When Is Carbone Opening and When Will Totonno's Re-Open ? Most Important New York Restaurant News of 2013

When Will It Re-Open

First The Fire

Now A Hurricane

The two biggest stories and concerns of The New York Culinary Restaurant Foodie scene, whatever you want to call it, for the New Year of 2013, is # 1 when will are beloved Totonno's on Neptune Avenue, Coney Island re-open? And maybe # 2 might be, what's going on with the former Rocco's space on Thompson Street in Greenwich Village, taken over by Parm Team of Rich Torissi and Mario Carbone? Well we don't know much as of this moment. They say Totonno's will be open by mid-January, I wish but wouldn't count on it. We'll see.
   As for The Parm Boys Carbone & Torrisi their spot in the old Rocco's space, I can see they are making progress. A new store-front is almost done. Inside who knows. It's time for Mario to get his name on one of their restaurants. This new one will be named Carbone and if their first two places ( Torrisi Italian Specialties and Parm) are an indication, Carbone will be well received, it should be updated Red Sauce Food and Restaurant, and will most likely be a huge hit. I've got a feeling these guys will Hit  Another Home Run.
   Well, we can't wait to go out to Totonno's and have some more of their superb Pizza. And we're looking forward to Carbone and what those guys are up to and all that. Hoping for the best, as always.

Coffee The Rolling Stones & Simple Pleasures of Life

The Simple Pleasures of Life; having your morning Coffee, watching a Ballgame, delving into a great Book, relaxing, riding a Bike, watching a couple Rolling Stones Videos. What? Yes a Rolling Stones Video, other Classic Rock Bands like Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix The Beatles. Or maybe some Great Old R&B of Motown or some fantastic stuff by Philadelphia Sound spin-masters Gamble and Huff.     Well I was at the cafe the other day having my daily morning coffee, a simple pleasure in itself. My morning Coffee is typically an hour-and-a-half long. It's not just to drink Coffee but to relax in the pleasant cafe atmosphere, see my cafe-friends, bang out stuff on my Laptop, read some News, and just have an all around pleasant time. The Coffee itself, I just can't wait to sink my teeth into my first cup of coffee each and every morning. It's like a good ol friend waiting for me over at the cafe each and every day, and I just love it and don't know what I'd do without. "I think you know what I mean?" Yes we do Love our morning Coffee each and every day, hundreds and hundreds of millions of us, in America and the World over, Coffee and our morning coffee.

