Wegmans is a lot like Patsy's - it's family run, it began in New York in the early 1900's, and it's still going strong today!
Another thing Wegmans has in common with Patsy's is their love of Patsy's sauce! They love it so much, in fact, that for the entire month of January it's on promotion!
So, if you head into a Wegmans at any time in January, you'll be able to buy any of our 24 oz jars of Patsy's sauce at a discounted price - 6.99 a jar, which saves you a nice bit of money. This makes January the ideal time to stock up on Patsy's sauce, especially if you regularly shop at Wegmans. And if you've never been to the store before, maybe now's the perfect time to give them a try!
Remember, this deal doesn't go into effect until January 1st, but it lasts the entire month, so after the New Year you'll have plenty of time to make your way over to Wegmans.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Patsy's Holiday Baskets 2011
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Patsy's Olive Oil and More Basket - $60.00  We've significantly improved our Olive Oil basket from last year! It comes with a bottle of Patsy's Olive Oil, a ceramic olive oil cafare (filled with oil), and a ceramic dipping bowl. On top of this, we've added a bottle of Patsy's Balsamic Vinegar, a box of Colavita olives, and a jar of our Puttanesca sauce!Why Puttanesca sauce, you ask? One of the main ingredients of Puttanesca are the olives, so it seemed like a perfect fit for a basket that celebrates olive oil in a big way! The full list of items can be seen below: - Patsy's Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Patsy's Olive Oil Carafe (comes full!) - Patsy's Ceramic Dipping Bowl - Patsy's Balsamic Vinegar - Patsy's Puttanesca Sauce (15.5 oz) - Colavita Crushed Olives |
Patsy's Classic Collection - $85.00  The Patsy's Classic Collection has also seen some improvements, and it's still at the same price from last year. We bumped up the amount of sauce to four jars (24 oz of our Marinara and Tomato Basil, and 15 oz of our Vodka and Fra Diavolo), and we also include 3 cuts of Patsy's pasta, 2 boxes of grilled vegetables from Colavita, and a box of Perugina chocolates! The full list of items in the basket is below: - Patsy's Marinara Sauce (24 oz) - Patsy's Tomato Basil (24 oz) - Patsy's Vodka Sauce (15 oz) - Patsy's Fra Diavolo Sauce (15 oz) - Patsy's Penne Rigate - Patsy's Linguine - Patsy's Mezzi Rigatoni - Colavita Grilled Artichokes - Colavita Grilled Eggplants - Perugina Baci Chocolate |
Patsy's Bounty Basket - $125.00  Our Patsy's Bounty is a massive offering this year, and it's at a price that makes the entire basket an amazing value! We've got 24 oz jars of our Marinara and Tomato Basil as well as 15.5 oz of our Vodka and Puttanesca. To complement this, we have bottles of our Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, and Cabernet Wine Vinegar. For food, we've got four cuts of our Patsy's Pasta, grilled onions, artichokes, and minestrone from Colavita, a Panettone and Baci chocolates from Perugina, and even some coffee from Antica. The full (and enormous) list of products is listed below: - Patsy's Marinara (24 oz) - Patsy's Tomato Basil (24 oz) - Patsy's Vodka (15.5 oz) - Patsy's Puttanesca (15.5 oz) - Patsy's Fusilloni pasta - Patsy's Casarecce pasta - Patsy's Linguine pasta - Patsy's Whole Wheat pasta - Colavita grilled artichoke - Colavita grilled onions - Patsy's Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Patsy's Balsamic Vinegar - Patsy's Cabernet Wine Vinegar - Colavita Minestrone - Perugina Baci Chocolate - Perugina Panettone - Antica Coffee |
Monday, December 12, 2011
Happy Birthday, Frank!
Today's Sinatra's birthday, and to celebrate we're having a huge luncheon at Patsy's. It includes classic singing, Sinatra's favorite meals, and plenty of reminiscing about ol' blue eyes!
We also recently celebrated his birthday in Atlantic City, in similar fashion. We had some great singing from our dear friend George Pettignano, as well as dishes like Veil Milanese that Sinatra went wild for.
When the pictures come in, I'll post them up here so you can see the festivities.
Also, if you feel like this luncheon sounds like something you'd like to participate in, but you're just hearing about it now, make sure to let us know. The luncheons in both AC and NY sell out very quickly, so you want to be on our mailing list to know about them first-hand. If you're not on the mailing list, send me an e-mail (paul@patsys.com) or sign up on the website, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the next big announcement!
As an aside, there was an article in the Wall Street Journal today that talked about Sinatra's relationship with Patsy's! Click here to read it - it's a great article, so be sure to check it out!
We also recently celebrated his birthday in Atlantic City, in similar fashion. We had some great singing from our dear friend George Pettignano, as well as dishes like Veil Milanese that Sinatra went wild for.
When the pictures come in, I'll post them up here so you can see the festivities.
Also, if you feel like this luncheon sounds like something you'd like to participate in, but you're just hearing about it now, make sure to let us know. The luncheons in both AC and NY sell out very quickly, so you want to be on our mailing list to know about them first-hand. If you're not on the mailing list, send me an e-mail (paul@patsys.com) or sign up on the website, and be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the next big announcement!
As an aside, there was an article in the Wall Street Journal today that talked about Sinatra's relationship with Patsy's! Click here to read it - it's a great article, so be sure to check it out!
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| Happy Birthday, Frank! |
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Celebrate Sinatra's 96th Birthday with Patsy's!
Sinatra's Birthday Celebration in Atlantic City!
It's that time of year again, which means that Patsy's will be celebrating Sinatra's birthday in style. This year marks his 96th, so we'll be throwing him a huge party in our Atlantic City location. There'll be fantastic food, classic singing, and an entire night dedicated to Sinatra!
