Brief History Bar Pitti

 

BAR PITTI

BAR PITTI "REMEMBERANCE'S"

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

I've been going to Bar Pitti since day one. Yes I was one of there 1st customers, way back in 1992. Before Celebrities discovered it, and Trendite Followers, my girlfriend Dante and I stared going the very 1st week that Bar Pitti opened its doors. we loved it. The food was great. Authentic Italian Food, with a strong lean towards the food of Tuscany, where the two owners of the restaurant hailed from. Well the city of Florence to be more precise. Silvano Marchetto, the owner of Da Silvano Ristorante (next door) opened Bar Pitti together with Giovanni Tognazzi who was a waiter at Da Silvano at the time. 

Da Silvano was one of the hottest restaurants in town, and one of the top Celebrity Spots in the city, maybe the top one, with such notables as: Richard Gere, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Madonna, and regulars, Gwyneth Paltrow, Grayson Carter (Editor Vanity Fair), Nick Tosches, and Calvin Klein, to name but a few.  Yes, Da Silvano was filled nightly with the movers and shakers of the Worlds of Fashion, Music, Movies, and Publsihing, with writers, actors, Rock Stars & Movie Stars. The place jumped. Marchett0 & Tognozzi wanted to capitaliize on the success of Da Silvano, and decided to opened a Trattoria next door. The space was available and the two partner up, signed a lease, and opened Bar Pitti, a more modest, less expensive lttle trattoria next door to Da Silvano. 

Yes, I emediatley wanted to go check out the new place, so my girlfriend and I went for dinner one night. I don't remember exactly what we ate that night, but I'm sure we had some sort of antipasto, and a pasta dish each, and a little Chianti wine. We both loved it, and would eat there once a week. After going for a couple months, I told some good friends about the place, and along with Dante, myself, and pals Johnny and Jorge, we went for lunch one Saturday afternoon. We had a great time, and my friends loved the place as well.

A few years after first eating at Bar Pitti, and after splitting up the partnership of my own restaurant with my partner "T" I started working at Da Silvano. I lived in the same building that the two restaurants were in, and one day when I was coming out of my house, Silvano asked me what I was doing, after leaving my restaurant. He tole me he needed a manager, and asked me if I wanted to work with home? The answer was yes, and so I did. It was quite an experience. I loved the energy of the place, and the high-powered clientele (Rock Stars & Movie Stars etc.)

I worked for Silvano at Da Silvano for 3 years. I learned a lot, but Silvano was not an easy man to work for, and after 3 years I moved on. I took a position as the Wine Director of Barbetta Ristorante uptown. Another great experience. 

Anyway, back to Bar Pitti and Da Silvano. Both great restaurants. Silvano Marchetto was an amazing restauranteur. He did quite a lot for the the industry of Italian Restaurants in New York City. He helped elevate the game. He taught the people of New York more about Italian Food and proper dining in Italian Restaurants. He created a restaurant in Da Silvano that people loved. it was a sort of playground of the so-called "Rich & Famous" and they themselves loved it, and loved going there and seeing their friends (other Celebrities). And of course, those who love going o restaurants to "Celeb Watch" Da Silvano was the Top of Tops for Celebrity Watching.

I can tell you stories, and I will. Of the biggest and most celebrities of all, and my three years of taking care of them. It was quite a time. 

It wasn't long before Bar Pitti became one of the hottest celebrity spots as well. And it still is. As often times as it happens with partnerships, the partners disagree and begin to fight, and eventually as in the case with Silvano and Giovanni, they eventually hated each other. They split up the partnership of Bar Pitti. Giovanni bought out Silvano, and Giovanni became the sole owner of Bar Pitti. After more than 35 years of being one the hottest most successful restaurants in all of New York, making a lot of money and drawing the celebrity crowd, Da Silvano Ristorante started to wain, and eventually closed down in 2019. Silvano moved back to Florence, and sadly passed away in 2023. He was one of the greatest restauranteurs in the history of New York, creating Da Silvano and along with Giovanni Tognozzi, Bar Pitti. He is remembered and revered by those who knew him as one of New Yorks Best.

