Now That's Italian The New York Times On a Saturday evening at the restaurant Tommaso not long ago, the lights in the main dining room burned bright, glinting off mirrors and illuminating plates of chicken scarpariello, which someone at just about every table had ordered. The air was thick with the scents of garlic, onions and Parmesan. It was also loud with song — specifically, opera — but the voice filling the room didn't belong to Pavarotti or Domingo.
Scores Arrested in Trans-Atlantic Mafia Sweep ADN Kronos International Over 80 mob suspects have been arrested in the southern Italian region of Sicily and in the US in a major anti-Mafia operation carried out by Italian police and the FBI. A total 20 Mafia suspects were arrested by the Italian authorities and 60 of their US counterparts in the operation code-named 'The Old Bridge'. Those arrested include prominent members of Mafia families from the Sicilian city of Palermo, already implicated in transatlantic drug trafficking probes, as well as three high-ranking members of the Italo-American Gambino crime family.
Mafia's Decline Robs Police of Their Glory The Financial Times Cosa Nostra from Sicily and their New York cousins in organised crime were seriously hit by combined US-Italian police operations last week. But analysts and insiders questioned whether the media had themselves been the victims of an overhyped blitz.
[Your Name Goes Here] Crime Family The New York Times Maybe the Mafia needs a new business model. There is a fortune to be made from selling naming rights to New York’s five Mafia families.
When his country needed him most, at the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Benjamin Franklin delivered.
 by Jonathan Isles |
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 by nachista |
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 by nachista |
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February 13, 2008
On Dec. 12, 1978, eight mobsters known as the "Robert's Lounge Crew" stole $5 million in cash and $850,000 in jewelry from the Lufthansa Airline's cargo compound at JFK. The Lufthansa Heist, as it would be know, was an inside job. News of the robbery was reported around the world, and it was part of the storyline in Goodfellas.
So what do you do with that much cash burning a hole in your pocket? You go to Don Pepe.
It's arguably the best Italian restaurant in New York, but don't look for it in any guidebooks. That's because Don Pepe is a remnant of a New York that doesn't exist anymore.
It's in Ozone Park, Queens, five minutes from JFK. Until a few years ago, every name in the phone book here ended in a vowel.
The line starts to form about six most nights. It's mostly families. Kids who grew up nearby, bringing their own kids back for a taste of "the old neighborhood."
But about 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, the atmosphere starts to change. The lights dim, the smell of garlic hangs a little heavier in the air, and the ballads of Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, and Bobby Darin get a little louder. Men in $2,000 Italian suits and white silk ties held against gleaming white shirts with diamond tie tacks. Sliding into booths next to them are Marisa Tomei look-a-likes (think of her character in "My Cousin Vinny," but with twice the attitude). Out front, their Cadillacs and Lincolns are double parked, the doors unlocked and the keys in the ignition (Who'd dare touch ‘em?). This is the best time to come to Don Pepe.
Why does anyone come here? Partly it's for the atmosphere. But mostly it's for the food. And they're rarely disappointed.
I always start with the house white and an order of baked clams. Fresh that day, the clams have just the right amount of breading. I could make a meal out of them, but I don't because I know what else is on the menu.
The caprese salad (fresh mozzarella and beefsteak tomatoes in a light balsamic vinaigrette and a hint of basel) is outstanding. If you order the zuppa di cozza (mussels), plop one of those big white lumps floating in the broth into your mouth. They're not scallops, but garlic. And they're squisito.
For entrees, the Veal Don Pepe can't be beat. Lightly breaded with just a hint of lemon. The Scapariello is good, too. Chicken on the bone with sausage, onions, bell peppers and (again) whole garlic cloves. I've also had the shrimp in red butter and onion sauce and the Shrimp Luciano (named after a former patron) over linguine. In short, I've never had a bad meal here.
For dessert I recommend the lemon sorbet, served in a hollowed out lemon husk. And if you order espresso, you don't have to ask for the Anisette. Like any authentic Italian restaurant, it automatically appears on the table.
And bring cash. They don't take American Express (or any other credit cards) at Don Pepe.
Ironically, the Robert's Lounge Crew never saw a penny of the Lufthansa money. They stole it, but the money soon disappeared - along with them.
The smart money says the bosses got the loot. But knowing that they had one of their last meals at Don Pepe, I don't feel so bad for them. Do you?
Share the Eye:
Where Do They Get Those Names? Slate Among those named in the indictment are Thomas Cacciopoli ("Tommy Sneakers"), Domenico Cefalu ("The Greaseball"), Robert Epifania ("Bobby the Jew"), and Michael Urciuoli ("Mike the Electrician").
A Taste of Italy in Coney Island Yelp.com A Coney Island institution since 1907, this popular restaurant and catering hall (I've lost count of how many cousins had their wedding receptions here) managed to survive the decades-long disintegration of the neighborhood, during which time it continued to draw the masses with its menu of solid Italian favorites.
Worth the Trip Great Food, Great Destinations It’s not located in Manhattan, but in Queens, a few blocks from the Aqueduct race track, but very much worth the trip
Not Italian, but Sicilian BridgeandTunnel.com Even if you're fluent in Itialian, you may not be able to read the menu at Joe's of Avenue U. That's because owners Sal and Leonardo are true to their Sicilian roots.
The Wiseguy Cookbook Amazon.com Henry Hill, the only survivor of the Lufthansa Heist, shares his favorite Italian recipes.
still thinking about today...
Boswell said...
I used to love going there after the races at Belmont Park. Where I'd dine
with all the jockeys who cost me some loot earlier in the day. But in the convivial atmosphere...all was forgiven. Wasn't the original location in Howard Beach?
Once as a child early Feb. we had to write a research report on something pertaining to Valentine's Day . Bracing myself for the wave of reports on great loves and mythology that I would have to endure I audciously wrote of the St. Valentine's Massacre, I got a B