Author: Jon

Six Magical Years

Posted on by Jon

It’s been nearly six years since we signed our lease on Minetta Lane and prepared to open Bellavitae.  Looking back, many of our concepts seem cliché now, but at the time, we were one of the pioneers in New York’s restaurant scene.  Perhaps we were not always the first with these ideas, but Bellavitae undoubtedly influenced the city’s dining experience.  The sincerest form of flattery comes to mind, as many of our original concepts are ubiquitous now, such as:

  • The Chef’s Bar (we called it “the sushi bar” until the day we opened)
  • Cooking in a wood-burning oven (although we never did pizza)
  • Using only seasonal, organic, and local produce whenever possible
  • Dishes prepared for sharing, especially appetizers, in a non-tapas restaurant
  • A high-quality wine selection at every price point

 

When the recession hit in late 2007, we immediately began to change our model to reflect the new business environment (a Wall Street background helped).  I began to wear many more hats than before, and soon I was working well over 14 hours a day – every day.  Over the next two years, we found ourselves in a position where, in order to continue the restaurant in our current space and within negative economic conditions, we would need either to significantly raise our prices or lower our quality – neither of which appealed to me.  So in July of this year, I decided to close our location on Minetta Lane.

Our Amazing Guests

Thousands of people have visited Bellavitae over the years and, of course, scores of relationships now bless our lives.  The remarkable diversity of guests who came to Bellavitae reflected one commonality:  a love of good food and wine in the Italian style, prompting an almost cult following that has been simply magical.

We had the opportunity to develop friendships with many in the food and wine world; and were honored to serve numerous influential individuals, such as:

  • Eric Asimov
  • Dan Barber
  • Joe Bastianich
  • Mario Batali
  • Rose Levy Bernanbaum
  • Vince Calcagno
  • Marco Canora
  • Dana Cowin
  • Andrew Dornenberg
  • Florence Fabricant
  • Barbara Fairchild
  • Carol Field
  • Susan Friedland
  • Antonio Galloni
  • Ina Garten
  • Michael Gelb
  • Joshua Green
  • Dorie Greenspan
  • Amanda Hesser
  • Ray Isle
  • Nancy Jenkins
  • Sarah Jenkins
  • Anna Tasca Lanza
  • Sandra Lee
  • Silvano Marchetto
  • Tom Matthews
  • Jay McInerney
  • Keith McNally
  • Danny Meyer
  • Karen Page
  • Judy Rodgers
  • Regina Schrambling
  • Tom Sietsema
  • Nancy Silverton
  • Beatrice Ughi
  • Gary Vaynerchuk
  • Mary Ellen Ward
  • Alice Waters
  • Patricia Wells
  • Lora Zarubin

 

I’ve never been star struck, but it was always fun to have famous people in the restaurant, many of whom became regulars.  Previously, I respected their privacy by not publicizing their patronage, but now it seems appropriate to include them in my reminiscing:

Authors / Publishing World

  • Amy Arbus
  • Candace Bushnell
  • Michael Cunningham
  • Joan Didion
  • Peter Gethers
  • Robert Hughes
  • Sara Matthews
  • Kirk Russell
  • Leanne Shapton
  • Anna Wintour

 

Journalists / Columnists

  • Dan Abrams
  • Alan Colmes
  • Ann Coulter
  • David Gregory
  • Phil Griffin
  • Tom McDonald
  • Peggy Noonan
  • Frank Rich
  • Harry Smith
  • Leslie Stahl
  • Cal Thomas

 

Entertainers

 

Bono with Gisella and Cristiano

 

