From a NAVY COOK who cooked this dish for Presidents, Marines, and Naval personnel of the US Navy, and United States Marines. At CAMP DAVID. It’s a a hearty crowd pleasing dish, made with meat sauce, served with Spaghetti & Italian Sausage. “What’s not to Love?” A dish loved by Presidents Clinton, Bush, Biden, Obama, and Trump. You’ll love it too!
Ingredients :
4 Italian sausage links 1 pound lean ground beef 1 yellow onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce 1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes ¼ cup chopped fresh oregano 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon dried basil 1 bay leaf ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 1 (16 ounce) package dry spaghetti ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
Slice sausages lengthwise, leaving links attached along one side; lay flat in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned and cooked through, 5 minutes, flipping once. Transfer to a plate; set aside.
Add ground beef, onion, garlic, and olive oil to the same skillet over medium heat; cook and stir until onion is translucent and beef is browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Drain all but 2 tablespoons drippings from the skillet. Stir in tomato sauce, tomatoes, oregano, salt, basil, bay leaf, and black pepper; simmer, uncovered, over low heat until flavors have blended, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard bay leaf.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain. Stir spaghetti into sauce.
Divide spaghetti and sauce among individual oven-safe baking dishes or plates; top each with a cooked half sausage and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and begins to brown, 5 to 10 minutes.
Yes Boys and Girls, all you Coffee Lovers out there, it’s True, Coffee is Good for You. Ye-Ha! Don’t you just love it. You might have heard from time-to-time that coffee is not good for you, bad for your health. Not So, but just the opposite, Coffee is Good for you. Coffee is High in Antioxidants, which can protect against damaged cells and reduce your risk of chronic disease including Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Strokes.
Now this is really good news, Great News in fact, the prevention and reduced risk of getting Heart Disease, Diabetes, and Stoke is major, and anything any sane person should be ecstatic and rejoice over, “I am.” Coffee can help prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson Disease. Awesome!
Just remember, moderation is the key, too much coffee can cause nausea, jitters, and a rapid heart beat. It is safe to drink up to 5 cups a day, if you start getting over 8 cups you may have problems and adverse side affects. So remember, enjoy your coffee, you can love it, but stay moderate and it will love you back. As for me, I just love and adore my morning coffee. I usually have a second cup in the late afternoon, but hardly ever after 4 PM and I’m finished for the day, until my next glorious morning cup to start another day, my Coffee, in the Cafe, the newspaper and I’m set, Buon Giorno!
THIS ARTICLE FOCUSES PRIMARILY ON THE POSITIVE BENEFITS OF DRINKING COFFEE, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE DRINKING COFFEE CAN BE BAD FOR YOU, SUCH AS PEOPLE WITH ANXIETY OR SLEEPING DISORDERS. IN TERMS OF HEALTH, COFFEE IS BEST DRUNK WHEN IT’S BLACK OR WITH VERY LITTLE SUGAR AND MILK ADDED. DRINKING A VENTI MOCHA WITH WHIPPED CREAM FOUR TIMES A DAY ISN’T GOOD FOR ANYONE.
The 5-Ingredient Mortadella Sandwich is an absolute delight for those who appreciate simple, yet flavorful creations. I found the sandwich incredibly delicious, with a perfect balance of meaty and cheesy goodness. The mortadella, crisped to perfection, provides a rich, savory base, while the provolone cheese adds a creamy, melty layer that enhances every bite.
FRIED MORTADELL SANDWICHE w / CHEESE
ANTHONY BOURDAIN’S FAVORITE SANDWICH
Ingredients For Anthony Bourdains 5-Ingredient Mortadella Sandwich
To make this simple sandwich, you’ll need mortadella, provolone cheese, Dijon or yellow mustard, mayonnaise and a brioche bun (or sourdough or Kaiser roll).
To start, heat up a skillet or frying pan on medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add a small amount of neutral oil to prevent the mortadella from sticking. Take 2-3 slices of mortadella and gently fold and clump them together to make three small piles.