The meal will be a four-course dinner made up of all Frank's favorite dishes. On top of that, our good friend George Pettignano (who's sang at our restaurant many times before) will be singing throughout the entire evening, giving the event that old-world, classic feel.
The dinner will take place on December 9th, at 8pm. Our charge will be $69.00 per person (as well as tax and tip). Included in this price is a complimentary glass of wine.
If you'd like to come, give the restaurant a call and make a reservation, because tables will sell out fast! The number for our Atlantic City location is 1-609-340-7585. If you can't get through on that number, for whatever reason, feel free to give us a call at 1-212-247-3491, and we'll be happy to help.
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| Happy Birthday, Frank! |
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Our Cyber Monday Sale is going one day longer!
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Watch Real Food on Telecare to check out some great Patsy's footage!
If you've been excited to see more of Patsy's on T.V. after our episode on Mike Colameco's Real Food, wait no longer! I'm proud to announce that on the week of November 13th, we'll be airing on Telecare on the following days:
Sunday 10pm
Tuesday 10:30pm
Thursday 2:30pm and 10:30pm
Friday 10:30pm
Saturday 10am
Not sure about what channel Telecare's on? If you've got Cablevision and are in the Nassau/Suffolk area of New York, it'll be channel 29. For other areas, it's channel 137 on Cablevision. If you're using Verizon FiOS, it's always on Channel 296.
If you aren't using either of those providers, worry not! If you log onto their site (telecaretv.org), you'll be able to watch online. Simply click on the "watch live!" button during any time when the show's airing on telecare, and you can watch it online.
Enjoy the show, everyone!
Get your holiday shopping done early!
Hey all - just wanted to post this on the blog, in case you aren't subscribed to our mailing list. (This notice just went out in an e-mail to everyone on our list, so if you're not on there and would've liked to get this in your e-mail, make sure you join our mailing list!)
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Monday, November 7, 2011
Working with Colavita!
Here at Patsy's, we're very proud of our newest partnership - we've recently teamed up with Colavita, and they're going to be in charge of manufacturing and distributing our sauce. Don't worry, the flavor and recipe won't be changing at all.
However, you will notice a drop in prices if you've been ordering online. Since the scale of Colavita's shipping/manufacturing is much bigger than what we could pull off by ourselves, it means we've been able to cut our packing costs and even the prices of some of our products. You'll notice that our gift baskets, for example, cost significantly less than they did last year, even though every gift basket was packed with more stuff! On top of that, you can now order pasta and sauce in specific amounts, even individually! So you won't have to worry about building your holiday gifts around 3-pack or 6-pack sauce options.
Colavita's a great partner for us in many ways - We even share a common background! Much like us, they began their operations a long time ago. For them, business started in Italy, and it was also family run. One branch of the Colavita family owned a stone mill, which they used to crush their own olives and create olive oil. The other branch gathered wheat, milled it, and turned it into fresh pasta.
Inadvertently, these simple processes were refined and eventually mastered, and the older generation of Colavita would pass everything they'd learned onto their kin. In time, Colavita became a name synonymous with time-honored tradition and proven quality.
Unlike Patsy's, it took Colavita until 1978 to make their way to America. The family agreed to partner with John Profaci (a good friend of ours, and our liason with Colavita!), who saw an opportunity for Colavita's olive oil to find its way into the homes of Americans.
Initially, Profaci faced a tough challenge - there was a perception that the particular kind of olive oil Colavita produced (the extra virgin olive oil that they artfully created for hundreds of years) was too green, dark and intense to be used with food. Realizing that people wouldn't buy something that they didn't trust, Profaci launched a marketing campaign that sought to inform people about the virtues of Colavita's mainstay product.
On top of this, a wealth of positive health benefits were discovered regarding olive oil. It's actually really cool, the health benefits are enormous. I won't list them all here, it'd make this blog post way too massive, but off the top of my head, I know olive oil lowers cholesterol, helps you fight heart disease, can be instrumental in weight loss if you replace other oils with olive oil.... In fact, check out this link if you're interested. (We're not even connected with that website, I just googled that now!)
Anyway, the combination of health benefits and Profaci's positive marketing campaign had a notable impact on Americans - research showed that over 10% of homes now routinely purchased olive oil, which was a significant improvement! Once Colavita's olive oil caught on, the pasta and other products followed suite.
Much like the original branch of Colavita, Profaci's efforts in America are also family run. He, along with his four sons, have ensured that Colavita's products made the transition to America without sacrificing any of the quality, integrity or taste that made them famous in Italy.
And these are the guys we've partnered with! Pretty good, huh? We're very excited about what this means for Patsy's. As I said above, since they're handling our shipping and manufacturing now, you'll already begin to see some of the benefits of this partnership, but there's definitely more in store for all of us. And don't worry - the great taste that you've come to love from Patsy's hasn't been changed, not a bit!
However, you will notice a drop in prices if you've been ordering online. Since the scale of Colavita's shipping/manufacturing is much bigger than what we could pull off by ourselves, it means we've been able to cut our packing costs and even the prices of some of our products. You'll notice that our gift baskets, for example, cost significantly less than they did last year, even though every gift basket was packed with more stuff! On top of that, you can now order pasta and sauce in specific amounts, even individually! So you won't have to worry about building your holiday gifts around 3-pack or 6-pack sauce options.
Colavita's a great partner for us in many ways - We even share a common background! Much like us, they began their operations a long time ago. For them, business started in Italy, and it was also family run. One branch of the Colavita family owned a stone mill, which they used to crush their own olives and create olive oil. The other branch gathered wheat, milled it, and turned it into fresh pasta.
