READ THIS: Patsy's Cookbook by Sal J. Scognamillo Foreward by Nancy Sinatra Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
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If you don't live in New York, you do not have the good fortune to be able to dine at some of the world's best venues, so Mover and Shaker Sal Scognamillo has put his best ideas into a book, which you can add to your collection of your greatest cookbooks! You can bring New York to you.
As you know, Peachy has picked Patsy's:
Peachy herself is no Sal, however she is learning after reading this fantastic work. He is a terrific storyteller as well as a top chef, so the talent combination in tandem produced a lovely book. Originally published in 2002, everything here is still relevant because Patsy's is of course a classic. This is better than just a cookbook however, because Sal includes great stories and color, so you're going to want to read the whole thing before you even start to cook.
Sal has shown us that he is a restaurateur that excels in his vocation and does truly care about exceeding expectations and he treats his clientele like family. And wait until you see who the clientele is! If you think Peachy Deegan knows a lot of people...her list would pale in comparison we're afraid. Everything in this cookbook mirrors our personal experience, and when you go through the 200 plus restaurants we've reviewed, you can see that only the extraordinary are published between two covers.
Nancy Sinatra herself says that though she loved Patsy's when Patsy himself ran it and wasn't sure what it would be like without him, but vouched that family pride prevailed and without a hitch the restaurant has continued to thrive. We met the second generation and work with the third-Sal-and can only imagine going back in time to when Patsy himself started out.
What we loved learning:
*Bono has been to Patsy's, at Frank Sinatra's suggestion
*The history of Patsy's Wall of Fame
*What you do when Sinatra and the Yankees manager who just won the World Series want the same table
*You do not need to go to culinary school to be the chef here-the school of Patsy's works best!
You're going to want to make everything and even more eat everything you read about here. It is that good.
Starting on page 100 are pictures from the Old Days, which are also testament to the history of excellence that happens here. Regis even makes an appearance on page 157. This book also makes an excellent gift.
Remember, this is the ONE AND ONLY Patsy's! And like Nancy says: Patsy's is more than a restaurant.
Patsy's Cookbook is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know!
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After almost 60 years in the making Patsy's Cookbook hit the bookstores in June 2002 and is already in it's fourth printing.
In this very readable cookbook, Sal Scognamillo, co-owner of and third-generation executive chef, shares recipes and entertaining anecdotes and stories from this landmark restaurant and its well-known clientele.
Fans like Frank Sinatra, Al Pacino, Rosemary Clooney and, recently, Alec Baldwin, Jennifer Lopez, Sean "Puffy" Combs and Rudy Giuliani have frequented the restaurant because of Patsy's unpretentious Neapolitan roots. In one sidebar Aunt Anna recites her recipe for Frittata with Leftover Pasta; another relates a Quick and Easy Lobster Fra Diavolo (although the sauce, while you can buy it, remains a guarded secret).
The introduction is devoted to Old Blue Eyes, with Frank's Clams Posillipo and Frank's Veal Cutlets Milanese, describing the time he and Sammy Davis Jr. competed tap dancing and singing.
The book covers traditional courses, beginning with Asparagus Rolls and Mussels Arreganata and ends with Maddalena Raspberry Cookies and Tiramisu. The extensive vegetables chapter includes Vegetable Napoleon, Fried Zucchini Blossoms, Zucchini a Scapece, and White Bean and Scallion salad. Soups include the homey Pasta e Ceci, while pastas provide a basic palette of sauces along with variations such as Farfalla Papalina and Risotto Fruitti di Mare. Scognamillo (Patsy's grandson and current chef) shares recipes for Chicken Piccata, Steak Alla Patsy and Sal's Chilean Sea Bass with Eggplant and Olives (the "best sea bass in New York City" according to Tony Bennett). Directions are simple and well adapted to home cooking; the book will please both old and new fans alike.
From the Back Cover of the Book:
“Patsy’s is more than a restaurant. To me, it’s a touchstone.”—Nancy Sinatra
“Patsy’s is the old New York, the best New York, and a throwback to my mother’s Italian feasts from yesterday.”—Regis Philbin
“I’ve been going to Patsy’s for more than fifty years, many times with my friend Frank Sinatra.”—Tony Bennett
“Patsy’s is the restaurant I go to the moment I arrive in New York. I feel as though I have family there.”—Rosemary Clooney
“Patsy’s has become my home for dinner. I have never felt more welcome or comfortable anywhere.”—Rush Limbaugh
“I enjoy both the southern Italian home cooking and the warm welcome that greets me.”—Gregory Peck
“It’s still our favorite New York restaurant. Whenever the Stiller family gets together to celebrate, we go ‘home’ to Patsy’s.”—Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara
“You always meet interesting people at Patsy’s . . . I once met a Godfather there.”—Florence Henderson
“Eating at Patsy’s is not just a dinner, but a great experience of friendship and food.”—Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme
“If I lived in New York, I’d be at Patsy’s two or three times a week.”—Debbie Reynolds
“Everybody goes to Patsy’s. ”—Michael Feinstein