In the recent happening of Hurricane Sandy that hit New York and New Jersey pretty hard. Living downtown Manhattan nothing disastrous happened to us. We didn't have any major damage to our homes or possessions but we did all lose Electricity for 5 days. The first morning after the Hurricane Hit and we were without electricity, I got up, took a sponge bath (No Hot Water), got dressed and went out looking for friends, food, and the beloved Coffee. I walked around the neighborhood (Greenwich Village), saw a few friends, then headed up to Midtown in search of electricity (to Charge the Cel-Phone and laptop), food and Coffee. They had electricity above 39th Street, so I headed up there, walking of course. I looked all over for a Starbucks and didn't find a dam one open. They had Electricity but they weren't open. "Those Bastards at Starbucks let us down when we needed them most. No Starbucks and no coffee. Bummer." I'm not an advocate of Starbucks, but here and there they do come in handy, not that day, "When New York Needed Starback The Most" they let us done. Do you know how people would have been to get a nice cup of coffee when Sandy hit, we didn't have electricity  no lights, no power to make coffee? Well that's Starbucks. Well, I walked 140 city blocks that day, In-Search of Electricity, Food, Shelter and Coffee. I found Coffee at a McDonalds that was open on 46th Street. And yes food there too. Had a nice Black Angus Burger. It was pretty dam good. I found shelter there and shelter and electricity to charge my cel-phone and laptop when I popped into the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The Waldorf was a God-Send. I went there for 4 days straight after and during Sandy, got Coffee, electricity  and nice shelter in a deluxe hotel lobby at The Waldorf. They were great!    Dam I really got off the track there. Let's get back to what we started here, The Rolling Stones and what a simple pleasure it can be to watch one of their videos.     Yes I was at the cafe talking to my friend Chris. We were talking music, commenting on what was playing on the Cafe Stereo. They were playing a lot of 80's Hits and now I can't remember which ones, but they were all good. And again we got into a conversation about how apallingly "Terrible The Music, Bands, and Musicians Are These Days." "They Suck" !!! There is almost "No Good Music" these days, at this time in 2013, and for the past 15 years or so. It's just not made anymore, not like in the 60s, 70s and even 1980s. The Music these days Sucks! There are a "Very Few" good artist these days, like: Alicia Keyes who is fantastic, Cee Lo Green, Cold Play, Maroon 5 and maybe a few others, but not many, not like in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Anyway the Stones came on and we starting talking Rolling Stones, Mick, Keith, Woody and such. Some how conversation came to the opening Guitar Riff of Start Me Up and Chris thought it was Ron Wood playing the Riff. I said no it was Keith (Keith Richards) and Chris asked if I was sure? Yes! So he told me to Google it. I did. I was right, it is Keith Richards playing the opening Riff. Well then I watched a couple of great Start Me Up videos on Youtube along with my favorite Stones Video, their 1978 Performance Live in Texas of "Beast of Burden." It's friggin Awesome; the sound quality, The Stones themselves, the song, the way the Stones played it that night, Mick great singing and dancing around was awesome, Charlie on drums, Wyman on Bass, and of course the great Keith Richards and Ron Wood on dueling Gibson Les Paul Guitars. Fucking Great! I loved it, sitting there watching those two great Rolling Stones performances on Youtube, drinking my coffee in the nice cafe, and carrying on conversation with my buddy Chris. I loved those two videos so much and was enjoying them immensely that day, you just can't imagine. A lot.    Yes, and so "The Simple Pleasures of Life." Had my Coffee at my nice quiet cafe for just $3.00. It always feels good being there. Chit Chatted with my friend Chris and watched those great Rolling Stones videos "Beast of Burden" and "Start Me Up" for Free on Youtube.  I was happier than a Bug in a Rug, The Stones, Coffee, the Cafe, Friends, and Youtube "The Simple Pleasures of Life."





Daniel Bellino Zwicke

The $3 PBR

The SIMPLE PLEASURES of LIFE !!!

CAFFE REGGIO

GREENWICH VILLAGE

Hours Before HURRICANE SANDY HIT

..

The BADASS COOKBOOK

.

NEWPORT The GREENWICH VILLAGE STEAK

The Perfect Newport Steak? What? I make it. Not everyone can. Number 1, you have to start with a Great Steak, a Newport Steak. A Steak not known to many. Well if you're fortunate to live in New York's Greenwich Village, you might know about them. Then again, you might not, cause just because you live in The Village, doesn't mean you know of this little thing of wonder, The Newport Steak. The Newport Steak is a thing of wonder, especially if you love Steak but don't want to shell out about $19.00 a piece or more to get one. That's uncooked from the butcher, a nice Prime Sirloin Steak that is. Now a Newport Steak on the other hand will cost you about $7.50 on the average, or roughly 2 1/2 times less than a Sirloin, and you do not give up on taste or quality. It's just as good. Maybe better.

A Perfectly Cooked Newport Steak

"THE STEAK of GREENWICH VILLAGE"

Cooked by Cookbook Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Greenwich Village New York

As The ROLLING STONES Play in The Backgroudn

SWEET !!!!

It is said that The Newport Steak was created by Jack Ubaldi, an Italian immigrant who owned a Butcher Shop in New York's heavily Italian Greenwich Village some time around 1947. The Newport Steak is actually most commonly known as Tri Tip Steak and comes from the Bottom Sirloin portion of a cow. The Tri Tip is not well known nor much in demand. Well not among the masses, but we "Smart Ones" know better. We always get equal or better quality of anything, but always pay less. Thus the case of a Tri-Tip or if as we call it in New York's Greenwich Village "The Newport Steak" In California, Californians know it as The Santa Maria Steak.

