This Week at Casa Dante

www.casadante.com       See us on    FACEBOOK  or Casa Dante Facebook Dear Friends, This holiday week we want to wish all our friends, patrons and family a joyous Passover and Happy Easter. We hope to see you here in the coming weeks. Casa Dante has always been a place where families gather for great food, drink and tradition. We extend ourselves during these holidays to ensure your memories are well preserved and cherished. Thanks for thinking of us during this season and hope to see you soon! Until next time! Dom & Toni Marino Proprietors -We still have availability at 4, 5 and 6 pm for this Easter Sunday. Call 201-795-2750 to reserve or go to Open Table . Mothers Day is Sunday May 8, 2011. -Easter Sunday dinner service starts at 1pm and we serve till 9pm. Please reserve now as we have open reservations ( ie: no set times, no seatings,no rush) and our menus include many signature dishes.Our Easter Menus for April 24 are now posted here www.casadante.com/events and you can reserve by calling 201-795-2750 or at Open Table  -Spring is celbration time! Remember that we have special menus for parties. Graduations, communions, baptims, weddings & rehearsal dinners. Check with our staff for dates and times you need. Rooms for small or large parties up to 140. Free valet parking. - Leo D'Angelo received rave reviews from many who were here last Saturday evening. His Italian ballads and pop songs were enthusiastically received. We will bring him back soon. Thanks for letting us know! -See Entertainment for this Friday and Saturday below. Reserve a spot on Open Table or call direct. 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 April 22, 2011        Champain Fulton Trio Cool Jazz stylings and one of the best jazz vocalists in the business! Saturday April 23, 2011     " Danny Heise"  great vocalist and musician. Wonderful entertainer!  See the full entertainment schedule at www.casadante.com/entertainment

Healthy Italian     Some of you may know that my wife and I are both Sicilian. When we were growing up in New York our parents made a form of Easter Bread, actually Easter cake. Semi-sweet, glazed with sugar and sprinkles and adorned with whole cooked, colored eggs. We loved it. We found a "write-in" recipe we want to share. It seems to be what we remember our Moms making and seek to preserve this tradition for you. Try it! It's fun to make and the whole family gets involved making shapes, baking and, of course, eating. ( with a cup of espresso, please!)   Sicilian Easter Bread ( Pupoconuovo )   Take note that this was done in a KitchenAid mixer: Pastelli Di Pasqua?4 C flour?4 t baking powder?1/2 C shortening?4 raw eggs?1/4 C orange juice?1 C sugar?2 t vanilla?6 hard-boiled colored eggs 1 egg, beaten?colored sprinkles ( non-pareils ). Sift flour, baking powder, and salt on board. Cut in shortening. Add raw eggs one at at a time; mix. Add orange juice, sugar, and vanilla. Mix until dough is soft. Knead 10 minutes, or until smooth and satiny. Place in covered bowl; set aside 1/2 hour. Roll dough under palms of hands on floured board; flatten slightly; shape into large ring. Press (bury) colored eggs on top of ring; brush with beaten egg; dust with sprinkles; bake in hot oven (425 degrees) 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Please let me know how it turns out. I think it's really delicious. Not overly sweet, crumbly. The memories are really what I love about this bread.     s Did you know!  more Easter Fun Facts   When taking a bite into a chocolate bunny, 76% of Americans prefer to bite off the ears first. 5% eat the feet first and 4% eat the tail first. During the Easter season, Americans buy more than 700 million Peeps - making Peeps the most popular non-chocolate Easter candy. Adults prefer milk chocolate (65%) over dark chocolate (27%). 86% would prefer having chocolate bunnies instead of a live rabbit. Each day throughout the year, 5 million marshmallow chicks and bunnies are produced in preparation for Easter. 16 billion jelly beans are made specifically for Easter which is enough to fill a plastic egg the size of a 9-story building. Kids prefer red jelly beans and 75% are willing to do extra chores for more Easter candy. 57% of kids get up super early on Easter to see what the Easter bunny has brought them. 80% of parents carry on the tradition of the Easter bunny by preparing a surprise Easter basket filled with goodies for their children and 90% of adults hope for their own Easter treat. The first chocolate eggs were made in Germany in the 19th century and remain one of the most popular Easter candies today. Solid chocolate bunnies are favored, followed closely by hollow chocolate bunnies, marshmallow filled bunnies, and other Easter bunny candy. In the old days pretzels were associated with Easter because the twists of the pretzel were thought to resemble arms crossing in prayer. The exchange of eggs for Easter dates back to a springtime custom older than Easter itself in which eggs were given as a symbol of rebirth in many cultures. The Easter egg roll on the White House lawn has been a tradition since 1878. After Halloween, Easter is the biggest candy consuming holiday.   quote of the week   "Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?? I'm halfway through my fish burger and I realize, Oh my God....I could be eating a slow learner." Lynda Montgomery       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  Recipient of the "Diners Choice Award"  on Open Table  for April 2011       Thanks to our many fans!

 See the full Casa Dante Star Ledger Review at www.casadante.com/aboutus