Inadvertently, these simple processes were refined and eventually mastered, and the older generation of Colavita would pass everything they'd learned onto their kin. In time, Colavita became a name synonymous with time-honored tradition and proven quality.
Unlike Patsy's, it took Colavita until 1978 to make their way to America. The family agreed to partner with John Profaci (a good friend of ours, and our liason with Colavita!), who saw an opportunity for Colavita's olive oil to find its way into the homes of Americans.
Initially, Profaci faced a tough challenge - there was a perception that the particular kind of olive oil Colavita produced (the extra virgin olive oil that they artfully created for hundreds of years) was too green, dark and intense to be used with food. Realizing that people wouldn't buy something that they didn't trust, Profaci launched a marketing campaign that sought to inform people about the virtues of Colavita's mainstay product.
On top of this, a wealth of positive health benefits were discovered regarding olive oil. It's actually really cool, the health benefits are enormous. I won't list them all here, it'd make this blog post way too massive, but off the top of my head, I know olive oil lowers cholesterol, helps you fight heart disease, can be instrumental in weight loss if you replace other oils with olive oil.... In fact, check out this link if you're interested. (We're not even connected with that website, I just googled that now!)
Anyway, the combination of health benefits and Profaci's positive marketing campaign had a notable impact on Americans - research showed that over 10% of homes now routinely purchased olive oil, which was a significant improvement! Once Colavita's olive oil caught on, the pasta and other products followed suite.
Much like the original branch of Colavita, Profaci's efforts in America are also family run. He, along with his four sons, have ensured that Colavita's products made the transition to America without sacrificing any of the quality, integrity or taste that made them famous in Italy.
And these are the guys we've partnered with! Pretty good, huh? We're very excited about what this means for Patsy's. As I said above, since they're handling our shipping and manufacturing now, you'll already begin to see some of the benefits of this partnership, but there's definitely more in store for all of us. And don't worry - the great taste that you've come to love from Patsy's hasn't been changed, not a bit!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Welcome to Fan Friday!
We've always appreciated everything that our patrons have done for us over the years. From people who've been coming in every week for 20 years, to someone who just visited once during a vacation, everyone that comes into our restaurant is a part of Patsy's.
So, we've decided that we're going to dedicate every Friday to some of our fans! It's just a small thank you to all the people that have helped us get to the point we're at today.
This week's fan just had his first experience with Patsy's, but quickly fell in love!
"Wow....that's all I can say is WOW. My wife and I dined at your restaurant over this past weekend Saturday night. For starters, we got there 45 minutes early, and were STILL rushed right to a table upstairs. The wait service was phenomenal. My wife had the Shrmip Scampi, and I had the Shrimp Parmagiana. Both of us RAVED about our dish, and argued over whose was better (for the record, I tried hers, and still liked mine the best!). We had Clams Cassino for an appetizer which was excellent. A bottle of the Parker Station Pinot Noir complimented the meal perfectly. And to end the meal, a huge piece of cannoli cake was just what the doctor ordered.
We stayed just down the street at the Le Parker Meridien. My friend highly recommended the restaurant. It held a great old-world nostalgia feel for me, since I am a huge fan of the Rat Pack (despite only being 33). Sal came out and spoke to us, and comped us a jar of pasta. We've not had a chance to fire it up yet, but we look forward to that.
All in all, thank you for my greatest dining experience in NYC ever. Period. Bar none. This will be a "must-return" location for me, much like heading to Junior's for cheesecake is a requirement. I will tell everyone to visit your restaurant when they go to NYC. And I will be back! ;-)"
Reading something like this really warms our hearts - it's great to know there are still people out there discovering us for the first time!
So, we've decided that we're going to dedicate every Friday to some of our fans! It's just a small thank you to all the people that have helped us get to the point we're at today.
This week's fan just had his first experience with Patsy's, but quickly fell in love!
"Wow....that's all I can say is WOW. My wife and I dined at your restaurant over this past weekend Saturday night. For starters, we got there 45 minutes early, and were STILL rushed right to a table upstairs. The wait service was phenomenal. My wife had the Shrmip Scampi, and I had the Shrimp Parmagiana. Both of us RAVED about our dish, and argued over whose was better (for the record, I tried hers, and still liked mine the best!). We had Clams Cassino for an appetizer which was excellent. A bottle of the Parker Station Pinot Noir complimented the meal perfectly. And to end the meal, a huge piece of cannoli cake was just what the doctor ordered.
We stayed just down the street at the Le Parker Meridien. My friend highly recommended the restaurant. It held a great old-world nostalgia feel for me, since I am a huge fan of the Rat Pack (despite only being 33). Sal came out and spoke to us, and comped us a jar of pasta. We've not had a chance to fire it up yet, but we look forward to that.
All in all, thank you for my greatest dining experience in NYC ever. Period. Bar none. This will be a "must-return" location for me, much like heading to Junior's for cheesecake is a requirement. I will tell everyone to visit your restaurant when they go to NYC. And I will be back! ;-)"
Reading something like this really warms our hearts - it's great to know there are still people out there discovering us for the first time!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
What's new on Patsy's Menu?
Patsy's has been around for a long time, but that doesn't mean our menu's stagnant. We're always coming up with new things to include, and they're definitely worth trying out; in fact, CBS liked the newest innovations on our menu so much that we made their "Top 5 Best New Fall Menus" list! What stood out to CBS was our new prix fixe lunch menu, which includes goat cheese salad, eggplant bruschetta, and pumpkin tortellini.
Click here for the full article!