Place each mortadella pile in the pan and let them brown and get crispy, which should take about a minute or so. Once they’re crisp, flip the piles and add a slice or two of provolone cheese to each. If some provolone hangs over the side, that’s even better because it will create a deliciously crispy cheese “skirt.” When the other side of the mortadella is browned, carefully stack the piles on top of each other to form one big stack.
Next, toast the brioche bun in the remaining mortadella grease in the hot skillet. Once the bun is toast, spread mayo on one half and mustard on the other. Stack the mortadella on the bun and dig in.
Prime-Rib and Ringo! What you say? Yes I say “Prime-Rib and Ringo.”
What the Hell do they have to do with one-and-other? Isn’t Ringo a Vegetarian? Yes? But isn’t he English, Prime Rib Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding? Yes? Ringo is a Vegetarian, but he probably ate and loved Prime-Rib Roast Beef before he stopped eating meat, no? Yes, we thinks so. Question to you Ringo, “Did you eat and like Prime-Rib of Beef before you became a vegetarian?” We’d love to know. Please.
So, what the Hell does Ringo have to do with Prime-Rib you want to know. OK, I’ll tell you. Number one, I’ve loved Ringo way before I ever loved or ate my first tasty piece of Prime-Rib way back when. I’ve loved and known Ringo and The Beatles ever since I was 4 or 5 years old. Yes I did. I grew up with Ringo and The Beatles. They were the biggest thing on Earth, practically any ways. “Love Me Do,” I Wanna Hold Your Hand, “She Loves You Yeah Yeah Yeah,” The Beatles, Fab Four, John, Paul George, and Yes RINGO. And yes this was the order you would say their names when saying them one by one; first John, then Paul, George 3rd, and then at The End, for the Grand Finale “Ringo.”
OK so you love Ringo, you grew up with him and The Beatles you, “But What the Hell Does Ringo have to do with a juicy piece of Prime-Rib of Beef that he probably wouldn’t or couldn’t even want to eat?”
OK so as you all know by now, I love Prime-Rib, I love The Beatles, I love Ringo, so what does one have to do with the other? Where’s the tie-in?
Mr. Ringo Starr, some years ago put together a band called The All Stars. Being a Beatle, a drummer, musician, and performer Ringo as it so happens still loves playing drums and performing live.
Lately I have been thinking and dying for me a nice “Juicy” Piece of Prime-Rib. Dam they’re so yummy, so tasty. Having grown up in Jersey, I love me a nice piece of Prime-Rib of Beef every now and then. Prime-Rib of Beef is a big item in restaurants in Jersey, and many will have once a week Prime Rib Night where you can get yourself a nice piece of Prime Rib, a salad, vegetables, and potato, and maybe even some desert and or soup to start or a All-You-Can-Eat “Salad Bar” all for one nice very affordable price, somewhere around $19.99 to $24.95, whatever.
.
“PEACE & LOVE”
I’ve lived in the great city of New York for more than 25 years now, and if there’s two things a former Jerseyite can’t get in New York, it’s Taylor Ham a good piece of reasonable priced
Prime Rib. Two things people in Jersey really love. You just can not find Taylor Ham in New York anywhere. Taylor Ham is a Jersey thing.
Now your’e talking about Taylor Ham you say? What the Hell? Real quick for those who don’t know, Taylor Ham is a commercially made pork-product similar in taste to “Spam” only better that was created in 1856 in Trenton, New Jersey by John Taylor. It’s yummy, and Jerseyites love it. It’s in there blood. Taylor Ham is sliced and pan-fried and usually goes on a plate with eggs for breakfast or in its most famous way with scrambled or fried eggs on a Taylor Ham & Egg Sandwich. Yumm! My mouth waters just thinking of one.
