A Haircut Dumplings a Drink

 

"MY FAVORITE DUMPLING"

CLOSED !!!

"BUMMER" !!!

C & L DUMPLING HOUSE has Closed 

Just read on Eater that the C & L Dumpling House closed. "Bummer" I loved that place. went there numerous times over the years. I usually went when I'd get my haircut at the Chinese Hair Salon around the block on Eldridge Street (just $5).  I'd get my haircut, only $5, plus a $5 tip, then I'd scoot over to C& L for some dinner, 2 orders of Dumplings for just $2. What a deal? Yes, I'd get a haircut and dinner for just $14, including the $5 tip. There was a cool little Bar - Restaurant on Stanton Street that was serving Aperol Spritz's during Happy Hour for just $5 each, so for a while, I'd get my haircut, dinner (Pork Dumplings) and an Aperol Spritz, all for just $20 ... "Wow, what a Deal?" It certainly was. And that was just 3 short years a go, before the Covid 19 Pandemic that hit in March of 2020 ... Another bummer. Majorly. Anyway, adly for me, the place I got the haircut is gone, and I go to another place near by, but they charge $15. Not bad, but quite a difference from just $5, and $10 total for haircut and tip at the old place, but $20 with the tip at the new place. Double the price. It wouldn't be bad, if I could go and get 2 orders of Dumplings for $3 (went up to $1.50), and even though the total price of my haircut with tip in Chinatown is now $20, if I could still get those tasty Pork Dumplings at C&L, a total price of $23 for my haircut in dinner, still, it wouldn't be bad. But no, now they tell me that my favorite dumpling joint, C&L Dumpling House has closed? "Bummer" ? Big Time ! Well, what the Hell can I do? Not much. 

My last two haircuts, I got at a place on East 28th Street. I go when I have a doctors visit at Bellevue Hospital. It's $22, plus a $5 tip, for a total of $27. Not the bargain of $10 I was paying 3 years ago, but, that's life. Things change. And change they have, especially inflation. Almost everything has gone up. My groceries are costing me, and everyone else I guess, 25% more or so, than 3 years ago, before the Pandemic hit. Now instead of getting my haircut and going out for a cheap but tasty dinner, I just get my haircut, and go home and make dinner, or lunch, whatever the case may be at the time I get my haircut, in the afternoon, or early evening. Now I can't get a haircut, dinner, and an Aperol Spritz, all for just a Twenty Dollar Bill. Boy, were those the days? And it's not a long time ago. It's just 3 years.

Well, such is life. Things can be worse. We can be in a war zone, like the poor people in Syria and Ukraine. We're not. Though things aren't quite as good as they were 3 years a ago, (Americans) we still have a lot to be grateful for, and things are quite bad in those two countries, and all over the World. We've got it good, and believe me, I am very grateful. So don't think I was complaining about my hair salon, and the dumpling house closing. I'm not. "Well, maybe just a little." But I'm stating facts, plain and simple/ Those are the facts. Anyway, since the price of just about everything is going up, and if you don't have a lot of money, and you're on a budget, there are always things you can do to save money, and one of the best ways to do that, is not to go out to eat too much, and to cook and eat most of your meals at home, or brown-bag it when you go to work, make a sandwich, and bring a banana or two, and a bit of sweets if you crave them, when you go to work most days. Don't piss your money away eating out, eat at home and brown-bag it to work.

And if you want to cook at home, and you need a little guidance, the books below. The Badass Cookbook and Got Any Kahlua, are both designed with the novice cook in mind. Both books have lots of great easy to cook recipes and helpful hints on cooking to save both time and money. So pick up one today, and "Cook & Save Money" just like I do.

Good Luck, and all the best to you.

Basta !

DBZ

GOT ANY KAHLUA ?

aka The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

The COLLECTED RECIPES of The DUDE

AMAZON.com

AMERICA'S FAVORITE FOODS

And SECRET RECIPES

COOK & SAVE

AMAZON.com

Going to Capri ?

 

Marina Grande

Capri

Summer has started, and we’re dreaming of the islands – the gorgeous islands off the coast of Italy, each with its own distinct flavor and character. One of our favorites, Capri, has for thousands of years been known as a place of allure – rumored once to be the home of the mythical sirens who lured sailors to their doom, then later luring artists, writers, and philosophers from across Europe to bask in its natural beauty and air of pure romance.  It is also the home of legendary beauty house, Carthusia.