If you've ever had our Pumpkin Ravioli, then you'll have some idea of what to expect from the Tortellini. If not, you've gotta come in and try it out - it's a really outrageous taste that's unlike anything you've ever had on top of pasta. The flavor of the sauce is unique, yet familiar, with a subtle sweetness that'll leave you wanting more. (Trust me, once autumn ends and my stomach realizes it can't eat this for another year, I go through withdrawal!)
As always, these additions to our menu were made with you in mind, so make sure that you come in and try them out! We'll be waiting. : )
~ Paul
Click here for the full article!
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| Pictured above is some Pumpkin Tortellini. If you're liking what you're seeing, stop in sometime soon for lunch! |
If you've ever had our Pumpkin Ravioli, then you'll have some idea of what to expect from the Tortellini. If not, you've gotta come in and try it out - it's a really outrageous taste that's unlike anything you've ever had on top of pasta. The flavor of the sauce is unique, yet familiar, with a subtle sweetness that'll leave you wanting more. (Trust me, once autumn ends and my stomach realizes it can't eat this for another year, I go through withdrawal!)
As always, these additions to our menu were made with you in mind, so make sure that you come in and try them out! We'll be waiting. : )
~ Paul
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Behind every great man...
Today's a very special day for everyone at Patsy's, because it's Concetta's birthday! If you aren't sure who Concetta is, then this blog was meant for you, because I'm about to tell you all about the story of Patsy's partner in business - his wife!
If you've read my blog about Patsy, you'll know that he came over to America first, and sent over for his family when he'd made enough money. That meant that Concetta was waiting in Italy with their oldest daughter, Anna - when it was finally time, she eagerly came over to America and joined Patsy.
However, her experience in America was very different from Patsy's. Patsy had to learn English so that he could maintain a job and function in America, but it also meant he could translate for Concetta. As a result, she never fully learned English, and spoke Italian all her life.
In the early years, she was instrumental to the success of Patsy's. Since money was tight, they couldn't hire as many employees as they'd like, which meant that Concetta answered the phones, took reservations, greeted people, and even made drinks when another bartender wasn't available! Funny enough, when Sinatra was much younger and was still trying to hit it big, he'd come into Patsy's and help Concetta out whenever she was really swamped.
Concetta was actually phenomenal at making drinks, a trait that stemmed from her desire to save the restaurant as much money as possible. She perfected the measurements because even a drop of wasted alcohol was something that, in her eyes, the restaurant couldn't afford.
This extended to the family's personal finances, as well. Patsy was incredible when it came to bringing people into the restaurant and keeping them coming back, but Concetta managed the income of the restaurant and was constantly making sure that the family would have enough to keep the restaurant going while also keeping themselves in good shape.
Even when Patsy's was established, running well, and had a full payroll of employees, Concetta continued to work in the restaurant. She didn't make drinks anymore, opting instead to sit at the front desk, still greeting people and answering phones. She did, however, teach my father how to make drinks! Like many of our family members who've worked at Patsy's over the years, Concetta never wanted to stop working there, even when she realistically could have. The restaurant had become home, and the customers were all old friends.
As Patsy's wife, she raised a beautiful family and maintained a great home. But as Patsy's business partner, she helped his restaurant persevere in its early years, when every penny mattered.
September 10th, 1903 - December 2nd, 1976
If you've read my blog about Patsy, you'll know that he came over to America first, and sent over for his family when he'd made enough money. That meant that Concetta was waiting in Italy with their oldest daughter, Anna - when it was finally time, she eagerly came over to America and joined Patsy.
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| That's Concetta with a baby Anna! |
However, her experience in America was very different from Patsy's. Patsy had to learn English so that he could maintain a job and function in America, but it also meant he could translate for Concetta. As a result, she never fully learned English, and spoke Italian all her life.
In the early years, she was instrumental to the success of Patsy's. Since money was tight, they couldn't hire as many employees as they'd like, which meant that Concetta answered the phones, took reservations, greeted people, and even made drinks when another bartender wasn't available! Funny enough, when Sinatra was much younger and was still trying to hit it big, he'd come into Patsy's and help Concetta out whenever she was really swamped.
Concetta was actually phenomenal at making drinks, a trait that stemmed from her desire to save the restaurant as much money as possible. She perfected the measurements because even a drop of wasted alcohol was something that, in her eyes, the restaurant couldn't afford.
This extended to the family's personal finances, as well. Patsy was incredible when it came to bringing people into the restaurant and keeping them coming back, but Concetta managed the income of the restaurant and was constantly making sure that the family would have enough to keep the restaurant going while also keeping themselves in good shape.
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| All that saving paid off - look at that car! |
As Patsy's wife, she raised a beautiful family and maintained a great home. But as Patsy's business partner, she helped his restaurant persevere in its early years, when every penny mattered.
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| Concetta and Patsy on their 25th Anniversary! |
September 10th, 1903 - December 2nd, 1976
Friday, September 9, 2011
Happy Birthday, Buble!
Today's Michael Buble's birthday, so we'd love to wish him a happy one. It's worth noting that this isn't the first time we've wished him a happy birthday!
In fact, a few years ago he celebrated his birthday with us! The picture above actually shows him cutting the cake that we brought out for him. He was pretty excited about it!
Michael's been a great customer for many years, so we wish him a happy birthday, and many more!
~Paul
In fact, a few years ago he celebrated his birthday with us! The picture above actually shows him cutting the cake that we brought out for him. He was pretty excited about it!
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| So excited, in fact, that he gave Joe a kiss! |
Michael's been a great customer for many years, so we wish him a happy birthday, and many more!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Patsy's is fine!
Super quick update to let everyone know that Hurricane Irene didn't do any significant damage to Patsy's. We're totally fine and back open, but our thoughts and prayers go out to those who were seriously hurt by the hurricane.
