Think my foodie instincts have started rubbing off on my friends. Watercooler talk yesterday consisted of Martha and "The Sopranos" new season debut. On the latter, I was surprised when one of my friends commented on how much the crew ate in the course of a one-hour episode. (A total of four meals, not counting the swig of OJ that Tony took from the family fridge.)
She was taken aback by the way that food seemed to be a real centerpiece to the show. I was taken aback at how she hadn't noticed it before. Red sauce/red blood. Seems a natural fit, no? Such a fit, in fact, that a couple of years back HBO published "The Sopranos Family Cookbook." And mafiosa gourmands can also purchase a number of handy Sopranos-themed kitchen/food items, ranging from The Sopranos Grill Set to The Artie Bucco Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Gift Set.
Prior to the season opener, food media got on "The Sopranos" mob meals bandwagon. The New York Daily News got the scoop on the casts' favorite Italian haunts in NYC:
*Areo, 8424 Third Ave. (between 84th and 85th Sts.), Brooklyn, (718) 238-0079
*Arturo's Pizzeria, 106 W. Houston St. (at Thompson St.), (212) 677-3820
*Don Peppe, 135-58 Lefferts Blvd., Queens, (718) 845-7587
*Esca, 1559 Richmond Road, Staten Island, (718) 980-5006
*Il Cortile, 125 Mulberry St. (between Hester and Canal Sts.), (212) 226-6060
*L & B Spumoni Gardens, 2725 86th St., Brooklyn, (718) 372-8400
*Manducatis, 13-27 Jackson Ave. (at 47th St.), Queens, (718) 729-4602
*Peasant, 194 Elizabeth St. (between Prince and Spring Sts.), (212) 965-9511
*Pine Tavern, 1913 Bronxdale Ave., the Bronx, (718) 792-5956
*Rao's, 455 E. 114th St. (at Pleasant Ave.), (212) 722-6709
Newsday's Sylvia Carter, on the other hand, looked at how the show has inspired a resurgence of the Italian classic Osso Buco on menus:
About 15 years ago, chefs say, this robust traditional dish had all but disappeared from restaurant menus.
But nowadays, restaurateurs are offering it at least one day a week, and most say it always sells out. Some chefs attribute its newfound popularity at least in part to the character of Tony, as played by James Gandolfini on the popular HBO series "The Sopranos," which starts a new season Sunday. Tony eats lustily in many scenes. That may, they claim, make customers hungry for the meat and pasta he favors.
And, not to be out done by the New York "families," the Boston Globe had noted Beantown chef Todd English create a meal that even Tony would love - featuring detailed recipes for the four-course mangia-fest.
But, with today's announcement from the Muse Hotel, it looks like New York once again has the corner on "The Sopranos" feeding frenzy:
Honoring the family business unraveling on "The Sopranos" this spring, The MUSE hotel invites guys to "shake down" in the Big Apple with "Bada Bing" weekends this spring. Starting at $190/night per person April 1 through June 30, 2004, the package includes accommodations, a "Sopranos" outing to the show's shooting sites from the Bada Bing Club to Satriale's, a round of martinis, cigars and a deck of cards for the ultimate poker game.
Guests at The MUSE enjoy an expedition to sites from the Emmy award- winning show including the infamous Bada Bing night club, the store where Big Pussy met with the FBI and Tony's pork store hangout, Satriale's. Other hot spots include the diner where Chris was shot and opening credit scene sites such as Pizzaland and Muffler Man. The gangster journey concludes with "Sopranos" behind-the-scenes information over cannolis and hopes that no dirty rats in the group have to "sleep with the fish."
For more mafia madness, goodfellas will visit Sparks Steakhouse on the Eastside for prime steak and red wine -- the scene where John Gotti "iced" Paul Castellano (head of the Gambino family) on the street in front of the restaurant.
Hmmm. I'm thinking after the season's opening episode, a bear steak might be more appropriate. Thankfully, the lovely folks at Remington Arms Company, U.S. manufacturer of both firearms and ammunition products and one of the largest domestic producers of shotguns and rifles, are happy to provide a recipe.
i've never seen the sopranos...but i do dig it when food figures in big in movies & stuff. i'd say one of my favorite food movies ever was "eat, drink, man, woman". also: i dig the vamp's blog.
Posted by: tim | March 10, 2004 at 02:48 AM
I've seen half of one episode. My wife won't let me watch it, she says I'm still at my impressionable age ...
Posted by: Dr. Biggles | March 10, 2004 at 01:31 PM