HUNGRY GERALD

Of course, Little Italy in Manhattan (what’s left of it) is a dining shambles. Shoddy tourist traps that glorify fictionalized TV Mafiosi. Sure, Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi have brought back quality to the neighborhood with Carbone, Parm and Torrisi Italian Specialties — essentially high priced, high concept homages to red sauce, Italian home cooking restaurants. These are meant for the Wall Street crowd and deep pocketed foodies. They don’t change the overall dismal ambience of the neighborhood. Octogenarian HG remembers (with fondness) the once excellent Grotto Azzura (a favorite with detectives and bail bondsmen); Luna (where Crazy Joey Gallo often dined); Angelo’s (once classy); Vincent’s (fiery scungili but HG always preferred the super spicy Italian seafood joint on the corner of Mott and Pell in Chinatown). There were also many small, cheap places in Little Italy where a meal of clams casino, spaghetti (big portion of very good tomato, meat or mushroom sauce), pitcher of cheap red wine cost very few bucks. These days if you want traditional New York Italian-American food served by gruff guys in maroon vests you’ve got to go to Staten Island; Brooklyn (Williamsburg, Bensonhurst, Coney Island); Queens (Corona, Ozone Park); The Bronx (Arthur Avenue). Little Italy? Fuhgeddabout it!!!

Some great dishes seem to have disappeared from restaurant menus. Mozzarella in Carozzo, a delicious fried mozzarella and bread confection (often enhanced by anchovy sauce) is gone from Italian restaurants in New York. Hard to find clams casino or clams oreganato. Pork chops with vinegar peppers was a staple at the late, lamented Delsomma and other Italian eateries. Gone except for venerable Patsy’s on West 56th. HG misses boeuf bourginoun and plain, old American beef stew. What could be better on a cold day (with a big dollop of buttery mashed potatoes or egg noodles) ? Ditto really good meat loaf, which, except for the dish’s re-invention at many a New York hot spot, has gone the way of a 25 cent cup of coffee. HG sees $40-$45 veal chops on menus. Fuhgeddabout it !! HG wants those hearty, bargain treats.

SJ has joined La Famiglia in Prince Edward Island (much to the delight of everyone but especially to Haru and Teru Freeman). Birthday dinner for Exquisite Maiko and the emphasis was on bivales. Some cold South Lake Oysters. Then two old time clam dishes: Clams Casino and Clams Posillipo. These were once staples at red sauce New York Italian restaurants. Frank Sinatra particularly favored the Clams Posillipo at Patsy’s Restaurant on W. 56th Street. HG’s first public relations office (this was 57 years ago) was directly over the restaurant and the kindly owners would often give struggling HG a free lunch of their delicious (and filling) Tagliatelle Bolognese. BSK followed Patsy’s tradition of clam excellence. BSK’s Clams Casino were enriched by freshly ground bread crumbs and very good Canadian back bacon. Fresh garlic and tender little clams aided the Posillipo and lots of good ciabatta was dipped in the savory tomato sauce. The meal ended with buttered corn on the cob from Blum’s farm truck that parks daily in the little town of Montague. Is there a better August treat than freshly picked corn? The birthday corn had particular savor because six-year-old Haru (a burgeoning swim star) aided in the shucking.