This Week at Casa Dante

www.casadante.com       See us on    FACEBOOK  or Casa Dante Facebook Dear Friends, Easter and Passover are very late this year, April 24th and April 18 respectively.  We're getting our menus ready now and they will be posted this week. In the meantime, we're filling March with great entertainment and some great menu "additions". Casa Dante is offering a Lenten "Prix fix" meatless menu for Wednesdays and Fridays, from now until Easter. Please ask your server for details, or check our web site. "Breadless" alternatives will be provided for Passover. They will be posted, as well, on our website.  A friend commented that he judges an Italian restaurant by the quality of the veal or chicken parmigiana dishes (see the article below in the "Did You Know?" section). As many of you know, Casa Dante has been servings these standards for forty years. Italian food has become very diversified since those introductory days of "parm" dishes. Fresh fish and meats are our trademark. Let us know if you want to get away from the "standard" fare and we'll tell you all about our specials. Oysters, halibut, short ribs, red snapper, as well as gluten free pastas have been on our menus of late. But if you still want a chicken parmigiana, in my friends opinion, we still make the best! Check out our St . Patricks Day celebration including Happy Hour at our bar from 2pm until 7pm. -The Champain Fulton Trio this Friday night the 18th of March. Don't miss this very special vocalist. She and her fabulous musicians will fill the evening with great music. Julian & Dominique, entertain Saturday March 19. If you've never experienced their entertainment stylings, reserve now as many have already booked. Reserve a spot on Open Table or call direct. Hope to see you here! Till next time! 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 March 18, 2011        The Champain Fulton Trio   Jazz Vocals, Great musicians. Come in for a special night. Saturday March 19, 2011     "Julian & Dominique"  The "Gold" standard here at Casa Dante

