Friday, October 25, 2013

CHATEAU CHEVAL BLANC & PASTRAMI NEW YORK



CHATEAU CHEVAL BLANC

&

PASTRAMI



PASTRAMI SANDWICH
KATZ'S DELI
NEW YORK



DeGrezia Wine Director Author DANIEL BELLINO-ZWICKE
DOES CHATEAU CHEVAL BLANC And A PASTRAMI SANDWICH
At WINE SPECTATOR GRAND TASTING at MARRIOT MARQUIS
NEW YORK, NY
October 2013

CHEVAL BLANC And A PASTRAMI SANDWICH ?
"ONLY In NEW YORK"





















Daniel Bellino Zwicke Does Wine Spectator Grand Tasting NY

. .
ANGELO GAJA With 2009 GAJA BARBARESCO
Wine Spectator Grande Tasting New York 2013
Photo Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
GAIA GAJA
TERLATO TASTING
OCTOBER 2013
NEW YORK
 
Photo Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
The BARONESS ROTHSCHILD
At Wine SPectator Grande Tastin New York
2013
 
Photo Daniel Bellino Zwicke
Imbroglio Folnari
Castello Nozzole
Greve in Chianti
With Famed Super Tuscan "IL Pareto"
 
Photo Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
SEBASTIANO ROSA WINMAKER OF SASSICAIA
AND GARI PUNIC "BARUA"
WITH DEGREZIA WINEDIRECTOR DANIEL BELLINO-ZWICKE
 
Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
With Giancarlo Grasso
and
His Great Barolo Runcot
 
 
 
Elena Penna Curado
With One of Her Family's 
Famed VIETTI BAROLO'S 
at Wine Spectator Grand Tasting
 
Photo by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
 
DeGrezia Wine Director and Author Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
Flanked bt Two of Italy's Greatest Wine Guys
Marches Lambero Frescobaldi (Left)
And His Uncle Marchese Leonardo Frescobaldi
At Wine SPectator Grande Tasting in NEW YORK
 
FAMED WINEMAKER SEBASTIANO ROSA
And HIS BEAUTIFUL WIFE
At THE WINE SPECTATOR GRANDE TASTING
NEW YORK
SASSICAIA  2009
From TENTA SAN GUIDO
AND FAMED WINMEAKER SEBASTIANO ROSA
 
"THIS WINE IS da BOMB" ONE of THE GREATEST SASSICAIA VINTAGES EVER
OPUS ONE
FROM
THE BARON ROTHCHILD & ROBERT MONDAVI
NEW YORK, NY
2013
BORDEAUX
Cos D' Esternol
A GLASS 
of CHATEAU CHEVAL BLANC 
and a PASTRAMI SANDWICH
 
"ONLY In NEW YORK" !!!
 
At Marriott Marquis
NEW YORK
 
 
 
WINEMAKER ALESSANDRO CELLAI (Castellare)
And Wine Director DANIEL BELLINO-ZWICKE
At DeGrezia Restorante NEW YORK
MASI AMARONE
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BOOKS by DANIEL BELLINO-ZWICKE ... ITALIAN NEW YORK FOOD & WINE
 

Monday, October 21, 2013

WINE DINNER With CINZIA TRAVAGLINI New York









GREAT GATTIINARA And NEBBIOLO FROM TRAVAGLINI
at TRAVAGLINI WINE DINNER With CINZIA TRAVAGLINI
Trattoria GUGINO
Tribeca NEW YORK








AWESOME GATTINARA From TRAVGLINI
With DAM TASTY PIZZA MARGHERITA
TRAVAGLINI TASTING DINNER at GUGINO
With Antonio (Palm Bay Imports)
CINZIA TRAVGLINI
and Author
Daniel Bellino-Zwicke





Been invited to a Wine Dinner tonight by Cinzia Travaglini to be held at Gigino Trattoria in Tribeca (New York, NY) ... Can't wait! Will be dining with Cinzia Travaglini, Chef Luigi, Antonio from Palm Bay and other restaurant wine people who have been lucky enough to get this rare and coveted invitation .. I don't know who the other guest are ..  Will report back tomorrow on the evening, the food, wine, and guests, etc..