  • Charles Askegard
  • Noah Baumbach
  • Boatie Boatwright
  • Bono
  • Beth Broderick
  • Matthew Broderick
  • Josh Brolin
  • Kathleen Chalfant
  • Ethan Cohen
  • Joel Cohen
  • Carmen Consoli
  • Willem Dafoe
  • Claire Danes
  • Dana Delany
  • Susan Dey
  • Janet Dickinson
  • The New York Giants
  • William Goldman
  • Hazelle Goodman
  • Heather Graham
  • Joel Grey
  • Marvin Hamlish
  • Jill Hennessy
  • Celeste Holm
  • William Hurt
  • Marketa Irglova
  • Michael Keaton
  • Richard Kind
  • Michael Kors
  • Diane Lane
  • Jennifer Jason Leigh
  • Annie Liebovitz
  • Anne Meara
  • Marlene Matlin
  • Francess McDormand
  • Bette Midler
  • Nicole Mitchell
  • Jeffrey Dean Morgan
  • Mike Myers
  • Gianna Nannini
  • Mary Louise Parker
  • Sarah Jessica Parker
  • Bernadette Peters
  • Pink Martini
  • Jean Reno
  • Alan Rickman
  • Paul Rudd
  • Keri Russell
  • Paul Shaffer
  • Molly Shannon
  • Allen Shawn
  • Wallace Shawn
  • Phoebe Snow
  • Bernard Sofronski
  • Jerry Stiller
  • Julia Stiles
  • Hillary Swank
  • Billy Bob Thornton
  • Bob Vila
  • Bruce Vilanch
  • Frank Wood

 

Events

Occasionally we held events at Bellavitae, and three stand out:

 

The Zuni Cafe Cookbook

Judy Rodgers from San Francisco’s Zuni Café held a private dinner at Bellavitae and cooked some of her favorite dishes.  Her cookbook remains one of my favorites and I’ll always be grateful for her kind invitation to visit Zuni and cook for a few weeks before we opened Bellavitae.

Anna Tasca Lanza

A Night in Sicily was a memorable evening when Anna Tasca Lanza prepared dinner for guests and paired wines from the Regaleali estate with dishes that came from her various cookbooks.  We named one of the dishes from that event in her honor, and the dish remained our menu’s number-one bestseller until the day we closed.

Perhaps the most memorable event was in the spring of 2007 when we invited the Tre Bicchieri winners to Bellavitae after their annual tasting at the Puck Building.  We prepared a great Italian feast and they brought their award-winning wines – and what a night it was.  I don’t remember the menu now, but I do remember most of those who attended, and I’m not sure there has ever been a collection of such prestigious winemakers in one place outside of Italy that wasn’t some sort of promotion.  This was all about having fun.  I don’t think the following is a complete list of those who attended, but it sure is an impressive one:

 

 

We simply had wonderful food, award-winning and incomparable wines, and great camaraderie.  How Italian is that?

 

On Becoming a Chef

What I’ve learned most through our experience on Minetta Lane is how difficult it is to prepare simple food in a restaurant setting.  The quintessence of traditional Italian cooking is its simplicity, along with proper technique and using the highest quality ingredients.

Eating in the Italian style is about celebrating the garden rather than “sophisticated” manipulation in the kitchen.  In traditional Italian cuisine, there are no complex sauces to hide behind, no short cuts on technique, and nothing available to mask improper balance or inferior ingredients.  Nevertheless, after six years, the ability to perform this challenging task consistently became almost second nature to us and it’s a skill that I now proudly think of as proprietary; it is perhaps my greatest personal asset.

Grazie

There are too many individuals to thank for me to include in this post, and I hope to reach out to each person in the near future.  The many people who have come into my life because of Bellavitae touches my heart and will always be a part of my soul.  From staff to guests and to all of those listed above, I will be forever grateful.

I don’t think of Bellavitae as a destination, a restaurant, or even a way of life.  It’s simply a way of enjoying Italian food and wine.  So keep an eye on this blog, as I will continue to write about Italy’s greatest gift to the world.

So what happens next?  All I can say is look for Bellavitae in the future – and look in unexpected places.

 

In the Neighborhood: Minetta Playground Renovation

Posted on by Jon

From today’s New York Times:

THE MINETTA PLAYGROUND, along Avenue of the Americas from Minetta Lane to Third Street, opened in 1935, and the play equipment looked that old. The colorful plastic furniture that the adjacent McDonald’s installed in the mid-1990s was boarded up and just plain tacky looking.

It really began to irk Jon Mudder, owner and head chef at Bellavitae, a nearby restaurant, and one day he raised the issue with a regular customer — the City Council speaker, Christine C. Quinn. Ms. Quinn told him he was not alone. The city is beginning a $1.5 million renovation of the park on Monday. It is scheduled for completion by next summer. Ms. Quinn said by phone on Thursday, “I was glad he mentioned it because it had long bothered me — it looked like a Habitrail,” a hamster habitat.

