Snowy week at Casa Dante

www.casadante.com       See us on    FACEBOOK  or Casa Dante Facebook Dear Friends, More snow this week. But we're clear and open.  No matter, were still making some great food, plenty of wine and it's pretty toasty in the main room.  Planning a wine dinner with Antinori for late February. Ill announce the day next week. Should be a good one. Big wines and comparably big food! Valentines Day weekend quickly approaching. Thinking about including a singles-only cocktail party in the main room on Friday, February 11th. We figured it's a good time for people to mingle and make new friends. A bit of live entertainment should make for a nice evening. Need some feedback on this. Please email me at info@casadante.com with your comments. Have to get back to digging out my parking lot, in the meantime stay warm, and if you need a meal today think of us! Ask Louie for the wine deal today. ( I just posted it on Casa Dante Facebook) 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 January 14, 2011              Danny Bacher   smooth and light Jazz        Friday January 15, 2011     "Anthony & Taryn"    Great vocals, standards and contemporary sounds

Healthy Italian    Red-Wine Risotto   Rich, red-wine-infused risotto is served as a first course or side dish all over Northern Italy. The type of wine used varies according to region. In Piedmont, a local Barbera or Barbaresco is the wine of choice. Any dry red wine that's good enough to drink can be used in its place   Ingredients:   4 1/2 cup(s) reduced-sodium beef broth 2 tablespoon(s) extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 2 clove(s) garlic, minced 1 1/2 cup(s) arborio, carnaroli or other Italian "risotto" rice. ( not just rice ) 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt 1 3/4 cup(s) dry red wine, such as Barbera, Barbaresco or Pinot Noir 2 teaspoon(s) tomato paste 1 cup(s) finely shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided Freshly ground pepper, to taste Directions Place broth in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat so the broth remains steaming, but is not simmering. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is very soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add rice and salt and stir to coat. Stir 1/2 cup of the hot broth and a generous splash of wine into the rice; reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid has been absorbed. Add more broth, 1/2 cup at a time along with some wine, stirring after each addition until most of the liquid has been absorbed. After about 10 minutes, stir in tomato paste. Continue to cook, adding broth and wine and stirring after each addition until most of the liquid is absorbed; the risotto is done when you've used all the broth and wine and the rice is creamy and just tender, 20 to 30 minutes more. Remove the risotto from the heat; stir in 3/4 cup cheese and pepper. Serve sprinkled with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Did you know?    *A typical American eats 28 pigs in his/her lifetime. *Americans eat 20.7 pounds of candy per person annually. The Dutch eat three times as much. *Americans spend approximately $25 billion each year on beer. *Americans spent an estimated $267 billion dining out in 1993. *An etiquette writer of the 1840's advised, "Ladies may wipe their lips on the tablecloth, but not blow their noses on it." *Aunt Jemima pancake flour, invented in 1889, was the first ready-mix food to be sold commercially. *Caffeine: there are 100 to 150 milligrams of caffeine in an eight-ounce cup of brewed coffee, 10 milligrams in a six-ounce cup of cocoa, 5 to 10 milligrams in one ounce of bittersweet chocolate, and 5 milligrams in one ounce of milk chocolate. *California's Frank Epperson invented the Popsicle in 1905 when he was 11-years-old. *Capsaicin, which makes hot peppers "hot" to the human mouth, is best neutralized by casein, the main protein found in milk. *Cast iron skillets used to be the leading source of iron in the American diet! *China's Beijing Duck Restaurant can seat 9,000 people at one time. *Chocolate contains phenyl ethylamine (PEA), a natural substance that is reputed to stimulate the same reaction in the body as falling in love. *World wide, consumers spend more than $7 billion a year on chocolate. *Annual per capita consumption of chocolate is 12 pounds per person. *Each American eats an average of 51 pounds of chocolate per year. *Fortune cookies were invented in 1916 by George Jung, a Los Angeles noodle maker. *Fried chicken is the most popular meal ordered in sit-down restaurants in the US. The next in popularity are: roast beef, spaghetti, turkey, baked ham, and fried shrimp. *Goulash, a beef soup, originated in Hungary in the 9th century AD. *Haggis, the national dish of Scotland: take the heart, liver, lungs, and small intestine of a calf or sheep, boil them in the stomach of the animal, season with salt, pepper and onions, add suet and oatmeal. Enjoy! *Hostess Twinkies were invented in 1931 by James Dewar, manager of Continental Bakeries' Chicago factory. He envisioned the product as a way of using the company's thousands of shortcake pans which were otherwise employed only during the strawberry season. Originally called Little Shortcake Fingers, they were renamed Twinkie Fingers, and finally "Twinkies." In 1860, 'Godey's Lady's Book' advised US women to cook tomatoes for at least 3 hours. *In 1926, when a Los Angeles restaurant owner with the all-American name of Bob Cobb was looking for a way to use up leftovers, he threw together some avocado, celery, tomato, chives, watercress, hard-boiled eggs, chicken, bacon, and Roquefort cheese, and named it after himself: Cobb salad. *In 1995, KFC sold 11 pieces of chicken for every man, woman and child in the US. *In an authentic Chinese meal, the last course is soup because it allows the roast duck entree to "swim" toward digestion. *In the United States, a pound of potato chips costs two hundred times more than a pound of potatoes. *Irish cream and Hazelnut are the most popular whole bean coffee flavorings.