~ Paul
~ Paul
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Hurricane Irene!
Hey everyone,
Quick update to let you know that Patsy's will be closed Saturday and Sunday because of Hurricane Irene. The city has effectively been shut down because the subway and MTA won't be running, and we don't want any of our workers risking themselves by traveling into the city. So, it made much more sense to be closed.
Stay safe, everyone, and hopefully the hurricane blows over without any serious problems!
- Paul
Quick update to let you know that Patsy's will be closed Saturday and Sunday because of Hurricane Irene. The city has effectively been shut down because the subway and MTA won't be running, and we don't want any of our workers risking themselves by traveling into the city. So, it made much more sense to be closed.
Stay safe, everyone, and hopefully the hurricane blows over without any serious problems!
- Paul
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Sal will be on Seriously Sinatra tonight!
Hey all,
Just a quick update - if you have Sirius XM, you'll be able to tune into the Seriously Sinatra channel tonight and hear Sal! He was up in Boston this weekend and recorded a segment with them - it'll air sometime tonight (Saturday) between 7 pm and midnight. It should be a great interview, so if you're able, definitely check it out!
~ Paul
Just a quick update - if you have Sirius XM, you'll be able to tune into the Seriously Sinatra channel tonight and hear Sal! He was up in Boston this weekend and recorded a segment with them - it'll air sometime tonight (Saturday) between 7 pm and midnight. It should be a great interview, so if you're able, definitely check it out!
~ Paul
Friday, July 15, 2011
Touring CBS with George Pettignano!
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| From left to right, that's Peter, myself, and Joe - the three lucky guys who got to tour CBS! |
George Pettignano has become a close friend to everyone at Patsy's. Some of you may know him as a singer - in fact, he's sung at the restaurant several times in the past. However, he's also a pretty important executive over at CBS, and the other day he offered to take my younger cousins and I on a tour of the studio!
The inner workings of CBS are naturally pretty impressive. My cousin Joe and I are both massive computer geeks, so we were in awe of the servers that CBS has. I didn't want to take any pictures of those because I wasn't sure if I'd be allowed to, but take my word for it - they had a massive infrastructure. Not only that, George actually showed us the older computers too. The ones where you had to manually plug in and remove wires when you wanted them to do different things. Apparently it was all very cutting edge in the 60's, but compared to the sleek, wireless computer systems they had, it definitely looked antiquated.
We were taken around to a lot of the sets of various shows - from the studio where BET is filmed, to another studio that hosts a variety of shows (such as the marriage ref), to all the various news and day-time T.V. studios, it's amazing how much is housed in the New York offices. The news rooms were particularly impressive, and one of the coolest parts is that several of the cameras are actually controlled by computers, rather than people. (There's even a big red "emergency shut-down" button on each of them, which I found pretty hilarious).
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| We snagged a picture at the Doppler booth with the CBS Early morning weather man - Pretty cool! |
Finally, we got to go inside the Ed Sullivan studio, and see some prep work for the Letterman show. That was really interesting - while we didn't see Letterman come out, we actually saw the writers having a 'round table' of sorts on the stage. They were trying out various gags, seeing what worked and what didn't. It was pretty interesting seeing how some bits they weren't that excited about, but others had them (and everyone watching) cracking up. Then the band came out (including Paul Shaffer) and we got to hear them practicing the songs they'd be playing before and after commercial breaks.
Incidentally, George will be singing at Feinstein's on August 24th. It's going to be his biggest event yet and he's extremely excited about it. We'll be helping to host it with a four-course dinner that kicks off at 6 pm, and the show gets underway at 8:30. If you're interested, call 212-339-4095 and lock in some seats!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
A tribute to Rosemary Clooney
Today marks 9 years that Rosemary Clooney passed away - it's amazing to think that so much time has passed since a great friend of ours left us.
Some time ago, we had a tribute put up on Rosemary Clooney's site. Since this is the anniversary of her passing, it seems appropriate to repost it.
http://rosemaryclooney.net/remembering/tribute/#patsys
It's a great read, so you should definitely check it out, but there's one part I'd like to quote because it sums up our relationship with her particularly well. It's from Anna (my Meema);
""Rosemary started coming to Patsy's when she first got to New York. My father took such a liking to her, he told her when she was struggling to find work, that she could have a meal here anytime. He said to her, 'someday if you could pay me back when you make it, then you pay me.' She was part of our family and we've lost a dear friend. She referred to me as her sister, even when she signed my copy of her book, she signed it, 'To My Sister Anna."
Some time ago, we had a tribute put up on Rosemary Clooney's site. Since this is the anniversary of her passing, it seems appropriate to repost it.
http://rosemaryclooney.net/remembering/tribute/#patsys
It's a great read, so you should definitely check it out, but there's one part I'd like to quote because it sums up our relationship with her particularly well. It's from Anna (my Meema);
""Rosemary started coming to Patsy's when she first got to New York. My father took such a liking to her, he told her when she was struggling to find work, that she could have a meal here anytime. He said to her, 'someday if you could pay me back when you make it, then you pay me.' She was part of our family and we've lost a dear friend. She referred to me as her sister, even when she signed my copy of her book, she signed it, 'To My Sister Anna."
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| Sal with Rosemary, one of the many, many times she visited the restaurant |
Sal is coming to Atlantic City!
Just wanted to give you all a quick update about our July 4th plans. As you may already know, we'll be closed July 4th and 5th - this follows a long-standing tradition where we always take off on July 4th to spend time with the family. It's a great opportunity for us all to take a family vacation together, and my parents even got married during the July 4th break!
