FOOD

Casanova Secret Venetian Recipe Maccheroni Pie by author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

 


GIACOMO CASANOVA

“The SEDUCER”

EXPLORING VENICE

TRAVEL GUIDE COOKBOOK

TRAVEL INFO & STORIES of VENICE

With 40 FAVORITE VENETIAN RECIPES
AMAZON.com

CASNOVA’S MACCHERONI PIE


Free Recipe – Courtesy of author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Excerpted from Daniel’s latest book “EXPLORING VENICE”



This dish was one of Casanova’s all-time favorites. It’s an extravagant dish that is great for parties, as its extravagance is what makes it special. It is a special celebration dish that most people may have never seen, so if you take the time to make it, it is quite gratifying, and is sure to immensely please your guests, as it did the great Venetian Lover – Giacomo Casanova.



RECIPE – 


“CASANOVA’S VENETIAN MACCHERONI PIE”



PIE DOUGH – INGREDIENTS : 


1 pound all purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Salt

12 ounces (3 sticks) Butter


Place all ingredients in a food processor. Turn on and pulse just as everything forms into a ball. Stop mixing immediately. 


Place dough on a lightly floured board or table and knead by hand for 5 minutes form into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.


CHICKEN LIVERS : 


1 pound Chicken Livers

2 tablespoons Butter

1 small Onion, peeled and finely chopped

¼ cup – Sherry, dry Marsala, or Vin Santo

Salt & ground Black Pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar


Add butter and onions to a large frying pan. Cook on low heat for 4 minutes, as you stir. 


Add the chicken livers and cook on low heat for 4 minutes. Add the Balsamic Vinegar and wine and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes. 


Turn heat off and set aside to cool.


FILLING : 


1 & ½ pounds ground Pork

2 ounces Dry Porcini Mushrooms

1 medium Onion, peeled and chopped fine

2 tablespoons Butter

½ teaspoon each of Salt & ground Black Pepper

½ teaspoon Cinnamon

2 pinches each of Nutmeg & ground Cloves

2 tablespoons Tomato Paste

⅓ cup Red Wine


Place dry Porcini Mushrooms in a bowl of warm water, just to cover. Let the porcini soak for 20 minutes. Remove from water. Wash two times with cold water. Chop and set aside.

Place the ground pork in a large pot with  half the butter. Cook on low heat for 6 minutes until the meat is cooked through. Season with Salt & Black Pepper and stir.


Add the wine and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add all remaining ingredients and stir. Turn heat to high, and bring everything up to the boil. Once everything is boiling,  turn heat to very low, and let simmer on low heat for 1 hour. Be sure to stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pot with the spoon to keep from sticking and burning. Be sure to stir every few minutes. Turn off after 1 hour & let rest.


BECHAMEL : 


1 quart Milk

4 tablespoons butter

¼ cup Flour

1 Bay Leaf

¼ teaspoon each Salt & White Pepper

pinch Nutmeg


Melt the butter in a medium pan. Add flour and cook on low heat while stirring with a wire whip for 5 minutes.


Increase to medium heat and slowly pour in the milk while stirring. Add bay leaf, salt & white pepper.


Add a pinch of Nutmeg, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes while stirring.




1 pound fresh BUTTON MUSHROOMS


Clean the mushrooms and cut in half. Saute the mushrooms for 5 minutes in 1 tablespoon of butter, with a pinch each of salt & black pepper for 6 minutes over low to medium heat. Set aside.


1 pound frozen PEAS, defrosted



MACCHERONI 


1 pound Short Pasta – Rigatoni, Ziti, or other


Cook the Maccheroni in salted boiling water for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and drain in a colander.

Remove pie dough from the refrigerator. Cut the dough into 2 pieces by cutting off a third of the dough that will be the top of the pie. The larger piece is for the bottom.


Place the larger piece of dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to normal pie size. Place into a 10” Springform pan.


Mix CASNOVA’S MACCHERONI PIE



This dish was one of Casanova’s all-time favorites. It’s an extravagant dish that is great for parties, as its extravagance is what makes it special. It is a special celebration dish that most people may have never seen, so if you take the time to make it, it is quite gratifying, and is sure to immensely please your guests, as it did the great Venetian Lover – Giacomo Casanova.



RECIPE – 


“CASANOVA’S VENETIAN MACCHERONI PIE”



PIE DOUGH – INGREDIENTS : 


1 pound all purpose Flour

1 teaspoon Salt

12 ounces (3 sticks) Butter


Place all ingredients in a food processor. Turn on and pulse just as everything forms into a ball. Stop mixing immediately. 


Place dough on a lightly floured board or table and knead by hand for 5 minutes form into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate.


CHICKEN LIVERS : 


1 pound Chicken Livers

2 tablespoons Butter

1 small Onion, peeled and finely chopped

¼ cup – Sherry, dry Marsala, or Vin Santo

Salt & ground Black Pepper to taste

1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar


Add butter and onions to a large frying pan. Cook on low heat for 4 minutes, as you stir. 


Add the chicken livers and cook on low heat for 4 minutes. Add the Balsamic Vinegar and wine and cook on medium heat for 3 minutes. 


Turn heat off and set aside to cool.


FILLING : 


1 & ½ pounds ground Pork

2 ounces Dry Porcini Mushrooms

1 medium Onion, peeled and chopped fine

2 tablespoons Butter

½ teaspoon each of Salt & ground Black Pepper

½ teaspoon Cinnamon

2 pinches each of Nutmeg & ground Cloves

2 tablespoons Tomato Paste

⅓ cup Red Wine


Place dry Porcini Mushrooms in a bowl of warm water, just to cover. Let the porcini soak for 20 minutes. Remove from water. Wash two times with cold water. Chop and set aside.

Place the ground pork in a large pot with  half the butter. Cook on low heat for 6 minutes until the meat is cooked through. Season with Salt & Black Pepper and stir.


Add the wine and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add all remaining ingredients and stir. Turn heat to high, and bring everything up to the boil. Once everything is boiling,  turn heat to very low, and let simmer on low heat for 1 hour. Be sure to stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pot with the spoon to keep from sticking and burning. Be sure to stir every few minutes. Turn off after 1 hour & let rest.


BECHAMEL : 


1 quart Milk

4 tablespoons butter

¼ cup Flour

1 Bay Leaf

¼ teaspoon each Salt & White Pepper

pinch Nutmeg


Melt the butter in a medium pan. Add flour and cook on low heat while stirring with a wire whip for 5 minutes.


Increase to medium heat and slowly pour in the milk while stirring. Add bay leaf, salt & white pepper.


Add a pinch of Nutmeg, and cook over low heat for 10 minutes while stirring.


1 pound fresh BUTTON MUSHROOMS


Clean the mushrooms and cut in half. Saute the mushrooms for 5 minutes in 1 tablespoon of butter, with a pinch each of salt & black pepper for 6 minutes over low to medium heat. Set aside.


1 pound frozen PEAS, defrosted



MACCHERONI 


1 pound Short Pasta – Rigatoni, Ziti, or other


Cook the Maccheroni in salted boiling water for 8 minutes. Remove from heat and drain in a colander.

Remove pie dough from the refrigerator. Cut the dough into 2 pieces by cutting off a third of the dough that will be the top of the pie. The larger piece is for the bottom.


Place the larger piece of dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out to normal pie size. Place into a 10” Springform pan.