OK so that’s the quick skinny on Taylor Ham, along with Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, and yes Prime Rib, the most beloved of Jersey Eats. So to Prime Rib and New York City. Well Prime Rib is no where near as big, popular, or beloved in NY NY they way it is New Jersey, but you can get it here, and another “but,” but for a “Price.” And a big price at that. Pretty much the only place more or less that you’ll find Prime Rib in Manhattan is at any one of New York’s great Steak Houses. Yes, besides Sirloin Steaks, T-Bones, Porter House Steaks, Filet Mignon, and Jumbo Lobsters, you can get a nice piece of juicy Prime Rib of Beef at any Steak House in New York.
A Prime Rib dinner at a New York Steak House? What’s it gonna cost? Be prepared to dish out about a Hundred Bucks, maybe a little less depending upon if you go for lunch or dinner, lunch being a bit cheaper of course. Let’s take Smith & Wollensky one of New York’s great and most icon steak houses. At lunch you can get a nice piece of juicy Prime Rib for $36.50 .. You do mot get any vegetable or potato on the plate so add $6.50 for a baked potato. You have to have a least one drink, a beer, or glass of wine, add another $12.00 and your sub-total is $55. You gotta pay tax and leave the waiter a good tip, so your grand total is gonna be about $72 for a bare minimum Prime Rib lunch, at dinner your gonna be around a hundred bucks. No thanks unless you are rich or have a rich friend picking up the tab. Oh yeah I can afford this, but not very often, as most of us out there in the year 2012, 11, 2010, we hope 2013 will be better and 2014, the U.S. economy booming or near to it once again. “Hope and Pray my friends,” all of us 99%ers.
OK so I been dying to have me some Prime Rib of late. Even thinking of taking a trip out to Jersey to get one in one of the World’s Prime Rib meccas. Yes.
I have also been wanting to see Ringo and His All Star Band for some years now. Every time I’d see his name up on the Radio City Marquee, I’d say to myself “Self, one of these days you just gotta go see Ringo.” Yes.
So it’s June 2012 and I see Ringo is playing at the Jones Beach Theater and I might want to go. He’s not playing Radio City this year and getting to Jones Beach from Manhattan without a car can be though not impossible, a bit difficult it is, especially as compared to jumping in a cab or hopping a Subway up to Radio City, easy and just a matter of minutes. Well I started doing some research and went on to good ole Ringo’s website at RinogStarr.com .. As I was browsing through I see Todd Rundregn is in this years (2012) All Star Band … This seals the deal for me. Todd is awesome. I continue to look on the website and see the schedule for the whole concert tour. Ringo is playing The Mohegan Sun Casino Arena on June 17, a Sunday and my day off. Perfect. It’s my day off and it will be easier to get to the Mohegan Sun than to Jones Beach, and cheaper too with all the casino bus discounts and special offers. “I’m in.” I go on line and buy some tickets. Yee-Ha I’m all set. Gonna go see Ringo, finally, and this will complete me see each and every Beatle in person. I went to a George Harrison Concert at Madison Square garden when I was just a teenager. My first Beatle. Second was John Lennon as I saw him walking down West 72nd Street one day. Quite a thrill. Even more of a thrill was when I was the Maitre’d at Da Silvano Restaurant and met Paul McCartney twice. One of those days, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits and the great Bozz Scaggs just happened to be dining at Da Silvano as well. Paul chatted with both of them for several minutes. Quite exciting. So that’s three Beatles down, John, Paul, George, and now Ringo. I can’t wait, and there’s going to be a bonus, my Prime Rib Dinner, and it’s almost for free.
A free Prime rib Dinner you say? Where? At the Mohegan Sun Casino at their buffet restaurant Seasons. Well I got on the Casino Bus, rode up there to Connecticut to the casino. The bus trip is only $15 round trip and when you get to the casino and get off the bus you get two $20 betting vouchers and the all important $20 food voucher good at any Mohegan Sun Restaurant. Yeah Babee! I did as most people do opt for the big Buffet Dinner, just $24 and all the Spare Ribs, Oysters, Clams, Fried Clams, Fried Chicken, Pasta, Stir Frys, Fish, Roast Turkey, Salads, Veggies, “PRIME RIB” and tasty deserts you can eat. And believe me people eat.