The Following was written by JoshuaDavid Stein for GRUBSTREET

Writing about the long-running feud between the owners of Da Silvano and Bar Pitti, Joshua David Stein gets an earful from Silvano Marchetto. Silvano describes how he hired Giovanni “Bastardo” Tognozzi as a waiter in the late eighties, then canned him for taking too long to set a table, and then rehired him only because he thought he had gone from being “irrational” to “normal.” Of course, after they opened Bar Pitti together, the friends ended up having a falling out that Stein spends 2,500 words documenting. So what does Tognozzi have to say about the matter? “First, I am tired of talking about Silvano,” is all he’ll tell the Post. “Second, whatever he says about me, I don't care.” We’re going to give Tognozzi the PR victory here.

Joshua David Stein

BAR PITTI

When it comes to great Italian Food, in a city (New York) that is known to have the Best Italian Food in the World outside of Italy, it's hard to beat Bar Pitti, which is why Bar Pitti may very well be the "Best Italian Restaurant" in New York City! Yes!

Wait a minute, scratch that "maybe." No, Bar Pitti serves without a doubt, thee "Best Italian Food in New York." You don't think so? name one that is better. And please only qualified people please. No followers or Hack Food Critics like

Frank Bruni.

Who could compete? Maybe Babbo, Del Posto, Elio's, Lupa. They are all good, but none as good and consistent as Bar Pitti.

Il Mulino is absolutely "Aweful!" An "Overpriced Lackluster Restaurant" with horrible ambiance, mechanical annoying service, and food that is merely good, and no better and insanely "High Prices." It's a place for "Followers" who run with the crowd and wouldn't know real good Italian Food if it came up and Bit Them in The Ass.

Babbo many would say. Well Babbo is quite good, but just can't hold up to Bar Pitti with more of a true Italian feel, great food at truly real Italian Prices. Babbo is a great Special Occasion restaurant, but for everyday eating, Babbo doesn't even come close to Bar Pitti for "Great Quality Price Ratio," and even not considering the prices, if they were the same, though the food at Babbo is very good and I've had a few very enjoyable meals there, I have been disappointed a couple of times, something that has "Never" happened to me at Bar Pitti and I've eaten there more times, yet never been disappointed, not once, and always had a great time. So even if the prices were the same, Bar Pitti still has an edge, with Better More Consistent Authentic Italian Food than Babbo.

How bout Maialino, Laconde Verde, Osteria Morini, and others? As MC Hammer would say, "Can't Touch This."

So if you're looking for Thee "Best Italian Food in New York" there's one name, "Bar Pitti."

Recommended Dishes:

Coda d'Vacinara (Braised Oxtails) 150 Points on a 100 Pt Scale

Bolito d'Manzo (Boiled Beef) Taste a whole Lot Better than it sounds!

Polpettine d' Vitello (Veal Meatballs)

Fegato al Salvia (Calves Liver sauteed w/Sage)

Paparadelle con Sugo d'Coniglio (Pasta with Rabbit Ragu)

PUNTARELLE Wild Roman Greens Salad w/Anchovy Dressing

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

ANOTHER LUNCH at PITTI - With a Lot of ROSSO

If a good or great Rosso di Montalcino is any indication of how good the Brunello of the same Vintage to be released 3 years later will be, and it usually is, then we are in store for some great Brunello 2009 when they are release in January of 2014.

At the recent "Brunello Tasting" for the 2006 Vintage Brunello's, the 2009 Rosso di Montalcino's that were on hand, where absolutely wonderful and the big surprise of the tasting held at The New York Hilton. Rosso's were on hand by some but not all producers of Brunello, and most that I tasted were outstanding. Some were just about close to perfection, with wonderful balance of an abundance of Fruit, against just the right amount of acid content, and tannic backbone. Some of these wines were an absolute Joy to drink as with examples by; Argiano, Fattoria Barbi, Il Poggione, and the Rosso di Montalcino from the Castel Giacondo Estate of the Noble Florentine Family, The Frescobaldi's.