You can read more about The Minetta Playground here and here

 

Anna Tasca Lanza – Sicily’s Ambassador of Food and Wine

Posted on by Jon

A helpful way to understand any society in history is to study its cuisine.  Sicily is especially fascinating due to influence from other civilizations throughout its history.  The Greeks, Phoenicians, Iberians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, and Angevins have all shaped Sicilian traditions, including cuisine.  It wasn’t until 1860 that Sicily became a part of the Kingdom of Italy. 

Over the centuries, Sicily has developed layers of interesting culinary traditions and unique flavor combinations.  If you begin to study Sicilian cuisine, you will undoubtedly encounter Marchesa Anna Tasca Lanza di Mazzarino, one of the important historians of Sicilian food and wine. 

She has written several important cookbooks, including The Flavors of Sicily, Herbs and Wild Greens from the Sicilian Countryside, The Heart of Sicily, and The Garden of Endangered Fruit.  In 1989 she began The World of Regaleali cooking school at the family’s estate, which is also home to famous vineyards, groves, and gardens. 

The Amazon.com review of her book, The Heart of Sicily, captures the spirit of Anna Tasca Lanza: 

Many cookbooks tempt, inform, and inspire.  A few capture the essence of a place, but rarely does a cookbook communicate the very soul of a place.  Anna Tasca Lanza’s telling of life at Regaleali, the vast estate that has belonged to her family since 1830, is so vivid that you feel her sitting next to you, talking and turning the pages of The Heart of Sicily as if it were a photo album. 

Tasca Lanza provides enough information about Sicily’s complex history and rich culture to help you understand the special nature of Regaleali and what her noble family – rich with barones, principessas, and contessas – has created.  Under their stewardship, this working estate has become an international cooking school.  It is also the place where Tasca Lanza pursues her passion for preserving the abundant culinary and cultural traditions of Sicily.  

The short video below, narrated by her daughter Fabrizia, gives a glimpse of the beautiful estate: 

In February 2005, after Bellavitae had been open less than two months, we asked Anna if we could feature her at a private dinner that would include recipes from her cookbooks paired with wines from the Regaleali estate.  We would call it A Night in Sicily.  Much to our delight, she enthusiastically accepted.  She publicized the event on the Regaleali website where it remains today: 

Anna Tasca Lanza, from The World of Regaleali, will be hosting a dinner at a new restaurant in New York.  She will be at Bellavitae on Tuesday, February 15, 2005.  There is a reception from 6:30-7:30 pm where you can meet this fabulous chef, and a dinner following at 7:30 pm.  The dinner will be a special five-course menu featuring Sicilian dishes prepared from Anna’s cookbooks and will include a tasting of Regaleali Tasca d’Almerita wines and olive oil.  A Night in Sicily will be a rare opportunity to meet and talk to a noted culinary authority and taste the flavors of Sicily here in the United States. 

The evening was delightful.  Guests enjoyed the food and wine pairings, as well as the interaction with one of Sicily’s food and wine authorities. 

One dish stood out that evening, and it was the cauliflower.  It was so impressive that we asked her if we could put it on our menu.  She said, “Certo!” [Of course!].  In order to acknowledge the recipe’s source properly, we call it Cavolfiore ‘Anna’ [Cauliflower ‘Anna’]. 

By far, the most popular dish on Bellavitae’s menu is Cavolfiore ‘Anna.’  Imagine, the item most ordered at an Italian trattoria is a vegetable! 

There are several Sicilian dishes that are similar to this recipe, including Pasta con i Broccoli Arriminati [Pasta – usually bucatini – with cauliflower, saffron, pine nuts, onion, currants, anchovies and toasted breadcrumbs].  But I suspect her recipe is based on a more well-known dish called Cavolfiore con l’Uvetta e i Pignoli [Cauliflower with Raisins and Pine Nuts].  Raisins and pine nuts in a dish divulge its Sicilian origin. 