So I get there, get on line, then pay just $4 after giving them my $20 food voucher. Awesome! We sit down, and I go up for my first bit of food, the appetizers. I get 1 piece of fried chicken, 2 Spare Ribs, and some Fired Clams. Yumm! Dam the Barbecued Spare Ribs are some of the tastiest I’ve ever had and if it was 2 or 3 years previous and I wasn’t eating healthier, I swear i would have eaten at least 8 or 10 of these Tasty Little Bad Boys. They were so dam tasty that I was seriously tempted to go get a couple more, as opposed to getting 6 or 8 more which I would have done a few years back. I’m proud of myself I had will power, I did not get any more Spare Ribs that I desperately wanted. good boy.
After I finished that 1st plate it was time to go up and get the Main-Event, the Prime Rib. As I approached the Prime Rib Roast Turkey Carving Station i noticed the carver guy was cutting the Beef kind of thin, especially for Prime Rib, “Man Prime Rib Has Just Gotta Be Thick!” You can’t eat it any other way. So I approached the guy cutting the Prime Rib and said nice and friendly like and with assertion, “Hey Buddy Give Me a Nice Thick Slice of That Prime Rib Please.” And he did, twice the thickness of others I’d seen him slice. Thank You Sir! I appreciate that. As you know, the Prime Rib has just Got To Be Thick.
Yes, the Prime Rib was Excellent, nice and Juicy, Dam tasty, just like the Pork Spare Ribs. Yummm!!!! We had a few deserts and it was off to see Ringo.
Needless to say, the concert was great. Ringo, Todd and the rest of the Band were absolutely Awesome. The All Star Band also had in it Steve Lukather of Toto (Friggin GREAT Guitarist), Rochard Page of Mr. Mister, and founding Santana keyboard player and lead singer Greg Rolie, aka “The Duke” of Santana. Todd did Hello It’s Me, a “Rockin” rendition of Bang The Drum, and my favorite Rundgren song “I Saw The Light.” Love it! The Band led by Santana keyboardist Greg Rolie did awesome renditions of “Black Magic Woman,” Everbody’s Everything, and Evils ways and former Toto guitaristist Steve Lakather was every bit Carlos Santana’s equal in lead guitar roll for the Santana songs along with Lakather playing guitar and lead vocals for Toto Monster Hits done by Ringo and The All Stars, which included the iconic “Roseanna” (written about actress Roseanna Arquette, along with “Africa.” Awesome Show and it exceeded our expectations.
I Loved it, “Prime-Rib and Ringo.” a Tasty Combination to say the least…
“So, there I was, age 44. I was still dunking french fries at Brasserie Les Halles, which I thought was a pretty good gig at the time.
But, there was this little free paper they gave out on corners in a little box called The New York Press. I thought, I’m going to write something that will entertain other cooks, maybe I’ll get a hundred bucks, and my fry cook will find this funny. So, I wrote that first piece, that first version of (Kitchen Confidential) with the intention of being published by the New York Press and making 100 bucks, and being a hero to a few fry cooks in New York.
I wrote it and I sent it to The New York Press… So, every week I’d run to the corner. ‘Oh, I’m gonna be in the free paper!’ and I wasn’t in there. And, in a moment of frustration and possible inebriation, I mentioned this to my mom who said, ‘Well, you should send it to The New Yorker. I know somebody there. They’ll read it.’ And I’m thinking, what is the statistical likelihood ever, even if you’re represented? There’s no chance. Ever.
Out of alcohol-fueled hubris and on the insistence of my mom, I stuffed a copy, a print of this thing I’d written into an envelope and sent it off to The New Yorker, and thought that’s the last I will ever hear of this. Then, a month and a half later, the kitchen phone rings, and it’s David Remnick, the publisher from The New Yorker saying we’d like to run this piece.
And when it ran, it transformed my life within two days… Everything changed. Everything. From that point on.”