      I really loved the Rosso from Argiano which reminded me of the year of 2008 when my friends the Rozner Brothers Dave and Michael found ourselves quite a number of times hanging at the highly popular and one of New York's best Trattoria's "Bar Pitti" having some good ole times drinking Rosso di Montalcino "Argiano" 2006. This was a good year for Rosso from Montalcino and we must of had at least 50 bottles of the stuff that year. One day we were joined by friend Curtis Stone. 

We had a wonderful 2 1/2 hour lunch that day, eating Tripp, Prosciutto, and Pasta accompanied by 5 bottles of Argiano Rosso which we thoroughly enjoyed. And this is all of what wines should be along with the food that goes with them and the restaurants or homes we share our meals in; good Friends, tasty Food, and great wine. That's the good life or as we Italians would say La Dolce Vital, "The Sweet Life." Enjoy!

ARGIANO

ROSSO Di MONTALCINO

TRIPPA TRUFFLES & SAUVIGNON

PASTA with SUMMER TRUFFLES

BAR PITTI

GREATEST SUMMER TRUFFLES EVER !!!

We had another great plate of "Taglierlini with Truffle" the other day at Bar Pitti.

The Black Summer Truffles from Umbria have been so good this year, that they taste almost as good as the "White Alba Truffles" of the Autum and Winter Season.

It was quite funny when my friend Pat "P" and I took owe first bites, i said, "Patty Boy," these Truffles are as good as the "Whites." He agreed, and the words were barely out our mouths when Govanni came over and aske us how our Pasta was and added that they were "Stupenious" this year. "Just as good as the White Truffles." We told him that we just said the same thing, and at about a fourth of the price at $23.00 a plate, they were an absolute "Bargain."

We had a plate of Vitello Tonnato and "Trippa Fiorentina." both were tasty as ever.

If you haven't had any of the Norcia Summer Truffle, run on down to "Bar Pitti" and get a plate. "they're Amazing!!!!" We drank a bottle of "Macari Sauvignon Blanc,"

as everyone seems to be doing these days and we were as "Happy as Peas in a Pod."

by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

TRIPPA

BAR PITTI

SUNDAY SAUCE

AMERICA'S FAVORITE

ITALIAN COOKBOOK

Bar Pitti

Greenwich Village NY

BEST ITALIAN FOOD - GREENWICH VILLAGE  ?

IT’S BAR PITTI

Yes, the best Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village is “Not” CARBONE, “Not” Babbo, and certainly not one of New York’s most “Overrated Restaurants of all, the gossly overrated Il Mulino, which is over-priced, good, but no where near to the high exaltation that those who know little of what makes a great Italian Restaurant give to it.

Greenwich Village without question is tops in New York when it comes to having a string of New York’s best of the best Italian Restaurants. There’s Babbo, the Uber Hot “Restaurant of the Moment,” CARBONE. There is Lupa, which for me and quite a number of others The Batali Bastianich’s best restaurant in New York, not Babbo, no Del Posto. Yes, we will get to Greenwich Village’s Best Italian Resataurant in a string of not only the Village, but all New York. The Best is without question Bar Pitti on 6th Avenue near Bleecker Street and smack dab right next to arch enemy # 1 Da Silvano, a restaruant the gave birth to Bar Pitti but a few years ago had a “Nasty Nasty” highly publicized break-up between former 50 /50 Partners Silvano Marchetto the creator and still owner of Da Silvan which for a number of years rained supremme as New York’s # 1 Hottest Celebrity Restaurant of all (I myself was Maitre’d there during 3 of those years). Anyway Bar Pitti for those in-the-know and those who “Know” what they are talking about, and not some Food Critic that knows just a tiny fraction of what many eithers more cable know. Really seriously under quilified people who are put into place as critics by such, supposedly reputable publications as The New York Time and New York Magazine. It’s a sin.