THE REPORT

DINNER PRIVATE WINE TATSING With CINZIA TRAVAGLINI at GUGINO


We drank, we ate, whe talked we enjoyed .. A private tasting dinner with Cinzia Travaglini. Actually I thought there were going to be more people. Basically it was just me and Cinzia Travaglini tasting me on Travaglini's current vintages of fine wines. We were joined by ANtonio from Palm Bay, Travaglini's Importer, and then when we were finished eating, Chef Luigi joined our table as well. Cinzia started us out with her Nebbiolo Coste Della Sesia .. Travaglini is the unquestionable King of Gattinara, a small zone in northern Peidmonte .. The zone is only about 200 acres of which Travaglini comprises have of the entire zone. Gattinara is made mostly of Nebbiolo at 90 to 100% .. Gattinara may have up to 10% of Bonarda and Vespolina grapes, but all of the Travaglini Gattinara wines are made of 100% Nebbiolo ... Travaglini are Kings of Nebbiolo of which about 97% of their entire vineyards are planted to the grape, along with a very small amount of Uva Rara, Bonarda, and Vespolina .. Yes they are masters of Nebbiolo of which they have been growing since the 1920's ...
So Nenniolo and Gattinara are the thing of Travaglini .. They are the biggest as well as the most famous Gattinara with their signature Trademarked Gattinara Bottle .. OK, so we started out with the Nebbiolo Coste della Sesia which blew my mind. I absolutely loved the wine. It was in perfect balance, full of flavor, yet light in weight, the perfect combination in an Italian Wine which are among the most food friendly wines in the world. And that's what we were doing, food and wine, and yes friendliness too. This wine Coste della Sesia was an absolute marvel of a wine, that is very reasonably price and half to a third the price of the Travaglini Gattinara's which are at their price points quite reasonable for wines of the highest of quality. This is thought of as an entry level wine, but it is anything but. Yes I loved this wine that was perfectly in balance in flavor, tannic and acidic elements along with the correct weight and wonderful flavor of ripe berry fruits with a nice twinge of licorice, just lovely. Cinzia poured me just a little, but it was so good I had to ask for a little more, and then more a thrid and forth time. That's when you know a wine is good.
After the lovely Nebbiolo we moved on to the Gattinara's, thee wine of Travaglini .. We ordered some grilled Clamari and a Pizza Margherita and Chef Luigi sent us some special bread and a platter of Salumi. We all flipped for the Pizza which we all thought was the equal of the finest Pizza from Napoli "The Pizza Capital of The World." Well after all Chef Luigi is from Positano in the area near Naples on the gorgeous Amalfi Coast. We drank the Gattinara 2007 which as well as the Nebbiolo before was absolutely wonderful and a wine in perfect balance. Just delisous. It was then on to the Gattinara Riserva 2006, another winner, and then a very special and rare wine.
The special rare wine in question was il Sogno, which was a special project created by Cinzia's father Giancarlo Travaglini in 2004 ... Giancarlo wanted to make a dry table wine using the appassimento method of drying grapes before the fermentation process as with the famed wines of Amarone and the lesser known Sforvato of Lombardia. Giancarlo picked some of his best Nebbiolo Grapes and set them out to dry on matts. Unfortunately Giancarlo passed away in November of 20024 when the grapes had only been drying for 1 month. Cinzia and her winemaker husband continued the project.  They finished drying thr Nebbiolo grapes, fermented them and made the wine that tey called il Sogno "The Dream." 
So Cinzia poured me a glass of il Sogno, and again my mind was blown. The wine an absolute gem had all sorts of wonderful flavors running through my mouth. It was delisious, it had power, but not too much as some big AMarone sometimes do. The wine was a delight and I'm looking forward to putting it on my own list.
We also drank the Gattinara "Tre Vigna," The Three Vineyards .. The fruit for Tre Vigna comes from 3 very special small vineyards on the Travaglini Estate. These 3 different vineyards have different geographical vineyards on the estate and bring different characteristics to the wine to make up one complete and wonderful structure of a wine, 
Travaglini Gattinara "Tre Vigne"
 So we drank the fine wines from Cinzia Travaglini, we had perfect Pizza, Antipasti, followed by some wonderful Tagiatelle con Tartufo and Brasato di Manzo (Braised Beef), and finished up with some tasty desserts. It was a fine night and a dinner that along with the many wonderful private luncheons and dinners I have had over the years with some of Italy's most prestigious winemakers, like Cinzia, I remeber them all, and I will always remember this one, absolutely Wonderful!



Daniel Bellino-Zwicke







CINZIA TRAVAGLINI

















WTC1 at NIGHT
WORLD TRADE CENTER 1
aka  FREEDOM TOWER
Looking Down From GUGINO'S
October  21, 2013
Tribeca, NEW YORK, NY

Sunday, October 20, 2013

NEW YORK'S BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANTS

 
BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANT In NEW YORK
 
BAR PITTI Is The BEST
# 1
 
 
 
NEW YORK'S BEST ITALIAN RESTAURANTS
 
 
1.  Bar Pitti  ... Greenwich Village
 
2.  Rao's ...  East Harlem, New York, NY
 
3.  Manducati's,  ... Long Island CIty, Queens
 
4.  DeGrezia Restorante ... Midtown Manhattan 
 
5.  Elio's ... Upper East Side Manhattan
 
 
 
