Cocktail Bar Grazie Mille Is Grazie Nonna’s Moodier New Sibling
Grazie Nonna, which rode the Italian-American nostalgia wave when it opened last year, now has a showier cocktail bar neighbor. Grazie Mille, sticking to owner Casey Patten’s gratitude-expressing naming scheme (his downtown sandwich shop is called Grazie Grazie), opened for drinks, Italian bites, and live-spun music last week. With low lighting, ve...
A D.C. Premiere by Washington Concert Opera: Rossini’s ‘Ermione’
The first event in Washington Concert Opera’s 37th season, on Dec. 2, was the D.C. premiere of Gioachino Rossini’s “Ermione,” an opera that “immediately sank into oblivion” in 1819, according to WCO co-founder Peter Russell. Why did it fail? Musically, Rossini “might have just pushed the envelope a little too far” for the Naples audience, suggested...
Mambo Italiano! A Taste of Sicily in Colts Neck
Just in time for the holidays, Colts Neck just got tastier! Mambo Italiano is open at 340 Highway 34. If you're looking for a new local sandwich shop or a go-to restaurant to hit during your lunch break, you should stop by Mambo Italiano, offering classic Italian foods like fresh prosciutto and burrata, serving Italian-style sandwiches made from f...
Italian-style cafe and bar makes debut on MLK North
La dolce vita has arrived in St. Pete. 9th Street Coffee & Bar is now open at 2930 Dr. MLK Jr. Street North, offering “Italian style” coffee, wine, pasta and more. The cozy cafe made its debut last week, open daily for both morning and evening service. We’ve yet to visit 9th Street Coffee & Bar ourselves, but the establishment promises a wide range...
Lo Sfizio Brings Italian Street Food to Parsippany
The name Lo Sfizio comes from a popular term used in Naples, Italy. Sfizio refers to a whim or fancy, something one can’t resist nor help but desire. This is the feeling the restaurant wishes to evoke as they serve authentic Italian street food to patrons. The 1,800-square foot Lo Sfizio seats about 50 diners. “We wanted to bring a new flavor to Pa...
Vento's Pizza in Pittsburgh is back
In February, family-owned Vento's Pizza in East Liberty made its last pie after its owner, Al Vento Jr., called it quits after some 67 years in business. Vento's was a community staple not just for food. Starting in the 1970s, it became a hub for "Franco's Italian Army" after the fan club was started by Al Vento Sr. and other members of the Italian...
What The Feast Of The Seven Fishes Means To Me
Growing up, I thought everyone was Italian. Like innocent until proven guilty, you were Italian until proven otherwise. My 10-year-old brain couldn’t comprehend that Italy wasn’t the only other country to exist and people had different traditions than we did. New Jersey Italian is its own kind of culture. If you drop us in Italy, our accents would...
Italy, US to enhance space talks, deepen cooperation
The United States and Italy are set to hold the first one-on-one space dialogue in 2024 “with a particular emphasis on innovative industry,” said Chirag Parikh, the White House National Space Council Executive Secretary, on Friday. He announced this alongside the Italian Ambassador to the US, Mariangela Zappia, during the Italian National Space Day...
ICYMI: How the Chief Stone Carver of Mount Rushmore Finally Got a Plaque in His Honor
Nothing could have been more enjoyable and inspiring than spending a recent Sunday evening listening to the multi-talented and engaging singer, actor, and storyteller Lou Del Bianco discuss his book "Out of Rushmore's Shadow" – a fascinating story about his grandfather Luigi Del Bianco's legacy and immigrant struggle. The book traces Luigi's life a...
Two-hour clip of a barrel burning in the Italian Market is Philly’s new holiday ‘Yule Log’
It's a scene as quintessentially Philly as a run up the Art Museum steps: In the heart of the Italian Market in South Philadelphia, a rusted-bottom metal barrel sits on the asphalt of 9th Street with flames licking out its top. What may appear post-apocalyptic to some is to others a convenient source of heat, if not a deep, nostalgic comfort. And n...
Past President’s Gala and Award evening – Keeping a 93-year tradition
In keeping with a long-standing tradition of serving the Italian American community for 94 years, the Lido Civic Club of Washington, D.C. held its annual Charitable Fund Raiser, Gala and Past President’s Night on November 11, 2023, at the Hilton Hotel in Tysons Corner, VA and presented the Lido Club’s Man of the Year to civic leader Christopher Cle...
Nutley's Culinary Renaissance Continues with Opening of Violante's
Mangia! The wait is over - Violante's is open on Franklin Ave, Nutley. Violante's made a name for themselves serving families in the south end of Bloomfield since 1969. Officially called 'Violante's Meat Market,' the business was also an Italian Specialty Store and caterer. Flash forward a few decades and the original business found itself having t...