albie

And I would be remiss not to mention The Ballroom on Ninth Avenue, and its wonderfully talented young chef-owner, the late Felipe Rojas-Lombardi.

Where is Sparkill? There's one in New York, I know; It never ceases to amaze me that, although I'm a native New Jerseyan and our state is one of the smallest, I always come across names of small hamlets I've never heard of before!

In Posillipo, try Rosiello, a wonderful trattoria; also enjoyed Ciro a Santa Brigida; overall, Naples is a much underrated city for food. Countless horror stories-- mostly but not always exaggerated -- about crime and grime have kept tourists at bay, and paradoxically held down the tourist trap restaurants -- you know, the kind with front windows festooned with pictures of the dishes they purport to serve, menus in five languages, or the phrase ``menu turistico." It's my impression that it's a lot easier to eat badly in Venice or Milan than in Naples.

thanks, all...... anyone have an opinion on the advisability (or otherwise) of not pre-boiling fresh (homemade) pasta before assembling the lasagne?

I second Sashimi's endorsement of ``Italian Wedding Soup." There's a fascinating story behind it, one that borders on sociology, as it illustrates so well what happens in the process of cultural assimilation. Of course, add this delightul escarole and tiny meatball soup to the list of ``Italian" dishes that are unknown in their purported country of origin, a la chicken parmigiana, shrimp francese, tortoni, etc. etc. And it has nothing whatsover to do with any traditional Italian wedding menu item: it derives from the Neapolitan ``minestra maritata" or ``wedded soup" in which quantities of greens like escarole, chicory, savoy cabbage, etc. are ``married" to chunks of various meats, i..e pigs' feet, hocks, beef short ribs, etc. The term ``minestra" varies greatly in meaning in Italy, anc can refer to any dish, from a souplike pasta e fagioli to a much more substantial almost-stewlike melange of vegetables, often with meat, as decribed above. The common denominator is the inclusion of vegetables.

I've had variable results with this classic baked pasta dish, but somehow mastery and consistency has eluded me. When served on the day of its preparation, it's quite often soupy and formless, whereas reheating on subsequent days yields a firmer yet still moist result. May I assume that baking the dish uncovered and/or draining the ricotta mitigate will the soupiness but without making the final result too dry and brick-like? I avoid most commercial, curly edged noodles because I find the result unacceptably thick, heavy and gummy, and have had some decent results from the thinner Barilla-type layers. The one disadvantage to use of the latter is, when layered dry, they tend to curl up unattractively. Would it be better to pre-boil them briefly? And can the uncooked pasta method be used with homemade pasta? I would heartily welcome any suggestions/hints/etc. you may care to offer.

One particular favorite of wine guru Robert Parker is Da Cesare in the little town of Alberetto della Torre --- I heartily endorse his recmmendation.

Dale DeGroff's gotten the Broadway Bar at the Marriott Marquis hitting on all cylinders with his typically imaginative creations, all-fresh mixer policy and a hety roster of the classics.

Here are my additions to the list: La Fonda del Sol; Orsini's; San Marco; The Italian Pavillion; Romeo Salta; and three places on West 46th (Restaurant Row)-- Chez Cardinale, A La Fourchette and Jack's Epicure.

It's an excellent place; if you like rabbit, theirs is the best in the city. Their wine list is really superior to most places in its category (I understand that one of the partners is a senior exectuive of a major wine import/distributor specializing in Italian wines). Not the usual Theater District tourist trap.

In my experience, Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck is top-notch for first-rate produce at fairly competitive prices. They have, for example, the meatiest Shiitake mushrooms I've ever seen; not cheap at $8.99 a pound, but worth every penny.

Bravo Gianni, 230 East 63rd Street. Great pasta fresca -- tagliatelle, pappardelle, gnocchi-- all made fresh daily on the premises.

Here's a from-out-in-left-field endorsement for Bravo Gianni, 230 East 63 St. Th chef/owner is a curmudgeon but an extremely capable chef; I eat out frequently, both for my job and on my own nickel and I've seldom been in a restaurant that attracts so many celebrities as this off-the-radar screen eatery. Gianni is fanatically demanding when it comes to produce and raw material; more than once I'm seen him boot out an offending purveyor proffering what he deemed to be substandard product. Try a roast whole snapper or sea bass here; it's one of the city's best.

Other places may be tonier, but if atmospherics rank below quality/orginality of libations on your priority list, then the Broadway Lounge in the Marriott Marquis gets my vote as the city's best bar, thanks to the ministrations of master mixologist Dale Degroff. If it isn't the only bar in NYC committed to the exclusive use of fresh ingredients, it has to one of he very few that do. Not that it's a bad room, but hardly romantic, burnished with age, or intimate.

I tried the Callahan Buena Suerte Cabernet and it was excellent.

