The NEW YORK CHRONICLES: June 2015

Sunday, June 28, 2015

The Bambino BABE RUTH

BABE RUTH

"THE SULTAN of SWAT"

The GREATEST SPORTS FIGURE of ALL-TIME

BABE RUTH

"THE BAMBINO"

The CLASSIC BABE RUTH HOME RUN SWING

Yeah BAMBINO !!!

BABE RUTH The PITCHER

FAREWELL THE BABE

BABE RUTH BASEBALL CARD

BABE RUTH Art

Made Out of New York City Subway Metro Cards

YANKEE STADIUM

"THE HOUSE THAT RUTH BUILT"

Opening Day 1923

THE NEW YORK YANKEES

SUNDAY SAUCE

alla BELLINO alla PACINO

AMAZON.com

GOT ANY KAHLUA ?

The COLLECTED RECIPES of The DUDE

AMAZON.com

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Has Anyone Seen The SANDWICH NAZI

ALIDORO on Sullivan Street Soho

Formerly "MELEMPO" and Home of Alessandro

The Panini Nazi

aka Sandwich Nazi

Where has The Panini Nazi Gone? This is a question, some of the age of 35 and over in New York's Southern Greenwich Village and Soho might ask. Others too, in other New York neighborhoods who made it over to a great little sandwich shop called Melampo. Melemapo is now diseased No longer in business. The owner, one Alessandro Gualandi, also-known-as "The Panni Nazi" ran his little sandwich shop on Sullivan Street between Spring and Prince Streets in what is now known as Soho, but for me and many "like" me, this is still known as The Village. Alessandro came to New York from Florence Italy. He used to work as a waiter at the famed Florentine Restaurant in New York "Da Silvano" owned by fellow Florentine Silvano Marchetto .. Alessandro was a hard worker who established himself in New York, saved up some money, then opened his own little heaven, one Melampo Sandwich Shop in South Greenwich Village (Soho) New York ...

Alessandro was a passionate man, especially about food as any self-respecting Italian would be. He created his little shop of Hand-Crafted Italian Sandwiches (Panini) .. He made a menu, whereby all the Panini had their own names. Names like; Geppetto, Julia, and such. I can't really remember all the names. The thing is, Alessandro had rules, and you better abide by them. He was an artist after all. You ordered a Panino (Sandwich) by name, and that was it. What it said on the menu describing the sandwich and the ingredients in any particular one was what you got. If the name was Marcello (named for the late great Italian actor Marcello Mastrianni) and the menu said the sandwich was made of Prosciutto, Mortadella, and Provolone, then that's what you got. You couldn't ask Alessandro to leave something off or add something to a particular sandwich. He would not have it. He was a temperamental artist, and you're not going to ruin the balance of one of his masterful creations by altering it. If you, din't like it you could leave, "and believe Me many did." Alessandro could care less, he was an artist. Thus the moniker "Panini Nazi" there was no other. And not everyone knew his name, real or nickname.

Alessandro was a character yes, and many (including myself) loved that about him. Alessandro is still alive. He's retired. I seeing walking the streets of Soho and going for his morning coffee.

Alessandro and his little sandwich shop "Melampo" became famous. he made great sandwiches and sometimes the line would go out the door. And if you were in line, don't make any comments for Alessandro to hurry up, he took his time. He was an artist, a master sandwich maker, and you better not say anything to upset him.

Yes we miss him, Alessandro and his little sandwich shop Melampo. the shop is still there. It's now called Alidoro and run by someone else. It's much the same, they make good sandwiches, but Alessandro is gone, and so are all the "Rules" and quirkiness. We miss that ...

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

The SOUP NAZI

NOT THE SANDWICH PANINI NAZI ALESSANDRO

BUT MY FRIEND in HAVANA

"DON DANIELE"

No Known Pictures Are Known of

Alessandro The PNANI NAZI

Sunday, June 21, 2015

The New CAFE DANTE

What is It ???

SMALL PLATES ECLECTIC MENU

Non-Driven Italian Wine List

Old Patrons Probably Won't Like It

The New Dante

South Room Bar

Linden Pride

Caffe Dante's New Owner

DANTE The new owners, including Linden Pride, formerly of AvroKO, have spruced up the 100-year-old cafe with green leather banquettes, but the space retains a vintage Italian Greenwich Village look with its pressed tin ceiling. The menu is now mostly small plates: beef tartare, burrata, flatbread and cold pasta salad. Italian aperitifs dominate the cocktail list: 79-81 Macdougal Street (Bleecker Street), 212-982-5275

A Picture of Former Caffe Dante Owner

Mari Flotta on the Homepage of The New Dante

The new Dante on Macdougal Street in Greenwich Village is

absolutely nothing like the former beloved Caffe Dante, a caffe

that was a fixture of Greenwich Village for exactly 100 years

before closing earlier this year, when former owner

Mario Flotta sold Caffe Dante to Linden Pride who has been

quoted as saying the new Dante will be very much like the old

one with some changes. "Not" !!! The new Dante looks very nice

although quite different from the former caffe .. The entire concept

of the new Dante pretty much has nothing to do with the old one.