   Anyway, Mr. Ubaldi, wanted to sell this lesser known cut to his customers, but didn't want to sell it as Tri Tip, he wanted a catchyer name. A name that would help sell this wonderful little steak, that was oh so tasty and cost far less than Sirloin, T-Bone, Porter House or Rib Steaks. He wanted a name that in the name itself would sell the steak. One day jack Ubaldi was looking at a pack of Newport Cigarettes and noticed that the logo of Newports was more or less the same shape of the Tri Tip Steaks that he cut. Right then and there Jack Ubaldi named his cut of Tri Tip 

"The Newport Steak" the name caught on and they've been selling Newport Steaks at Florence Meat Market on Jones Street in Greenwich Village ever since. They're are a couple other spots in the area where you can get a Newport Steak. Ottomanelli's down the block at Bleecker and Joes Streets sells them, as well as Pino's Prime Meats on Sullivan Street, and is a place where I often pick up a Newport Steak or two, along with ones from the original Florence Meat Market.

     Well, I picked up a couple the other night and cooked them for me and a friend. As usual, they came out perfectly. We had a Couple good bottles of wine as well, in a nice bottle of Villa Sesta Chianti and a fine Bordeaux. And if that wasn't good enough, and don't you think it should have been? We listened to The Rolling Stones while I cooked those "Tasty Steaks" some Roast Potatoes and Carrots. Those steaks, yes they were Perfect. Not many people can cook a Steak as Good as Me, "No Brag Just Fact." Yes it's Fact, I can cook a Steak Better than anyone of ever met or eaten a steak cooked by another, and that includes Steaks I've had at Sparks Steak House, Peter Luger and other places renowned for their steaks. If you knew me, you'd know I'm telling the truth. Ask anyone who has ever eaten a Steak that I've cook, "They tell you."

  Any way, yes the Steaks were perfect. My mouth is watering now just thinking about them. Dam, I tell you, Those Newport Steaks were "So Dam Good" they were practically "Orgasmic" I kid you not. Ask my Pal Chris, or my Buddies Raoul or Jimmy S, they'll tell you. So we had The Perfect Steak, drank Chianti, and listened to The World's Greatest Rock Band of All-Time "The Rolling Stones." And yes Boys and Girls, Ladies and Gentlemen, "Sometimes Life Can Be Blissful." Yes It Can.

The Newport Steak 

Is Cut From Tri-Tip Bottom Sirloin

A Couple Nice Newport Steaks

All Ready to Cook Up

IS THE NEWPORT STEAK GREENWICH VILLAGE'S OWN ?

Is that little thing of Beauty The Newport Steak Greenwich Villages Own? Yes Boys and Girls it is! I don't know if anyone has ever coined it that. I do know that those of us in Greenwich Village and New Yorkers in other parts of the city know about it and that it is of Greenwich Village. And you see, just because you live in Greenwich Village doesn't mean that you automatically know about it, not everyone does. We are few and small a group. An elite group who know of the wonders of our beloved Steak of Greenwich Village and Italian Greenwich Village at that. 

Our beloved Newport Steak, those few of us who know about it, is a Greenwich Village Original created by an Italian Immigrant Butcher jack Ubaldi who created the now famous Newport Steak in the late 1940s when he had the idea of cutting the relatively unknown and inexpensive cut of beef known as the Bottom Sirloin in a different way and cut off a couple of Steaks from this piece of meat that was most often used as a roast in a larger piece or ground for Hamburgers, Meatloaf, or Meatballs. Today this cut of meat is normally known as Tri-Tip or Santa Maria Steak of Central California where it is grilled or roasted whole in one piece then sliced when serving. In France this cut is known as a Culotte which is popular in the Bistros of Paris and all over France.

