Want a professional and Industrial quality pasta maker in your own kitchen? Then check this out: I bougt this Atlas pasta maker based on recommendation from an Italian friend. As always, the quality of the pasta depends on the quality of the dough – and that takes some practice. Once I had a good recipe and decent results rolling out by hand, the addition of this machine made my pasta taste like the real stuff and I always get compliements from my guests! Atlas Original Italian Pasta Machine, Stainless Steel

Donovan House gets new restaurant

New York-based Thompson Hotels manages the 193-room hotel at 1155 14th St. NW, which boasts an ultra-contemporary design that includes imported Italian …  Read More…

Recent restaurant reviews

Spot on service, excellent Northern Italian food and idyllic ambience are enhanced by a charming and friendly atmosphere. Guests feel right at home in the …  Read More…

Restaurateur Piero Selvaggio Opening Valentino Houston This Fall

… into a true Italian restaurant, one unlike anything else this country had ever seen. Selvaggio's passion for wine collecting matched his love of food. …  Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

Want a professional and Industrial quality pasta maker in your own kitchen? Then check this out: I bougt this Atlas pasta maker based on recommendation from an Italian friend. As always, the quality of the pasta depends on the quality of the dough – and that takes some practice. Once I had a good recipe and decent results rolling out by hand, the addition of this machine made my pasta taste like the real stuff and I always get compliements from my guests! Atlas Original Italian Pasta Machine, Stainless Steel

Planning an Italian Food Menu

The menu could possibly be the single most important element of the Italian restaurant. After all, it is what is on the menu that keeps the customers coming back again and again. Careful consideration should go into planning the menu; this includes not only what foods you will serve, but also the layout and wording as well.

The first thing on your agenda when planning an Italian food menu is what type of food you will be serving. Are you serving just pizza and Italian sandwiches or will your menu feature a larger variety of dining options?

Next on your menu planning schedule should be to find several similar restaurants and study their menus. Pay attention to the variety of dishes that they offer, and how their menu is arranged.

Unless you already have your heart set on exactly what it is you will be serving in your diner, you may want to consider trying some of the most successful Italian restaurants in the area and incorporating some of their best dishes into your own menu. Some of the best Italian restaurants offer authentic foods from Italy, as well as some American versions.

Another point to keep in mind is that some of the best eating establishments have a signature dish that is all their own. You may want to create a taste that is unique to your restaurant. This is a sure way to keep the customers coming back.

Divide your menu into sections that include appetizers, drinks, lunch, dinner, salads, sandwiches and desserts. Now you are ready to fill your menu with the many wonderful and tasty dishes that you have planned.

Planning your menu includes much more than simply deciding what foods you will serve. Proper layout of the menu is also important. Again, study the menus of your competitors. How do they have their menu arranged? What are the menu’s advantages and disadvantages?

By taking careful note of these aspects of the menu, you will have a good idea of how to best layout your own menu. Generally, appetizers and salads, along with soups appear first on the menu, followed by sandwiches, lunch selections and finally dinner plates.

Another extremely important factor that should not be overlooked when planning your menu is the color scheme and theme of your menu. The colors and graphics of your menu should reflect the overall theme of your establishment.

Don’t forget that you will need quality graphics to represent the many wonderful dishes that you will be serving. The importance of this cannot be stressed enough. People are visual and want to see what their food will look like. Last but not least is menu selection description. Use very descriptive and flowing language when describing the selections that are featured on your menu.

Once you have settled on your menu items, you’ll be one step closer to your dream of opening a successful Italian restaurant.

Jessica Ackerman is a senior staff writer for www.padrinospizzaandpasta.com – one of the best pizza places in Seattle. There are countless options for late night food delivery in Seattle but make sure to order from our pizza – Voted the best pizza in Seattle by Seattle Magazine.

Enjoy this article? For more pizza and pasta tips and recipies visit our Seattle Pizza Blog.

Want a professional and Industrial quality pasta maker in your own kitchen? Then check this out: I bougt this Atlas pasta maker based on recommendation from an Italian friend. As always, the quality of the pasta depends on the quality of the dough – and that takes some practice. Once I had a good recipe and decent results rolling out by hand, the addition of this machine made my pasta taste like the real stuff and I always get compliements from my guests! Atlas Original Italian Pasta Machine, Stainless Steel

Tucson Restaurant Review: Pina: Fine food in inviting setting

So it is at Trattoria Pina, an Italian food restaurant where a scenic setting and artful decor complement exquisite cuisine. Perched high in the Foothills …  Read More…

New York Italian restaurant among newcomers to Congress Ave.