So yes, Bar Pitti is tops. The food is amazing. And most important, it’s consistenly amazing. The food is always the same. Same being is that dishes like Coda d’Vaccinara (Braised Oxtails) Veal Milanese, Paparadell con Sugo di Cinghiale (Wild Boar Ragu) are authenticall and perfectlly cooked and done so each and every time they are done. If you get one of these dishes or any other on the menu or one of the daily specials, it will be the same if you get it today and then 3 weeks or 3 months down the road. The cooks in that kitcehn are conssitent, consistently good, and near flawless. The food is great, the ambaince and decor quite nice and fitting to what a Italian restaurant should be and that people expect, and not over contrived over-done like some joints such as SD 26 or Georgio Armani’s new restaurant Armani Restorante, both over-done, not warm and in the spirit of a truely great Italian Restaurant and one such as Bar Pitti. Yes, wonderful decor, great food, consisitency, good service, and a super great vibe created by the clientele that frequent the spot, many of whome are in publsihing, movies, advertising, and other high profile positions. 

You can talk all you want about Babbo, which is good. I have had had numerous meals there. The experience is quite nice, with a wonderful warm ambiance, excellent servic and an area that they could teach Bar Pitti a thing-or-two. They have a great wine list, although not the best Italian List in the city as those who again don’t realy know have calaimed to it. That honor goes to Barbetta on West 46th Street which is so off-the-wall great, it makes Babbo’s fine wine-list look like childs play. If you don’t beleive me, check it out. The food at Babbo is very good, but I’ve got to tell you “not always.” I’ve had a few disappointing dished there, which were barely good and far from tasty. In the 21 years I’ve been eating at Bar Pitti I’ve never had such a dish that I’ve been disappointed with the way I have a couple times at Babbo, and I never remember being blown away with any dish the way I have been blown away by Bar Pitti’s Bolito di Manzo, Braised Oxtails, Tagiatelle with Black Summer Truffles or Trippa al Parmigiano, all Awesome. Hey, it may sound like I’m knocking Babbo. I’m not. It’s just that when so many think that one place is the best, and it really isn’t and it has more praise than it deserves and has been highly exalted by people like Frank Bruni and The New York Times and other prominent entities that irrisponsibly “miss-lead” the general public that doesn’t know any better. The general public is counting on entities like the New York Times to report factually. By buying a newspaper or magazine the are paying for good information and when publications like The NY Times, Time Out and othe publications put grossly under-qualified people in position as Food Critics when they know very little, and there are hundreds who know a thousand times fold more than a NY Times Food Critic, it’s is just plain wrong.

So, yes Babbo is dam good, though higher exalted than it really deserves, it’s not as far off the mark as one horrible restaurant around the block from it. A restaurant that is so Highly Over-Rated it’s sinful. This restaurant is IL Mulino, a restaurant that has good food, not great that is way over-priced expensive, the decor is dark and horrible, and the service annoyingly mechanical. The place is a Huge Dissapointement to those who actually know what constitutes a great restaurant, and more specifically a great Italian restaurant, one such as Bar Pitti.

"Basta" !!!

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

SINATRA SAUCE 

"COOK LIKE FRANK" 

HIS FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES

AMAZON.com

 

Remembering Arthur Frommer

 

Arthur Frommer, known for the guidebook Europe on 5 Dollars a Day and other titles on budget travel, has died aged 95.

Pauline Frommer, his daughter, confirmed his death in a statement on his website. 

The writer, who began his journalism while on military deployments abroad, passed away at home surrounded by his loved ones. 

“Throughout his remarkable life, Arthur Frommer democratised travel, showing average Americans how anyone can afford to travel widely and better understand the world,” Pauline wrote in her statement. 

“I am honoured to carry on his work of sharing the world with you, which I proudly do with his team of extraordinary and dedicated travel journalists around the world. We will all miss him greatly," she added.

Frommer was the founder of Frommer's guidebooks - a series of travel books that included planning and travel tips to destinations around the globe. 

The series was based on Europe on 5 Dollars a Day - one of his first publications, which came out in 1957 and sold millions of copies. 

The book detailed how average Americans could afford to take trips that many thought were only accessible to the wealthy. 

Europe on $5 on DAY

The FIRST ONE

"Wow ! Imagine it? Europe on $5 a Day"

The GOOD OLD DAYS

“This is a book for American tourists who a) own no oil wells in Texas, b) are unrelated to the Aga Khan, c) have never struck it rich in Las Vegas and who still want to enjoy a wonderful European vacation," he wrote in the original guidebook. 