So back to Jack Ubaldi who back in the 1940's invented what is now known to those "In The Know" as a Newport Steak. Jack cut the a piece from the Bottom Sirloin that was about 1 1/2" thick and had the shape of a Boomerang. When he saw a Newport Cigarette ad and noticed that his special cut of Steak looked like the Boomerang Logo of the Newport Cigarettes. Right then and there in his butcher shop on Jones Street in Greenwich Village, Jack named his special cut the Newport Steak. The rest is Culinary and Greenwich Village History, and Italian Greenwich Village History at that, as at that time Greenwich Village was heavily populated by Italians. The Village was filled with Bread Bakers like Zito's(now defunct) around the block on Bleeeker Street, Zapieri's, and Vesuvio as well as a host of other Bakeries, Italian Restaurants and Caffes like Caffe reggio and Caffe Dante, along with another fine Italian Butcher Shop in Pino's Prime Meats on Sullivan Street, in business since 1904. Raffetto's Pasta in Greenwich Village and Porto Rico Coffee are all over 100 Year Old Italian-American businesses as well. 

So the Newport Steak. Created by Jack Obaldi, is cut from the Bottom Sirloin are about 1 1/2 inches thick, weigh about 14 ounces and cost about $7.50 a piece and are well worth it. Heck they're a bargain compared to a Prime Sirloin which are about triple the price of a Newport. And the Newport is every bit as good as a regular New York Cut Sirloin. No quality loss what so ever. In fact, after getting on to Newport's I prefer them to a Sirloin, as do the others in the know on the Newport.

WHERE To GET A NEWPORT STEAK

FLorence Meat Market  "They Invented It" !!!  ... Jones Street, Greenwich Village, New York 

Pino's Prime Meats  .... Sullivan Street, New York,  NY

Ottomanelli's Meat market .... Corner of Bleecker and Jones Streets, down the block from Florence ...  Greenwich Village, New York

Pictures of Al Pacino in The GODFATHER

and Cast of The Soprano's

in Window at Pino's

FLORENCE MEAT MARKET

INVENTOR of THE NEWPORT STEAK

GREENWICH VILLAGE,  NEW YORK

For Great Recipe and Instructions

On Cooking The Perfect Steak

See The Dudes Cookbook

GOT ANY KAHLUA?

The Collected Recipes of The Dude

BEST PICTURE EVER of MARILYN MONROE

LOVE THIS PICTURE

Check Out The Guy With Eyes 

Fixed on Marilyn Ass

MARILYN POSES For PLAYBOY

FIRST EVER ISSUE 

of PLAYBOY MAGAZINE

COVER

MARILYN MONROE

NEW YORK SKYLINE "The World's Greatest"

Yes Boys and Girls, New York City has without a doubt and By-Far The World's Single Greatest Skyline .... Yes there are others that are quite Wonderful, like Hong Kong, Paris, and .... ???? When it comes to a Great Skyline and Thee # 1 Best Undisputed Champ, You Can Not Beat 

New York .. No Other City even comes close. New York with Wonderful Iconic Buildings like, The very cool Triangular "Flatiron Building, The World's Most Beautiful Skyscraper by Far "The Chrysler  Building, The Citicorp Building, The Lipstick Building and The World's Most Famous Skyscraper of all "No Matter That It's No Longer The Tallest" The World's Undisputed Champ "The EmPIRE STATE BUILDING" of New York ... 

We had The Twin Towers which were Cool, "Side-By-Side Skyscrapers" but sadly we all know what happened to them on that fateful day 9/11  2001  ..  WTC1 "World Trade Center 1" and Other Buildings that are making up the new World Trade Center Complex has reached its highest heights and is part of the new and ever changing New York Skyline. These new buildings can't match the effect of those Two Giants standing side-by-side, but there's nothing we can do about them. Well when they first went up, many did not care for them, they were ridiculed as being Ugly, Horrible Architecture and what-not, but people grew to Love them eventually  Especially after they were destroyed.