"FRANKIE NO"
Frank Pellegrino Sr.
RAO'S # 5
 
 
DeGrezia Restorante
A Hidden GEM In Mid-Town 
Ranks an Impressive # 4
 
 
POLP alla GRIGLIA
 
GRILLED OCTOPUS at DeGREZIA
Is The BEST in TOWN
 
 
 
ELIO'S MAKES THE BEST LASAGNA BOLOGNESE
 
Sunday & Monday Nights Only
 
Lasagna Bolognese
 
 
 
 
MANDUCATI'S 
 
Long Island City, Queens New York
 
GREAT OLD SCHOOL ITALIAN
 
 
 
The BAR at MANDUCATIS
"La TAVOLA"  
 
ITALIAN In GREENWICH VILLAGE
 
 
 
 
SUNDAY SAUCE
 
WHEN ITALIAN AMERICAN'S COOK
 
by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
 
Learn How to Make Bolognese, Sunday Sauce, 
Meatballs, and more ...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Friday, October 18, 2013

Chianti Comes To New York Town











Daniel Bellino-Zwicke
With
Cavalier Luigi Cappellini
at
DeGrezia 
NEW YORK



Yes Chianti came to town the other day. The town? New York City. The Chianti, Castello Verrazzanno ... Luigi Cappellini of Castello Verrazzano (Owner) visited with me and tasted me on his latest offerings from his equisite wine estate in Greve in Chianti Classico .. Chianti Classico is the great wine region in Tuscany that produces Italy's most storied wine "Chianti" along with Vin Santo and porprietory Super Tuscan Wines .. Mr. Cappellini is the proud owner of one of Chianti Classico's and Italy's finest most beautiful wine estates. They produce three different Chianti wines; a Chianti normale, Chianti Riserva, and a special limited edition Cru Chianti in Sassello which was formally bottled as a Super Tuscan but has by a good choice of Mr. Cappellini been made and classified into Chianti Classico Riserva status. Luigi brought the Sassello to me to taste along with other fine wines. Let me tell you, when I tasted the Sassello, it blew my wine. The "Sassello" Chianti Classico Riserva 2007 is one of the finest wines that I have tasted of a few thousand wines this year. The wine has everything going on for it, and I'm not going to go into some drawn out boring discription other than to say it was delicious, tasty, "In Perfect Balance," and just one of those extra special wines. I love it, and ordered 2 6 packs on the spot. We have many great wines in our extensive cellars of Big Names of great prestige and storied vintages, and I can easily say, that when we take delivery of this wine next week it will be among our greatest wines in our cellars of a couple thousand, the wine is great as great can be, "Basta!"
Luigi also brought his 2009 Chianti  normale and Chianti Reserva 2007, both quite tasty. Unfortunately, I wasn't tasted on their (Verrazzano's) great Vin Santo, which I've drank on numerous occasions in Greve at the Verrazzano Estate .. I wasn't tasted on it, as the importer Palm Bay does not import that particular wine from Verrazzano, but I can tell you from experience, the wine is nutty, lush, and just perfect ...
One wine that Luigi tasted me on and of which I just bought 2 cases as I love it, is a wine called Verrazzano Rosso, with a subtitle of MiniTuscan ... The wine is super tasty and very affordable ... It is made of Sangiovese, Cannaiolo, Mavasia, and a tiny bit of Trebbiano. This wine is made in the classic true old style of Chianti of which white grapes were allowed in the blend of mostly Sangiovese Grapes along with the native Cannaiolo, and white native grapes Trebbiano and Malvasia. The wine is quite tasty of medium body and ripe as well as a tad of bitter fruit flavors. As I said, this wine as made in the way that Chianti used to be made with native grapes of the Chianti Classico wine region. The laws and rules of what is a Chianti Classico by the law of the Italian Government and Chianti Consorzio were changed in 1996 to include the sacraligious inclusion of international grapes like Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon ... For those who know me, they know I distane this practice along with a few other people who are Chianti lovers and purest. We wish for the laws to change back and exclude all "non-native Grapes" like Merlot, Cabernet Suavignon and any others, and for Chianti to incude only native grapes and a blend of mostly Sangiovese and including small amounts of native grapes like; Cannaiolo, Colorino, Malvasia Nero, and very tiny amounts if a property so chooses of the white grapes of Trebbiano and Malvasia Bianco. This is true Chianti and the kind of Chianti Luigi Cappellini makes at the Verrazzano Estate.





