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You want clear lights on the tree, I think multi-colored are prettier; you prefer ham on the holiday table, I say turkey is tastier; you rock out to modern Christmas carols, I sway to the oldies; you insist on a Panettone for dessert…wait, what?? Oh, no – only a Pandoro will do!  And thus it begins…the Italian Christmas cake face-off. The solution...

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Every year, on Christmas Eve, many families across the US gather for the Feast of Seven Fishes. Although it is unclear exactly when the grand seafood feast became popular in America, it is considered one of the most popular Italian traditions in the nation. “Wait,” You may ask, “Seven fishes? That can’t be right. Is that like in The Godfather when...

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Whether you walk, drive, take the “N” or Uber, just be sure to go to Trattoria Ora, the hot, new restaurant and wine bar on the corner of Astoria Blvd. and 18th Street. Go now, which is what “ora” means in Italian. Located on a quiet corner, the ambience, food, wine, and gracious hospitality from hosts Ray and Mimi Besi are what make Trattoria Ora...

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“Qui dove il mare luccica / e tira forte il vento, / su una vecchia terrazza / davanti al Golfo di Surriento…” (“Here, where the sea shines / and the wind blows strong, / on an old terrace / facing the Gulf of Sorrento…”) are perhaps Lucio Dalla’s most famous words. They are the beginning of the Italian singer songwriter’s sentimental song dedicate...

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A great big Buon Natale to all of our paisani out there because this is Part One of the Italian American Power Hour Christmas Eve Spectacular!  Join the Fab Five (and some of their spouses) as we sit down for a very special pre-Christmas Eve fish feast and dig into the ins and outs of what makes the Italian American Christmas Eve fish feast so spec...

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Nino’s Italian Restaurant in south Fort Myers has been closed since a fire occurred in the kitchen in early July. The restaurant's future is now in further question following the death of longtime owner and partner Graziano Buccini on Thanksgiving night.  "I'm not sure what's going to happen," Buccini's sister Anna Scaduto said. Scaduto opened the...

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Christmas is a wonderful holiday.  As I grew up, this was always evident and proven year after year in our loving Italian-American family. Most importantly was the religious aspect of Christmas, where we celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ by attending mass and receiving Holy Communion. Our little church, Our Lady of Loreto, at...

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Eric Huntley is a sandwich connoisseur. He doesn't believe in slapping a few low quality ingredients between two slices of bread and calling it a day. Each layer has to complement and please. Huntley appreciates the subtleties of homemade condiments such as the red pepper-rosemary aioli he slathers on a roll for his porketta sandwich ($10) with gar...

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Bid farewell to 2018 a little early at “Felice Anno Nuovo,” at which you will enjoy an authentic Italian dinner planned and prepared by Chef Laura Bernardi Piovesana, owner of the Italian Wooden Spoon. The dinner, set for 6 p.m. on Dec. 29 at the Albany Museum of Art, is the second of the fourth season of the AMA’s “Fine Art of Dining” culinary ser...

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Every year, about a month before Christmas, my sister, my mother and I sit down at the kitchen table (headquarters in an Italian family) and plan Christmas Eve dinner. Every year, my sister counts the number of fish I’m serving. (Seven are required to make Christmas Eve one of the hap happiest evenings of all.) One year, I tried to pull a fast one....

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