This Week at Casa Dante

www.casadante.com       See us on    FACEBOOK  or Casa Dante Facebook Dear Friends, I want to thank those who have submitted reviews of their experiences here at Casa Dante. The food is always mentioned in positive ways, which pleases us. The entertainment is a very welcome addition and almost always noted as surprisingly good and makes a night here more than "just dinner". We like to think that an evening at Casa Dante is an event. Whether you had a great meal, listened to some great music,  sat next to a celeb or got up and had a dance with your partner. Again, thanks for taking the time to tell others. Easter, Lenten and Passover offerings are on our website. Take a look www.casadante.com/events -The Laura Hull Trio this Friday night the 26th of March. Great vocals by one of the best inthe business. She and her fabulous musicians will fill the evening with great music. Anthony & Taryn entertain Saturday March 26. Great music to dine and remember. Reserve a spot on Open Table or call direct. Hope to see you here! Till next time! Dom & Toni Marino Proprietors Casa Dante 3.5/4 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 25, 2011        The Laura Hull Trio   Smooth Jazz Vocals, Great music by some of the best in the business. Come in for a special night. Saturday March 26, 2011     "Anthony & Taryn"   great vocals, standards, Modern and Dance!

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

Healthy Italian   Roasted Eggplant parmigiana The following is a delicious alternative to frying up eggplant ( as much as I love it!?). Fat is reduced significantly, but be carefull with the amount of cheese. Try this out; its quick, easy and it will make you a star in the kitchen! The healthier version of eggplant parmigiana is best made with "mini-eggplant" or small Italian eggplant (basically smaller versions of the large generic eggplant found in most markets).  The dish is fairly straightforward and begins by cutting the mini-eggplant in half (length wise) and roasting at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20-35 or until the interior flesh of the eggplant is nice and soft.  Prior to placing the eggplant in the over, each length should be brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with plenty of kosher salt and black pepper.  After removing the eggplant from the oven, you can ladle a bit of tomato sauce over the halved lengths, along with grated Parmigiano Reggiano.  Thereafter, place the eggplant back in the oven for a few more minutes or until the cheese has melted and, presto, you have a simple baked eggplant or eggplant parmigiano dish (without any drying or masking of eggplant flavor). V.Scordo contributor     Did you know! Food Facts I have been posting food facts for quite some time and I am still surprised at the new items I discover.  Check these out: 1. The onion actually means "large pearl" in Latin.  If you think about it, it kind of does look like a pearl when peeled. 2.  Ice Cream actually came from China? Believe it!  Marco Polo came back from China to Italy in 1295 and he brought a recipe for a dessert called "Milk Ice".  I suppose that there was a bit of European influence as well, considering that they were the ones who added the cream, instead of the milk.  3.   Carrots help with night vision.  Carrots are packed with Vitamin A, which increases vision.  Another quirky thing about carrots is that if you ate tons of them your skin could turn orange from the beta carotene content.  I used to worry about that as a kid, but I have learned I would have to eat A LOT of them to make this happen.  Plus, carrots have 0 fat so if you are thinking of trying this out, you don't have to worry about packing on the pounds. 4. Sorry to tell everyone, since it is winter, but chances are higher that you are hungrier when you are cold.  Temperature plays a part in how much we eat.  To make matters worse, it is definitely harder to get out to the gym or to walk around outside when you are freezing, so that does not help us much either. 5.  Your coke would be the color green if not enhanced with food coloring.  Ewwww!!  6.  22% of us are too busy at work or at home and skip lunch.  Me?  No way, I am not skipping any meal. 7.  Cherries are part of the rose family.  Who would have thought? 8.  It may be strange to think when we have a taste of these, but lemons actually have more sugar content than strawberries. 9.  Almost all of us have bobbed for an apple in our childhood past.  But did you ever wonder why that apple floats?  This is because 25% of the apple is made up of air! 10.  We eat about 3/4 worth of the fish that is caught in the world, but the fish are used for things like glue, soap, margarine and fertilizer.  Interesting!  By the way, 90% of all fish are caught in the northern hemisphere, in case you were wondering. 11.  Tomatoes are the most popular fruit (and there are over 9,000 varieties of them).  Makes sense to me.  Guess what comes second?  Bananas.  But, much to grocers dislike, these bananas often get lots of complaints in stores because many people don't like the coloring or spots on them. 12.  Ever notice how wine is often sold in tinted bottles?  Well, this is done to decrease light, which can often cause spoiling -Epicurious

quote of the week   "Schizophrenia beats dining alone" - Oscar Levant   quote provided by M. Holubiak, Contributing Editor     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 Thursdays for the month of April 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  April 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