Mix the ground pork mixture, peas, and cooked button mushrooms with the chicken livers. Place this mixture into a large bowl with the cooked maccheroni (pasta) and grated Parmigiano cheese and mix. Add ⅔ of the warm Bechamel, and grated Fontina Cheese and mix.


Place the filling in the pie shell. Roll out the smaller piece of dough until it is the thickness of a pie, and top the timballo.

Crimp the dough together with your fingers.

Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake for 1 hour.


Remove from the oven, and let cool a bit before serving.


Cut each person a generous portion of the Maccheroni Pie. Drizzle a little of the remaining Bechamel Sauce over each person’s serving, with a little grated Parmigiano on top, and enjoy like Casanova.


“SPECIAL ADDED TREAT” Black Truffles


This is an optional add-on that would be most delightful, and keeping with the Casanova’s desire for the best of life’s pleasure, would be to add a dollop of “Black Truffles” to each person’s dish.


You can buy some Black Truffle Pate on  Amazon, made by “La Rustichella.” It’s just about $20 for a jar, and completely worth the extra extravagance. “Casanova surely Would.the ground pork mixture, peas, and cooked button mushrooms with the chicken livers. Place this mixture into a large bowl with the cooked maccheroni (pasta) and grated Parmigiano cheese and mix. Add ⅔ of the warm Bechamel, and grated Fontina Cheese and mix.
Place the filling in the pie shell. Roll out the smaller piece of dough until it is the thickness of a pie, and top the with dough Crimp the dough together with your fingers

Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven and bake for Cut each person a generous portion of the Maccheroni Pie. Drizzle a little of the remaining Bechamel Sauce over each person’s serving, with a little grated Parmigiano on top, and enjoy like Casanova.“SPECIAL ADDED TREAT” Black Truffles

This is an optional add-on that would be most delightful, and keeping with the Casanova’s desire for the best of life’s pleasure, would be to add a dollop of “Black Truffles” to each person’s dish.

You can buy some Black Truffle Pate on Amazon, made by “La Rustichella.” It’s just about $20 for a jar, and completely worth the extra extravagance. “Casanova surely Would.

Excerpted from “EXPLORING VENICE” – Travel Guide – Cookbook by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Forty Dollar Fucking Cocktails in New York – The High Price of Drinking NYC

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PABST BLUE RIBBON BEER

New York & The $3 PBR

“IT STILL EXISTS” !!!! 2022

2025 update $4 for a PBR at 7B BAR

Still a Great Deal


NEW YORK & The $3 PBR


I wrote this article in 2008, in protest of the ever increasing prices of New York City Cocktails. They were going up. A little too high for my taste, $16, or more. At that price (2008) that meant that if you had 3 cocktails which would be $48, that would be quite a lot. But that wasn’t the end of it. You’ve got to pay sales tax of 8.25%, and then there’s a tip for the bartender or server. We’re taxing $4 tax, and $10 tip, bringing the Grand Total of your 3 precious cocktails up to $62 Fucking Dollars for 3 measly drinks. That was 2008. Fast forward to 2026 and $16 isn’t the price of a high-priced cocktail, but the freaking average. SO you know what that means don’t you? That means that it will cost you on average with tax and tip and the price of the cocktails, about $60 or more for 3 cocktails.

Now how about the high-priced ones? I was at the Lobby Bar at the Chelsea Hotel last month, with a good friend. We wanted to have drinks. Guess how much a damn cocktail cost over there? No, not $22! Nor $24. But $29 Fucking Dollars for a G DAMN Cocktail. “What The Fuck” I say. Yes $29 US Freaking Dollars. But that’s not the end of it, as you should well know by now. No it’s not $87 Fucking Dollars for those damn precious drinks. No, we still have to pay tax and tip. How much is that you want to know. Well, the tax for the Governor comes to $7.20, bring its up to, let us round it out to $94. OK. Now you’ve got to leave at least 20% gratuity which the bartender (or server) expects, that’s $20 right there, bringing your total for 3 cocktails at the Chelsea Hotel to a Whopping fucking $117 “Fucking Dollars” !!! What? Yes just about 120 Fucking precious US dollars for three measly fucking drinks. Haven’t we suffered enough? They don’t make Good Music anymore! “What The FUCK” ? What the Hell Happened to Music? Now? It all Fucking SUCKS !!! I don’t get it? Why don they make good music any more? What’s this World Coming to? WTF ??? And Sandwiches? Sandwiches cost $20 and up these days! Yes, “What the Fuck” ??? Again. Everything is out of Whack. Groceries too. Fucking $1,99 a pound for “FUCKING POTATOES” ? WTF?

Well, let me tell you something. I wrote about $3 PBRs and what a Blessing they were in New York City. And the bars that served them. Well thankfully, we do have something to be grateful for when it comes to going out for some drinks (beers) in 2026. In comparison to everything else, the insane prices of cocktails, and a glass of wine at restaurants and bars in New York, there are still a few places left where you can get a “Cheap Beer iN Manhattan.” I freaking Miracle if there ever was one! They’re not $3 PBRs or Rolling Rocks, but $4 instead, which is pretty damn good, and in comparison to 2008 and today, a $4 beer in 2026, is a much better deal than a $3 PBR in 2008. You can get a $4 Rolling Rock beer at Mialno’s NYC most famous Dive Bar) on East Houston Street, or a $4 PBR at the World Famous 7B Horseshoe Bar on Avenue “A” at East 7th Street in New York’s East Village. You can also get a $4 beer around the block at “Sophie’s” or at the Blue & Gold Bar on East 7th Street, west of 1st Avenue, also in the East Village of New York City.

So there you go Ladies & Gentleman. That’s the state of drinking Manhattan in 2026. You can either go to The Chelsea Hotel and get 3 drinks for $120 all in with tax & tip ($40 for 1 drink). Or you can go to Blue & Gold, Milano’s, or 7B Bar, and get 3 $4 Beers, and end up just spending $16 all in for 3 Beers, including tax & tip. Which will you choose. I love Dive Bars. It’s really all about be with friends, having a good time, and not getting “Ripped-Off” !!!!



Daniel Bellino Zwicke 
June 7, 2026 – New York City


READ The ARTICLE BELOW from 2008


NEW YORK & The $3 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.

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7B “HORSESHO BAR”


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 .. 

2025 Update – a PBR is now $4, still a great deal, at one of New York’s most historical dive bars.








7B HORESHOE BAR

by the Artist BELLINO

GET a FINE ART PRINT

Frome FINE ART AMERICA
CLICK HERE !
a $4 PBR
At 7B HORSE SHOE BAR
by Bellino

At 7B
Copyright Daniel Bellino Zwicke







SINATRA SAUCE
COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK
His FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES
PASTA – MEATBALLS – CHEESE CAKE
And MUCH MORE ….
AMAZON.com








AMERICA’S FAVORITE FOOD

And SECRET RECIPES


BURGERS TACOS BURRITOS

SOUP SNDWICHES BBQ

And MORE …
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LUCY

“LUCY’S BAR”

135 AVENUE A  NY NY



Lucy’s Bar is the most aptly named bar in New York. For Lucy—the quiet and small and sweetly proper Polish owner with the well-coifed gray hair and floral blouses—is who you’ll see when you go there, and Lucy is the one who will serve you. If there are other employees, they’ve hidden themselves somewhere in the back.

