LaNiña

Is it web-broadcast too? I'm at work, no VCR set, etc...

Rich, all this talk about your own family's cooking is, in my opinion, irrelevant to the discussion of Italian restaurants. Just because a particular person cooked a dish, doesn't make it "authentic," and certainly not necessarily typical, even if the person was born and/or raised somewhere. And with all due respect, the fact that you happen to like your grandmother's tripe better than Mario's isn't that interesting an addition to the discussion. There is lots of "authentic" Italian cooking - and it's also open to plenty of interpretation, regional differences, etc. Realizing that opinion is subjective, I might point out that Batali's food is widely held to be as close to "authentic" Italian cooking as we have in this country in a restaurant setting. Parkside may be good, but it's red sauce Italian, for better or worse. And to decide that this place on Staten Island is as authentic Italian as it gets, based on dishes that your family may have made, seems silly to me. You didn't even try "typically authentic" Italian food there to any extent. How can you then compare it to a place like Babbo, when your experience of the menu in Staten Island was so limited?

I didn't mean to forget that BeachFan also recommended Tanzer - it was just pnparena who told me about it first (not here). Sorry if I didn't acknowledge.

Heheh. Probably.

That whole phaal things seems like a silly gimmick to me. Who could taste which meat is in there, given the supposed intentional heat-to-kill?

Staten Island, here I come... pnarena (new member here) and I went to a good place in Williamsburg a couple of months ago...Cono & Son O'pescatore - nice wine list, good food - and there's one night a week (maybe Thursdays?) where all Italian wines are half price - some seriously good bargains to be had...worth a visit.

I subscribed to the Tanzer web product, and so far I'm really enjoying it...so thanks, Senor Arena.

I dunno know about that...been drinking some nice fruity and spicy rose's...some of the Spanish ones are quite nice...

Ok, so where's the line, and who decides? If the government decides, isn't that also too much government interference?

Robert, I haven't been to Parkside, but many people swear by it. Our own Plotnicki doesn't like it, and there are conflicting opinions about it from lots of different people. I'm eager to try it, and Manducatis, too. FG has much to say about Manducatis - perhaps he'll chime in, about the food and the wine list there.

Haven't tried Lupa, but have been to Babbo. It's fine, but I think it leans toward the Italian-American end of things - similar to Felidia or Po when Mario owned it. Rich, forgive me, but that is patently untrue. Both Babbo and Lupa pride themselves on being decidedly NOT "Italian-American," and succeed.

And a reminder....Sunday is his last day for 5 weeks!!! (yes, I'll be there...) Oh, and a note on last night's meal: I bought a pound of wild spinach/lamb's quarters at the greenmarket on my way into the subway, and asked Ali to prepare it. He sauteed it, with garlic, and used it as a bed for these tiny little crispy fried fish (what were they called, does anyone remember?) I thought it was a great dish.

Of course someone has a choice not to go to a restaurant, but where is one supposed to buy food in an atmosphere free of smoke? There are no "public" buildings that provide purchasable food.

I'm not talking about restaurants. I'm talking about, say, supermarkets.

It's a little silly to say people have a choice not to use private businesses. As far as I know, the government isn't selling or giving away food, for example.

Very sweet, Rich. I just might take you up on it. Will you provide round trip transportation to and from Brooklyn? As for authentic Italian, have you eaten at Lupa or Babbo?

Why the distinction between "public" places and private places? Smoking is smoking is smoking...why should the rights of employees be treated differently just because they're public employees?

Have you been to Manducatis, and if so, can you compare the wine lists (and other things)?

Tradition? Not necessarily a logical argument, but it's there...

I"m not talking about a glass of wine. I'm talking about drunk people.

Then what did you mean by boring, if you agree with me? And what is "cliche'ed" about it? Excellently executed food is excellently executed food. Classic cuisine, when artfully prepared, is a marvelous thing. Please clarify.

That's a good idea. I've been in some of the better cigar stores in NYC and I'm always amazed at how clean and good the air is - those are some serious filtration systems at work, so it is possible.

Oh yes. Yuck.

Why boring? If the food is prepared wonderfully, it will be wonderful food, no?

Fair enough. But I find it quite unpleasant, most of the time, to be around excessively drunk people, of which there are plenty in many bars.