Archive for October, 2007
Farewell Vancouver
OUR LAST NIGHT IN VANCOUVER WAS A SPECIAL ONE. WE HAD A DINNER AND BOOK SIGNING AT CIOPPINO RESTAURANT.THE OWNER -CHEF IS PINO POSTERARO, A VERY OPINIONATE AND PASSIONATE CHEF…THE RESTAURANT MUST HAVE A WINE INVENTORY IN THE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF BOTTLES OF WINE AND WHAT A LIST OF WINE FROM EVERYWHERE…ITALY , FRANCE ,AMERICA…
WE HAD TWO FANTASTIC TASTINGS OF MEATBALLS AND FISHBALLS.
THE MEATBALLS HAD A GREAT TASTE OF EGGPLANT AND THE FISHBALLS WERE MADE WITH SALT CURED COD….MY FAVORITE.
THE NEXT COURSE WAS A DELICIOUS TASTE OF SPAGHETTI WITH A LAMB RAGU THAT REMINDED ME OF THE WAY MY MOTHER USED TO PREPARED IT….I ACTUALLY GOT A SECOND SERVING.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST …PHEASANT PREPARED IN A BLACK OLIVE SAUCE, VERY TENDER AND JUICY…PINO POSTERARO IS A FANTASTIC CHEF. VANCOUVER SHOULD BE PROUD TO HAVE HIM. GRAZIE PINO…WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU IN NEW YORK TO EXCHANGE THE HOSPITALITY.
PORTLAND HERE WE COME! MARK WANTS TO TAKE ME TONIGHT TO A SPECIAL PIZZA JOINT IN THIS CITY. I WILL LET YOU KNOW.
A DOPO…Pino
Our farewell dinner in Chicago.
The last day in the windy city included another book signing, this one with wine pairings at Sam’s. Banfi is our partner on this book tour. Every demo, dinner and wine tasting, you’ll find The Two Meatballs with Banfi’s Placido Chianti Classico or Rosso di Montalcino or Pinot Grigio. We are in good company. These are delicious wines. Recipes from our cookbook are reprinted on tags that hang from the bottleneck of the Placido wines from Banfi. This pairings are well done…the recipes are well complimented by the wines and this idea is practical for the home cook. I hope people enjoy this because it is fun idea.
Sam’s is a gigantic store where the vast space might create a fear of getting lost with such an enormous selection, but this is overcome by friendly, passionate sales people. We were stationed at the main entrance, so we met many people, signed some books, and people were able to taste the meatballs with the wines. And onto the next event…dinner.
Even for a well-traveled New Yorker, used to an excellent selection of superb restaurants, I am impressed with the restaurant scene in Chicago. There is a new place opening on every corner. Friday night was crazy everywhere we went, escorted by the people from “chicagourmet” to meet Roland Licciono, the chef at the new restaurant Old Town Brasserie. Liccioni was the chef at Le Francaise restaurant in Chicago, an institution that closed a while ago. Old Town Brasserie was packed. We had enjoyed appetizers and the bar scene before heading off to dinner at Table 52.
We arrived at Table 52 at 8:45. The restaurant is owned by Art Smith, the personal chef of Oprah. The small and charming room had an open fireplace for baking bread and pizza. The room was warm and full of the Southern charm. I had a great cauliflower soup and green fried tomatoes with bacon, both appetizers and both great. Unfortunately Art wasn’t in, but we left a copy of Two Meatballs….a gesture of gratitude for our meal And who knows, maybe Art likes Italian food and you’ll see some meatballs on the winter menu.
from Chicago
Mark and I started this blog to stay in touch with our friends and to let you know where we are so you can come meet us. With the best of intentions to post daily, we have been very busy!
We are really enjoying the tour and the people we are meeting. We have received wonderfully warm welcomes from old friends and new. Rather than re-cap the last week, I’ll say that we had a lot of fun on NBC with Al Roker and with Martha Stewart on her show, in Boston and Philadelphia.
We are in Chicago now. I haven’t been here since the tragic events of 9/11, but for many years Chicago was a second home to me. In 1992 I opened my 2nd Coco Pazzo restaurant on West Hubbard Street.
I felt like I was visiting a long lost relative, and to my delight, Chicago is the warm and lovely place I recall, not the Windy City it is called. After a day signing books, we enjoyed a lovely evening at QUARTINO Restaurant, a warm, rustic and very busy restaurant on North State Street. Chef John Coletta prepared a menu of my favorites: Jewish-Style Roman Artichokes, cooked to perfection, crispy and very tasteful. My tagliolini with meatball and mushrooms pasta recipe prepared perfectly, tender little meatballs well seasoned and served with an earthy mushrooms and peas…WOW! The combination with a rich meatballs and the flavorful sauce was excellent. Main courses included chicken scarpariello and lamb shoulder, everything delicious and still we found room for desserts.
What a treat for a chef to have a meal prepared exactly to his liking without any work! Intermittent with eating and talking, we signed lots of books. The restaurant was full of old friends, employees and colleagues. Chicago was always good to me; I received a warm welcome when I opened Coco Pazzo in ’92, and again during this visit. I love this city, and I know that Chicago loves good Italian food.
Today we visit an old Chicago institution: Sam’s wine and Spirits on N. Marcy Street for a great tasting of meatballs and companion wines from Banfi…where among the many good choices is an outstanding ROSSO di MONTALCINO “PLACIDO”. Come out to see us if you can.
We will have as much fun tonight as we can before turning early, for tomorrow at dawn we travel to Vancouver. I really looked forward to this next stop because I never been there…
Be in touch with me. I’ll stay in touch with you.
Pino Luongo
We’re off and cooking…
We started our book tour on October 9 with an interview with Joan Hamburg on WOR. That night, we had a reception for the book at Tuscan Square. On Thursday, October 11th we made an appearance on NBC’s Today Show, and then left for Boston – the start of a 21 city book tour that will run through November.
We’ll keep you up to date with our schedule here on our blog, and we’ll look forward to meeting you when we come to your town, and to your comments by email.
Hello world!
We started this blog to share our travels around the country as we visit bookstores, restaurants, cooking schools, and wine shops. Please look at our schedule and come out to see us when we visit your home town.
If you come to our home town, New York City, please visit us at our restaurants. Visit Mark Strausman at Fred’s at Barney’s at 61st Street and Madison Avenue, and at Coco Pazzo at 23 East 74th Street (between Madison and Fifth Avenues.) Visit Pino Luongo at Centolire, Madison and 85th Street, Coco Pazzo and Tuscan Square (16 West 51st Street.)