Though Lucy’s is undeniably a dive (and one of the last in the neighborhood), it feels more like your aunt’s aging rec room, a place where you’d never think of disrespecting the house’s hospitality. It’s also one of the last vestiges of the Polish community that was once made up a significant part of the East Village’s character.

Ludwika “Lucy” Mickevicius moved from Poland to New York in the late 1970s and soon got a job at Blanche’s, a bar on St. Mark’s Place run by another Polish woman. She became such a fixture that people began to think of the bar as Lucy’s, and, when Blanche retired, she sold the place—by then located on Avenue A—to her bartender.

Lucy’s life doesn’t range much further than the twin poles of her joint and Poland, which she visits regularly, shutting up the tavern at a moment’s notice and disappearing for weeks at a time. Most nights, she stations herself at the far end of the bar near the ancient cash register. (It’s cash only here.) One recent evening, the Halloween balloons hadn’t yet been taken down. Then again, assorted Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations were already out. Maybe none of the decorations are ever packed up?

Lucy doesn’t budge much behind the bar, but she keeps herself busy for a woman in her mid-70s. She will draw you a pint or a glass of tequila. And, if she likes you, she might pour you a shot of żubrówka, a Polish bison grass vodka, on the house. When the place gets stuffy, she’ll swing open the door to let some fresh Avenue A air in; just as quickly, she’ll close it if it gets chilly.

The clientele ranges from a less-intense sort of downtown hipster, who exchange a few friendly words with Lucy—who, even all these years later, still speaks in broken, accented English—and then retire to their personal conversations, to old Polish regulars. In fact, on another recent night, a young couple came in to show Lucy their young child. All four spoke entirely in Polish and a delighted Lucy let the little scamp climb atop the pool table. As they left, she handed the kid one of the old Halloween balloons. For those few minutes, Lucy’s was a family bar.





2022 and You Can Still GET a $3 PBR


LYS MYYKTA aka  “The SLY FOX

142 2nd Avenue, New York NY – The EAST VILLAGE


LYSMYKTA aka “THE SLY FOX” is a Ukranian Bar in a Ukranian neighborhood in
New York’s East Village. There’s a Ukranian Restaurant in the back, serving delicious Ukranian Food and very reasonable prices. Yes this is thee main neighborhood of Ukranian peoples in New York City. The restaurants great, and any bar that serves $3 PBR Beer is great in my book too.

If you can go some place for drinks (beers), to hang and chit-chat  and have 3 Beers, and not have to spend more than $15, that’s a place for me. You shouldn’t have to pay $40 plus for just 2 drinks (or $60 for 3). People who don’t make quite so much money as Lawyers, Wall Street Guys and whoever, should be able to afford to go for 2 or 3 drinks and not spend an “Arm and a Leg” to do it. 
The SLY FOX is a place where you can do that, and thank God we have them, and a few other joints that we can do so.






$4 BEERS at “SOPHIE’S”

East 5th STREET Between AVENUES A & B

The EAST VILLAGE NYC



I’ve been going to Sophie’s, along with Lucy’s, Blue & Gold Bar,
the Holiday Lounge and others since first moving to The East Village in 1982.
Prices have gone up in a lot of places, and now in many places – cocktails cost are
in the high teens, Twenty Dollars, and even up to $29 for a cocktail, as I witnessed when
a friend and I went to The Chelsea Hotel a couple weeks ago. Yes, $25 and $29 for a cocktail. Damn?

We spotted a nice looking bottle of Cote du Rhone for $78 a bottle. Not cheap, but in comparison to $29 a cocktail. Four drinks would have costs us $114, so we got the wine for $36 dollars less than 4 drinks, and put that $36 into a tasty Cheeseburger. The Burger came with Fries, and we had them cut it in half. It was Super Tasty. We loved it. Even Better than Burgers at Minetta Tavern. “Seriously” !!!

I’ve been at Blue & Gold recently, as well as “MILANO’S” – Sophie’s, and 7b Bar. All serve $4 beers. Thank God for these places. I’ve said it before. I can go into Andy one of these places and have a couple Beers and live a respectable $4 tip, and walk out just spending $12. Not bad. Two cocktails plus tax and tip at The Lounge Bar at The Chelsea Hotel would be at least $50 for the two drinks plus $4.50 tax plus at least $10 for tip for a grand total of about $65, as oppose to $12 at any of New York City’s awesome Dive Bars.

Don’t get me wrong. Yes, we’re comparing Apples & Oranges. When I went to The Chelsea Hotel, I knew it wouldn’t be cheap, and I was prepared to pay for the privilege (of being there). My friend and I had a great time. We were there for a couple of hours BS-ing about this and that. We killed that bottle of Cote du Rhone and got another glass of wine each ($22 a glass). The check was about $170, not including tip, which was another $50, for a grand total of $220. Not cheap, but we had a “Great Time” and we were happy. You gotta treat yourself sometimes. But most times will be spent at a good dive bar.

“Thank God” for Good Dive Bars”

New York City




LUCKY’S BAR

168 Avenue “A” New York NY , East Village


Get $3  PBRs at LUCKY’S BAR
168 AVENUE “A” NY NY
EAST VILLAGE
JOHNSON’S BAR  … 168 RIVINGTON STREET, LES NEW YOIRK NY
Inside JOHNSON’S BAR
$2  PBRs
PABST BLUE RIBBON BEER

Johnson’s Bar
NY NY
MORE PLACES to GET $3 PBRs
CATS SPORTS BAR –  96 GREENWICH STREET at RECTOR NY NY  $3 PBRs
WALTER’S BAR – 389 8th Avenue Near 32nd Street and MADISON SQUARE GARDEN .. $3PBR
DOC HOLIDAY’S   141 AVENUE “A” East Village NY NY  – $2  PBRs

MILANO’S

MILANO’S

51  EAST HOUSTON STREET

NEW YORK NY

One of the last authentic old-school bars in NYC. How old-school? Milano’s opened in 1880, and maintains a no-frills comfortably old-fashioned atmosphere.





The SPRING LOUNGE

aka SHARK BAR

45 SPRING STREET NEW YORK NY

The SHARK BAR
SPRING STREET at MOTT
Back in the day, when it was an ITALIAN NEIGHBORHOOD here.

Where it GOt its NICKNAME “SHARK BAR”
Nobody “In The KNow” calls it Spring Lounge, only Green Newcomers to Downtown New York would ever call it SPRING LOUNGE. For years it was a neighborhood “Shot & Beer” Joint. It became treny about 20 years ago (1999)
Those “In The Know” like me, only ever call it “The Shark Bar” … It got this name from
the fake SHARK hanging over the bar, and that’s that!
You can’t get $3 Beers here, but we incuded it anyway. And although it’s a Trendy so-called Hipster Bar, those of us Old Timers who still call it The Shark Bar, it still has a special place in our hearts.
Basta !




 

 

2ac44-bi-leb-small

GOT ANY KAHLUA ?

The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

Daniel Zwicke

AMAZON.com



169 BAR

Lower East Side

If Clockwork’s happy hour special seems too good to be true, you’ve got a little good old fashioned neighborhood competition to thank. Located right around the corner, 169 has been in operation since 1916. And its 11:30am-7:30pm HH is among the best in the city. $3 will get you an “Old Man Can/Bottle” of beer (PBR, Carling Black Label, Schaefer, Genesee Cream, High Life/Miller Lite) and any well shot. Subtly New Orleanian environs (window shutters look like they’re fresh off a Creole cottage; beads are strung here and there; there’s crawfish on the menu) evoke genuine good times.


