Dinner from the 23

I am finally blogging.I am supposed to report on the dinner. I thought it went well. I loved the fact that we all got a chance to hang together and not run when dinner is over. I believe this maybe a new tradition. I would also like to report that Vivian, is currently with child which is way she did not drink any of our home made wine.  Video to follow 

Suspense Builds for Michael's Demo Dinner

OK, here's an update from "MikeyBoy" Caffrey, our host for Italian Dining Challenge Dinner #2! And the suspense builds....because we're still in the dark as to how much this great adventure is gonna cost. Is it going to be like "an offer we can't refuse??"

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August 6th:
HI GANG
MARK your calendars for august 23, I have just talked to the caterer and they are booked.

The menu will be a selection of salami.....and the first course will be tortelli d'erbette (fresh pasta like a ravioli with greens and cheese). Thats right you and your friends will learn how to make fresh pasta. The second course will be roast veal, with potate e verduro. We will have a mixed green salad.

This lovely meal will be served at 32 Lexington street, along with a early evening of Italian culture and products.

There may even be an Italian film festival.

Hope you all can make it... price to follow,
mikey boy caffrey

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Oh, and just as a reminder, here's Michael's email 'splaining why he's not blogging about this himself... (supporting graphic added by me...shave the head, take off the glasses and a few pounds and it could be Michael)


July 19th:

Hi all
I know I am supposed to blog this thing but I say blog blog blog.....I am just getting used to emailing so please respond by e mail...This is my dinner and I will broadcast it my way...old school e mail.

baci
mikey boy caffrey

Preview of August Adventure Dinner....by Mikie Boy Caffrey

Here's what Michael is planning for our next dinner...


Hello All

I hope this finds everyone having a great summer! I have the honor and privilege of planning our Italian Dining Adventure for August. I am planning to have a real adventure in combination with Blissfoodsnyc.com.

Blissfoods is a cooking school/caterer, that will come to our new kitchen in Rockville Centre, cater our meal and teach us how to cook it.

I think it sounds like an adventure. We will supply the Wine for the dinner!!!

I am planning this for either the 16 or 23 of August. Unfortunately the couple that runs the business is presently scouring Italy for new recipes, so I can't actually book them, but I do have a in with them so I really don't see a problem.

If that fails I do have a fabulous Eyetalian Restaurant we can go to.

I will get the rate from Bliss and we will just whack**it up.

I hope this email provides all the information needed for the evening of Italian Culture.

**Eyetalian word for splitting the check or losing a friend.

Molti baci
Mikey boy Caffrey

Dinner #1: Chris takes us to a deli in Queens

Since Chris was in the country for a limited time, we volunteered him to pick the first Italian restaurant. This way we knew he would be present for at least one of our excursions. The date was set for Friday, June 6th.

I notified Chris that he had been selected to make the first dining choice. I also briefed him that this new series would be a competition to find the best Italian dining experience in the NY area. Without much thought, he said his choice would be a deli in Queens called Sapori D'Ischia. A deli? Huh? Did he hear what I said about the competition? I asked him for the web site. "Web site!? Did you hear what I said? It's a deli in Queens!" he replied. OK, no web site, but they've been reviewed by New York Magazine. Click here to check it out.

So we all met at Sapori D'Ischia in Woodside, Queens. Given the location, we were glad that there was valet parking. Unfortunately, since plans were made on short notice, not everyone could make it. Diners that night were me, Chris, Mike, Donna, Mary Jane, Dominick, and Joni.

Holy Cow. What a surprise. This place was really cool. For originality and uniqueness, this one will be hard to beat. It really was a deli that transforms into a restaurant. We literally sat in the store area amongst the goods on the shelves -- boxes of dried pasta, jars of antipasto, cans of plum tomatoes -- all bathed in candlelight.

Unfortunately, since it's been over a week since we went there, I need some help remembering what we ordered, so please feel free to post in the comment section below, along with anything else you want to say about this event. I know I had the short ribs, which were great -- but the mashed potatoes that came with them were dry.

In the meantime, here are some pics and video clips for your enjoyment...


And what fun would dining out be without a left wing rant from Chris? Surprisingly (but maybe not to Chris), photos of Bill and Hill dining at this place were on display in an almost shrine-like manner. Hmmm...




Dominick's Critique (yes, I know it's dark, but you can hear him)

Impersonating the evening's impersonator (also hard to see, but I'm sure "Elvis" here appreciates that).

New Dining Series Kicks Off

Welcome to the "Italian Dining Challenge" Blog!

I thought a group blog would be a fun way to chronicle our new round of dining excursions -- especially since Donna gave up on the journal thing pretty quickly. :) It might be a little dangerous to give everyone in the group the ability to publish here, but I hope we'll all remember that this is on the internet -- for the world to potentially see. So keep it clean and anti-defamatory -- even in our normal and sometimes stinging jest, ok? :)

It took over a year for us to complete the full round of our "Adventure Dining Series" which started back in Feb 2007 with Dina's Egyptian selection Cafe Horus, complete with belly dancers and hooka-smoking....and ended with Chris' (or was it Jane's?) dining pick up in Harlem for Ethiopian at Awash where we all ate with our hands. The wait staff even refused to give Donna a utensil when she asked ("no fork for you!"). Gotta keep it authentic, I guess.

Round Two: Mangia Tutte Italiano...

After denying ourselves the joy of Italian dining as a group for over a year, I thought our next series should be ONLY Italian....! And to make it more interesting, we'd make it a friendly competition to find the "best" Italian restaurant in the area.

Like before, we will each take turns picking a restaurant -- but this time your fellow diners will rate restaurant selections for overall experience, food, price/value, atmosphere, and uniqueness/creativity (not so sure I want to keep that last criteria). And we'll blog about it afterwards too.

At the end of the series, the votes will be tallied and the winner will have his/her dinner paid for. Who knows, maybe there'll be some sort of trophy. We'll see. I've got a year to think about that. :) May the best diner win.

Memories and Moments from Round One

Before we move on to blogging about our Italian eats, here are some photos from of the first group. Can't find my pics from the Vietnamese restaurant, so if someone has them, please send to me and I'll add.