Anna substitutes currants for the raisins and adds caramelized onions.  Genius.  The flavors work exceptionally well together, and the sensation in the palate is most pleasing.  The juxtaposition of contrasting flavors and textures create perfect balance.  No wonder it’s so popular! 

We thank Anna Tasca Lanza for her great work in researching, documenting, and promoting Sicilian culture, especially the region’s food and wine.  And we think of her every time someone orders Cavolfiore ‘Anna.’ 

 Here’s an excerpt from her biography that appears on the cooking school’s website: 

I was the first of four children. Welcomed with great joy but with one regret: I was not a boy. 

My family lived a very comfortable life.  My grandparents were very much present along with my parents, a brother and two sisters.  At the age of 15, I was sent to Lausanne to study at the école menagère Briamond, to learn how to be a good wife.  It was a revelation to me: I learned many things, from embroidery to French cooking.  When I came home after two years my father put me to the test immediately, asking me to prepare choux au fromage, which turned out perfectly (to my good fortune).  But then nothing happened; for years I never again touched a saucepan.  In the meantime I married Venceslao Lanza di Mazzarino, son of a great Sicilian noble family who was accustomed to eating international cuisine prepared by the cooks of the family, once called Monsù. 

Mine was not exactly what one would call the life of an average housewife.  I lived with Lanza in a huge palazzo in the center of Palermo, where nobody had any idea what went on in the kitchen and where the chef, every evening, questioned Count Fabrizio, my father-in-law, about what was wanted for the following day’s menu.  None of us, and above all my mother-in-law, the lady of the house, ever set foot in the kitchen.  These, as you can see, were other times! 

When Fabrizia was born, we moved into our own household, and this changed our relationship with food because I suddenly found myself facing the stove. Encouraged by my parents, I set up a little cooking school at Regaleali, the family vineyards, assisted, at first, by my sisters Costanza and Rosemarie.  I began to visit America, year after year, and got to know that extraordinary country where, with great freedom, everyone– young and old, women, men and children—is offered an opportunity in life.  I got to know the world of people who work with food, all so generous and encouraging about my Sicilian adventure.  In 1989 I had my first group of American students. 

Promoting my school and our wines, I did a little bit of everything, writing several Sicilian cookbooks in English (these had great success), giving talks and demonstrations at the Smithsonian, with James Beard, at Cipriani, at the Culinary Institute of America.   Perhaps the most moving thing I’ve done in my career was to give the Commencement speech at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, saluting and encouraging young Americans as they began their life as chefs. 

The Flavor Bible – More Recognition

Posted on by Jon

Congratulations to Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg; their recent book, The Flavor Bible, has received a 2010 Nautilus Book Award.  The book is also a 2009 James Beard Foundation award winner for Best Book – Reference and Scholarship.

At Bellavitae, we are constantly referencing this book, which is now full of food stains from constant use!  If you’re a professional chef or an enthusiastic home cook, The Flavor Bible will easily become one of your most-used reference books.   More on the book here.

Well done Andrew and Karen!

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In Season: Asparagus and Fava Beans

Posted on by Jon

As winter fades from memory, our appetites begin to yearn for fresh spring vegetables.  The two earliest to arrive are asparagus [asparagi] and fava beans [fave].  For most of the U.S., these vegetables are best from late April through mid-June.  Both share important status in Italian cuisine.

Fava beans

The only bean known in Italy for nearly 5,000 years was the fava bean.  Italians from central parts southward to Sicily enjoyed these beans either fresh and young or dried and later soaked in water and cooked.  It wasn’t until the discovery of the New World did Italians begin growing other varieties of beans, which during the late 16th Century were introduced into nearly all of Europe and are today an important part of the Italian diet.

Fava beans are an annual cool-weather crop.  Italians eat fava beans raw, cooked, or dried (after reconstitution).  In Tuscany, fava beans are eaten raw with some sea salt or simply grilled while still in their pods.

As the fava plants mature in late spring, their beans become drier, starchier, and tougher.  At this point, they are dried and used later in soups and other dishes.