Anyway, back to the main point of this little piece and tribut to the World's greatest Most Beautiful Skyline of All, "New York"

The WORLD'S MOST BEAUTIFUL SKYSCRAPER

The CHRYSLER BUILDING

Chicago? Can't touch This"

Daniel Bellino-Zwicke

Stormin Norman Scwarkopf

Stormin Norman Swarzkopf, the Great American General who led The U.S. and Coalition Forces in The 1991 Gulf War Against Iraq ... Born in 1934 in Trenton, New Jersey, Swarzkopf attended The United States Military Academy at West Point. He did Two Tours of Duty in Vietnam and led the U.S. Army into Grenada.  
    He once told a room full of reporters: "As far as Saddam Hussein being a great military strategist, he is neither a strategist, nor is he schooled in the operational arts, nor is he a tactician, nor is he a general, nor is he a soldier. Other than that, he's a great military man, I want you to know that."

GENERAL

STORMIN NORMIN

SWARZKOPF

R.I.P.

ARGO & DJANGO UNCHAINED

Quentin Tarantino's

Django Unchained

Went to the movies twice in the past 3 days. Well not in the normal sense, as I only saw one movie, not Two. But I did go to the Movies twice. On Sunday December 23rd I went to see Argo. It was my second choice of what I wanted to see. I wanted to see Django Unchained by Quentin Tarantino. I'm a big Tarantino fan and I've been waiting for Quentin to make another Masterpiece ever since Pulp Fiction 20 years ago. Could Django be It? Well, obviously I didn't see Django on Sunday as it wasn't in theaters yet. It was opening Christmas Day, two days later on Tuesday December 24, 2012 .. Oh Well? I'll have to see something else.
   So yes, I decided on Argo which was getting rave reviews. OK, here you go Boys and Girls. In a Nut-Shell, Argo is a very good movie. Yes very good. But as the media and Hollywood tend to do, it is kind of over hiped. Yes, Argo is a Dam good movie, but it's not as they (the Media and Hollywood) are pro-porting Great, and thee Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread. Yes, it's worth going to see. Well for some, $13.50 is a lot of Money to dish out for a movie that eventually you'll be able to see for free or much cheaper than $13.50 a head, but I just wanted to go out, do something and be entertained, and I was. Argo is a good movie and worth seeing, but if you ask me am I recommending you go run out and see it, and not wait to see it for free, then No! It's not great enough to have to run out and see it right away. Heck, it's not even great as much of the media is coining it. It is Very Good and I liked it, but there's no-way I'm going to call Argo Great, but if you really don't have anything to do on some particular night, and just want to go to a movie and don't mind shelling out $13.50 a head, then go, "You Will Like It" and not feel ripped-off. So there.
    Now, back to Django, "Django Unchained" Quentin Tarantino's latest. Yes I loved Pulp Fiction, I liked Reservoir Dogs, Didn't like Jackie Brown, nor kill Bill 1 or 2, and defiantly not Inglorious Bastards. I loved True Romance which Mr. Tarantino wrote the Screenplay to but did not direct. Now just for Reservoir Dogs and his Masterpiece "Pulp Fiction" Quentin Tarantino is like Gold to me. So I wanted to see Django. Yes I went to see Argo just two nights before, and now two nights later, Christmas Night I'm lookin to go to the movies again, and I want to see Django Unchained. So after a nice Christmas Meal over some friends house and everyone leaves, I' m thinking about Django, and I want to go see it. So I take the F Train to 6th Ave and 14th Street and walk three blocks to The Regal Union Square Cinema where Django is playing. I know there's a chance it might be sold out, and when I get up to the ticket sell, Yes it is, "Sold Out" that is. So, now here it is on the 26th and I've not seen Django. I went home and watched How The Grinch Stole Christmas starring Jim Carrey. Hey it was good. I enjoyed it. The costumes and scenery were great. Jim Carrey was great, it's a Christmas Movie, which I love, and it was Free, "Not $13.50" and That's Good.
   Well yes, I do want to go see Django Unchained, and hoping it will be, if not a masterpiece, then Dam Good anyway. Will I see it at a theater or at home? Well I think I will make it to the cinema, maybe this Friday night, and when I do. I'll let you know, so for now Django is still Unchained.


Daniel Bellino Zwicke

John Goodman, Allen Arkin

and Ben Affleck

in Affleck's

"ARGO"