About canned tomatoes: my personal favorites are the whole imported Italian plum tomatoes from brands like Cento, Gerardo di Nola and Luigi Vitelli; all are expensive -- $2 or more a can. With all due respect, I think it's a travesty to sweeten tomato sauce with sugar when the addition of finely diced and sauteed onions and carrots, or even a mirepoix of onion, carrot and celery will do the job nicely. If a silken texture is what you seek, then blend the sauce.

Whether ``overrated" is the fairest adjective I might invoke to articulate my impressions of Burgundy, the appellation that more often disappoints than it fulfils the sky-high expectations aroused by its reputation and price. If it can be said that the region can rightfully lay claim to producing the most sublime finest wines in the world, it's equally true that nowhere else does mediocrity carry such a high price; it's a veritable minefield. To my mind and for my money, I would, with suitably adjusted expectations, much rather opt for the rather rather more modest but quite respectable -- and fairly consistent -- expressions of the Pinot Noir grape to be found in Oregon, California's central coast, Carneros, and in Sonoma county along the Russian River Valley and coast; in New Zealand, and more recently, in Australia. It's amusing to compare the paeans that Burgundians sing to the uniqueness of their ``terroir" with the recurrent revelations about the ``tweaking" abuses of concurrent chaptalisation and acidification.

The bottom line here is: if you want first-rate zampone or guanciale, Salumeria Biellese is the only game in town.

Roz, I travel the Route 9 corridor almost daily and I have wondered often about Trabelli's and it too is on my list to try. At the risk of hijacking this thread, I was intrigued by what you said about how you and your husband split appetizers and deserts. Sicce I find it impossible to pass up pasta when I'm in an Italian place, ny wife and I often order appetizers, split a pasta and then split an entree (usually a roasted fish)... that is, if they don't balk; and pass on dessert.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that Umbria's lentils from Castelluccio are the same strain as Du Poy...

Jogoode, several newspapers, including the New York Times, have done features on Saumeria Biellese. By the way, its restaurant annex on 29th, Il Biricchino, is a pretty good little neighborhood joint, an excellent place to sample the salumeria's handiwork.

Thanks for the excellent review Rozrapp; I've not been back to Samvera's, but your commentary squares quite well with my recollection. if it weren't for the fact that my job-- food and wine-related-- takes me frequently to NYC, I certainly would have returned to this place. One caveat for diners is that it struck me as NYC-pricey, which would put it in the ```special occasion" category for most folks. It certainly erased my memory of Nardino's, its predecessor at that location. One of the few regrets in my entire history of eating out was not having immediately walked out once I looked around; the place was shoddy, unkempt and the food, predictably, was sodden and beneath contempt. By the way, I understand from neighbors who've been there that around the corner, in a strip mall on Route 79 is a place with food that compares favorably with Samvera... I believe it's called Meditteraneo. My reports say it's staffed by refugees from the NYC restaurant scene, BYOB and, again, NYC-pricey, i.e. $32 for a veal chop.

The whole question of ``authentic" ragu Bolognese gets right to the heart of the Italian approach to cooking. In contrast with the strict codification of recipes for the classic French dishes such as tripes a la mode di Caen, for example there are dozens if not hundred of variations on the basic ``Bolognese" theme. Beyond a general agreement that one begins with a saute' of mirepoix, usually in butter or a combination of butter and olive oil together with some finely diced pancetta a subsequent deglazing with wine and the addition of chopped meats -- veal, beef, pork and the introduction of some stock (chicken, veal or beef), there's considerable-- and often vehement -- disagreement as to the other elements. When I worked for an Italian multinational company, I had a Bolognese colleague that insisted that no tomato product was ever to be used. Others argue for the use of a bit of tomato paste; still others for puree in varying amounts. Some say chicken livers are an essential component; not infrequently nutmeg and cloves are used in the seasoning. For my taste, I believe a foundation of fine minced mirepoix inthe classic proportion prepared as described above, i.e. sauted in a butter/oil mi along with a handful of equally finely diced pancetta, is the essential element. Once the mixture is softened and reduced to near-caramelization, I add stir in a few tablespoons of tomato paste, turn up the heat as high as I dare for a minute or two and then immediately deglaze with white wine..... then on to the mixed chopped meats and I like the chicken liver addition. Once browned, more wine then chicken stock, seasonings: salt, pepper, nutmeg, bay leaf. Finish with a bit of cream.

There was an episode wherein Alton Brown prepared a standing rib roast -- I believe the grade was something called ``supermarket prime" -- dry aged it in a 34 degree F. refrigerator for several days to reduce the moisture content and intensify the ``beefy flavor;" has anyone done this and is it worth the effort? By the way, the two schools of thought on prime rib preparation; either pre-heat an over to about 400 F and roast for up to an hour for color, then reduce to 325-350 F the rest of the way. The other is to brown at high heat or evern brown on top of the stove and roast at 200 F, one hour per pound... either way, the idea is get the internal temp to 125-130 for rare and dark chestnut brown on the outside. Any tips/comments/suggestions here? thanks

I for one lament the demise of Assaggia, late of Hackensack Avenue, Wood Ridge. The owner, one Ciro Santoro, appears to have fallen off the radar screen.