Frommer was drafted during the Korean War. He was sent to Europe and served in Germany because of his language skills. While deployed, he wrote what would be his first travel guidebook for his fellow service members, The GI's Guide to Travelling in Europe.

As well as a writer, Frommer was a TV and radio host whose work helped shape others' approach to travel. 

In one essay, Frommer wrote that travel "broadens our lives". 

"Travel has taught me that despite all the exotic differences in dress and language, of political and religious beliefs, that all the world’s people are essentially alike," he wrote. "We all have the same urges and concerns, we all yearn for the same goals."

EUROPE on $25

by Arthur Frommer

Early 1980s Edition

POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

TRAVEL GUIDE - COOKBOOK

AMAZON.com

My FIRST TRIP to EUROPE

"And Using a Frommer Guide"

My own Frommer travel experience. After dreaming of going to Europe since I was about 16 or 17 years old, I pulled the plug in the Summer of 1985. Yes I yearned for several years, dreaming of hanging out in cafes in Paris, going to Rome, Venice, Amsterdam, maybe Switzerland, I don't know, I had to figure out an itinerary.

I was influenced by people I knew, and settled on Italy: Rome, Florence, Venice, and Positano and The Amalfi Coast, and over to Barcelona to meet up with some friends from New York.

Well I didn't end up going to Paris (another trip), but I did make it to Nice, Monaco, and The South of France. Everything would be wonderful, but I would have to plan. I had my Frommer Travel Guide, Europe on $40 a Day. I think it was that one. All these years later (2024) I can't remember of it was the $25 a Day edition or $40 a day. Anyway, the book was a great help. I had also bought Rick Steves 1st travel guide, Europe through the Back Door which was nice, but not filled with nearly much info, on many more places as the Frommer Guide by Arthur Frommer. 

Europe on $5 ($25, $40) was the standard at the time, which Arthur Frommer started in 1957 with his 1st of many guides, with Europe on $5 a Day. "Wow, imagine that" ? Those were the good old days, when European Travel was "Dirt Cheap" I must say, I was lucky to catch the tail-end of very affordable (cheap) European Travel on my first few trips.

On that first trip, I stayed in a Pensione in Rome for just $14 a night, just $6 a night in Barcelona, I think I payed about $25 - $30 for a room in Nice, $35 a night at the Hotel Firenze in Venice, and $40 for a room at the Pensione Maria Antoinette in Positano. Though it was Europe on $40 a Day at the time, I decided to give myself a budget of $60 a day. I wasn't backpacking it, I had luggage as opposed to a backpack, and I didn't want to stay in hostels, but I did want the most affordable accommodations a step or two up from hostels. This was Pensione accommodations, which gave you a clean room, but usually not with a bathroom. There were shared bathrooms on each floor of a typical Pensione. I didn't have any problem with not having my own private bath in the room. "Hey, at least I wasn't staying in a hostile with other people in my room?" Not that there is anything wrong with that. 

The Europe on $40 a Day covered the main attraction cities like Rome, Paris, Venice, Florence, Vienna, Athens, Amsterdam, and others. For each city, the main tourist attraction such as The Coliseum in Rome, Eiffel Tower in Paris, The Parthenon in Athens would be covered. Local transportations options were cover, with sections called "How to Get There" and "How to Get Around," which were very helpful. For each city there was a small listing of inexpensive Hotels to choose from, a few mid-range options, and maybe t deluxe hotel recommendations, which were classified as "Splurge" options, for both hotels and restaurants.

Then of course there were restaurant suggestions, mostly in the affordable category, as well as a few of the most popular dishes that any particular city or region was famous for. 

Most important to me was the hotel section of any particular city. Back then (1985) there was no Internet, which has made travel much easier to naviagate, with limitless information on vacation destinations around the World, and companies that book hotels all over the World, such as Expedia, Booking.com and others, where you have websites that list hotels in every budget, you can sift through the pages, pick a hotel, make room reservations, and book hotel rooms, all on your computer or Smartphone.

