Galloping Figs
I love fresh figs. I don’t care, black or white, I eat them all while they are in season. It all started when I was a kid. We had 3 fig trees in our Jersey backyard, 2 black, 1 white. I couldn’t wait for the …
Tag: gianni
The Purple Onion: Bye-Bye
The Purple Onion, the North Beach cellar club where Phyllis Diller, Woody Allen, Richard Pryor and the Smothers Brothers performed early in their careers, will close next month. A new owner has new plans for the building. A comedy cooperative staged shows at the Purple …
Victoria Pastry Is Back
Victoria Pastry Company has reopened in its new digs near Washington Square Park, on Filbert just down the street from Saints Peter & Paul Church. Victoria moved after almost 100 years on the corner of Stockton & Vallejo, across the street from Little City Meats. …
Umbrian Black Truffles @ Cavalli Cafe
I was navigating through the crowd waiting for the bus outside of Cavalli Cafe on Stockton and didn’t notice the hand-written sign in the window. Owner Santo Esposito saw me passing by and ran out to tell me that black truffles (tartufi neri) had just …
Tosca’s Last Act?
Not Puccini’s opera, the North Beach cafe on Columbus with opera on the jukebox. Tosca Cafe, a favorite with the famous and locals alike, is 8 years short of its 100th anniversary. Owner Jeannette Etheridge just got an eviction notice. It all started earlier this week. The …
An Arthur Avenue Shopping Adventure
When I’m in Manhattan one morning is set aside for a visit to Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. If you want to experience a vibrant Italian-American food neighborhood with a distinctly southern Italian flavor, this is the place to go. When we make the 20-minute …
The Big Dig Begins
When I walked down the hill early this morning I was surprised to see San Francisco police and a dozen workers all in their reflective vests standing in a straight line on the edge of Washington Square Park. Heavy construction equipment lined Columbus Avenue. Their …
Italian Festival Saturday
Don’t miss the annual Festa Coloniale Italiana this Saturday, August 11, 2012 on Washington Square in front of the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club (SFIAC). The Festa is the only Italian festival that celebrates San Francisco’s Italian and Italian-American heritage. It’s our version of Ferragosto, the …
Baked Baby Eggplant
Don’t miss the next new video recipe. Please subscribe now to my YouTube channel. I love the small Italian eggplant now in the market. Here’s a quick recipe that explodes with flavor. Just cut the eggplants in half and bake them in the oven topped with crushed San …
Panzanella (Summer Tomato & Bread Salad)
I never throw away bread. I use stale bread for my meatballs, for stuffings and for breadcrumbs. I always have some hanging around. Day-old bread inspires panzanella, a simple summer tomato and bread salad. Some of you asked for this recipe based on the classic …
Crispy Succulent Shrimp (Gamberi Fritti)
When I was a kid on a steamy summer Friday night in Jersey, fried fish was one of my favorite dinners. My Mom lightly dredged an array of fish in flour and quickly fried them in olive oil. We ate the fish hot out of …
Hello Milwaukee
A while ago a post, Forget Food Network! 7 Cool Online Cooking Shows, appeared on Milwaukee Radio’s website. Gianni’s North Beach was #5. After all this time many of my site visitors come from Milwaukee Radio, 88.9 on your FM dial. So here’s a shout out to …
Summer Heirloom Tomatoes Are In
I returned from NYC to find the first decent crop of local heirloom tomatoes. A big, fat golden and red orb in the farmer’s market had my name on it. The ripe tomato had a sweet aroma and was just firm to the touch. You …
Chinese Bakery Replaces Victoria Pastry
Victoria Pastry has been in North Beach since 1914. The Vallejo and Stockton corner bakery closed last month to move to a new space on Filbert and Powell on the other side of Washington Square Park. As word about Victoria’s closing spread many wondered whether …
Ciao Caesar’s
It’s the end of a North Beach era. After 56 years as a destination for locals, Caesar’s Restaurant near Fisherman’s Wharf, closed yesterday. The family-owned restaurant is a victim of changing San Francisco and North Beach demographics, changed tastes at the table, and a sour …