Traditional early fava bean dishes include:

  • Ciauredda [Artichoke and Fava Bean stew].  Fresh fava beans are sautéed with onions, artichokes, and potatoes, and then formed into a stew. (Basilicata)
  • Fave al Guanciale [Fava Beans and Pork Jowl]. The dish simply uses young fava beans sautéed in olive oil with onion and pork jowl. (Lazio, mainly Rome) 
  • Fave alle Acciughe [Fava Beans and Anchovies].  The fava beans are first boiled until al dente, and then combined with anchovy fillets, garlic, and marjoram.  This mixture is loosely chopped and then white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper are added (Calabria)
  • Fave con Salsa all’Aceto [Fava Beans in Vinegar Sauce].  The fava beans are first boiled, then sautéed in olive oil and garlic, and then blended with stale bread, white wine vinegar, grated pecorino, and fresh mint leaves. (Calabria)
  • Pasta con le Fave [Pasta and Fava Beans].  Fava beans are added to sautéed pancetta and onion, along with marjoram, salt, and a bit of chili pepper.  After adding tomato puree, the sauce is used to cover rough-cut egg pasta [maltagliati] (Abruzzo)
  • Quadrucci con le Fave [Tiny Square Pasta and Fava Beans].  Cooked ham is sautéed with onion and mint leaves, with meat broth added, along with plum tomatoes and fresh fava beans.  The broth is simmered for about an hour before the fresh tiny pasta squares are added. (Upper Lazio)
  • Zuppa di Fave Fresche [Fresh Fava Bean Soup].  Fava beans are added to artichokes, fresh peas, onions, potatoes, asparagus, and pancetta are sautéed until very soft (Campania)

At Bellavitae, we are serving fresh fava beans my favorite way – Tuscan-style.  We shell fresh fava beans, combine them with small cubes of fresh Pecorino Toscano DOP (young Tuscan pecorino), and drizzle liberally with Tuscan olive oil.  Nothing says spring more than this dish.

Dried fava beans are used mainly in soups and purees.  But here are a couple of other traditional Italian dishes that use dried fava beans:

  • Fave e cicorie [Fava Beans and Chicory]. Dried beans are soaked overnight, then cooked for about three hours in lightly salted water.  The beans are then crushed and drizzled with olive oil.  The crushed beans are then mashed with a wooden spoon and served on a bed of cooked chicory and drizzled with more olive oil. (Puglia)
  • Panelle di fave [Fava Bean Fritters].  Dried fava beans are soaked overnight and then simmered in salted water with onion and fennel for about three hours.  The mixture is passed through a sieve.  This “dough” is then rolled out very thick and left to cool.  Then 1” by 2” strips are fried in olive oil until golden.  They can then be dusted with chili pepper flakes. (Sicily)

Asparagus

Asparagus is found throughout Italy and the vegetable is served raw, grilled, fried, boiled, dressed with sauces, or deep-fried in batter as part of a fritto misto.  There’s even an Italian saying – attributed to the Roman Emperor Augustus – “Velocius quam asparagi coquantur.” [Let it be done quicker than you would cook asparagus].

Asparagus is one of the oldest domesticated vegetables.  It grew wild along the Nile in ancient Egypt.  The Greeks enjoyed the vegetable and introduced it to the Romans.  Asparagus was believed to be an aphrodisiac – the name comes from Greek meaning “to swell to be ripe.”

The best-known variety is probably Asparagi Bianchi del Bassano, the white asparagus from the town of Bassano del Grappa in the Veneto.  It is grown entirely underground by about 100 local farmers.  They deliberately keep the plants in the dark – a process known as etiolation – as a result, no chlorophyll develops in the spears, which remain white.  J.S. Marcus wrote an interesting article in The Wall Street Journal about how Italians go wild for this variety beginning in early March each year that dates back to the mid-16th Century.