 

 

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New Book on VENICE – Exploring Venice – Travel Guide Cookbook

 


EXPLORING VENICE

TRAVEL GUIDE – COOKBOOK

The LATEST From DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE
AMAZON.com

EXPLORING VENICE
Exploring Venice. Daniel Bellino has done it again. He just released has latest book – Exploring Venice – Travel Guide – Cookbook. Speaking of travel guide cookbooks, it seems as though Bellino owns this genre, having written three wonderful books that fall under this genre, which we even think that Bellino-Zwicke may have even invented.
His latest offering is all about one of the World’s most loved and cherished destinations – Venice, Italy. Venice, a city like no other in the world. Venice is totally unique, and the people of the World love it, and love going there. So Mr. Bellino Z has written a quite wonderful book that will help to guide these people –  on where to go in Venice – restaurants, wine bars, museums, and other local sights, it’s all there.

Bellino’s “Exploring Venice,” like all of his Italian Travel Books, gives you the authors very own unique perspective, as only Daniel Bellino can. You see, unlike many who write travel books, Bellino has some 40 years experience under his belt, when it comes to visiting and knowing Venice, the place, the people, the lifestyle, and of course the food, of which, no Venetian Travel Guide has ever had such a large battery of great Venetian food recipes such as this. And not many can match when it comes to Bellino & Venice, wine bars, and Venetian food, as Daniel Bellino Zwicke is a master of it all. He created the 1st ever Venetian Bacaro in America in 1998. What is a bacaro you ask? A bacaro is the Venetian dialect name for a wine bar. The word bacaro translates to “House of Bacchus”. – with Bacchus being The Roman Guide of Wine, the name for a wine bar in Venice “Bacaro” is quite appropriate. Daniel Bellino fell in love with the bacari of Venice and wanted to open one of his own, and so he did. 

Having wanted to open a Venetian Wine Bar (bacaro) in New York, Bellino needed to know about them, and as much as he could. Everything. And so in the Spring (Primavera) of 1995, after reading an article on the bacari of Venice, Bellino decided he had to go and check them out. He book a flight to Vencie, and stayed for 11 days, going to every wine bar (bacaro) in town. He ate, drank wine, chatted with the owners and clients alike, took pictures, and absorbed it all, find out all about the food (cichetti), the local wines, and how the food and wine was produced, presented, and consumed in these bacari of the enchanting city of Venice. 

Daniel Bellino went back to New York, and along with business partner Tom T, opened Bar Cichetti – “America’s 1st Ever Venetian Bacaro” (wine bar). Danie was the Chef, Wine Director, and managing partner of Bar Cichetti which the food-press and Italian wine professionals in New York and Italy absolutely loved. We could go on and on about Bar Cichetti, but sorry, though a great subject, we actually got off the main subject at hand – the book by Bellino, EXPPLORING VENICE. 

So, like any other travel guide, there’s a list of the best restaurants to go to, and bacari. A list of museums, best sights to see, some history, and the hotels of Venice. Then there’s a few stories, containing the authors own wonderful experiences and insights into the enchanting city of Venice. The author touches on the most famous Venetians of all : “Casanova,” Vivaldi, & one Giuseppe Cipriani, the creator of World Renowned Venetian Treasure “Harry’s Bar.” Not every guide book of Venice touches on these subjects, but Bellino does. And his insights are quite valuable. The author tells you of several of Casanova’s favorite haunts that remain open and active to this very day. And you can go to Caffè Florian and the wine bars of Venice , eat and drink, and enjoy these establishments just as Giacamo Casanova did, almost 300 years gone by. Now that’s quite something, wouldn’t you say?

Now the recipes, some of which are quite unique. Oh, we almost forgot to inform you, the author cooked professionally in New York City for some 14 years, before getting heavily involved in Italian Wine, as  the wine director of some New York’s most renowned Italian restaurants, and became one of the foremost authorities in America, on Italian wine. So Bellino’s experienced is quite significant. 

Yes, back tot he recipes in the book. The author / chef has included some 40 recipes on the most important dishes of Venetian Cusine, including, Risi Bisi, Baccala Montecato (whipped Salt Cod), Bigoli con Anatra (Venetian pasta with Duck Ragu), Calves Liver Veneziana, and more. Daniel has also touched on Cichetti and throwing your very own “Cichetti Party,” when you get back home. And he tells you how to do it. The author, in writing his Italian travel guide -cookbooks, has said that his does this in order to inspire people to cook the foods that they love from their travels. Daniel states that it’s a great way to relive cherished memories of certain trips, by cooking some dishes that you loved while on vacation. He has done this with other travel -cookbooks he has written, such as – Poistano The Amalfi Coast – Travel Guide – Cookbook & ITALIAN FOOD & TRAVEL.
We almost forget to inform you. Daniel Bellino cooked professionally in some New York’s most renowned Italian & French restaurants of 15 years, after which he became heavily involved in Italian Wine. He opened Bar Cichetti, and for this, every Italian Wine Estate Owner wanted to meet him, and have him sell and promote their wines. And so Daniel became one of America’s foremost authorise of Italian Wine. For his passion and great knowledge of Italian wine, Daniel Bellino Z is one of the most highly respected Italian Wine Guys of America – known and respected by most of Italy’s top Italian Wine producers (Italian Estate Owners), such as : Giovanni Manettiof Fontodi, Conti Sebastiano Capponi of Villa Calcinaia (Chianti in Greve), The Marches Piero Antinori (Antinori Wines of Florence, Tuscany), Francesca Planeta (Paneta Wines, Sicily), Cavelierie Luigi Cappellini of Castello Verrazzano, and many more. Too many to name.

And so, we highly recommend any of the fine books of Italy, by one of America’s foremost authorises on the subjects – the subjects of Italian Food, Italian Wine, Italy, & Travels in Italy – chef ‘ author Daniel Bellino Zwicke. He knows it all. 





WE ALSO RECOMMEND 

“ITALIAN FOOD & TRAVELS”


ITALIAN FOOD & TRAVELS

ROME VENICE PIZZA PASTA & ???

Daniel Bellino Zwicke
AMAZON.com


Best Selling Cookbook author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

 


Author DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE

NEW YORK, NY

DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE


Daniel Bellino Zwicke (often credited as Daniel Bellino “Z”) is a prominent New York City-based author, restaurateur, and food, wine, and travel writer with over 35 years of experience in the culinary industry. Based out of Greenwich Village, he is widely recognized as an authority on Italian-American culinary traditions and Italian wine. 