The New Dante has been billed as a Small Plates / Apertivo Bar

that has little resemblance to anything remotely Italian .. It's billed

as an Italian Apertivo Bar, yet the Wine list has barely 20%

Italian Wines in its makeup an the food apart from a few

Italian items, seems anything but Italian.

Although the new owner (s) has stated that the New Dante

will be very much like and in the spirit of the former Caffe Dante,

it seems doubtful that writers & students would be able to go into

the place, get a Cappuccino and sit writing for an hour or two.

The former Caffe Dante was a Greenwich Village Italian Caffe where

people could go just for a Cappuccino or Espresso and maybe a

pastry if they liked, hang out with friends or be there on there own just

relaxing, reading, writing, whatever ..

There was a rumor that the new Dante would be serving dinner and drinks

at night and that is what customers would be expected to order, and

spend probably a minimum of $30 and upwards, but during the day

people would be able to just go in for a Cappuccino or Espresso. it seems

doubtful that this will be possible, but time will tell. Time will tell what the

New Dante is, if its successful or not and if it stays the same as the owners

now intend or if it will morf into something else.

The New DANTE

North Side Dining Room

APEROL SPRITZ

On The Menu

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

JG MELON to Open in GREENWICH VILLAGE as CAFFE DANTE Re-Opens

BIG NEWS on MACDOUGAL STREET

Caffe Dante

The beloved Greenwich Village institution for 100 years,

the new CAFFE DANTE is open to open its doors on

Macdougal Street in New York's Greenwich Village where it

operated for exactly 100 years before owner (44years)

Mario Flotta called it quits in April 2015 and sold the

legendary caffe to new owners.

I just poped my head in there before and they look like they

ready to open any day now. Only thing is, although the place looks quite nice, it doesn't look like it will be anything like it was for some

100 years, which is a true and classic Italian Caffe that served

New York's best cup of Espresso along with Cappuccino and

Italian Pastries, Sandwiches, and homemade Gelato.

The new place looks like a cool new Italian Bar, or Wine Bar

and not the type of place where a writer can go and linger

over a cappuccino for an hour while he bangs out his lates

novela.

Well, I'll find out soon when I go and chcek it out.

PS .... In a post on Grubstreet, the articles headline is this;

"DANTE WILL BECOME a UNBEARABLE TRENDY

SMALL-PLATES RESTAURANT" end quote ...

Sierra Tishgart for Grubstreet March 25, 2015

JG MELON

A CLASSIC JG MELON BURGER

Up Macdougal Street less than 100 feet from Caffe Dante comes

a big new suprise for New York and Greenwich Village as an

offshoot of the famed Upper East Side 's famed JG MELON

bar and Burger Joint will be opening shortly on the corner

of Macdougal & bleecker Streets. Yhis guy for one is huge fan

of JG Melon and their awesome Burgers and am looking forward

to a great classic on a corner that has one mediocre food

establsihment after te other for the past 30 years. JG Melon

with their great burgers and cool laid back ambiance will be

a welcome new neighbor.

And by the way, for this guy, JG Melon makes one of

New York's Top Two Burgers along with The

Shake Shack, JG Melon and Shake Shack get my

# 1 and # 2 Votes ...

The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

JG MELON BURGERS Are GREAT !

But The DUDE Prefers His

IN N OUT BURGERS

Learn How to Make Them

THE DUDES BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

"GOT ANY KAHLUA" ???

A Shuttered CAFFE DANTE

Ready to Spring into a New Chapter of Its Life

What Will It Be?

JG MELON

The ORIGINAL

3rd Avenue at 72nd Stret, NEW YORK, NY

Danny Abrahms of The Mermaid & Red Cat

has partenered with longtime JG MELON Manager

Shaun Young to open a Greenwich Village outpost

of the famed JG MELON ...

If all goes well, this Greenwich Village JG Melon offshoot

promises to be the 1st of many others. Maybe a bad thing?

NEW YORK and The $3.00 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 3-Half 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 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 and you haven't had a vacation in the past two years, maybe more. You 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. But if you live in the Great City of New York this can be a costly undertaking, especially in this day, and of all times, to be having a Boom in The $14, Sixteen-Dollar-Or -More-Cocktail.W hat 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.

Yes, Thank God and let's thank the Kind-Heart proprietors who serve $3.00 PBR'S or any Beer for just $3 or $4 in a New York Bar. You are doing you 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