Classic Italian dishes using asparagus include:

  • Asparagi al Gorgonzola Dolce [Asparagus with Gorgonzola Dolce]  The asparagus are boiled until done, then placed in a baking dished, covered with Gorgonzola Dolce and butter and baked until the cheese is browned. (Piedmont)
  • Asparagi con le Uova in Cereghin [Asparagus with Fried Eggs].  Asparagus spears are boiled upright until bright green.  After drained, they are plated and sprinkled with Parmigiano-Reggiano.  Eggs that have been fried sunny-side up are placed on top, melting the cheese in between. (Lombardia)
  • Asparagi di Bassano con Salsa di Uova Sode [White Asparagus with Egg Sauce] Asparagus spears are boiled upright.  When done they are covered with a sauce made of hard-boiled eggs, lemon juice, anchovies, and capers. (Veneto)
  • Asparagi Selvatici in Umido [Braised Wild Asparagus]  Here’s a Sicilian riddle:
    • Indovinello: “Mastru tanu, chi faciti ‘nta ‘ssu chià nu?  Nun manciati e nun viviti e chiù longu vi faciti!”  [“Master Gaetano, what are you doing in that piazza?  You don’t eat, don’t drink, and all the time just grow longer!”].
    • “Risposta: “l’asparago selvatico”.  [Answer:  “I’m wild asparagus”].

Sicilians adore wild asparagus, which has a pleasantly bitter taste.  This recipe calls for wild asparagus tips sautéed in an earthenware pan with white wine, tomato paste, and salt. (Sicily)

  • Frittata di Asparagi [Open-faced Omelet with Asparagus and Parmigiano-Reggiano] Beaten eggs fried open-face style in butter with cooked asparagus, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, salt, and pepper. (Emilia-Romagna)
  • Riso e Asparagi [Rice and Asparagus]  The asparagus are placed in salted boiling water with the stalks standing in the pot.  They are then simmered for about 15 minutes.  The stalks are discarded for another use.  The remaining water is returned to a boil with Arborio or Carnaroli rice added.  Before serving, the asparagus tips are added, along with butter and Taleggio.  (Lombardia)
  • Risotto di Scampi agli Asparagi [Risotto with Shrimp and Asparagus]  Asparagus are boiled and the tips removed.  The stalks are put through a food mill and added to the reserved cooking liquid.  The shrimp are shelled.  The shells and heads are boiled with a carrot, onion, celery, and bay leaf.  The strained liquid is added to the asparagus liquid.  The resulting broth is used to make the risotto. (Veneto)
  • Zuppa di Asparagi [Asparagus Soup].  Asparagus is sautéed in olive oil with garlic.  Beef broth is added.  When the asparagus has cooked bright green, beaten eggs, grated pecorino, and parsley are added.  The mixture is poured into bowls over slices of bread (Calabria)

At Bellavitae, we are offering fresh asparagus two ways:

  • First, we simply grill it, brushing on olive oil.
  • The second is a method from the small northwest Italian region of Valle d’Aosta in the Alps.  We take bundles of asparagus, add strips of fontina cheese, and wrap in a slice of prosciutto.  We top it with a bit more fontina, and then bake it in the brick oven.

The growing season for both fava beans and asparagus is very short – some six or seven weeks.  Then it’s on to other vegetables:  first peas, then fresh basil (pesto!), and, well, I’m dreaming about juicy summer tomatoes.

Meanwhile, celebrate spring in New York – Italian-style at Bellavitae.

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In the Neighborhood: A Taste of History in Greenwich Village

Posted on by Jon

Bellavitae is a stopping point for an interesting walking food tour of the Central Village and SoHo that’s hosted by Foods of New York Tours.  Freelance writer John Bancroft recently took part in the tour and wrote about it in yesterday’s St. Petersburg Times.  He had this to say about Bellavitae:

“We walked on up MacDougal, turning into quiet Minetta Lane and detouring briefly into even quieter Minetta Street, where Serpico lived, both in the movie and in real life, on our way to Bellavitae, a trattoria famed for its astonishing pantry and its celestial wine list.  There, as a battery of cooks prepped for the evening meal, we tucked into a cheesecake like no other: a ricotta dream with the texture of a fine, soft Brie and the savor of a creamy slice of heaven.  I liked the place so much I returned later that day for dinner and thus added a new favorite to my short list of Manhattan restaurants.”