Thursday, October 17, 2013

Eric Clapton Delgrange Open Bigger Bilboquet




Original Bilboquet
On East 60th Street
Lost Lease After 27 Years




Phiilipe Delgrange (Owner)
with Chef Julien Jouhannaud
In NEW 100 Seat BILBOQUET






LEGENDARY GUTARIST
ERIC CLAPTON
A Partner 
At New BILBOQUET





Keith McNally Closing Pulino




Keith McNally To Close Pulino's
A New Restuarant "Cherche Midi"
Will Be Opened in Its Place By McNally





Mr. McNally Will Be Doing What He Does Best
"FRENCH BISTROS"
Great Idea Keith



The Master of New York Restaurants "Keith McNally," forget it Drew "You Are Way Behind Keith," (Drew Nierporent), Mr. McNally will for the first time be shuttering a restaurant. Word has it that Keith McNally will be closing his Pizza Inspire Restaurant on the corner of Bowery and Houston "Pulino's" this January. McNally who has been a hugely sucessful restuarantuer since his opening of The ODEON in 1981, along with Cafe Luxenbourg, Nell's, Lucky Strike, Pravda, Balthazar, Schiller's, Pastis, Morandi, Minetta Tavern (my favorite for the past 3 years), and now we guess the unsucessful Pulino. Hey Keith, we love you, and I have been one of your biggest advocates, "Your a Genius" of the business, but lets face it, despite Morandi (which I never go to unless dragged there), "Italian Is Not Your Bag." Yes, Morandi is highly sucessful, but for me, a Italian-AMerican and someone who has been to Italy some 14 times, Morandi reminds me of a Italian Restaurant that would be in Disneyland, in-other-words, "Fake Faux Italian," and for me or anyone to say that about a Kieth McNally Restaurant, is not good. Morandi is for "non-Italian" Folllowers, and so too was and is "Pulino's." Lets get back to what mr. McNally is "Great" at, and that is French Bistros, which he does so well, brillantly in fact. From the Grand Bistro Brasserie Balthazar, to Pastis, and Luck Strike and soon to be Cherche Midi which we are sure will be wonderfu. "We're hoping anyway."
I's like to just mention someone who helped Keith McNally become the famed restaurantuer he is today. Let's remeber the Great Patrick Clarke who in my opinion was one of the Greates Chefs to ever don a Toque (Chefs Hat) in the great city of New York. Patrick Clarke was Keith McNally's first chef at his first restaurant The Odeon down on West Broadway in Tribeca. His food was marvelous, I know, I worked at Odeon and Luxenbourg for the man when I was a cook just starting out, a few years before I became a chef myself. Patrick was a black kid from Brooklyn who followed in hsi fathers and uncles footsteps as a chef. He attended New york Technical College Food & Restaurant program (as did I .. His uncle was 1 of my professors and cosuin one of my classmates). Patrick went on to study and work with Michel Guerard. Patrick came back to New York and was the Chef at the famed nightclub Regine's before being scoffed-up by McNally to head the kitchen at Odeon.  He was one of the Greatest Chefs in the history of New York, noone ever talks about him, so just wanted to give one of my idols a nod that he way more than deserves. Patrick Clarke passed away a few years ago at the age of 42 .. R.I.P. For those who really know about food and aren't one of the followers who go to places like Morandi, or watch thos "Horrible Food Host on The Aweful Food Network," they know of the Great Patrick Clarke, a "Real Chef" in every sense of the word.
So, yes Keith McNally is a master of the restaurant business and especially at creating wonderful French Bistros in New York. H e has great concepts, picks great locations, he actually creates neighborhoods like Tribeca and The Meatpacking District which were both dessolate and not very cool neighborhoods until McNally opened restaurants in Tribecca and the Meatpacking District. We look foward to Mr. McNally's Cherche Midi and wish him well. Bravo Keith!





Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

Monday, October 14, 2013

A $95,000 TRUFFLE





NELLO'S
EURO-TRASH CENTRAL
And Home of Extreme Pretension



White Truffle season is upon us, and the fancy fungus is now popping up on city menus at the usual outrageous prices. Uptown restaurateur Nello Balan has gone one better by getting his mitts on what he "claims" is the World’s biggest White Truffle, weighing in at a mouth-watering 4 pounds. But regulars (Euro-Trash) at his "Pretensious" Madison Avenue eatery won’t get even a whiff of it — Nello says he sold it Thursday to Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin for $95,000.
Potanin, who has a $14 billion fortune, is the fourth-richest man in Russia and a business partner of Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov. Potanin mainly lives in Moscow, so it’s unlikely any of us will get an invite to his place for a truffle dinner.

NEW YORK & The $3.00 PBR

 

PBR

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.

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 .. 

  .

2ac44-bi-leb-small

GOT ANY KAHLUA ?

The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

Daniel Zwicke

   

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          .

Saturday, October 12, 2013

GINO'S SECRET SAUCE






The CHERISHED GINO RESTORANTE
Lexington Avenue
New York, NY
Across From BLOOMINGDALES
After 65 Wonderful Years
Now SADLY CLOSED






DINING AT GINO'S








SUNDAY SAUCE  by Daniel Bellino Zwicke to feature Sunday Sauce and other Italian American favorite dishes, including the "Secret Sauce" recipe "Salsa Segreta alla Gino's"