According to Zagat the leisurely meals with treat-you-like-family service make this old-line Upper East Side Italian feel like home to many. …  Read More…

RESTAURANT ROW

In partnership with the Italia Trade Commission, the hotel celebrate "Amore Italia", an Italian food and wine festival at Seven Corner
fef
s Restaurant all month …  Read More…
That’s all the news for today guys, so until next time, thanks for stopping by.

Want a professional and Industrial quality pasta maker in your own kitchen? Then check this out: I bougt this Atlas pasta maker based on recommendation from an Italian friend. As always, the quality of the pasta depends on the quality of the dough – and that takes some practice. Once I had a good recipe and decent results rolling out by hand, the addition of this machine made my pasta taste like the real stuff and I always get compliements from my guests! Atlas Original Italian Pasta Machine, Stainless Steel

Great Italian Food starts with Fresh Herbs

There are many wonderful ingredients which add to the richness and flavor of Italian food, but it’s the fresh herbs and spices that really make this food delicious. Learn about popular Italian herbs and how to cook with them to make your own scrumptious meals. Herbs are easy to grow too!

Italians insist upon fresh ingredients in their food, and their herbs are no exception. There are a variety of fresh herbs common in Italian cooking. Most people are familiar with the little bottles of dried herbs from the grocery store, but if you haven’t prepared food with fresh herbs, you really need to give it a try.

What’s the distinction between an herb and a spice?

Spices are made from the seeds, root, fruit or barks of aromatic plants, while the herbs primarily consist of the leaves and stems. Herb plants contain oils which are very fragrant and add the distinctive aroma and flavor that Italian food is known for.

A few of the most common herbs are basil, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage and thyme.

Basil is a member of the mint family, and like all mint herbs, it is extremely fragrant when picked fresh. Basil leaves blacken when exposed to metal, therefore it is common in Italy to tear the leaves by hand before throwing the basil into a sauce or onto a dish. Basil is the primary herb for the famous pesto sauce.

Oregano is another popular herb in both Italian and Greek food. Most people are familiar with this herb in tomato based pasta sauces and with meats.

Italian Parsley, also known as flat-leaf parsley, is readily available in most grocery stores and is easy to distinguish it from the curly variety frequently used as a garnish. Italians favor this parsley for cooking because it has a much better flavor, while the curlier variety is best saved for garnishing your dish.

Rosemary is another widely available herb and resembles a little branch from an evergreen tree. This is one of the most fragrant of all the fresh herbs and it will retain its flavor and aroma when dried. It’s excellent with vegetables and is often cooked into the dough of breads like focaccia.

Sage has long, broad leaves and is the herb which flavors the traditional Italian Saltimbocca dish. Sage is also very fragrant so be sure you don’t use too much and overwhelm your meal.

Thyme is another herb of the mint family, but in contrast to the other mints, it has tiny leaves that can easily be thrown whole into your sauce or dish. I use this herb frequently because its mild flavor goes well with everything and won’t overshadow the rest of your dish.

There are some basic rules for cooking with fresh herbs. Fresh herbs are more delicate than dried and can lose some of their flavor when cooked too long. For slow cooked sauces and meats, you can add the fresh herbs at the last minute keeping their flavors and aromas intact. On the other hand, the oils in dried herbs are concentrated requiring a smaller amount of than fresh herbs in your recipes. A good general rule of thumb is to use one tablespoon of fresh herbs for every 1 teaspoon of dried herbs needed in a dish. But remember, cooking is an art and you can use as much or as little as you like.

The next time you want to spruce up an everyday meal, throw in some fresh Italian herbs.

Learn more about Italian herbs and spices at http://www.italian-cooking-made-easy.com/herbs.html.

