Tag: italian

Categories
Featured

Ring In The New Year With…

Confusion is the word that comes to mind when trying to pick just the right liqueur for that Christmas or New Year’s cocktail. Downtown‘s editors have done the work for you — we collected three of our very favorite festive holiday liqueurs, ones that your guests will still be talking about the next day. If you are looking for a special gift, then look no further.

 

 

Disaronno

Disaronno, the world’s favorite Italian liqueur, returns this holiday season with an exquisite look designed by renowned fashion house Missoni. Since 1953, the Italian luxury label has made its mark on the fashion world as one of Italy’s most celebrated. The iconic Missoni zigzag print, for which the fashion house is best known, transforms the Disaronno bottle, giving it a dressed-up look that’s perfect for gifting. This is our office favorite — with each sip, you look forward to the next.

To celebrate this collaboration, toast the season with a Disaronno Special Angela20 cocktail, highlighting the liqueur’s distinctive flavor in a blend of fresh lemon and ginger beer – full recipe below.
$34.99

DISARONNO 1 oz.
Vodka 1 oz.
Lemon Juice 1 oz.
Ginger Beer 3 oz.

 

 

Hennessy Cognac

Hennessy Paradis Rare Cognac is a special delight. This product of more than 200 different cognacs has been aged in Hennessy’s cellars for up to a century. The cognacs are blended and allowed to age slowly in old oak casks, a process that gives Hennessy Paradis its rare, fine aroma and golden color. The taste is characterized by flavorful fruits such as pear, apricot, and raisin, with rose, iris, and lily floral accents. This exceptional cognac should be enjoyed neat in a crystal tulip glass. Sip slow and savor this delight.
$866.00

 

 

Old Rip Van Winkle Bourbon

 

This very rare, limited-edition Old Rip Van Winkle bourbon takes generations of distilling know-how to produce. Only the most careful and expensive distilling method can be used to create a whiskey as special as this one. These extra-special bottles deserve an extra-special vessel — a handmade glass decanter from Glencarin Crystal Studio. The bottle information is engraved on each decanter, individually numbered, and hand finished with a silver stopper. A glass top for the decanter is also included. Perfect for the person who has everything.
100 Proof
$13,999.95

 

Categories
Dining NYC

Truffle Season in New York

Truffle Season is upon us – all over NYC you will find delicious truffle tasting menus with wine parings

Davio’s Manhattan Executive Chefs Juan Tourn and Istvan Toth creating a special menu for the truffle festival.

In 1985, at the young and ambitious age of 24, Steve DiFillippo purchased a locally-owned family restaurant called Davio’s on Newbury Street in Boston’s trendy Back Bay. As Boston’s culinary tastes evolved, he transformed the location into a destination. Everything made by hand from the best ingredients. Serve everything from aged steaks to simple-yet-unique pasta creations.

Prunotto wines, whose vines grow in the same areas where the white truffles are found, will be offered as by the bottle pairings, including Barolos and Barbarescos. Davio’s will be presenting it’s exclusive menu (shown below) with dishes showcasing Alba white truffles paired with wines from the Piedmont region of Italy. Items will be available for order individually or as a tasting menu ($150).

About Davio’s:

The concept behind Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse is simple, regional Italian food with a focus on the grill. Davio’s offers everything from prime aged steaks, fresh seafood and salads as well as handmade pasta creations. Davio’s takes great pride in serving guests with an expert kitchen and attentive staff in the dining room, offering an exceptional dining experience unlike any other with a focus on hospitality. Chef-Restaurateur, Steve DiFillippo recently published his first business and hospitality book, It’s All About the Guest: Exceeding Expectations in Business and in Life the Davio’s Way. 

For more information visit www.davios.com or www.stevedifillippo.com

 

Categories
Dining Events

Chefs Carlo Cracco and Jonathan Benno Present Italian Master Class as Part of Identita New York

On October 2, Italian chef Carlo Cracco, owner and head chef of Ristorante Cracco, and American chef Jonathan Benno, chef of Lincoln Ristorante and former chef of Per Se, presented a master class of Italian cuisine for guests at Eataly NYC.

The three-course class included a salmon starter made by Benno and risotto and cod by Cracco. Both chefs talked about their collaborations while they stepped through the processes of their recipes.

Experts stepped in during courses to talk about their wine and beer selections with the dishes. Particularly notable were the Berlucchi ’61 Franciacorta Brut, a rich, crisp and delicately fruity sparkling wine and the Birra Moretti Lager, a very drinkable bottom fermented, golden colored beer.

Salmon

In terms of food, the chefs presented masterful works. Benno’s salmon terrine was expertly balanced while Cracco’s dishes included intriguing twists; he marinated the cod in coffee and used cumin in the risotto for an earthy, aromatic addition.

