Fighting Hunger with a Taste of the NFL and the New York Jets!

Being that Patsy's is a restaurant, we're always making sure people are well-fed. Every so often, we extend this beyond our customers and do our part to take care of the hungry, homeless, and less fortunate. Of the programs that we're part of, I don't think there are any more exciting than the "Taste of the NFL" ones!

The event was held in the ballroom at the Cipriani Club - the set-up was gorgeous!

If you aren't familiar with the charity, "Taste of the NFL" was started some time ago as a way to bring communities in NFL cities together and help feed the hungry of those cities. The draw of the program is that it combines the greatest, most iconic restaurants of a given city with their favorite football players - you can eat a plate of fresh pasta from Patsy's while chatting it up with Darrell Reavis! As you can imagine, that draws a huge crowd, which in turns raises a tremendous amount of money for the charity. Last night, that meant that Patsy's was teaming up with a bunch of all-stars in the NFL and the restaurant business!

Sal with Darrelle Revis - we took this before things got underway, since there was naturally a huge line to see him one the event got underway

The way the event was set up involved every restaurant "hosting" a Jet. That meant that one of the Jets would hang out near the restaurant's booth, and people could go up and talk to them while grabbing some food. While the big draw of the event is naturally the Jets players, the organization also made sure it had the best restaurants in New York serving everyone dinner.

Sal giving Nick Mangold something to read the next time he's traveling to an away game.

Between silent and live auctions as well as special Jets memorabilia that you could buy and have signed by all the players in attendance, a tremendous amount of money was raised. It'll definitely go a long way to fighting hunger in NYC! The great thing about Taste of the NFL is that it's extending to just about every city with an NFL team. So, if you feel like supporting a great charity while also meeting your favorite football players, you might want to look it up and see when the event's being held near you.

Sal's favorite guests!

All in all, it was a great night that did a lot of good for the city, so we're proud to say we were there, and also humbled that we were included in the organization's opinion of top NYC restaurants. Until next year!

Come celebrate Mother's Day with us!

Mother's day falls on May 13th this year, so make sure you plan ahead in such a way that you'll give Mom a day to remember! If you're thinking of taking her out to eat but aren't sure which restaurant in the city is worthy of someone who's done as much for you as your Mom has, we've got the solution! Here at Patsy's, we're doing a prix fixe menu that's sure to make any mother beam with pride - so much so that it was even featured on City Guide!

For starters, we're giving you a choice of either our classic breaded and baked clams or a dish of roasted peppers and mozzarella. You'll then get a Patsy's House Salad, and for your main course get a choice between our succulent Chicken Cacciatore, traditional Spaghetti with Meatballs, Eggplant Parmigiana, or our tender Veal Francese. Dessert, as always, will be served straight from our dessert cart.

You can't go wrong with anything on the menu, but we can do you one better! Every Mom who comes in with a party of four or more will get her choice of any of our sauces. So if you've got a big group, it might be a good idea to brush up on our sauce selection.

Regardless of which sauce your mother wants, she's sure to enjoy her special day if you bring her in to Patsy's! If this sounds enticing to you, feel free to call us at 212-247-3491 to make a reservation! And whether you spend the day with us or not, we wish all the moms out there a happy Mother's Day for everything they've done for us!

Happy Saint Joseph's Day!

It's Saint Joseph's Day again today, which means we have a lot to celebrate.

First off, there's our exclusive Saint Joseph's Day menu, packed with a choice selection of our favorites for the holiday. We've got stuffed artichokes, stuffed mushrooms, minestrone soup, broccoli rabe, Pasta con Sardi, Striped Bass alla Livornese, and (of course!) Zeppole de San Giuseppe.

You've got to try one of these!

For those that don't know, Saint Joseph's Day is the celebration of Jesus's earthly father and the husband of the virgin Mary. Since he's such an important saint, Christians around the world show him a lot of admiration and respect by naming their children after him!

Such is the case with our very own Uncle Joe. If you haven't read last years blog (or you want to refresh your memory), click here to read it all! Joe Scognamillo is one of the pillars of the restaurant, and has worked here since his father created Patsy's all those years ago.

So on today we honor Saint Joseph, Uncle Joe, and some pretty great food! Not a bad day, all in all.

~Paul

Patsy's 109th Birthday!

It's March 6th again, which means that it's Patsy's 109th birthday today! Once again, all of us in the Patsy's family are remembering the man who did so much and sacrificed so much for us.

It really is incredible what kind of business he established. Even today, his dreams and goals live themselves out every day in the restaurant. As an example, I was in last night to get some work done. While there, I had lunch with my cousin Sal (who I've always viewed as an uncle), said hello to my Aunt Connie and Uncle Harry, who were in to see a live show by George Pettignano (more on that show tomorrow!), and drove home with my father when the restaurant was closed. Our family still, to this day, is a part of everything the restaurant does.

In fact, the Patsy's family even extends online. I'm not sure if you all know this, but my Aunt Annie also works on the site, processing sauce/pasta orders and managing customer feedback. In fact, my brother was the one that made the banner for Patsy's birthday!

We can't say "thank you" enough to Patsy, and while the best way to honor him is by doing our best to keep the restaurant going strong and running smoothly, on his birthday we always remember him in our own special way.

If you'd like to read last year's birthday blog post, which details some defining moments in his life, it's right here.

So once again, Happy Birthday, Patsy! We'll keep your dream going!

It's New York vs. New England at Patsy's!