Want a professional and Industrial quality pasta maker in your own kitchen? Then check this out: I bougt this Atlas pasta maker based on recommendation from an Italian friend. As always, the quality of the pasta depends on the quality of the dough – and that takes some practice. Once I had a good recipe and decent results rolling out by hand, the addition of this machine made my pasta taste like the real stuff and I always get compliements from my guests! Atlas Original Italian Pasta Machine, Stainless Steel

Small cafes and coffee shops can afford to have a more “take us as you find us” approach, but a restaurant needs to be altogether grander. An Italian restaurant needs to be just as grand again. The whole ethos surrounding Italian restaurants is attached to that country’s love of good food, fine wine and glowing hospitality. The culture of Italy is so intertwined with food and drink, and making people smile, that an Italian restaurant will be required to keep to certain standards, whether it is in Venice or Venice Beach. There is no excuse, nor any allowance, for being anything less than excellent. And in a city like Orlando, where there are hundreds of Italian restaurants, things need to be extra special if a restaurant wants to stand out.

Christini’s is just such a restaurant. The Italian standards of food and wine are lived up to in no small way here. Restaurant reviews constantly praise its high standards of service, quality and ambience. Orlando Fl has got so many places to choose from when you want to eat Italian food, so to be highly rated requires a concerted effort and standards that are applied rigorously from within. Although there is plenty of competition providing external pressure, it is hugely important to remember that good hospitality is not something that can be done on the basis of duty – it needs to be considered an essential part of your business, and a minimum standard for anyone working within it.

Christini’s has managed to live up to these standards for some years now. It is one thing to be among the best for a few years and then fade gracefully. But to be at the top of people’s lists time and time again – and to receive positive reviews as an Italian restaurant in Orlando FL – is something else entirely. That takes commitment. It is not something that happens overnight, but it is something that can go away all too quickly if you are caught napping. All those years ago Christini’s made a firm commitment to never be caught napping, and years later that promise is still good. Other restaurants may get good reviews frequently, but this is one that will keep the level high even when you’re not looking.

Caterina Christakos is a published author and gourmet food aficionado. To learn more about Christinis restaurant go to: http://www.christinis.com/awards.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Caterina_Christakos

Author: Caterina Christakos

Want a professional and Industrial quality pasta maker in your own kitchen? Then check this out: I bougt this Atlas pasta maker based on recommendation from an Italian friend. As always, the quality of the pasta depends on the quality of the dough – and that takes some practice. Once I had a good recipe and decent results rolling out by hand, the addition of this machine made my pasta taste like the real stuff and I always get compliements from my guests! Atlas Original Italian Pasta Machine, Stainless Steel

In These Trying Times We Seek Reliable Comforts: Tradition, Quality and a Bowl of Spaghetti

Alexander Chancellor: Italian cooks don’t tend to experiment, but try to ensure that their dishes taste exactly as they always have

The global recession appears to have sealed the triumph of Italian cuisine over every other nation’s. The reason is not that Italian food is necessarily the best but that it is comforting, reliable and predictable. That’s why it’s so popular with the unhappy victims of the credit crunch. On holiday in Italy just now, I bought a copy of the International Herald Tribune and read an article headlined “Italian food eases pain for Swiss bankers”. The article said that while Zurich’s Swiss restaurants are now often almost empty, its Italian ones continue to thrive.

“Yes, the bankers of this Swiss financial capital are in pain, and in surprising numbers are seeking comfort in Italian cuisine,” the article went on. “This sudden appetite for Italian dishes seems to arise from their potency as comfort food, and the comfort factor seems to have grown in importance as Swiss banks have felt the pinch of the financial crisis.”

This makes perfect sense. The main attraction of Italian food is its reliability. On the whole, Italian cooks don’t believe in experimentation but try to ensure that their dishes taste exactly as they always have. If you are Italian and order spaghetti all’amatriciana or melanzane alla parmigiana in a restaurant, your hope is that it will be indistinguishable from the versions your grandmother made; and that is what most Italian cooks modestly try to ensure.

Other comfort factors are the excellence and familiarity of the main ingredients in Italian cooking (pasta, arborio rice, parmesan, mozzarella, prosciutto, and so on) and its continuing dependence on seasonal products, so that you look forward to each new season for the fruits and vegetables it will yield. For example, the ending of summer is forgiven because the onset of autumn offers the compensating pleasures of white truffles and porcini mushrooms.