Professional Culinary Background
Before transitioning into a full-time writing career, Zwicke established a robust footprint in the New York food scene: [1, 2]
  • Bar Cichetti: He was the creator, chef, wine director, and managing partner of this establishment, which was celebrated as America’s first-ever Venetian wine bar (Bàcaro).
  • Da Silvano: He spent several years working as a manager and maître d’ at this legendary Greenwich Village institution.
  • Education: He formalized his culinary foundation by attending the New York Technical College in Brooklyn. 
Notable Published Works
Zwicke has written an array of best-selling cookbooks and travel guides available on platforms like Amazon and ThriftBooks. His books blend traditional recipes with personal stories, local histories, and cultural anecdotes. 
  • Sunday Sauce: When Italian-Americans Cook: His highly popular definitive guide exploring the rituals and recipes behind traditional Italian-American “gravy”.
  • Grandma Bellino’s Italian Cookbook: A collection of authentic Sicilian recipes passed down from his grandmother.
  • The Feast of the 7 Fish: A dedicated cookbook detailing the traditional Italian Christmas Eve seafood dinner.
  • Sinatra Sauce: Music, Meatballs & Merriment: A cookbook designed for lifelong fans of Frank Sinatra, blending food with musical culture.
  • Segreto Italiano: A deep dive into secret Italian family recipes and regional favorite dishes.
  • Positano The Amalfi Coast Cookbook / Travel Guide: A multi-genre book offering travel insights alongside coastal southern Italian recipes.
  • Got Any Kahlua?: A pop-culture culinary departure subtitled The Collected Recipes of The Dude, a.k.a. The Big Lebowski Cookbook. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9] on AMAZON.com
You can read further updates on his literary projects through his Official Website or check his author updates on his Goodreads Author Profile. [1, 2]
If you are looking for something specific, please let me know if you would like:
  • A breakdown of a specific recipe from his books (like his Sunday Sauce or Ragu)
  • Information on his latest upcoming book projects
  • Recommendations for Venetian wine pairings inspired by his restaurant background.






DANIEL at The TEATRO GRECO

SIRUCUSA, SICILY


WINE DIRECTOR DAYS

At RISTORANTE BARBETTA

NEW YORK CITY






DANIEL’S LATEST

“SINATRA SCUCE”


SINATRA SAUCE

The COOKBOOK

COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK
AMAZON.com



Pregame Cocktails in New York – Daniel Bellino Z – Pregaming

 

MARTINIS

 


Pre-GAMING? Have you heard about it? What is it you want to know? Pre-Gaming, when it comes to cocktails, or the drinking of any alcoholic beverages, is when you are going out to a nightclub, or for drinks at a bar or cocktail lounge, but have one or two drinks at home before going out. Why? Well, mostly to save money. Especially these days, days of $20 plus cocktails. The act of pre-gaming serves as social, financial, and preparatory way to start off the evening. Pre-gaming is a major way to save money, as it’s a lot cheaper to buy alcohol at a liquor store and make cocktails at home, as compared to drinking in a nightclub or cocktail lounge where drinks can cost $20 or more, plus with tax and tip, you’re looking at a cocktails cost $30 or more by the time you pay for the drink and add the tax and tip. “It’s insane.”

Back in the 1980s when I was a young man in my 20s, I often pre-gamed. My apartment was on Avenue A in New York’s East Village, and on nights offf, if my friends and I were going out to a club, we’d often pre-game at my house, having a drink or two before we left. At the time Stolychnya was a popular Russian Vodka, and my personal favorite in those years, so I always had a bottle of Stoli in my freezer. It’s customary to keep Russian Vodka in the freezer, just in case you didn’t’ know, and my drink of choice was Stoli & Grapefruit. During those times drinks ranged from $5 to $7 a pop. It was much cheaper back then, but still, at the time, though not expensive, that was exactly cheap, so as today, with everything from groceries, gas, and cocktails at bars and cocktail lounges in New York City, we were looking to save money too. My friends would come over, we’d drink Stoli, then head on out, primed with one or two drinks at home. 

Back in the 1980s East Village, wE had another way to pre-game before heading to one of our favorite nightclubs. We had lost of great inexpensive bars in my neighborhood, where you could get a cheap beer or cocktail. My favorite was the Holiday Ounge on St Marks Place, where I could get my favorite drink – Stoli & Grapefruit for only $2.It was a cool little bar run by one of the local Ukrainians “Stephan,” who I always loved seeing behind the bar, and ordering my drink from. Yes, it would cost me just $3, paying $2 for the drink, and leaving Stephan a $1 tip, so it was almost as cheap as (very cheap anyway) to pre-game at a local bar, as it was to drink at home, so we’d pre-game at the Holiday Lounge, have a one drink there, then head to Nell’s, Area, The Paladium, or whichever club we were going to that night. Yes things were much cheaper back then. You could go to a diner, and get a whole breakfast of 2 Eggs, with potatoes, toast, and coffee for just $2.99, which would cost you a little more than $4 zithtax and tip. Today, that same breakfast cost you $20 plus. That’s why I never go out for breakfast anymore. I eat breakfast at home. 

Besides saving money, which often is the main reason for pre-gaming (pre-drinking), saving money is not the only reason to do pre-game drinking at home. Having pre-game cocktails at home allows people to gather in a more intimate quieter setting to converse, listen to your own chosen music, and bond before going to a completely different World inside a New York City nightclub. 

Yes, I was listening, as usual to 1010 New Radio at home in Greenwich Village, as I always do. 1010 Wins New Radio “Give Us 1o Minutes & we’ll Give You the World,” is there slogan, and I’m a fan. Besides getting all the Big World News Stories, and the biggest news stories of New York City, they always give you all sorts of interesting other stories and info, that you wouldn’t get on network news. I find out so many things from 1010 news radio, I just love it. They give you little tidbits and if I need more info, I just jump on my phone and Google for more info. And so, I heard that Pre-Gaming Drinks at Home has now become a big thing, do to the “High Cost” of cocktails in New York City, bars, cocktail lounges, clubs, and restaurants. It’s just too much, and people have a choice. They “Pre-Game.” Something I’ve been doing in New York, since 1983. Yes, I’m usually ahead of the curve. On many things. I started drinking Negroni’s way back in the Summer of 1985, a good 30 plus years before most Americans discovered the famous Italian cocktail, and it became all the rage in New York and all over America. But I knew about them 33 years before they became the rage. Same thing with Cubano Sandwiches, and the Aperol Spritz, I discovered them many years before the rest of America finally caught up. Brag? No, just facts. I’m usually ahead of the curve. Anyway? 



by Daniel Bellino Zwicke – NYC








A NEGRONI COCKTAIL

HOW to MAKE a NEGRONI

Ingredients :

CAMPARI
GIN 
SWEET VERMOUTH
ICE
Fresh ORANGE Slices

Fill a Rock Glass with Ice. Add equal parts of Campari, Gin, & Sweet Vermouth. Garnish with a slice of Orange.

Serve.
Note : Most people probably don’t have Rock Glasses. You can make the drink using a wine glass instead.






An APEROL SPRITZ
HOW to MAKE an “APEROL SPRITZ”
INGREDIENTS :
APEROL
PROSECCO
CLUB SODA
ICE
ORANGE Slices
1 & 1/2 ounces Aperol
3 & 1/2 ounces Prosecco
1 ounce Club Soda
Ice
Orange Slice
Fill a wine glass with Ice. Add the Aperol, then the Prosecco, and top with the club soda. Stir, and add a fresh Orange slice.
Serve and Enjoy.
ALSO  –
The 3-2-1 RULE for making an APEROL SPRITZ
To make a classic Aperol Spritz, use the 3-2-1 rule: combine 3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts Aperol, and 1 part soda water in a wine glass filled with ice. Garnish with a fresh orange slice for a refreshing, bittersweet, and bubbly cocktail




CLASSIC COKTAILS


FRANK SINATRA


SINATRA SAUCE

The COOKBOOK

COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK

“COCKTAILS TOO”
AMAZON.com


The ROLLING STONES

The ROLLING STONES

ROLLING STONES NEW YORK T-SHirt

“ONE of a KIND”

This is an EXCLUSIVE PIECE

CAN NOT Be PURCHASE ANYWHERE ELSE

ONLY at COOL GIFTS TEES on ETSY
STONES T-SHRT

Frank Sinatra Pasta Tomato Sauce Recipe – Daniel Bellino Zwicke

 



FRANK Makes PASTA

FRANK SINATRA Shows DINAH SHORE

HOW to MAKE TOMATO SAUCE

“SPAGHETTI POMODORO”

“SINATRA PASTA”

Frank Sinatra’s connection to pasta sauce includes a commercial line of pasta sauce that he launched in the 1980s. It was his mother Dolly Sinatra’s recipe. The line had limited success before closing down with a short run.