An island of rocky limestone, jagged coastline, and sandstone cliffs in the Gulf of Napoli, Capri has been a resort destination since the second century BC, when Roman emperors used it as a retreat and playground for what were rumored to be a wild slate of personal pleasures. Today, its natural wonders, medieval fortresses, rustic villas, posh shopping, and rugged coastline make it one of Italy’s most beloved travel destinations.

The center of social life on Capri is the popular Piazza Umberto I, “La Piazzetta,” which was once a fish market and now is one of the world’s most fashionable squares. It’s where locals and celebrities alike can be found sipping coffee or cocktails and people watching, surrounded by breathtaking views and architecture, including restored palaces, the Town Hall, and the famous Torre dell’Orologio, the clock tower that once was the bell tower of the Church of Santo Stefano.

In 1826, the re-discovery of the legendary Grotta Azzurra made Capri an even more desired destination. “The Blue Grotto” is a natural sea cavern and miracle of nature, where the water glows azure blue, illuminated by sunlight from an underwater cavity. Once feared to be the home of demons and spirits, it found new fame that drew artists, writers, and philosophers -- including Maxim Gorky, Henry James, Pablo Neruda, and Friederich Nietzsche – to the island, along with millions of tourists from around the world.

 Dining on Capri can be as simple as a picnic of caprese sandwiches on the beach, a late-night pizza along Via Tommaso de Tommasi, or an unforgettable meal of authentic, artfully prepared delights at one of the island’s Michelin-starred destination restaurants. You can enjoy flawlessly prepared fish and shellfish in restaurants set in a lemon grove or on a cliff overlooking the sea – the options are as rich and delightful as the island itself.

“There is no spot in the world with such delightful possibilities of repose as this little isle.”

English writer and social critic Charles Dickens (1812-1870), on Capri

Looking to Marina Grande

From the Top of The Phoenician Stairs

Capri, Italy

Photo Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Home to Carthusia

It’s fitting that an island famed for its beauty would give birth to one of Italy’s most iconic beauty brands: Carthusia.

Legend maintains that the father prior of the Carthusian Monastery of St. Giacomo on Capri was surprised by an unexpected visit from Queen Joanna I of Anjou in 1380. He scrambled to pick the most beautiful flowers on the island to present her in a bouquet. After the bouquet stood in a vase for three days, the water had taken on a haunting and beautiful fragrance – a scent of wild carnations that became the first perfume of Capri.

 Whether there’s truth to this legend or not, in 1681, the monastery began distilling local flowers and herbs to create essential oils and fragrance blends. Those same, centuries-old formulas were rediscovered in the 1940s, and Carthusia uses them today to continue the tradition of limited-production, finely crafted, hand-produced fragrances of magnificent quality.

 Here are three of Mozzafiato’s Carthusia favorites to bring the magic of Capri into your heart and home:

• The Fiori Di Capri scent is Carthusia's iconic bouquet of handpicked wild carnations and Capri's most precious floral essences. It's based on the legendary fragrance formula dating back to 1380. A frosted glass engraved with the logo Carthusia is perfect for perfuming every corner of your home.

CAPRI

From The Summit of Mt Solaro

Phot Daniel Bellino Zwicke

POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

TRAVEL GUIDE COOKBOOK

AMAZON.com

Italian Cookbook Author

Daniel Bellino Zwicke (M)

With some Friends on ISCHIA

"A Day of Swimming"

Old CAPRI Taxi

NEED a HOTEL in CAPRI ?

Find a ROOM in CAPRI

ITALY & WORLDWIDE

BOOKING.com

"My Favorite Lemonade Stand"

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

CAPRI

"My Favorite Swimming spot on CAPRI"

Da LUIGI BEACH CLUB

Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

CAPRI

CARTHUSIAN CAPRI PERFUME

And COLOGNE

Get Some !

Frank Sinatra has a Cold - by Gay TaleseTalese

 FRANK SINATRA Had a COLD !

"FRANK"

  It was the Winter of 1965. Gay Talese arrived in Los Angeles to write an article on Frank Sinatra. Talese was on assignment from Esquire Magazine, one of the “It” magazines of the day. Sinatra was approaching 50, and Esquire, along with numerous others, wanted to do a piece on the great one, the legendary Frank Sinatra. There was just one problem, Frank Sinatra had a Cold. Yesm the man was under the weather as they say, and refused to do the previously agreed upon interview for the piece that Talese would write. Like Sinatra, Talese was an Italian-American from New Jersey, and one of the top writers of the day, to Sinatra’s iconic status as not only a great singer, actor, and live showman, Sinatra was on his way to becoming the century’s greatest entertainer. 