That said, if you were looking forward to getting some Patsy's during the holiday, you still can! In fact, Sal will be going up to Atlantic City, and will be cooking in Patsy's AC on July 3rd and 4th! If you'll be visiting AC, then you should definitely stop by the restaurant while Sal's there!
In fact, that's not the only thing going on in Patsy's AC. We've actually got several exciting events going on - as soon as the information on them is finalized, I'll post them here!
~ Paul
That said, if you were looking forward to getting some Patsy's during the holiday, you still can! In fact, Sal will be going up to Atlantic City, and will be cooking in Patsy's AC on July 3rd and 4th! If you'll be visiting AC, then you should definitely stop by the restaurant while Sal's there!
In fact, that's not the only thing going on in Patsy's AC. We've actually got several exciting events going on - as soon as the information on them is finalized, I'll post them here!
~ Paul
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Patsy's, Vinvino, and Antinori - it runs in the family!
Here at Patsy's, we pride ourselves on being a family business - but we're not the only ones! In fact, it's not uncommon for us to work with other businesses that have also been run by the same family over many generations. Two such families are the Giachino family, which runs Vinvino Wine, and the Antinore family, which owns an orchard in Italy. Giachino's got 5 generations of family running it (meaning they've got one more than us), but Antinore has us both beat - they've been around for 625 years, and right now are on their Twenty-Sixth Generation. That's impressive.
Being an Italian Restaurant, it's natural that we offer Italian wines. We've done business with Vinvino for many years, as they're a distributor that directly sells us the wines. Since the Antinore wines are one of their best offerings, we've bought a lot of them over the years. So, when Vinvino organized a wine tasting in NYC that was featuring a new line of Antinore wines, we knew we had to check it out! I went there with my dad, and not only was the wine great, but it was a pretty valuable learning experience.
Wine is interesting - it's one of those products that most people are aware of on some level, but very few are widely knowledgeable about. When my dad first started seriously working at Patsy's, however, he noticed that the wine list was pretty sparse, so he's done a great job of bolstering it over the years (we now offer over 300 wines, and my dad's made sure that all of them are great!)
Naturally, this meant that when we went to the wine tasting, he explained a lot of terminology to me. For example, several of the new wines being offered from Antinore were being called "Super Tuscans". I had no idea what this meant, and figured it was just a fancy name, but my dad filled me in, and it's actually pretty interesting. Apparently, there's official naming conventions when it comes to wine, and if you want to call your wine by a certain name, you have to use specific kinds of grapes. A Chianti wine, for example, is a blend of mostly red grapes, but if you want to call it Chianti you need white grapes as well. Some time ago, Antinore was preparing some new Chianti wines and wanted to try making them with only red grapes. As per the rules, they were allowed to do this... but they couldn't call the resulting wine Chianti. So the term 'Super Tuscan' was formed, and it's become a blanket term that describes any Italian wine that doesn't fall under standard naming conventions for wine.
Pretty cool, huh?
The theme of the event was that either Gus or Renzo would get up and run us through what they'd tried to do with the wine we were about to taste. It'd be poured, and some food would be brought out that complemented it. This was by far my favorite part of the event - the wine alone was great, but combining it with the perfect kind of food was phenomenal. For example, we had a deep, rich red wine near the end of the meal, and to complement it they brought out a delicious piece of filet mignon. Truth be told, I wasn't even aware we'd be getting food at this event, so I was loving it.
All in all, the best thing about the event was seeing all these great family businesses come together. Vinvino's got a fascinating history, because it's been around for over 100 years, meaning that the company endured prohibition and the ever-changing landscape of wine distribution in NYC. Getting to talk to the 26th generation CEO of Antinore felt like a priveledge - I can only hope that Patsy's gets that far! It's great to see how the younger generations admire those that came before them and paved the way for their own success.
~ Paul
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| The different wines they offered at the tasting. |
Naturally, this meant that when we went to the wine tasting, he explained a lot of terminology to me. For example, several of the new wines being offered from Antinore were being called "Super Tuscans". I had no idea what this meant, and figured it was just a fancy name, but my dad filled me in, and it's actually pretty interesting. Apparently, there's official naming conventions when it comes to wine, and if you want to call your wine by a certain name, you have to use specific kinds of grapes. A Chianti wine, for example, is a blend of mostly red grapes, but if you want to call it Chianti you need white grapes as well. Some time ago, Antinore was preparing some new Chianti wines and wanted to try making them with only red grapes. As per the rules, they were allowed to do this... but they couldn't call the resulting wine Chianti. So the term 'Super Tuscan' was formed, and it's become a blanket term that describes any Italian wine that doesn't fall under standard naming conventions for wine.
Pretty cool, huh?
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| Gus briefly describes the next wine we're about to taste |
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| A really tasty appetizer - breadsticks wrapped in prosciutto. I'm thinking we should try this at Patsy's! |
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| The youngest members of Vinvino and Patsy's, respectively |
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Sal and Father Jim make Panettone Pudding!
Last week, Father Jim came into the restaurant with a big group of people from Telecare. Naturally, they'd come to eat, but Father Jim and Sal had a special surprise for everyone - they prepared dessert right in front of them!
It was a fun night, and to start things off, Sal gave a great intro that really sums up his life at the restaurant. You can check it out in this video:
After that, it was time for the food! As Sal explained, Panettone Pudding is a great dessert to make if you find yourself getting one too many Panettone fruitcakes at Christmastime. Don't get me wrong, they're good - but you can only eat so much! Luckily, they almost never go bad, which means that whenever you've got some free time, you can try out a bunch of creative recipes that put those excess Panettones to good use. Panettone Pudding is one such recipe. As the video below illustrates, it's an incredibly simple way to turn a Panettone that you might never get around to eating into a dessert that you won't be able to get enough of! For instructions on how to actually make the pudding (or just to watch Sal and Father Jim making it), see this video:
And in case you're wondering, I'm the one that did the filming! It was my first time filming something like that, and I'm pretty sure I did a terrible job, haha. At least the pudding came out nicely, though!