Other stops on the tour include: 

  • Camaje – Seated tasting at a French-American Bistro (Est. 1997)
  • Monte’s Trattoria – Seated tasting at a classic Italian restaurant (Est. 1918)
  • Cuba Restaurant – Seated tasting at an authentic Cuban restaurant (Est. 2002)
  • Joe’s Dairy – Outdoor tasting at an old-fashioned dairy/cheese shop (Est. 1953)
  • Once Upon a Tart – Outdoor tasting at a charming French cafe/bakery (Est. 1994) 

We always hear great feedback from folks who have taken the tours.  Associated with the tour group is Amy Bandolik’s blog, Delicious Thursdays.  She recently wrote about an evening she spent at Bellavitae behind the Chef’s Bar.

Check it out.

.   HREY23MT5GSR

Now playing: “666″ at the Minetta Lane Theatre – UPDATE

Posted on by Jon

The reviews for Yllana’s “666” are in:

Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times calls the show’s timing “exquisite and the presentation so startling that the oldest joke in the world . . . is a comic high point.”

New York Post’s Frank Scheck says it “exhibits such superb comic timing and physicality under David Ottone’s precise direction.”

Genzlinger correctly warns that what “they convey is pretty vulgar; if you have a low tolerance for such stuff, don’t go.”  However, The New Yorker counters by saying, “The elegance and brilliance of the pantomime save this show, directed by David Ottone, from being too offensive to sit through.”

Now playing at the Minetta Lane Theatre, next door to Bellavitae.  Check it out.

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On the menu: Mozzarella di Bufala

Posted on by Jon

Every Thursday afternoon, fresh buffalo mozzarella and ricotta arrive at our door, direct from Campania.  The cheese is made on Tuesday afternoon from water buffalo that are milked that morning.  It’s a pleasure many of our customers look forward to each week.  What’s the big deal?  Let me explain:

Mozzarella di bufala is a very fresh (unripened) pulled cheese made from the full-fat milk of water buffalo.  Mozzarella has an interesting history, and like many Italian foods, is somewhat misunderstood.

Cheese made from cow’s milk is technically fior di latte [milk flower], but is many times also referred to as mozzarella.  The taste is very different from buffalo mozzarella, more delicate and less rich, but its shelf life is much longer.

We consider genuine mozzarella di bufala a luxury product, but its roots stem from once underprivileged and rural southern Italy, where water buffalo lived in the unhealthy swampy regions near rivers and lagoons, and the countrymen who herded them suffered from malaria.

Historians trace Italy’s water buffalo back to twelfth century Campania, when monks at the San Lorenzo Monastery in Capua offered a mozza o provatura and a piece of bread to pilgrims visiting the church.  The term mozzarella first appeared in the 16th century in a cookbook written by Vatican Chef Bartolomeo Scappi titled Opera dell’arte del cucinare.

There are many theories on the origins of water buffalo in Italy, but according to the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP, the mostly likely is that during the tenth century, the Norman kings brought them into southern Italy from Sicily, where they had been introduced by the Arabs.  Others believe the buffalo are indigenous to Italy, based on fossils found in the countryside surrounding Rome, as well as from results of recent studies that demonstrate that Italian buffalo have a different phylogeny than Indian buffalo.

Today, Italian water buffalo are raised in fenced-off fields and either graze or are fed locally produced hay or feed.  The animals enjoy pools and showers to keep them cool (they have no sweat glands) and live an average of 15 to 20 years.  Females give birth to one calf each year and give about two gallons of milk a day.

Although the cheese is produced in several areas from Abruzzo to Lazio to Campania, the best is arguably from around Naples, in the district between Caserta and Salerno.  There are many dairies scattered about in this area, both small and large, where you can watch the mozzarella being made; a very fast process.

The milk is brought in, curdled, then drained to eliminate the whey.  The curd is then cut into small pieces and ground up in a mill.  The crumbly curd is placed into a mold and immersed in hot water, where it is stirred until it becomes rubbery.  It is then kneaded, much like bread dough, until a smooth, shiny paste is reached, at which time the cheese maker pulls out and lops off a piece of cheese (mozzare in Italian means to lop off).

These individual balls are placed in cold water, and then are soaked in brine.  Mozzarella prepared in the evening is ready the next morning.

But you don’t have to go to Campania to watch mozzarella being made.  They make the cow’s milk variety at Joe’s Dairy, in New York’s SoHo; the process was recently documented by Amy Bandolik on her blog Delicious Thursdays.