A recently published popular book titled SINTRA SAUCE by fellow Jeresyite Italian-American author Daniel Bellino Zwicke contains many Italian food recipes of dishes that Frank Sinatra ate, including recipes from his mother Dolly, father Martino, his aunts, and Frank Sinatra’s own recipe for Salsa Pomodoro to make his Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce which he once demonstrated on television on the Dinah Shore Show.


SPAGHETTI POMODORO 
RECIPE “FRANK’S TOMATO SAUCE”
Frank’s Salsa Pomodoro is a quickly made tomato sauce that retains fresh tomato flavour, as opposed to sauces that are cooked for longer periods of time. It is simply made with top quality ingredients of San Marzano Tomatoes, Italian Olive Oil, fresh garlic, salt, black pepper, and  Bay Leaves, and fresh Basil. The best quality ingredients and short cooking time is what gives Frank’s Sauce its fresh wonderful taste.
SALSA POMODORO
  • Ingredients:
  • 1 pound imported Italian Spaghetti
  • 1 (28 ounce) can Whole Peeled San Marzano Tomatoes, crushed by hand
  • 8 tablespoons imported Italian Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
  • 3 cloves Garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
  • Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves, torn
  • Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
  • Optional: Pinch of red pepper flakes 

  • Instructions:
  • Infuse the Oil: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic cloves and sauté for 2–3 minutes until golden brown. Sinatra’s Rule: Remove the garlic once it’s golden to leave only a subtle infusion.
  1. Start the Sauce: Carefully add the hand-crushed tomatoes and their juices to the oil. Add red pepper flakes if using. Simmer on medium-low for about 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce slightly thickens but remains bright red.
  2. Cook Pasta: While the sauce simmers, cook spaghetti in a large pot of heavily salted boiling water until al dente (firm to the bite).
  3. Finish & Emulsify: Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain the spaghetti. Add the pasta directly into the sauce skillet.
  4. Toss: Add the torn basil and a splash of the reserved pasta water. Toss vigorously over medium heat for 1 minute until the sauce coats every strand. Serve immediately. 


Daniel Bellino Z






The SINATRA COOKBOOK

“SINATRA SAUCE”

COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK

His FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES

AMAZON.com


How to Make a Chopped Cheese Sandwich – Recipe New York City

 

A CHOPPED CHEESE SANDWICH

NEW YORK



The CHOPPED CHEESE SANDWICH

Birthplace – Blue Sky Deli, East Harlem, New York

A Chopped Cheese” is a popular NEW YORK CITY Sandwich made in Bodegas in East Harlem, and now all over New York City. A chopped cheese sandwich features Ground Beef sautéed with Onions, and melted Cheese (usually Yellow American Cheese). These ingredients are cooked and chopped together on a Flattop Griddle (or in a pan if making at home). These ingredients are put into a Hero Roll, and topped with lettuce, Tomato, and condiments like Mayonnaise, and /or Ketchup. The sandwich is known for its tasty savory flavour, and substance to satisfy ones hunger. The sandwich has been described as a deconstructed Hamburger, and is a Staples of New York City food culture.

Key Components

  • Meat: GROUND BEEF, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, or adobo seasoning. 
  • CHEESE  Typically American cheese, melted into the meat mixture. 
  • Vegetables: Sautéed ONIONS are standard; lettuce and tomatoes are common additions. 
  • Condiments: Mayonnaise and ketchup are popular choices, often spread on the roll. 
  • Bread: A long Hero Roll or hoagie roll. 

  • HOW to MAKE a CHOPPED CHEESE SANDWICH
Preparation :
  1. Sauté chopped Onions on a griddle or skillet.
  2. Add Ground Beef patties, seasoning them as they cook.
  3. Chop the meat and onions together as they cook, mixing thoroughly.
  4. Add CHEESE slices and let them melt into the meat mixture.
  5. Spread condiments on the roll, add the meat/cheese mixture, and top with lettuce and tomato. 

ORIGIN
  • The sandwich is widely believed to have originated in East Harlem, New York City, with many crediting Blue Sky Deli (also known as Hajji’s) as the birthplace. 


The BADASS COOKBOOK

BLUE RIBBON MEATLOAF

PRIZE WINNING CHILI

THe BEST SANDWICHES

And SECRET RECIPES

The BADASS COOKBOOK
AMAZON.com
.

Pavarotti Pasta Recipe by Bellino Spaghetti alla Luciano

 

LUCIANO Cooks PASTA


“BRAVO LUCIANO” !!!

PAVAROTTI PASTA

Recipe :

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium Onion, peeled and sliced
2 j- 32 oz. jars of Italian Tomato Passata (we like Mutti)
3 cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tbsp. Tomato Paste
1/4 cup red wine
1/4 cup chopped Italian Parsley
12 fresh Basil Leaves, washed and torn with your hands
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
1/2 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 pound of imported Italian Spaghetti (best quality)

In a large skillet, add the Olive Oil and onion. Cook the onion on low heat for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook on low heat for 2 minutes.

Add the wine, turn heat to high, and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the Tomatoes, Tomato Paste. Add 1 1/2 teaspoon each of Salt & ground Black Pepper, and half of the Pecorino Cheese.

Bring to the boil. Once the tomatoes start to bubble, low heat to low, and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, being sure to stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pot with the wooden spoon to keep the tomatoes from sticking  or burning.

After 20 minutes, add the Basil & Parsley, and cook 5 minutes more. The Tomato Sauce is done. Turn the heat off and let it rest in the pot.

Fill a large pot, 3/4 full with water. Add 2 tablespoons salt. Bring the water to a rapid boil. Add the Spaghetti.

Cook the spaghetti according to the directions on the package. Two minutes before the the pasta cooking time on package, remove one cup of water from the pot and reserve. When the spaghetti is 1 minute away from the cooking time on package, turn the heat off and drain the pasta in a colander.

Add the Spaghetti back to the pot it cooked in and add half of the cooking water. Add 2 cups of the tomato sauce. to the pot, and turn the heat on to a low flame. Cook for 2 minutes on a low flame. Add more of the pasta cooking water if it gets too dry.

Turn the heat off, and drizzle some olive oil over the spaghetti and mix.

Plate a portion of Spaghetti onto each persons plate. Add about half a cup of Tomato Sauce on top of each portion of Spaghetti, and serve.

Serve with grated Pecorino or Parmigiana Cheese on the side. 

Enjoy !


Recipe by Daniel Bellino Zwicke








SPAGHETTI alla PAVAROTTI 


A DINNER PARTY at LUCIANO’S

NEW YORK






SINATRA & PAVAROTTI







And PASTA SINATRA !!!