~ Paul
It was a fun night, and to start things off, Sal gave a great intro that really sums up his life at the restaurant. You can check it out in this video:
After that, it was time for the food! As Sal explained, Panettone Pudding is a great dessert to make if you find yourself getting one too many Panettone fruitcakes at Christmastime. Don't get me wrong, they're good - but you can only eat so much! Luckily, they almost never go bad, which means that whenever you've got some free time, you can try out a bunch of creative recipes that put those excess Panettones to good use. Panettone Pudding is one such recipe. As the video below illustrates, it's an incredibly simple way to turn a Panettone that you might never get around to eating into a dessert that you won't be able to get enough of! For instructions on how to actually make the pudding (or just to watch Sal and Father Jim making it), see this video:
And in case you're wondering, I'm the one that did the filming! It was my first time filming something like that, and I'm pretty sure I did a terrible job, haha. At least the pudding came out nicely, though!
~ Paul
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Remembering Anna
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| (May 5th, 1924 - April 7th, 2004) |
I’ve written a lot of blog posts for Patsy’s at this point – some of them have been personal, discussing the lives and legacies of various family members, while others have been more general, talking about celebrity appearances or food specials. This post I’m about to share with you now, however, has by far been the most difficult. It’s not because I don’t have a lot to say about Meema, because I do… but it’s difficult to write about her, because I want to make sure that I properly honor her memory.
To provide some background, Meema was a name that my brother and I affectionately called our Grandmother, whom many of you knew as Anna DiCola. (We weren’t the only ones who had a special name for her – my cousins John and Ashley called her “Grandma Roni”). Regardless of what name you knew her by, one thing is unanimous across everyone that met Meema; they all loved her.
She was born in Italy, and was the oldest of Patsy’s children. In fact, when Patsy’s opened in 1944, she was already 20 years old! If you remember Uncle Joe’s blog post, you’ll remember that he started working at Patsy’s as soon as it opened – the same was true for Meema. Even though she was 20, money was extremely tight in the early years of the restaurant, so she worked without pay. However, her parents said she could keep any money that she got from the coat-check room, which meant that in the winter she’d make a nice bit of money, and during the summer she’d pray for rain whenever she was running low on cash. : )
Meema continued to work after getting married, but stopped once she had her first daughter (Marie). At this point, the restaurant had really taken off, and she was able to focus on raising her family. Unfortunately, her marriage wasn’t perfect and eventually she divorced, but she remained a loving, faithful mother, and dedicated herself fully to her children.
From left to right, that's Connie, Marie, and Frank, and on the bottom is Annie!
Once all of her children had gotten married, she returned to the restaurant and continued working (after raising four kids, it was probably relaxing!) Those of you who knew Anna probably met her at this point in her life. Being a phenomenal mother and grandmother, she had a very matronly aura, and everyone who came into the restaurant instantly liked her – many came to love her as if she was part of their own family, including some of our workers! One bartender who was with us for many years, Rocky, had lost both his parents when he was very young. He considered Meema a mother, and in his difficult life she was a constant source of comfort.
She had a great relationship with any customer that walked through the door, and considering how many people she interacted with on a daily basis, had a suprisingly good memory when it came to recognizing customers who'd been in before. Naturally, some were easier to remember than others - her favorite repeat visitor would have to be Rosemary Clooney! Any time they were together in the restaurant, they'd always ask how each other's children (and eventually grandchildren!) were doing, swap stories, and catch up.
Meema, Joe and Rose with Rosemary Clooney and Dante one night at Patsy's!Meema really was the perfect grandmother; warm, cheery, constantly cooking, always smiling. She loved coming to the simplest events, like grammar school plays or sports events, just to see her grand-children flourishing. She also loved spoiling us – there was a bakery down the street from her apartment, and whenever we came over to her place or she stopped by our house, she always brought a box of cookies. When I say a box, I don’t mean a little thing with five or six cookies… this thing was PACKED! Great cookies too, including everyone’s favorite among my cousins and I: the legendary ‘rainbow’ cookie. I’m not really sure exactly what it was made of, but the top was chocolate, and then there were three layers (separated by jam) with the colors of the Italian flag in them. If you’ve ever seen these:
…then you know what I’m talking about. For whatever reason, they were unbelievably delicious, and whenever we got our patented Box O’ Cookies, the rainbow cookies were the first to go.
The cookies were just the beginning, though. Meema always had something cooking in the kitchen. She could make anything taste phenomenal. To this day, I’ve never had a meatball from any restaurant or home kitchen that tasted as good as hers, and she’d even take something mundane like string beans and make them delicious, dressing them up with sauce, potatoes, etc.
Meema’s true love really was her family, and while she enjoyed watching us grow up, I think she took sincere pleasure in seeing us spend time together. For this reason, we started a tradition where we’d go on a family vacation every year. As a little kid, this was one of the most exciting highlights of the year, right up there with Christmas and my birthday. The vacations usually lasted ~4 days, during which time I'd hang out with my cousins and brother the entire time. It was pretty great, because all of us cousins have always been really close, so even getting to do simple things with them, like eating dinner or watching movies, became so fun. While I didn't appreciate it at the time, it must've been really satisfying for Meema to be able to watch us all spend time together. She hadn't had the easiest life growing up, but all her hard work as a young woman and a single mother had paid off because she'd raised four great kids who became four incredible parents.