I was 22 years old when I made my first trip to Europe. I book a flight on PanAm from JFK New York to Rome. It was $55o. I can't tell you how excited I was on the flight over, and those first 5 days spent in Rome, and I was in total euphoria as I explored The Eternal City. I just couldn't believe it. I was like a young child on Christmas Day. That's the feeling I had, super excited and oh so happy. And again, I was in a state of euphoria. That's how much I loved it. 

I met a couple on the plane, we shared a taxi from the airport to Rome Central Station. I took a cue from my Rick Steves travel guide, and checked my luggage at the train station while I went looking for a pensione with a list I made from the Frommer Guide listings. I got a room on my first try with in a pensione that was just 2 blocks from the train station. I told the desk clerk I would take the room, and went back to the train station to retrieve my bags. After going back to the station, I laid down for a few minutes, couldn't fall asleep (to excited) so I took a shower, got dressed, then went out to explore Rome, The Eternal City. 

I walked about 5 blocks and came upon a Kiosk Cafe by small park across from the Piazza della Repubblica. I went inside and saw these little sandwiches on the counter (Tramezzini). They looked good and were cheap (900 Lire - .50 cents) so I got a couple, along with an Apricot Juice and my 1st Italian Espresso in Italy. I took my stuff and went outside to sit at one of the cafe tables. I was in "7th Heaven." No big deal to most, yet it was blissful to me. I was in the Ancient City of Rome, eating my first ever meal in Italy, and Europe at the same time. the sandwiches were tasty, the juice refreshing, and the Espresso was amazing. "I loved it all," and this some 39 years later, I can still remember it all, and I savor the memory. The sandwiches were so tasty (but not filling) that I went inside and got two more. This would be my breakfast for the next 5 days while in Rome. I found a cafe I liked the next day, and went there for the following 4 days, for a caffe (espresso_ Apricot Juice, and 2 or 3 Tramezzini Sandwiches. I loved it.

Anyway, back to that first day. I walked and found my way to The Spanish Steps. I marveled at the sight. I walked up to the top. There was a food truck up there, and I got a Coca-Cola. This was around the time that Coca-Cola had the foolish idea of changing the recipe of "Coke." A big mistake. People stopped drinking Coca-Cola and the company was forced to changed back to "The Original Recipe." I had my Coke and gazed out upon The Eternal City. Up on top of The Spanish Steps, you get a wonderful view of Rome, spread out before you. I savored it all. 

From here. I walked down the road toward the Borghese Gardens and the Piazza del Popolo beyond. I came across a beautiful little garden caffe an stopped in. I got a little something to eat. Sorry, can't remember what it was. What I do remember was that it was enchanting sitting in the garden and again, looking out over Rome. Absolutely beautiful. 

After leaving the garden caffe, I continued on my exploration and walked on the road and descended down into the Piazza Popolo with its two beautiful little "Twin Churches," and a couple famous caffes, including Rosati that my friend Rene Ricard told my that I had to go to, along with visiting the  two Twin Churches. Of course I did. 

Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

"The TWIN CHURCHES'

PIAZZA del POPOLO - ROME

After visiting the twin churches of Santa Maria Maricoli & Santa Maria Montesanto, I continued on. In a few minutes, I came upon the monument to Victor Emmanuelle, The 1st King of Unified Italy. Adjacent to this monument is the Roman Forum, and The Colosseum beyond. Wow, The Colosseum ? This really blew my mind. Ancient Rome of 2000 years ago/ I couldn't believe it.

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

..... to be continued ... 

Flying to ROME ?

FLIGHTS & HOTELS to ITALY

And WORLDWIDE

EXPEDIA.com

NEED a ROOM in ROME ?

HOTELS in ROME

And WORLDWIDE

BOOKING.com

Bourdain Wants Italian Nonna

 

"TONY WANTS a NONNA" !!!

An ITALIAN NONNA !!!

TONY Wants a NONNA !!!

NONNA MARIA

RECIPES

TONY Meets a NONNA

Minute 31:20

NONNA MARIA 

NONNA'S ITALIAN COOKBOOK

NONNA BELLINO'S COOKBOOK

ITALIAN RECIPES

AMAZON.com