A global feast for Easter
Western Pennsylvania is a melting pot of culinary traditions, and no more so than during the holidays, when the dishes your mother and grandmother grew up with are the stars of the dinner table. For many Pittsburghers, including myself, it wouldn’t be Easter without a honey-glazed ham on the buffet, along with a big creamy bowl of scalloped potatoe...
At Cafe Milano, Politicians Are Served Dinner and Peace of Mind
As the sun was setting one recent evening, two black Chevrolet Suburbans pulled up next to Cafe Milano, the Georgetown restaurant where some of the world’s most powerful people go to be noticed but not approached. Steven T. Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, slipped out of one of the vehicles and lingered with his Secret Service detail in front of th...
Old Westport firehouse now a trattoria
Raised by a single dad in a mostly Italian neighborhood in New Jersey, Brad Spence knew from the time he was 5 years old he wanted to be a chef. “At that time, not a lot of young boys wanted to cook,” Spence said. “And I’m not Italian, but when I went out to eat as a kid, it was Italian. I grew up in that environment, and because of the food, becau...
2 N.J. legends among 50 best Italian restaurants in U.S., says national web site
Spirito's Restaurant in Elizabeth and the Reservoir Tavern in Parsippany are among the top 50 Italian restaurants in the country, according to The Daily Meal. Old-school wonder Spirito's was ranked 18th, while the Reservoir Tavern came in at no. 50. New York City had 14 restaurants on the list, including number one, Del Posto, a collaboration with...
Mama Maria’s Opens in New Location
After 35 years in the Milford Plaza Shopping Center, the owners of Mama Maria’s, Salvatore, Franco and Giuseppe Laragione, decided it was time for a change. In 2013, the company built a new shopping center near Burger King with plans to lease the storefronts to other businesses with no plans to move their popular restaurant to the new building. “It...
Suffolk's Bella Napoli Italian Resturant is authentically delicious
I was in search of real Italian pie, authentic pasta and a cannoli that I couldn’t put down. Bella Napoli Italian Restaurant in Suffolk answered my call. I visited Bella Napoli on a Friday evening during that in-between hour after lunch and before supper, so it was relatively quiet. Watching the husband and wife owners interact with one another, I...
Escape to Italy, in downtown Princeton: D'Angelo Italian Market offers specialty food that's hard to find anywhere else
I've discovered a stress-free and inexpensive way to escape to Italy, without getting on an airplane. I simply walk down Princeton’s Nassau Street, turn onto Witherspoon Street, make right onto Spring Street. And there it is — Italy, dressed up as D’Angelo Italian Market. Owner Anna D’Angelo made the point that D’Angelo is not an “Italian-Americ...
New Italian Restaurant Opens In Takoma Park
A new Italian restaurant called Trattoria Da Lina opened its doors this past week on Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park, according to the Main Street Takoma organization. Dolci Gelati Cafe co-founder Marcello Minna is the owner of the new restaurant. The restaurant will serve a variety of pasta dishes, entrees like fish and steaks, sweet treats like cre...
Kings Supermarket Hosting Italian Tasting Event Soon
Kings supermarket is hosting Piazza Italia festival Sunday, April 9. The day long event is meant to recreate a traditional Italian market. Attendees can sample new foods from across Italy, artisan producers from different regions and live music will be featured from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. Click here for more information.
The world’s best places to buy Italian wine: Italy, and one tiny store in D.C.
It’s official: One of the world’s best wine stores — especially if you are a fan of Italian wines — is right here in Washington. And you may have overlooked it. A. Litteri has been selling Italian foods to Washingtonians for 90 years. The store’s current location in the old warehouse district of Northeast D.C. is just a block from the uber-hip Unio...
Little Coco’s: There are serious ambitions behind this playful trattoria
The old Rib Pit Lounge in Petworth didn’t look like much when Jackie Greenbaum and Gordon Banks got their hands on it. A long-dormant club connected to a barbecue joint next door — the lounge may have been a gentlemen’s club, offering a smoking-hot experience of a different sort — the one-story space was gutted. All Greenbaum and Banks found inside...
Rustic, Modern Italian Worth The Journey To Wayne
NJ Wine & Food Festival, the state’s premiere food event, features well-known celebrity chefs from Jersey’s culinary scene and beyond. You’ll recognize names from Top Chef as well as local chefs such as Michael Carrino, Ryan DePersio, Ariane Duarte and Francesco Palmieri. This year, there’s a new young chef to watch, Robbie Felice, who was invited...