Buffalo milk is not for drinking and is used exclusively for making mozzarella.  It is much more concentrated than cow’s milk and would probably prove very difficult to digest in liquid form.  Rich in calcium, high in protein and lactic flora substances, and with a high vitamin content, mozzarella di bufala is highly nutritional.  There are only 270 calories in 100 grams of the cheese.

Italians will tell you that mozzarella di bufala should be eaten within a few days of its production – but better yet, a few hours!  Fresh mozzarella should be elastic, the surface tight, smooth, and humid.  There should be no yellowish marks or spots.  When you press it with a finger, the texture shouldn’t be soft or rubbery.  Inside it should have a grainy surface and composed of many layers, like an onion, especially near the surface.

Pearls of milky whey should seep out when you cut into the cheese and you will notice liquid separating from the solid, as if it had been soaked in milk.  Get to know your cheese vendor and ask when the mozzarella is delivered.  That’s the day you should buy it!

Fresh mozzarella di bufala, in our view, should be enjoyed by itself; we simply pour on some delicate extra virgin olive oil and add some coarse salt and a little black pepper.  For our Insalata Caprese, we use fior di latte, which we believe provides a better balance to fresh tomato and basil.  If you use fresh mozzarella on pizza, it’s best to drain it for several hours in a colander in the refrigerator to remove some of the moisture, otherwise you will get a soggy crust.

One of the byproducts of making mozzarella is ricotta, which means “recooked”.  Ricotta is actually not a cheese at all, but is made by heating the whey from another cooked cheese, in this case, buffalo mozzarella.  It is slightly grainy, white, moist, and has a slightly sweet flavor.  And like mozzarella, we do very little to this luxurious ingredient, other than form into small bite-sized balls, or bocconcini, give them a quick egg wash, then flash fry.  The result in the palate is cloud-like heaven.

Our regulars know that our mozzarella di bufala arrives on Thursday directly from Campania, and we only bring enough to last through the weekend.  Sometimes we sell out in one night.  It’s a bit of an extravagance, but once you’ve tasted freshly-made mozzarella di bufala, Thursdays will always mean a trip to Bellavitae.

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Just Published: Jay McInerney at the Wall Street Journal

Posted on by Jon

Jay McInerney marks his debut as wine columnist for The Wall Street Journal today.  Jay is the author of seven novels, including his 1984 bestseller Bright Lights, Big City.  His wine columns for House & Garden are collected in Bacchus and Me and A Hedonist in the Cellar.  He will be writing the column alternately with Lettie Teague, the former Executive Editor of Food & Wine.  They also are co-blogging for the Journal’s On Wine.   

No one who knows Jay will be surprised to hear that he devotes his first column to rosé champagne, specifically Moët & Chandon’s 1990 Dom Pérignon Œnothèque Rosé.   

Until now, there’s never been an Œnothèque rosé, and collectors and geeks have been buzzing in anticipation of this one.  It is really spectacular, one of the greatest rosés I’ve ever tasted, richer and more voluptuous than the 2000.   

Dom Pérignon was a Benedictine monk and an important quality pioneer for champagne.  Contrary to popular belief, he did not discover the champagne method for making sparkling wines.  The first vintage of Dom Pérignon was 1921, released for sale in 1936, and, as Jay points out, probably the first prestige cuvée.   

If you have a chance to visit the winery you should.  It’s a magical place full of history.  I had the opportunity to take a private tour a few years ago and taste some wonderful vintages.   

Jay talks about “the chalk tunnels of the Moët & Chandon cellars deep under the town of Épernay.”  I snapped a picture of them while I was there:    

Say what you want about the French, but they make the world’s best sparkling wine.  I’ve always been tempted to add champagne to our all-Italian wine list, but never have.  Most restaurants in Italy will offer at least one champagne.   

Jay has a special way with words when telling a story.  Combine that with an acutely perceptive palate for food and wine, and you get a fascinating wine column.  It’s always fun and interesting when Jay visits Bellavitae.   

I’m sure he’ll occasionally write about Italian wines and I heartily recommend his new column in the Weekend Edition of The Wall Street Journal as well as the blog.

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