SINATRA SAUCE 

The COOKBOOK

COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK

His FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES

Daniel Bellino Zwicke
AMAZON.com






Anthony Bourdain Favourite Secret Restaurant in Rome – Lunch with Asia Argento – Settimio al Pelligrino – Roma

 

Anthony Bourdain with Asia Argento

A Meal at Settemio

Rome, Italy

TONY’S SECRET RESTAURANT – Rome

On Sunday December 5, CNN broadcast a stunning Rome episode of Parts Unknown in which Anthony Bourdain and Asia Argento go to a trattoria, which they do not name. It’s Settimio. Sorry for the spoiler but I don’t believe in depriving Mario and Teresa of business through exclusion Watch the episode it is brilliant.

I vividly remember my first visit to Settimio al Pellegrino. It was in 2007 and my friend Jess and I had gotten a hot tip from a regular that a short walk from Campo de’ Fiori sat an uber-authentic trattoria serving simply dressed fresh pastas, meaty mains, and seasonal vegetables. We made a booking but when we showed up for dinner the door was locked. We were already off to a rough start. One of us noticed a button next to the door and after a sustained buzz, chef and owner Teresa opened the door a crack and said something to the effect of “chi siete”, who are you?

If that doesn’t sound like a warm greeting, it wasn’t. But at Settimio, warmth isn’t doled out frivolously. Warmth is earned. If you turn up without a reservation, there’s a real chance you will be sent away, whether they are booked up or not. It’s the kind of place where the possibility of a regular rolling in late leads Teresa and her husband Mario to set aside tables for such an occurrence. And even calling to reserve well in advance doesn’t guarantee a table. On that note, if you don’t speak Italian, have your hotel ring for you. And if all this sounds too fussy, don’t read on. Settimio isn’t for you.




TONY’S SECRET ROMAN TRATTORIA – ROME



ANTHONY has LUNCH with ASIA ARGENTO

“The SECRET TRATTORIA”

TONY says,  “Rome is a place where you find the most extraordinary pleasures, in the most ordinary places. Like this place. Which I’m not ever going to tell you the name of. Asia has been coming here forever. She brings her kids here. So I’m not going to screw it up for her. 

The trattoria is SETTINIO PELLIGRINO. I’m not letting Tony’s secret out of the bag. That happened years ago, Just passing on the information for anyone who wants to go there, and need the name of the restaurant and address (Via del Pelligrino 17 -Roma .. tel 06 6880 1978).





ANTHONY BOURDAIN

PARTS UNKOWN – ROME



PARTS UNKNOWN – ROME

With ABEL FERRARA & ASIA ARGENTO



I have to be honest: arbitrary seating policies give me agita. I grew up in restaurants and treasure hospitality. I want to connect with the people who make and serve my food, not be rejected or dismissed. Yet I was determined to win over Teresa and Mario. That night, Jess and I ordered every course, including my current go-to, polpette, scorched yet delicious meat patties. We cleaned our plates, admired the eclectic decor (framed posters and paintings gifted by Settimio’s clients, which include plenty of artists and film makers) and watched as Mario worked the room, taking orders and doting on regulars. Teresa emerged from the kitchen occasionally to clear plates and pinch cheeks. Man, did it feel bad being an outsider at Settimio that night.

Jess and I apparently didn’t make much of an impression because I went back on my own a few days later for lunch and was given the same suspicious treatment. After a few more visits, however, I was totally in, cheek caresses and all. This is good news if you live in Rome or visit often. You, too, can become a doted-on regular. Otherwise, visit knowing you won’t be pampered by the service but you’ll definitely walk away having witnessed a Roman relic. 






SETTIMIO PELLIGRINO

ROMA



That is to say, a lot of what’s appealing about Settimio is the attitude and atmosphere. Some regulars have been going since the place opened in the 1930s, others a decidedly shorter length, but all are given special attention. In that way, the place is not unique. The attraction to countless other local joints is the experience and the relationship with the owners, even more so than the food.

I don’t think anyone with Roman dining experience would say the food is flawless. Like many places in town, it makes sense to stick to certain things like those meatballs or the onion-rich vitello alla genovese. At Settimio, comfort food reigns: fettucine with meat sauce, gnocchi with tomato sauce (Thursdays only), trippa alla romana, and involtini (meat rolls). The handmade pastas pass muster, but you won’t write home about them. The pillowy, super sweet, candied chestnut-studded Montblanc, which they do not make in house, is another story. I dream about it sometimes. Usually right before I go to the dentist. I am also very into the mela cotta (baked apple). I’m a sucker for overcooked fruit. 

Second only to the struggle of winning the owners’ affection is the wines, which range from undrinkable to painfully undrinkable. While it’s charming that regulars leave unfinished bottles in the fridge for their next visit, I can honestly say that the only wine worse than the wine at Settimio is day-old wine at Settimio. It’s not what you’ve come for anyway.


Settimio al Pellegrino
Via del Pellegrino, 117

+390668801978 









Trattoria  SETTIMIO PELLIGRINO

ROME

SETTIMIO PELLIGRINO
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Dive Bars of New York

.
 

PABST BLUE RIBBON BEER

New York & The $3 PBR

“IT STILL EXISTS” !!!! 2022

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
Daniel Bellino Zwicke
Copyright 2008 

PLACES To GET A $3.00 PBR in NEW YORK



BLUE & GOLD BAR

East 7th STREET, NY NY
The EAST VILLAGE

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.




FRIENDS GET TOGETHER
GOOD TIMES at BLUE & GOLD
“And You Can AFFORD IT” !!!!

BLUE & GOLD BAR
The PRICES Are POSTED & EASY to SEE




The HORSESHOE BAR


The HORSESHOE BAR

aka 7B

Real Name is “VAZAC’S”


The BAR

Half it ANYWAY ?


VAZAC

7B


Corner of East 7th Street & Avenue B

The EAST VILLAGE NYC

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 (now $4 in 2023) and other $3 and $4 Beers.  7B  is located on the corner of Avenue B at 7th Street .. 







SINATRA SAUCE
COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK
His FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES
PASTA – MEATBALLS – CHEESE CAKE
And MUCH MORE ….
AMAZON.com
MILANO’S
MILANO’S
BAR
51 East HOUSTON STREET
NY NY
New York’s favourite Dive Bar. Milano’s is what you dream of when you think Dive Bars. Cheap Beers ($4), a Great Jukebox, and Potato Chips. “you gotta have Potato Chips” !
For those who Love Dive Bars, and are native New Yorkers, Milano’s is their Fave when it comes to Dive Bars.
Opened Since 1880, Milano’s is one of New York’s oldest bars.
At The BAR
“MILANO’S”
New York, New York








AMERICA’S FAVORITE FOOD

And SECRET RECIPES


BURGERS TACOS BURRITOS

SOUP SNDWICHES BBQ

And MORE …
AMAZON.com

LUCY

“LUCY’S BAR”

135 AVENUE A  NY NY



Lucy’s Bar is the most aptly named bar in New York. For Lucy—the quiet and small and sweetly proper Polish owner with the well-coifed gray hair and floral blouses—is who you’ll see when you go there, and Lucy is the one who will serve you. If there are other employees, they’ve hidden themselves somewhere in the back.

Though Lucy’s is undeniably a dive (and one of the last in the neighborhood), it feels more like your aunt’s aging rec room, a place where you’d never think of disrespecting the house’s hospitality. It’s also one of the last vestiges of the Polish community that was once made up a significant part of the East Village’s character.