Frank’s Favorite Restaurant in The World, was Patsy’s on West 56th Street in New York, in The Theater District near Times Square .. Frank’s Favorites were; Calms Posillipo, Spaghetti Pomodoro, Veal Milanes (extra Thin & Crispy) and Spaghetti & Meatballs of which patsy’s makes The Best in The City ..
PATSY’S is by far the restaurant most associated with SINATRA — on its website, the restaurant notes that it “has been known for years as the restaurant Frank Sinatra made famous.” You can still order up old-school Italian there, but you might not have the exact same experience as Sinatra, who was said to have entered through a special door to sit at a reserved table on the second floor. Sinatra became especially loyal to the restaurant after making a solo Thanksgiving reservation one year, not realizing the restaurant was slated to be closed that day. Patsy Scognamillo didn’t want to turn Sinatra away, so he allowed the reservation. He also didn’t want Sinatra to know the restaurant was opened just for him — so he had the entire staff bring their families to fill the place up, something Sinatra didn’t learn until years later, according to Patsy’s lore. The restaurant still celebrates its connection to Sinatra: At right, in 2002, Joe Scognamillo served actor Bill Boggs, who had dressed up as Sinatra . (236 West 56th St.)
SINATRA at JILLY’S New York with Friends and Daughters NANCY and TINA
Frank loved going to his close Pal JILLY RIZZO’S New York Restaurant JILLY’S where Frank would eat Chinese Food, tell stories, and drink JACK DANIEL’S to the Wee Hours of the morning.
FRANK SINATRA had DOM Send him BREAD to Palm Springs , California
FOCCACIA From DOM’S BAKERY
GRANDMA BELLINO’S COOKBOOK
“RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN NONNA”
by Daniel Bellino “Z”
Author Daniel Bellino “Z” has the same ancestral Sicilian Roots as Frank Sinatra and one Charles “Lucky” Luciano who was born in LERCARA FRIDDI SICILY , as was Frank SInatra ‘s father Martino Severino Sinatra and Bellino ‘s maternal grandparents Giussepina Salemi and Fillipo Bellino who both immigrated from Lercara Friddi to New York through Ellis Island in 1904 . In 1906 Luciano ‘s parents immigrated and settled on the Lower East Side of New York when young Charlie (Salvatore ) was 9 years old.
“Ronzoni Sono Buoni,”
if you are Italian and grew up in the New York area in the great
decades of the 1960’s and or 70s you know the slogan. We Italians do love our
pasta, we’re weened on it! Pasta is the main staple of our diet. Many are
fanatical about and love it so, they insist on having it several times a week.
I’m one. Pasta, can be covered in a wide variety of sauces, in some soups like; Pasta Fagoli (Pasta Fazool),
in Minestrone’s, with Pasta and Peas, and Pasta con Ceci (Chick Peas). Yes, we
are weened on it. Mommy gave me, my bothers and sister Pastina coated in a bit
of butter and Parmigiano when we were just toddlers and every so
often I have to pick up a box of Ronzoni Pastina, as I love and crave it still,
and of late as with many my age, you start craving things you loved as a child,
thus my stints with PASTINA .“Ronzoni Sono Buoni,” it means, Ronzoni
is So Good, and that it is. This brand of Pasta, born in New York City at the
turn of the 20th Century has been a mainstay of not only
Italian-Americans of the East Coast but, for all. For years before the surge of
many a imported pasta product in the U.S., Ronzoni, was not the only game in
town for Macaroni, there was the Prince and Creamette, as well, but Ronzoni
dominated the market and though I don’t have stats, I would wage to say that 85
to 90 % of all commercial pasta sold in the New York, New Jersey, and
Philadelphia areas was Ronzoni, the pasta in the bright blue boxes, Ronzoni
Sono Buoni. God I wonder how many plates and bowls of Spaghetti, Ziti and other
Ronzoni pastas I ate over the years, starting with Pastina as
a toddler and moving to Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce or Meatballs,
Baked Ziti, Stuffed Shells and more. Oh “Stuffed Shells,” they bring back
memories of my mother who loved them. We had them often, along with Lasagna
made with Ronzoni Lasagana. You don’t see Stuffed Shells around that much any