   Unable to get an in person interview, Talese resorted to talking to as many people as he could, who were close to the man, in the forms of; friends, family, associates, workers, and the multitude of flunkies and hangers-on of the Sinatara. Talese also observed Sinatra when and wherever he could.

   Talese gathered all the info he could, and wrote the article. He titled it “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold.” Esquire published the article in the April 1966 issue of Esquire Magazine, and the rest is magazine and writing history. Gay Talese’s piece on Sinatra, Frank Sinatra Has a Cold, was and still is highly exalted, and is considered one of the greatest articles ever written, if not still the greatest. 

   Yes, “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold” is considered the pinnacle of what has been deemed New Journalism, and was a feat of epic proportions of immersive reporting of a non-participating subject (Sinatra). Gay Talese turned a very difficult assignment into journalistic gold.

   In the article, Sinatra, the man who led The Rat Pack of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and himself as the undisputed ring leader, Sinatra was The King of Las Vegas, a movie star and one of America’s greatest recording artists.

Talese describes Sinatra as a sublime singer, and a man of two distinct types, the masculine Jet-Set Swinger, and ancient Sicilian Padrone ( Boss ), and a man who commanded respect, settled scores, solved problems, and a man who righted wrongs. Talese wrote, “Sinatra with a cold is like Picasso without paint, and a Ferrari without fuel, only worst.”

   Talese writes, Foe Frank Sinatra was now involved with many things involving many people - his own film company, his record company, his private airline, missile-parts frim, his real-estate holdings across the nation, his personal staff of seventy-five people - which are only a portion of the power he is and has come to represent. He seemed now to be also the embodiment of the fully emancipated male, perhaps the only one in America, the man who can do anything he wants, anything, can do it because he has money, the energy, and no apparent guilt. In an age when the very young seem to be taking over, protesting and picketing and demanding change, Frank Sinatra survives as a national phenomenon, one of the few prewar products to withstand the test of time. He is the Champ who made the big comeback, the man who had everything, lost it,then got it back, letting nothing stand in his way, doing what few men can do: he uprooted his life, left his family, broke with everything that was familiar, learning in the process that one way to hold a woman is not to hold her. Now he has the affection of Nancy amd Ava and Mia, the fine female produce of three generations, and still has the adoration of his children, the freedom of a bachelor, he does not feel old, he makes old men feel young, makes them think that if Frank Sinatra can do it, it can be done; not that they could do it, but it is still nice for other men to know, at fifty, that it can be done.” - Gay Talese - Esquire Magazine 1966 -

  Wow! That says quite a lot. Yes, but the man (Frank Sinatra) and the myth, it’s all true, and so beautifully told by Gay Talese, and we love it. That is Sinatra in just so many words, “A Man’s Man,” Cool, suave, confident, powerful, talented, “One of a Kind,” there was only one Sinatra, never another quite like Frank, at this and that point in time (1966 to 2023), and as many have saide, “There will never be another Sinatra.”

Agreed?

... DBZ ...

NYC ... 2023

The RAT PACK

Frank with Daughter Nancy

And Yule Brenner

Frank signals "A OK" !!!

With Ed Sullivan and Friends

SUNDAY SAUCE

aka The SINATRA COOKBOOK

SINATRA SUNDAY SAUCE Recipe

AND MORE !

AMAZON.com

 

The Worlds Tastiest Recipe

 

The WORLDS TASTIEST DISH

PASTA with RAGU BOLOGNESE

GET The SECRET RECIPE

AMAZON.com

The RAGU BOLOGNESE COOKBOOK

"PEOPLE LOVE IT" !!!

READ The REVIEWS

KIM P says "GOOD GOD I'm HUNGRY" !  

I got this cookbook first, because the cover, and second, because I absolutely adore Italian Cuisine. 

This cookbook is authentic, hearty recipes that feature a famous Bolognese Sauce (and more), is one that I will use over and over again with pleasure. Everything is easy to understand, it's all easy to come by on a quick stop at the grocer, and you get to hear Danny Bolognese became the renowned chef he is today. I felt like I was sitting at his kitchen counter, sipping a nice red wine, listening to Frank Sinatra playing in the background, while reading his introduction to the cookbook. Love it !!

Great Book !!!

Jerseys Best Burgers ?