It's this devoted, extensive love that's so easy to take for granted, but that's the kind of love that Meema had for all of us. It really was heart-breaking when she passed away, but we were able to take solace in the fact that she had left nothing unfinished. She not only got to see her children grow up, but was also able to help them in raising their own children. She truly had a satisfying, fulfilling life, and while it was incredibly difficult for all of us to say goodbye, it's impossible for us to ever communicate how much we truly loved her, and how much she did for us.
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| She always said this was her favorite picture! |
~ Paul
Visits from Connie Francis and Ernie Anastos!
The weekends are always busier at Patsy's, but this week was particularly exciting because we had visits from two celebs! Both Connie Francis and Ernie Anastos stopped by over the weekend! We're always happy to see both of them, although Sal was on vacation so he wasn't able to hop into the photos.
Frank and Joe with Connie Francis!
Frank and Joe with Ernie Anastos
We often joke about how Ernie and Frank are twins. In this picture, you can really see it - aside from the hair, they really look a lot alike! Who knows, maybe Frank should try his hand at being a news anchor and see if he's got some hidden talent we never realized!
You can actually tell that Sal wasn't here because of the photo quality. It's a little pixelated, which never happens with any of Sal's cameras. For those that don't know, Sal's actually a MASSIVE photography buff. He's always buying the latest in camera technology, and you can see the difference if you leaf through the blog and compare pictures he's taken to pictures someone else took.
It's always a fun time at Patsy's, regardless of who comes in!
~ Paul
Frank and Joe with Connie Francis!
Frank and Joe with Ernie Anastos
We often joke about how Ernie and Frank are twins. In this picture, you can really see it - aside from the hair, they really look a lot alike! Who knows, maybe Frank should try his hand at being a news anchor and see if he's got some hidden talent we never realized!
You can actually tell that Sal wasn't here because of the photo quality. It's a little pixelated, which never happens with any of Sal's cameras. For those that don't know, Sal's actually a MASSIVE photography buff. He's always buying the latest in camera technology, and you can see the difference if you leaf through the blog and compare pictures he's taken to pictures someone else took.
It's always a fun time at Patsy's, regardless of who comes in!
~ Paul
Easter Traditions
While we've been preparing for Easter (both at the restaurant and in our personal lives), we've been reflecting on some of our older Easter traditions. A couple days ago, my dad actually told me about something the restaurant used to do that totally took me by surprise!
As you know, we've got a special menu planned for Easter. I'd blogged about it recently, and you can find the full details on our menu page, but did you know that alongside the lamb, pizza rustica, and cheesecake, we used to have a fourth special item? Believe it or not, it was goat!
Goat's actually a very traditional easter food, but as the years have gone on, it's fallen out of style. This is due mostly to the fact that people only raise goats for very specific purposes, such as cultivating goat cheese. That said, Patsy's used to have a goat special every year on Easter. It was succulent, and people always marveled at how tender the meat was and how unique it tasted.
Since cooking goat was such a rarity, we made sure to make use of as much of the goat as possible - including the head! Yes, this is the part that shocked me... apparently, the head of a goat is considered a delicacy, and every year Concietta would be the one to eat it! (I guess she was the only one who wanted it, haha).
Serving goat may not be a part of our Easter offering anymore, but you can be sure that having a meal at Patsy's during Easter is still a treat! If you're interested on a full run-down of all the specials, check out our menu page or scroll down a bit to the blog titled "Patsy's Easter Specials!" Regardless of how you choose to celebrate Easter and who you celebrate it with, I wish you all a happy Easter!
~ Paul
Debbie Reynolds celebrates her birthday at Patsy's!
Debbie Reynolds' birthday may have been April 1st, but last night she decided to have a celebration at Patsy's!
Sal with Debbie Reynolds - they've known each other for many years now!
The truth is, this is far from her first visit to Patsy's - in fact, she's been coming into the restaurant for over 60 years. However, last night was particularly special, for two reasons. First off, it's always an honor when someone decides to celebrate their birthday with us. On top of that, she's actually in the area because she's performing at the Tilles Center in Long Island University. Despite being busy with preparations and rehearsals, she found time to come over to Manhattan and have dinner with us. We're flattered!
One of the amazing things about our loyal clientele is that they constantly evoke memories of Patsy himself - last night, Debbie Reynolds brought him up. As she was ordering her dinner, she decided to get clams posillipo... and then began to reminisce about how Patsy had been the one to strongly recommend it to her, many years ago. Every now and then, she orders the dish as a quiet tribute to him.
Debbie Reynolds and her party, enjoying her birthday cake!
So Happy Birthday, Debbie, and good luck in Long Island!
~ Paul
Sal with Debbie Reynolds - they've known each other for many years now!The truth is, this is far from her first visit to Patsy's - in fact, she's been coming into the restaurant for over 60 years. However, last night was particularly special, for two reasons. First off, it's always an honor when someone decides to celebrate their birthday with us. On top of that, she's actually in the area because she's performing at the Tilles Center in Long Island University. Despite being busy with preparations and rehearsals, she found time to come over to Manhattan and have dinner with us. We're flattered!
One of the amazing things about our loyal clientele is that they constantly evoke memories of Patsy himself - last night, Debbie Reynolds brought him up. As she was ordering her dinner, she decided to get clams posillipo... and then began to reminisce about how Patsy had been the one to strongly recommend it to her, many years ago. Every now and then, she orders the dish as a quiet tribute to him.
Debbie Reynolds and her party, enjoying her birthday cake! So Happy Birthday, Debbie, and good luck in Long Island!
~ Paul
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