The fancy restaurants that offer limitless culinary choice to the citizens of London or New York don’t interest most people any more. The economic crisis, with its accompanying uncertainties, makes them long for the kind of dependability and continuity that Italian cooking most evidently knows how to provide.

I got back from Tuscany to Northamptonshire just in time to vote Liberal Democrat in yesterday’s European election. I had been convinced by the Guardian that neither of the main parties – and especially not the Tories – deserved to represent us in Europe, but felt a little guilty nevertheless to have taken sides against Gordon Brown in his darkest hour. (I also feel, by the way, that David Cameron is losing a lot of goodwill by sounding more and more like the leader of a Brown lynch mob.)

The Italians don’t vote until Sunday, but Silvio Berlusconi is unlikely to pay any price whatsoever for the political crisis that engulfs him, even though this crisis, unlike Brown’s, is of his own making. Whatever the reality of Berlusconi’s relations with Noemi Letizia and the many other young women that he likes to entertain at his Sardinian villa, his elasticity with the truth and his indifference to appearances mean that he deserves an electoral drubbing.

But he won’t get it. He himself, presumably on the basis of private opinion polls, has confidently predicted that his party will get between 43 and 45% of the vote and that “the defeat of the left will be terrible; they will get their bones broken”. And that could well be so. This is not only because the center-left opposition is unimpressive and lacks a plausible leader; it is because the majority of Italians like Berlusconi. They see him as a man of action (”Others talk; he gets things done,” said my Rome taxi driver. “He saw the rubbish in Naples and just went in and cleared it up.”) They also, like Peter Mandelson, are “intensely relaxed” about him being “filthy rich”. (”He’s worked really hard for it, and look at how much work he has given to others,” said the same taxi driver.)

Most Italians I spoke to accepted Berlusconi’s repeated line that he is the innocent victim of concerted efforts by the opposition, media and magistrature to use baseless gossip to destroy him, that their attacks will backfire against them and that the Italian people are on his side. And most Italians seem far less concerned than they should be by Berlusconi’s open contempt for parliament and the judiciary and his promise of political reforms that would further strengthen him at their expense. He is definitely beginning to feel dangerous. I try to take comfort in the fact that Berlusconi is already 72, whereas Mussolini was still 11 years younger than that when his 23-year dictatorship finally ended in ignominy in 1945.

As part of the Berlusconi camp’s practice of smearing anyone who is critical of him, the prime minister’s estranged wife, Veronica Lario, 52, has been accused of having had a two-year affair with a bodyguard five years younger than herself. So what, you may ask. Veronica has been effectively separated from her husband for at least 10 years, while he has felt free to demean her as much as he wants – for example, by publicly telling another woman that he would marry her if he were free to do so.

There would seem to be no reason why Veronica should not find herself another partner. But in Berlusconi’s world that’s not how things are. The wife of an important man should remain faithful to him and forego all others however badly he behaves and however separated they may have become. So Veronica’s decision to seek a divorce on account of her husband’s humiliating behavior towards her is regarded by him as quite unforgivable and deserving of retribution. They might as well be living in Saudi Arabia.

This week Alexander explored the marvels of the Tuscan city of Lucca and paid a visit to Torre del Lago, the nearby lakeside home (now a museum) of the city’s most famous composer, Giacomo Puccini: “Puccini was a passionate hunter of wildfowl on the lake, and his collection of shotguns included one with the longest barrel I have ever seen.”

Want a professional and Industrial quality pasta maker in your own kitchen? Then check this out: I bougt this Atlas pasta maker based on recommendation from an Italian friend. As always, the quality of the pasta depends on the quality of the dough – and that takes some practice. Once I had a good recipe and decent results rolling out by hand, the addition of this machine made my pasta taste like the real stuff and I always get compliements from my guests! Atlas Original Italian Pasta Machine, Stainless Steel

Italian Food Wine 5/31/2009 – Champagne Sundays on Blog Talk Radio

Join Nancy Lisa BigBlendMagazine.com Editors with a glass of bubbly for their special Italian Food Wine show featuring Celebrity Chef Maria Liberati – author of The Basic Art of Italian Cooking Piergiorgio Castellani – Castellani Wines …  Read More…

GASTROnomi: Italian Sabich

Its almost unlikely Italians go here, and if they did, surely they understand and for that reason go to, an Indian restaurant, in which they will not be served anything remotely close to Italian food. And yet the menu is dressed up in …  Read More…

Italian and Japanese in Fukuoka – The Japanese Food Report

Yosuke and Mami Kanamaru win my vote for the most adorable husband and wife chef team on planet earth. Adorable, and exceedingly talented.  Read More…

Hope you enjoy the read as much as I did and please if you have something to say, use the comments form below to let everyone know your thoughts.