more, they used to be on many a restaurant and even more home menus. There
popularity has waned, but every once and a while I’ll pick up a box of Ronzoni
large shells, just for the purpose of bringing back those memories of mom
making them and me loving them as a child. I’ll make a batch of
tomato sauce, cook the Ronzoni Shells, and stuff them with ricotta and
Parmigiano, bake them in tomato sauce, and “Voila” Stuffed Shells of
days gone by. I do the same with a Pastina as I still love the dish so, dressed
with butter and fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano, “makes me feel like a kid
again!” Yum, delicious little pleasure you can whip up in minutes and
bring back visions of your youth. All with some butter, Parmigiano and a box of
Ronzoni Pastina. That’s Ronzoni, every bit a part of my life and youth as
a spring ol Slinky, Etch-A-Sketch, The Three Stooges, Saturday Morning
Cartoons, and all the favorites of my youth,
Ronzon Sono Buoni
“Ronzoni it’s
so good!”
… Daniel Bellino Z …..
SPAGHETTI
RONZONI – HISTORICAL TIME LINE
1915: Ronzoni officially begins business as a private family-owned company
1984: Ronzoni is sold to General Foods
1990: General Foods sells Ronzoni to Hershey Pasta Group
1999: General Foods sells to a group of investors led by the New York firm Joesph Littlejohn and Levy. The new company took the name New World Pasta
2006: The Ebro Puleva Group acquires New World Pasta, which included the Ronzoni brand
2016: The Ebro Puleva Group merges with Ebro Foods
2021: 8th Avenue Food & Provisions (formerly Dakota Growers Pasta Company) acquires Ronzoni and a dry pasta manufacturing facility in Virginia. The Virginia facility is the company’s third manufacturing location; the previous two were in North Dakota and Minnesota.
I’m sure these facts are no longer true, as many Americans now buy a lot more imported Italian pasta then they did back in 1974. In the 1950’s, 60’s 70’s and even into the 1980’s Ronzoni dominated the past market, not only in New York, but for the entire country.
1 – New York is the largest market for pasta in America, accounting for 20% of all pasta sales in
America, comes from New York.
2 – Ronzoni sells more than 40% of all pasta sold in New York.
3 – Ronzoni’s sales were more than $40 Million dollars in 1973.
RONZONI PASTINA
“NO MORE” !
SAD NEWS
The Ronzoni Macaroni Company is discontinuing Pastina, due to low sales. “What” ? Yes folks, it’s true. After 107 of being one of Italian-America’s favorite pastas, and the one maccheroni products is always the first one we eat, as Italian mothers feed their little babies Ronzoni Pastina, dressed in a little butter as one of the first solid foods their baby will eat, thus one of Italian-America’s most time honored traditions. We all Love our pastina. But no more. Not Ronzoni Pastina anyway. Yes, a sad day for us Italians. We will have to find another brand of pastina, even though Ronzoni’s is our most beloved, it will be no more.
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 ..
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.
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.
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.
A question most asked by restaurant professionals in New York who love Tony Bourdain and his minor-masterpiece Kitchen Confidential on the underbelly of the New York Restaurant World and the restaurant scene in general. Yes, you read Anthony Bourdain’s New York Times Best Seller and what launched Tony into fame as the Star of such shows as : A COOKS TOUR, NO RESERVATIONS, The LAYOVER, and PARTS UNKNOWN on CNN.
In KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL Tony talks with adulation of his former boss whom Tony calledBigFoot. Tony expounds on Big Foot’s unconventional managerial skills in the restaurant business in New York and the many things he learned from him. Bourdain never mentions the guys name, so it has been the source of major intrigue to all who have read Anthony Bourdain’s entertaining book.
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.
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.
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