As you all know, we've got an exciting Super Bowl coming up - a rematch of 2008's unbelievable game between the Giants and the Pats. The entire country can't wait for Sunday, but for fans in NY and Boston, it's not just a game - pride is on the line here. Whichever city wins will have bragging rights for the next few months, as well as being able to put another notch on their tally of "how many times we've beaten Boston/NY".

Hmm... wonder who Sinatra favors? ; )

Naturally, this means the city's on edge, so Patsy's has jumped into the ring as well, pitting some classic Boston dishes against some comparable NY dishes. Chef Sal was featured on LXTV, and hosted his own battle royal in our kitchen!

In Boston's corner, he made a pot of creamy New England Clam Chowder and some Boston Cream Pie. To compete with these Bostonian favorites, Sal made Manhattan Clam Chowder and a rich New York Cheesecake! If you caught the program, you were able to watch the drama unfold as some iconic foods from these two cities squared off - if you missed it, we'll get a link for you shortly with the video. ;)

But this isn't all! To show his support for Big Blue, Sal also whipped up some blue-colored food! If you're thinking "huh???", remember back to the Jet's season, where Sal made some green food to cheer them on? He figured it was appropriate to support the Giants in the same way!

Whoever knew food could look so blue?

Not bad, right? It was actually pretty difficult to come up with legitimate kinds of food that could be legally consumed in a restaurant while blue, so I'll walk you through what we're dealing with here.

On the top right you've got our classic Patsy's Cheesecake, with a twist - Sal stuffed that baby with plump, fresh blueberries. (When it came to figuring out what blue foods we could work with, blueberries were the first thing that came to mind - we had to find some way to fit them in!)

On the left is a more creative solution to blue food; a blue-potato pie! That's right, apparently blue potatoes are a thing, and Sal mashed them up, mixed them with some bleu cheese (haha!), and made a pretty delicious pie out of them. Interesting enough, this is the bluest looking offering, which was pretty impressive.

Finally, on the far right you'll see an assortment of fish. To be specific, those are blue-point oysters surrounding a choice cut of blue fish! They're blue in name, not in color, but let's be honest - you don't want to be eating fish or oysters that are genuinely blue!

So we've done our part for the G-men - we hosted a food-themed brawl in our kitchen, made blue food, and happily ate everything! The rest is up to them.

And if you're going to the game, stay warm! (Sorry, we couldn't resist.)

It's Amore! We're Celebrating Valentine's Day in a big way at Patsy's!

Hey everyone, just wanted to let you know that we've got some very exciting Valentine's Day plans for Patsy's! 

As you may know, we traditionally do a Valentine's Day Menu every year that actually lasts from February 12th to February 14th. If you choose to try our Valentine's Day Menu, you'll start off with an Arugala Salad that's topped off with shaved parmesan cheese and basil vinaigrette. Following this, we'll give you breaded Baked Clams and our classic Chicken Fra Diavolo. Along with your meal comes a unique creation; our Patsy's Passion cocktail is made with Vodka, Chambord, and Creme de Cacao! For Desert, you'll get a Valentine's Day Classic - our warm chocolate cake served with strawberries, honey, whipped cream, and some coffee. 

The entire special costs $59.00 per person and will be available from 12:00 - 10:00 on February 12th through February 14th. 

However, this year we're doing something additional! Perhaps you've gotten the e-mail pertaining to the event (and you might already be signed up!), because Patsy's is hosting Songs of Love, a special Valentine's Day-themed luncheon with live singing to warm your heart and food to fill your stomach! I've posted the full details below - if you're interested, please give us a call as soon as possible, because seats are selling fast!

It's Amore!

Songs of Love at Patsy's! Patsy’s Italian Restaurant February 11, 2010 Saturday • 1:00pm   A musical Valentine featuring unforgettable love songs by Rodgers & Hart, George Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, Harry Warren, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and others.   Performed by Lynn DiMenna and Bob Spiotto with musical accompaniment by Frank Ponzio MENU   Heart Shaped Ravioli   ***   Choice of Salmon with Mustard Sauce Chicken Marsala Sausages Pizzaiola Eggplant Parmigiana   ***   Cassata Cake   Served with Coffee, Tea or Espresso $65 per person (excludes beverages, tax and gratuity)   Patsy’s Italian Restaurant Our only New York location is 236 W. 56th Street (between Broadway and Eighth Avenue) New York, NY 10019   CALL FOR RESERVATIONS (212) 247-3491   Discounted Parking Available  So if you don't yet have plans for Valentine's Day, or if you'd like to squeeze in something special on the days leading up to Valentine's Day, give us a call! It's always a memorable time at Patsy's!

It's a busy day for Sal on Sunday!

Hey all,

Just wanted to bring you some exciting news - this Sunday, Chef Sal will be appearing on two separate shows!

He'll be getting things started bright and early on CBS (channel 2). At 8:50 AM, Sal will be doing some cooking with Tony Tantillo. They're making Pasta Con Lenticchie. Literally, that means "Pasta with Lentils", but it's a bit more involved than that, as you'll see in the segment. If you aren't familiar with the dish, or you've had it and would love to make some yourself, this is a must-see!

But maybe the early morning's not your thing? No problem! At 2:30 pm, Sal will make a guest appearance on a fundraiser that telecare tv is hosting. Since telecare is a cable channel, whether or not you have it will depend on your provider.

If you do end up missing both Sal's 8:50 AM and 2:30 pm clips, we'll be sure to post the videos on the site, so check back afterwards to watch them both! Hopefully you'll be able to see them live, though - it's always more fun that way!

~Paul