 See the full entertainment schedule at www.casadante.com/entertainment

Healthy Italian   Frittata was often at our dinner table when I grew up as an immigrant child in Brooklyn. It was economical, tasty and healthier than most other inexpensive alternatives. My mother was a creative cook, which is to say she made great food with seemingly few ingredients. A frittata was always a quick treat and tasty even to a childs palate. Enjoy! Vegetable Frittata ( Omelette) Italiana    SERVES 4 to 6 This omelet recipe, called a frittata in Italian, is a quick, easy and healthy main dish for a busy weeknight, but is equally good for breakfast, brunch or lunch. Serve with a salad or cooked vegetables and some good crusty bread. It may easily be made in any amount desired, allowing two eggs per person. My Italian friends always made frittatas completely on the stove top. See the notes for other methods. INGREDIENTS 1 tablespoon olive oil, more if needed 1/2 cup chopped onion (1/2 medium onion) 1 cup chopped red and/or green pepper (1 medium pepper) 3 large cloves garlic, minced 8 to 12 large eggs 1 tablespoon dried oregano 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (can use 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes) 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided Salt and pepper to taste Heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in large, preferably non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers; saute until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute an additional minute. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, place the eggs in a large bowl with about 2 tablespoons water. Beat with a wire whisk until frothy. Add the sauteed vegetables, oregano, parsley, 2 tablespoons of the cheese, salt and pepper. Beat until well combined. Return the pan to a burner over medium heat, adding just a little more oil, if needed. Add the egg mixture. Cook until set, pushing sides to center occasionally to allow wet portions to flow to bottom of pan, about 3 minutes. When the top is almost set, place a large plate or the skillet lid on top of the skillet. Turn the skillet upside down, catching the omelet with the plate. Return the skillet to the burner and slide the omelet in so that the bottom is now on the top. Sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of cheese. Cook for about one more minute, or until the bottom is set. Notes: If the pan you are using is oven safe, the omelet can be finished in a preheat 400 degree oven instead of flipping it, adding the tablespoon of cheese to the top. Alternately, it can be placed under a broiler. This omelet is equally good served hot or room temperature. Leftovers make an excellent sandwich. Amounts of ingredients called for can easily be adjusted to individual tastes. Variations: Other types of vegetables can be added, such as mushrooms, hot peppers, diced tomatoes or cooked, drained and chopped spinach. Diced ham or other meats can also be added. Be creative. Did you know!   ABOUT PARMIGIANA/PARMESAN "A dish made in the syle of Parma, which suggests copious amounts of parmigiano (cheese) and prosciutto (ham). In America, it connotes something in bread crumbs, fried, topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and parmigiano, and baked."?---Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink, John Mariani [Broadway Books:New York] 1998 (p. 179-180) "Parmigiano. A cow's milk cheese made in huge wheels and aged. On of the most esteemed Italian grana cheeses. The cheese of the region has been noted for its quality at least since the days to Boccaccio, who noted it The Decameron (14th century). Parmigiano-Reggiano...was made around Parma and Reggia at least as early as the 17th century."?---Dictionary Italian Food and Drink (p. 180) "The birthplace of Parmesan was Bibbiano, now a rather prosperous rural town in the Reggio Emilia district adjoining Parma and about two yours' train ride form Milan; but it was named for Parma because Bibbiano, and indeed all of Reggio Emilia, was under the rulse of the duchy of Parma during the Middle Ages, and because most cheese trading took place there as well. This false attribution was only partly corrected by Italian law in 1951, when the Stresa Convention decreed the present designations of Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano as well as the regulations governing their production."?---The Cheese Book, Vivienne Marquis and Patricia Haskell [Leslie Frewin:London] 1966 (p. 63) ABOUT CHICKEN PARM IN AMERICA?Food historians tell us Italian cuisine was introduced to our country by 19th century immigrants. At first, these foods were generally confined to Italian-American communities. After World War II *Italian* went mainstream, thanks to returning GIs who acquired the taste for far-flung foods during their tours of duty. Many traditional foreign dishes were *Americanized,* making them more acceptable to Anglo palates. Such is the case with chicken (and the more traditional veal) parmigiana. "Veal Parmesan" recipes begin showing up in American cookbooks of the 1950s. Chicken parmesan followed in the next decade. Classic recipes retained the original flavor; *Americanized* recipes employed ingredients actively promoted by food companies. It is not unusual to find convenience recipes omitting the parmesan cheese (using only mozzerella) and ham/prosciutto altogether. The earliest reference we find to Veal Parmigiana in American print is this [1947]:

quote of the week   "Leave the gun. Take the cannolis." - Clemenza, in The Godfather I had to put this quote in today. Like most movie buffs, I love the Godfather films. Clemenza ( Richard Castellano) said these words to a subordinate after Paulie, his once trusted driver, was "whacked". The food reference, of course, earns it a spot on this page! Another memorable quote " try the veal, its the best in the city!" Solozzo to McClusky in Louis Restaurant; but that's another story If you have a quote you think worthy, please email to me at info@casadante.com with your name and I will approve, post it here and give you mention! Casa Dante  40th Anniversary since 1971.  We would love your participation. If you have a story, photo or just a blurb of a memory involving Casa Dante, please forward it for inclusion in this section. Send it to info@casadante.com   Looking forward to hearing from you! A customer sent me an article from July 30,1978. New York Times review of Casa Dante. Two stars, not bad! B H Russell, of the NY Times described the then newly relocated Casa Dante  "....like a boisterous Italian embrace....in a Fellini movie".    I agree with the comparison. Extra Specials for email group only ...we want you to take advantage of us!  We are offering a 10% discount on parties of four ( minimum, please!)  to eight guests on Monday through Wednesdays for the month of March 2011. 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  March 2011.. This is only for March and email customers so read carefully 50% discount on any bottle from my wine list up to $150 when you order dinner, and mention this posting. 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 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!  Zagat, Urban Spoon, Yelp, Open Table,Citysearch  Winner of "Diners Choice Award"  on Open Table February 2011