Coffee Cod

The masterclass is part of IDENTITÀ Golose, the acclaimed international chef’s forum that showcases Italian contemporary cuisine. Founded in 2004 by Italian food journalist Paolo Marchi, IDENTITÀ Golose returns to New York City to bring together Italy’s top chefs and New York City’s top Italian chefs for four days of fantastic food. The seminars are hosted at Eataly NYC.

-by Kari Sonde

Categories
Events

Get Ready for the Columbus Day Parade

081013-N-5758H-591 NEW YORK (Oct. 13, 2008) Musician 2nd Class Carlton Shippee plays the trombone as he marches up 5th Avenue in New York City during the 64th Annual Columbus Day Parade. The parade is sponsored by the Columbus Citizens Foundation annualy as part of Columbus Day Celebration. This year's festivities commemorated the Great White Fleet Voyage in 1907. President Theodore Roosevelt sent out 16 battleships around the world on a goodwill mission to display American naval power. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kenneth R. Hendrix (Released)
081013-N-5758H-061 NEW YORK (Oct. 13, 2008) Navy Operation Support Center, Bronx Color Guard leads the 64th Annual Columbus Day Parade up New York City's 5th Avenue. The parade is sponsored by the Columbus Citizens Foundation every year as part of Columbus Day Celebration, with this year's festivities commemorating the Great White Fleet Voyage in 1907. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kenneth R. Hendrix/Released)
Photo: Courtesy of upload.wikimedia.org

Get ready for the Columbus Day parade along Fifth Avenue to celebrate Italian-Americans’ influence in New York City.

The annual parade runs from 47th Street to 72nd Street. With over 35,000 marchers and over 100 groups from bands to floats, it is projected that the parade will bring in nearly 100 million viewers. It will be lead by Grand Marshal Alberto Cribiore, Vice Chairman of Citi Institutional Clients Group.

The parade will also have red carpet performances on Fifth Avenue between 67th and 69th Streets.

The parade is a celebration of Christopher Columbus’s sense of exploration that resulted in his 1492 journey to the Americas, as well as a celebration of Italian-Americans in the United States. Traditional folk groups will also be performing during the parade in displays of Italian culture.

For more information click here.

-Kari Sonde

Categories
Dining

A Taste of Italy at Ristorante Rafele

IMG_7070

Ristorante Rafele was recently certified by the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce as an authentic Italian Restaurant serving genuine Italian fare in New York City. To celebrate this honorable distinction, Rafele’s hosted members from the Italy-American Chamber of Commerce, unveiling a new menu entitled “Calabria”, in reverence of the traditional dishes of the Italian South.

Sourcing its ingredients fresh from local farms and Italian imports, Rafele’s is known for clean, palpable food. New Yorkers have long been proud to recognize the true Italian flair of Ristorante Rafele and its credible cuisine, and it’s gratifying to see the Italy-America Chamber of Commerce recognize it too.

The Calabria menu showcases the following delicious dishes:

Aperitivo:

– Crostini Misti: eggplant and mushrooms (coluccio and soons), chicken liver and anchovies, cannellini beans tuna and red tropea onions

Appetizer:

– Eggplant parmigiana with smoked mozzarella

Pastas:

– Spaghetti with mixed seafood and breadcrumbs

– Filei (coluccio and soons) with sundry tomatoes, peperoncino calabrese, nduja and caciocavallo calabrese

Entree:

– Swordfish with caponata calabrese

Dessert:

– Figs, amaretti ricotta cheese cake

– Maya Prejibisz

– Photography by Joseph Amella Jr.

rafaelle

rafele

IMG_7104

IMG_7026

DSC_0017-2-1500x1040IMG_7084

Grace 3-Online

Columnist and author Suzanne Corso, DOWNTOWN’s CEO, Grace A. Capobianco and Italian chef Raffaele Ronca

Categories
Fashion Industry News

Valentino Profits And Fashion Empire Continues To Grow

valentino

Valentino Garavani has been a working fashion designer since 1960, and his empire continues to grow. According to WWD, the company netted a profit of $644.1 million in 2013, a 25 percent increase from $500.5 million in 2012.

CEO Stefano Sassi credits the rise in revenue to the fact that the Italian fashion house’s primary market remains Europe, rather than China, where other luxury brands experienced sales slumps last year. In addition to its impressive sales figures, Valentino is also opening stores in three new locations: Fifth Avenue in New York, Piazza Mignanelli in Rome, and Canton Road in Hong Kong.

valentino
A spectacular glimpse at  the Valentino Spring Couture 2014 line.

Valentino is known for opulence, elegance, and sheer femininity. In the 2008 documentary, Valentino: The Last Emperor, a reporter asks Mr. Valentino, “What do women want?” He responds promptly and simply, “They want to be beautiful.”

–Charlotte Bryant