downright
          nasty with their comments of Carbone the Restaurant and as many call
          them "The Torrisi Boys" meaning Mario Carbone, rich Torrisi, and
          Jeff Zalaznick


Guest Commentor on EATER "Cynical Criminal"

says, "These sc#mbags should cease and desist from using Rocco's imagery on
their website and TAKE DOWN IMMEDIATELY The SIGN of The FAMILY from whom they 

stole the restaurant from after 100 years."