WHITE MANNA BURGERS

HACKENSACK, NEW JERSEY

ART by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

FINE ART PRINTS on CANVAS PAPER & WOOD

From FINE ART AMERICA

 

WHITE MANNA BURGERS

NEW YORK'S BEST BURGER is in JERSEY

Video by Bestselling Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke

GOT ANY KAHLUA ?

aka The BIG LEBWOSKI COOKBOOK

AMAZON.com

"RIPPERS"

RIPPERS are DEEP FRIED HOT DOGS

RUTT'S HUT

Clifton, New Jersey

Brothers Jimmy & Daniel Zwicke

Video by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

AMERICA'S FAVORITE FOODS

And SECRET RECIPES

BURGERS TACOS BURRITOS

SOUP MEATLOAF

BBQ SAUCE & More ...

AMAZON.com

Do You Own SUNDAY SAUCE

 

SUNDAY SAUCE 

WHEN ITALIAN-AMERICANS COOK

The DEFINING BOOK on SUNDAY SAUCE

MEATBALLS BRACIOLE & OTHER STUFF

AMAZON.com

FIVE STAR REVIEWS

Sunday Sauce by New York Italian-American author Daniel Bellino Z has become required reading of Italian-Americans and the Italian-American kitchen, and Italian-America's most supreme dish 

Sunday Sauce ( aka Gravy).

SUNDAY SAUCE with the # 1 Best Selling Italian Cookbook (on Amazon Kindle, for more than 2 years, aupon its publication release, and is still a bestseller today. If you're into Italian Food, and Italian American Food, culture, and lifestyle, this book is a must for your Cookbook & Italian Cultural Library. Readers love many great recipes, and wonderful stories of Italian Food & Peoples, told by the author. No pictures, just great recipes and wonderful stories of: Italians, Italian Food, and culture.

Get your copy today!

BESTSELLING ITALIAN COOKBOOKS

By DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE

AMAZON.com

Bellino on Writing

 

Me at Caffe Reggio

During the height of the Pandemic

Greenwich Village, New York

I finished my book POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

Travel Guide - Cookbook here, in February 2021

Doing a little writing today, and thought I would write about it. My normal everyday process. Well first off, it is my day off, and I am enjoying it. Just to have the time off to relax and do whatever I want, or need to do, and not have to go into work and work. That is my regular 9 to 5, and not my writing. Yes, like most writers, I do have a 9 - 5, so to speak. That is the bulk of my income comes from my regular job, and not from my writing, although I do make a decent little chunk of change from my book sales, it is not enough to fully support me. Not yet anyway.

And so I am here today at my coffee spot, and where I write, or work on promoting my books through a few blogs and websites I have as well as a bit of social media, mostly on Instagram, posting stuff, some just related to me and things I like, as well as promoting my books, and yes I guess me.

My main coffee spot these days and for the past 7 years since Caffe Dante closed, is at the Marlton Hotel in Greenwich Village, a great little spot, it is nice and comfy, quiet, and relaxing, and I love it. All the people working here are very friendly and take great care of me, which I really appreciate, and again, I love coming here for my daily coffee, and to relax, and that is exactly what I am doing right this very minute, sipping my coffee, writing, relaxing, and savoring just that, sipping coffee, writing, and enjoying the day off. The day off from the 9 to 5, not writing, and promoting, and so here I am.

I started coming to The Marlton Hotel when it first opened, I think it was about 2012. My main place for my daily coffee ( Cappuccino ) was Caffe Dante on Macdougal Street in Greenwich Village. I had my morning and afternoon, and sometimes nighttime coffee, everyday at Caffe Dante for exactly 30 years. I first started going there in the Summer of 1985, after I got back from my first trip to Italy, and many new Italian, and Worldly discoveries, being in Europe for an entire month. It was an eye opening trip that taught me many things. I will never forget it and all the wonderful times in : Rome, Florence with my high-school friend JoAnne, meeting up with friends in Barcelona, a romantic fling in The South of France (Nice & Monaco), on to the most Serene Republic of Venice, Italy, then down to Positano and The Amalfi Coast before heading back up to Rome for a couple more days before flying home to New York. Yes, again, it was a most wonderful trip.

So I had my daily coffee at CafFe Dante for exactly 30 years from 1985 until my pal Mario Flotta sold the place and it closed down in 2015, a most sad day for me. Dante was my second home, and I was friends with the owner Mario, and all the girls (waitresses) who worked there. 

