This week & the Holiday Season at Casa Dante

www.casadante.com       See us on    FACEBOOK  Dear Friends: The Holiday Season will very shortly be upon us. In fact, sooner than you think. Thanksgiving is three weeks away and if you haven't made plans, now is the time. Don't let Mom work this year, we have a great, lengthy menu ( no gimmicks or cut-backs for the Holiday). A full Turkey dinner is also on the menu. No seatings, just make reservations for the time slot you need...we will try to comply! Christmas Eve dinner will consist of the traditional fish dinner as well as many regular menu choices. New Years Eve Bash celebration is booking now. Please reserve your places. Last years party was grand, even in the throes of this "great recession" and all indications are that  this year's  will be a blast. Julian and Dominique will be entertaining us all night long. See our website or  Call for details or  reservations, please!   Thanks for reading and see you soon! Dom & Toni Marino Proprietors Casa Dante 3.5 stars Star Ledger, 2010 Wine Spectator Award, 2009 & 2010 Wine Enthusiast Award 2009, Best Italian in NJ by AOL, Top three Italian inNJ, Inside Jersey Magazine Check out the specials and discounts below and join our  FACEBOOK  fan page. www.casadante.com/entertainment or other events at www.casadante.com/events Entertainment this week!       Friday November 5, 2010     The Don Carter Trio  smooth jazz night Saturday, November 6, 2010    "Vintage"  Ron & Mike  mix it up with standards and favorite oldies .....a real treat! See the entire live entertainment schedule on www.casadante.com/entertainment  for November & the New Years Eve Bash and scroll down here for recipes, tid-bits and other"happenings" at Casa Dante!

Healthy Italian If you know Brooklyn then you must know "Joe's Focacceria of Avenue U". I grew up in the Gravesend area of Brooklyn and this was a favorite restaurant of the area. Like us, the general population isn't as Italian as it was way back then, but the "character" and "charm", is till there. The following is a column and recipe from "Joe's". If you have trouble making this dish call us or visit Joe's. A great casual place to see if you're in that area of Brooklyn. And say hello to my cousin Sal!   Heartily Sicilian Style Pasta Pasta Gustosa alla Siciliana At Joe's, the focacceria Palermitana on Avenue U in Brooklyn, we cooked only one type of pasta, every day with a different sauce. One time we were in the mood of experimenting and we came up with the following delicious recipe; it was well liked by our customers and we started to make it every so often. Not being a traditional fare we had to come up with a name and among the many options we favored to call it Pasta Gustosa alla Siciliana, Heartily Sicilian Style Pasta. This pasta is easily made and what will surprise you will be the complexity of the aroma and the taste that derive from so few and simple ingredients. This dish is enhanced by the aroma of sauteed fennel and the sweetness of the scallions or onions; it is enriched by the delicious and delicate taste of a basil-tomato sauce and garnished with grated caciocavallo or Parmesan cheese. You can use any type of pasta you like: long or short cuts; my preferred cut is penne. Serves 4 to 6 Ingredients: 1 lb. Penne 1 can 28 oz. peeled tomatoes  onion finely chopped 10 basil leaves 5 tablespoons of olive oil 1 tablespoon of butter 2 scallions chopped or � small onion chopped � fennel (the white base) � cup grated caciocavallo or Parmesan cheese Salt and pepper to taste Preparation The Sauce In a 2 quart saucepan, place 3 tablespoons of oil and the � onion finely chopped. Saut� over a medium heat until the onion is golden. Squash the peeled tomato with you hands, add to saucepan with the basil, a dash of oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, lower the flame and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If you want to remove the seeds and skin from the peeled tomatoes use a vegetable mill. When using vine-ripened fresh tomatoes rinse a few times, squash with your hands, follow above directions and simmer fore 45 minutes. The Fennel Wash the fennel, dice it finely and keep on the side.  Over high heat, in a saut� pan, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil and the scallions or the onions. Cook scallions for 3 minutes add the diced fennel, some salt to allow the fennel to release its water and continue cooking at a low heat covered, stirring occasionally. If necessary add a tablespoon of water. It is ready in 15 to 20 minutes or when tender, soft and pale light golden in color. The Pasta Gustosa Cook the pasta al dente in an abundant amount of salted water following manufacturer�s recommendation. When pasta is cooked, drain and return to the pot. Reserve a cup of cooking water. On a low flame, toss in the scallions-fennels condiment and the butter. If it is too dry add some of the reserved pasta water. Remove the pot from the heat and mix in half of the cheese. Pour pasta in a warm large serving bowl, or make individual portions, top with a generous amount of tomato-basil sauce and serve immediately. Serve pasta with cheese on the side; place a pepper mill on the table.       Did you know?   The Irish believe that fairies are extremely fond of good wine. The proof of the assertion is that in the olden days royalty would leave a keg of wine out for them at night. Sure enough, it was always gone in the morning. - Irish Folklore Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914), "The Devil's Dictionary", 1911: CONNOISSEUR, n. A specialist who knows everything about something and nothing about anything else. An old wine-bibber having been smashed in a railway collision, some wine was poured on his lips to revive him. "Pauillac, 1873," he murmured and died.

The Manhattan cocktail (whiskey and sweet vermouth) was invented by Winston Churchill's mother.

quote of the week   " One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.  ~ Virginia Woolf,  "A Room of One's Own"      Quantity, quality, fresh, frozen....what's your definition of dining well? If you want to contribute a quote send it to me at info@casadante.com    Please write "quote" in the subject line. If you want to contribute an original article or thought ( relative to our industry please) write me and I will approve and post.  Casa Dante's 40th New Years Eve Bash! Live Entertainment, Dinner, Champagne Toast, Party Favors and lots of fun!  This one will be amazing. Julian & Dominique will entertain us all night long! Book now as seating is limited and this will sell out quickly this year!  Hotel rooms & transportation available. Casa Dante first opened its doors in 1971. We are in our 40th Anniversary year  and our celebration is under way. New Menu items, Bigger Wine Dinners, Unique Wine Tastings, Great Holiday deals, a Fantastic New Years Celebration! Stay tuned for more news........ Extra Specials for email group only ...we want you to take advantage of us!  We are offering a 10% discount on parties up to eight on Monday through Thursday for the month of November 2010. This is only for email  or Blogger customers! Just print this and bring it along. You must be in our database, so make sure you are included by calling or emailing your request.  Mondays through  November 2010...half price on bottles of wine up to $200 in our award(s) winning wine list.  Just come in and order dinner.  ( This one is really catching on....Monday evenings are becoming a big wine night here.) The above deals are for email customers only and may not be combined with any other offer.  Heres a tip.....Google " Casa Dante" and check out web coupons and deals we have out there! Im trying to help you have a great meal, and save money too! Remember that we deliver larger office orders on weekdays throughout Jersey City and closer vicinities. Call 201-795-2750 for details! If you are a fan of  Casa Dante, the best way to get the word out is on the internet! You can help us improve Casa Dante's online visibility on the youth dominated internet. Please review us on on any of the following sites and keep tried and true institutions like ours in play. Thanks for your help! http://www.zagat.com/Verticals/PropertyDetails.aspx?VID=8&R=42603 http://www.yelp.com/biz/casa-dante-restaurant-jersey-city http://yellowpages.aol.com/business/nj/jersey-city/casa-dante-restaurant/0-110358357/ http://newyork.citysearch.com/profile/6670237/jersey_city_nj/casa_dante.html http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/53/581459/restaurant/North-Jersey/Casa-Dante-Jersey-City