Ludwika “Lucy” Mickevicius moved from Poland to New York in the late 1970s and soon got a job at Blanche’s, a bar on St. Mark’s Place run by another Polish woman. She became such a fixture that people began to think of the bar as Lucy’s, and, when Blanche retired, she sold the place—by then located on Avenue A—to her bartender.

Lucy’s life doesn’t range much further than the twin poles of her joint and Poland, which she visits regularly, shutting up the tavern at a moment’s notice and disappearing for weeks at a time. Most nights, she stations herself at the far end of the bar near the ancient cash register. (It’s cash only here.) One recent evening, the Halloween balloons hadn’t yet been taken down. Then again, assorted Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations were already out. Maybe none of the decorations are ever packed up?

Lucy doesn’t budge much behind the bar, but she keeps herself busy for a woman in her mid-70s. She will draw you a pint or a glass of tequila. And, if she likes you, she might pour you a shot of żubrówka, a Polish bison grass vodka, on the house. When the place gets stuffy, she’ll swing open the door to let some fresh Avenue A air in; just as quickly, she’ll close it if it gets chilly.

The clientele ranges from a less-intense sort of downtown hipster, who exchange a few friendly words with Lucy—who, even all these years later, still speaks in broken, accented English—and then retire to their personal conversations, to old Polish regulars. In fact, on another recent night, a young couple came in to show Lucy their young child. All four spoke entirely in Polish and a delighted Lucy let the little scamp climb atop the pool table. As they left, she handed the kid one of the old Halloween balloons. For those few minutes, Lucy’s was a family bar.





2022 and You Can Still GET a $3 PBR


LYS MYYKTA aka  “The SLY FOX

142 2nd Avenue, New York NY – The EAST VILLAGE


LYSMYKTA

“The SLY FOX”


LYSMYKTA aka “THE SLY FOX” is a Ukranian Bar in a Ukranian neighborhood in
New York’s East Village. There’s a Ukranian Restaurant in the back, serving delicious Ukranian Food and very reasonable prices. Yes this is thee main neighborhood of Ukranian peoples in New York City. The restaurants great, and any bar that serves $3 PBR Beer is great in my book too.

If you can go some place for drinks (beers), to hang and chit-chat  and have 3 Beers, and not have to spend more than $15, that’s a place for me. You shouldn’t have to pay $40 plus for just 2 drinks (or $60 for 3). People who don’t make quite so much money as Lawyers, Wall Street Guys and whoever, should be able to afford to go for 2 or 3 drinks and not spend an “Arm and a Leg” to do it. 
The SLY FOX is a place where you can do that, and thank God we have them, and a few other joints that we can do so.





YES – “LITTLE UKRAINE”

The EAST VILLAGE








$4 BEERS at “SOPHIE’S”

East 5th STREET Between AVENUES A & B

The EAST VILLAGE NYC



I’ve been going to Sophie’s, along with Lucy’s, Blue & Gold Bar,
the Holiday Lounge and others since first moving to The East Village in 1982.
Prices have gone up in a lot of places, and now in many places – cocktails cost are
in the high teens, Twenty Dollars, and even up to $29 for a cocktail, as I witnessed when
a friend and I went to The Chelsea Hotel a couple weeks ago. Yes, $25 and $29 for a cocktail. Damn?

We spotted a nice looking bottle of Cote du Rhone for $78 a bottle. Not cheap, but in comparison to $29 a cocktail. Four drinks would have costs us $114, so we got the wine for $36 dollars less than 4 drinks, and put that $36 into a tasty Cheeseburger. The Burger came with Fries, and we had them cut it in half. It was Super Tasty. We loved it. Even Better than Burgers at Minetta Tavern. “Seriously” !!!

I’ve been at Blue & Gold recently, as well as “MILANO’S” – Sophie’s, and 7b Bar. All serve $4 beers. Thank God for these places. I’ve said it before. I can go into Andy one of these places and have a couple Beers and live a respectable $4 tip, and walk out just spending $12. Not bad. Two cocktails plus tax and tip at The Lounge Bar at The Chelsea Hotel would be at least $50 for the two drinks plus $4.50 tax plus at least $10 for tip for a grand total of about $65, as oppose to $12 at any of New York City’s awesome Dive Bars.

Don’t get me wrong. Yes, we’re comparing Apples & Oranges. When I went to The Chelsea Hotel, I knew it wouldn’t be cheap, and I was prepared to pay for the privilege (of being there). My friend and I had a great time. We were there for a couple of hours BS-ing about this and that. We killed that bottle of Cote du Rhone and got another glass of wine each ($22 a glass). The check was about $170, not including tip, which was another $50, for a grand total of $220. Not cheap, but we had a “Great Time” and we were happy. You gotta treat yourself sometimes. But most times will be spent at a good dive bar.

“Thank God” for Good Dive Bars”

New York City




LUCKY’S BAR

168 Avenue “A” New York NY , East Village


Get $3  PBRs at LUCKY’S BAR
168 AVENUE “A” NY NY
EAST VILLAGE
JOHNSON’S BAR  … 168 RIVINGTON STREET, LES NEW YOIRK NY
Inside JOHNSON’S BAR
$2  PBRs
PABST BLUE RIBBON BEER
PABST BLUE RIBBON BEER
A PBR at “JOHNSON’S”
Only $4 – As of 2025
“STILL a GREAT DEAL” !!!

Johnson’s Bar
NY NY
MORE PLACES to GET $3 PBRs
CATS SPORTS BAR –  96 GREENWICH STREET at RECTOR NY NY  $3 PBRs
WALTER’S BAR – 389 8th Avenue Near 32nd Street and MADISON SQUARE GARDEN .. $3PBR
DOC HOLIDAY’S   141 AVENUE “A” East Village NY NY  – $2  PBRs





The SHARK BAR


aka SPRING LOUNGE

48 SPRING STREET

New York NY




The SPRING LOUNGE

aka SHARK BAR

48 SPRING STREET NEW YORK NY

The SHARK BAR
SPRING STREET at MOTT
Back in the day, when it was an ITALIAN NEIGHBORHOOD here.

Where it GOt its NICKNAME “SHARK BAR”
Nobody “In The Know” calls it Spring Lounge, only Green Newcomers to Downtown New York would ever call it SPRING LOUNGE. For years it was a neighborhood “Shot & Beer” Joint. It became trendy about 20 years ago (1999)
Those “In The Know” like me, only ever call it “The Shark Bar” … It got this name from
the fake SHARK hanging over the bar, and that’s that!
You can’t get $3 Beers here, but we incuded it anyway. And although it’s a Trendy so-called Hipster Bar, those of us Old Timers who still call it The Shark Bar, it still has a special place in our hearts.
Basta !




 

 

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GOT ANY KAHLUA ?

The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

Daniel Zwicke

AMAZON.com




169 BAR

Lower East Side

If Clockwork’s happy hour special seems too good to be true, you’ve got a little good old fashioned neighborhood competition to thank. Located right around the corner, 169 has been in operation since 1916. And its 11:30am-7:30pm HH is among the best in the city. $3 will get you an “Old Man Can/Bottle” of beer (PBR, Carling Black Label, Schaefer, Genesee Cream, High Life/Miller Lite) and any well shot. Subtly New Orleanian environs (window shutters look like they’re fresh off a Creole cottage; beads are strung here and there; there’s crawfish on the menu) evoke genuine good times.


 

 

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