As I said, I started going to The Marlton ever since they opened their doors. It is a cool boutique hotel owned by Shawn McPherson who has great style and runs wonderful establishments in both New York and Los Angeles, and is also a partner at The Maritime Hotel with my old pal Eric Goode, who was a top night club impresario in 1980s NYC, with such clubs as AREA and MK. After being very successful with nightclubs in the 80s and 90s, Eric got into the hotel business in the New Millennium, and is a partner as I said at The Maritime, and now, also at The Bowery Hotel in the East Village of New York. Anyway, I am at the Marlton, but Eric is not a partner here. Anyway?

Yes, I come here everyday and I love it. Some days I write, and some days I work on my websites, blogs, and other promotional avenues. I am always doing some kind of work with these things, and because of my diligence over the years, one of my Instagram accounts has taken off, and as a result my book sales have skyrocketed by 300% as of late, and I am super excited by that. And as I write, Mina just came on over the sound system. "I love it. No Rap Hip Hop Crap at The Marlton. Just great music, they play here, and that is something that I am very grateful for, and it helps one relax, as that is a main incentive of coming here. Relaxing.

I come, and Sangee, Jack, or Fun get me my coffee. I open up my Amazon KDP Dashboard and see how many books I have sold, that is usually the first thing on my agenda. I check Facebook and Instagram, and then I either do some writing, either on the current book I am working on, to write a little article or blog post, and also so promo work, and that is what I do. Most times, before I get to The Marlton, I don't really have a game plan ahead of time, and I just do as I have just described. Although there are times that I do have a game plan ahead of time, and that is usually when I have been going on a writing tear on my current book, or the book is almost done, and I am either doing some editing, or formatting of the book, for the proper format of the manuscript to be sent in to the publisher, and that is what I do. And of course, most of the times I do not go crazy, and I am not in a rush, but taking it easy, and taking it as it comes, day by day, as far as my writing and promo work goes, that is the way I do it.

BOOKS By DANIEL BELLINO

AMAZON.com

Joe Biden Pasta Recipe

 

RIGATONI FENNEL SAUSAGE PASTA

JIL & JOE BIDEN"S FAVORITE

President Joe Biden

And `First Lady Jill Biden

JOE BIDEN"S FAVORITE PASTA

RIGATONI w FENNEL SAUSAGE

Ingredients :

1 & 1/2 pound Sweet Italian Fennel Sausage
1 small Onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves Garlic, peeled and minced
1 - 28 oz. Can San Marzano Tomatoes
10 tablespoons Heavy Cream
1/4 teaspoon each Salt & Black Pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
1 pound imported Italian Rigatoni
2 tablespoons Butter 

1. Place tomatoes in a bowl and break into very small pieces with your fingers.

2. Remove meat from Sausage casings.

3. Add Olive Oil and onions to a large skillet. Season with half the salt and pepper. Cook on low heat for 2 minutes.

4. Crumble the sausage into small pieces and add to the skillet. Cook on medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon as you cook.

5. Add Garlic to pan and continue cooking for 3 minutes. 

6. Add the crushed tomatoes and remaining Salt and pepper to the pan and turn heat up to high. Cook on high heat for 2 minutes, then lower the flame to medium for 10 minutes.

7. Fill a large pot 3/4 full with water and 2 tablespoons of salt, and turn the heat to high.

8. Lower Tomatoes to a flame and continue cooking on low heat for 12 minutes.

9. Add the Rigatoni to boiling water and cook according to directions on package.

10. After the tomatoes have simmered for about 25 minutes, add the Heavy Cream to the pan and cook on medium to high heat for 4-5 minutes to reduce the cream. Be sure to stir with a wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pan as you stir to keep the sauce from burning.

11. Once the Rigatoni is finished cooking, drain in a colander, being sure to reserve a half cup of the pasta cooking water.

12. Put the drained pasta back into the pot it cooked in and add the sauce to the pot and mix. Add the drained pasta, 1/4 cup of pasta water to the pot cook on a low flame for 2 minutes. 

13. Turn the heat off and add the Butter and half the grated Parmesan to pot and stir.

14. Plate into 4 to 6 plates and serve. Serve with remaining grated cheese on the side, and Enjoy!

Brought to you by Chef Daniel Bellino and NEW YORK ITALIAN on Instagram

NONNA BELLINO"S COOKBOOK

RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN NONNA

AMAZON.com

.
#PresidentBiden 
#Rigatoni with #Fennel #Sausage#Ragu
#President #Biden
#Pasta #Recipe
#PresidentialPasta
#Favorite Pasta
#usa