quote of the week   "We are living in a world today where lemonade is made from artificial flavors and furniture polish is made from real lemons." Alfred E. Newman 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  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 as "....like a boisterous Italian embrace....in a Fellini movie".    I like the comparison. I will post the full review next week. 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 January 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  January 2011...half price on bottles of wine ( no price limit) 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!  Zagat, Urban Spoon, Yelp, Open Table, Citysearch

A New Year at Casa Dante

www.casadante.com       See us on    FACEBOOK  or Casa Dante Facebook Dear Friends, A wonderful holiday season has just passed. Christmas Eve dinner was delightful, and New Year's Eve was a BLAST! (Our back dining room was transformed into a nightclub. See photos on our Casa Dante Facebook  link ) Now, we are resolved to eating well and exercising! Right? We have so many different & wise choices to help you achieve your healthy goals; fresh fish, scrumptious fruits, well-prepared vegetables and unique foods. We will be featuring items such as farro and quinoa grains that are satisfying, nutritious and healthy. We're planning a "Wines of Antinori" dinner at the end of February, and Valentine's Day information will be posted next week on our site. Don't let your resolve wither! Come in and let us treat you to fine, healthy foods without the worry ( and stay away from the cannoli, if you can ).  Happy New Year! 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 January 7, 2011   Jazz Night           The Don Carter Trio        Saturday January 8, 2011    "Dominique & Julian"   back for an Encore after last week's fabulous New Year's Eve Bash. ( I 'm surprised they still have their voices! )

Healthy Italian     (New Year's Resolution Stuff!) Whole Wheat Penne with Chicken & Veggies This is a great way to enjoy a healthy pasta dish. Italian seasoned chicken is baked then added to a delicious tomato sauce. The best part is a skinless chicken breast contains only 1.5 grams of fat and only .5 grams of saturated fat. It also contains 24 grams of protein which is great if your looking to build muscles and stay lean. The healthy sauce that is used for this whole wheat Penne with Chicken and Veggies dish is full of fresh vegetables to accompany the tender seasoned chicken. Enjoy! Chicken �  1 pound of whole wheat penne pasta �  4 boneless skinless chicken breasts �  1 tsp of dried basil �  1 tsp of dried oregano �  1 tsp of dried thyme �  1/2 tsp of salt �  1/2 tsp of ground black pepper Sauce �  2 Tbls of light extra virgin olive oil �  1 small yellow onion, chopped �  1 carrot, diced �  1 celery, diced �  3 cloves of garlic, chopped �  8 baby portabella mushrooms, sliced �  1 zucchini, diced �  1 15oz can of diced tomatoes �  1 15oz can of tomato sauce �  8 fresh basil leaves, chopped �  1/2 tsp of salt �  1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper �  2 cups of broccoli florets PREPARATION �  Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees �  Season the chicken with the dried basil, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. �  Slightly grease a baking dish with olive oil. �  Place the chicken in the dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until chicken is cooked through, �  Remove the chicken from the oven and place them on a cutting board to rest for about 10 minutes. �  Cut the chicken into diagonal slices and set aside. �  While the chicken is baking make the sauce. �  Heat the oil in a large pan and saut� the onions, carrot. celery, garlic, mushrooms and zucchini for 3 to 5 minutes. �  Add the tomatoes and tomato sauce. �  Add the basil, salt and pepper. �  Cook the sauce for 20 to 30 minutes. �  Add the broccoli florets and cook another 15 minutes �  In 6 quarts of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Around 8 to 10 minutes. �  Drain the pasta and place it back in the pot. �  Add the tomato mixture and the chicken to the pot and toss. Serves 4 people Did you know?  one - The world record for eating cheesecake is 11 pounds eaten in nine minutes  by Sonya Thomas, who weighs 105 pounds. two -  The smaller the size of a berry, the sweeter its taste three - Popcorn has been around for 6,000 years. four -  The "special sauce" in a Big Mac is actually thousand island dressing. five -  If you could eat only one vegetable for the rest of your life, eat spinach; it's one of the highest ranking vegetables as far as overall antioxidant capacity, yet so versatile in recipes. six -  Whenever a recipe for cake or muffins calls for oil, applesauce can be substituted. seven -  The first breakfast cereal ever produced was Shredded Wheat eight -  The average person eats almost 1500 pounds of food a year nine - Aunt Jemima pancake flour, invented in 1889, was the first ready-mix food to be sold commercially. ten - The first Oreo was sold in 1912.

quote of the week   "People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas." ~Unknown   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  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! 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 January 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  January 2011...half price on bottles of wine ( no price limit) 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!  Zagat, Urban Spoon, Yelp, Open Table, Citysearch