Have a great day!

Want a professional and Industrial quality pasta maker in your own kitchen? Then check this out: I bougt this Atlas pasta maker based on recommendation from an Italian friend. As always, the quality of the pasta depends on the quality of the dough – and that takes some practice. Once I had a good recipe and decent results rolling out by hand, the addition of this machine made my pasta taste like the real stuff and I always get compliements from my guests! Atlas Original Italian Pasta Machine, Stainless Steel

Located just a couple of blocks from Fenway Park, Canestaro’s is also close to Boston University, Northeastern University, the Colleges of the Fenway (Simmons, Wheelock, Emmanuel), and several of Boston’s famed medical research hospitals, and draws fans from all of these areas, as well as the neighborhood. 

So why is Canestaro’s so popular?  That’s easy:  everyone loves the home-style Italian classics.  This is where you can get traditional favorites like Italian wedding soup, which is a tasty rich chicken broth filled with tiny mushrooms, spinach, and tiny pasta.  Pair that with, perhaps, a caprese salad – ripe tomatoes layered with mozzarella and basil on top of crisp romaine – and it’s more than enough for a meal, especially if you add a few grilled shrimp or grilled salmon to the salad.

The antipasto platter overflows with provolone cheese, mortadella, prosciutto, salami, roasted peppers, olives, and other good things on a bed of greens, and likewise could be a meal by itself.

But unless you become such a regular at Canestaro’s that you have ample opportunity to try everything on the menu, you may want to consider some of the pastas or main course specialities.  The seafood pastas are especially good – for example, lobster ravioli with a creamy “pink” tomato sauce laced with garlic and pecorino romano cheese, and shrimp scampi with tomatoes and mushrooms tossed in a lemony white wine sauce and served over linguini.

Main course dishes such as Chicken Marsala and Stuffed Shells are especially interesting because of the emphasis here on fresh vegetables, high-quality ingredients, and careful preparation.  I especially love the Eggplant Parmesan with homemade marinara sauce.  You’ll find lots of other classics as well – Chicken Piccata, Sausage and Peppers, and Fettuccini Alfredo.  In addition, Canestaro Restaurant offers lots of reasonably priced sandwiches, steaks, burgers, and fish straight off the grill, and absolutely fabulous pizza. 

Desserts are worth saving room for – so plan ahead! Boston cream pie is excellent, and so are the Italian specialties – cannoli, tiramisu, and spumoni ice cream. But you’ll find lots of other mouth-watering options as well – shortcake filled with vanilla custard and topped with fresh berries, a decadent triple mousse cake, and a really wonderful brownie sundae. 

Combine all of these possibilities with a great wine list, plus local beers and specialty drinks, and you’ll quickly see why Canestaro Restaurant is so popular with Boston Italian food lovers – whether or not the Red Sox are playing nearby.

Susan writes about favorite Boston restaurants near Fenway Park in http://www.Boston-Discovery-Guide.com/fenway-restaurant.html, where she shares additional information about http://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/canestaro-restaurant.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_Vik

Author: Susan Vik

Want a professional and Industrial quality pasta maker in your own kitchen? Then check this out: I bougt this Atlas pasta maker based on recommendation from an Italian friend. As always, the quality of the pasta depends on the quality of the dough – and that takes some practice. Once I had a good recipe and decent results rolling out by hand, the addition of this machine made my pasta taste like the real stuff and I always get compliements from my guests! Atlas Original Italian Pasta Machine, Stainless Steel

Want a professional and Industrial quality pasta maker in your own kitchen? Then check this out: I bougt this Atlas pasta maker based on recommendation from an Italian friend. As always, the quality of the pasta depends on the quality of the dough – and that takes some practice. Once I had a good recipe and decent results rolling out by hand, the addition of this machine made my pasta taste like the real stuff and I always get compliements from my guests! Atlas Original Italian Pasta Machine, Stainless Steel