Florio’s Cigar Bar & Grille in New York’s Little Italy

I get asked all the time…”what is my favorite place to go in New York”? Without hesitation or fourthought I immediately blurt out “Little Italy”.

Growing up Italian and around Italians, Little italy has a warm place in my heart.  I remember fondly getting on the 166 bus with my friends and heading into The Port Authority at 8th and 38th and getting on the “N” train to Canal Street.  The few block walk was always met with anticipation and the hunger pang’s for a “Sausage & Peppa’s” sandwich during Little Italy’s “Feast of San Gennaro”.

Those memories are what still drive me to take the “N” train to Canal Street, but now the anticipation is for a plate of ravioli’s, a glass of wine and a hand rolled cigar from the “secret stash” at Florio’s Cigar Bar & Grille.  Nothing beats it.  Larry Amoruso, the owner, Frank Linsalada  and Anthony Coppola are the faces of Florio’s and who literally make you feel like family from the time you walk in until the very last drop of wine is drunk.

It’s always my first stop when I fly into NYC…on more than one occasion I have walked in with my luggage, and it is the last place I eat on my way to the airport to catch my plane back to Albuquerque.

If you love a fresh tasting tomato sauce to compliment your pasta, lasagna, or my favorite…ravioli’s…then this is where you need to go.

Really anything you pick on the menu is going to be awesome.  If it isn’t then I’ll personally buy your next dinner there.  Yea…it’s that F@#kin’ good!

When you go there don’t forget to tell them Rocco sent ya…

Florio’s Cigar Bar & Grille

192 Grand St., New York, NY 10013
nr. Mulberry Street

Phone: 212-226-7610

map | subway directions

Take a look some photos:

Giovanni Terzulli: The most famous waiter in New York’s Little Italy

My favorite place to go in the whole world is still New’s York’s Little Italy and my favorite restaurant when I get there is Florio’s Cigar Bar & Grille. Florio’s is located just off the corner of Grand and Mulberry Street, just across from Ferrara’s.

The owner, Lawrence Amoruso (or son of the owner) is an awesome host along with the other manager’s Frank and Tony. When you arrive at Florio’s you are instantly welcomed in and you realize this is home. I have been going to Florio’s for years and have never had a bad meal…ever! The food always tastes fresh and yummy.

Besides the food being awesome and the cigars to die for, Florio’s has a treasure very rarely seen. That treasure comes in the form of a human being named Giovanni Terzulli: The most famous waiter in Little Italy.

I had the balls to ask Giovanni to sit down and do a brief interview with me while the restaurant was hopping. He obliged. Take a gander for yourself.

This is Classic! Taco Bell Wedding Footage

This is pretty much old news already but I was able to find video footage of the now famous “Taco Bell Wedding”. I guess in these tough economic times you do what you can…
1) Find a bride using internet dating
2) Fly her up to “Normal, Ill”
3) Find a 24 hour Taco Bell
4) Go to TJ Maxx and pick out a $15 dress
5) Find a friend who just got ordained online
6) Get married
…and live happily ever after. Wedding bliss at $200 dollars.

Bruce Springsteen and Driving Down the Jersey Shore

I have been a huge “Boss” fan since I was in eighth grade.  While everyone was listening to Aerosmith and Styx, I was listening to “Mary Queen of Arkansas” wondering what the hell he was talking about:

Mary Queen of Arkansas, it’s not too early for dreamin’
The sky is grown with cloud seed sown and a bastard’s love can be redeeming
Mary, my queen, your soft hulk is reviving
No, you’re not too late to desecrate, the servants are just rising
Well I’m just a lonely acrobat, the live wire is my trade
I’ve been a shine boy for your acid brat and a wharf rat of your state
Mary, my queen, your blows for freedom are missing
You’re not man enough for me to hate or woman enough for kissing

When I finally figured it out I was 25.

I have seen him in concert more times that I can remember.  Two of my favorite concert tours were his “Born in the USA” and 1999 Tour…I got to see him with my girlfriend at the time Cindy Ketchum (probably the sweetest girl I have ever known) down in Greenboro, NC and I couldn’t believe someone else besides Mick Jagger could have that much energy and stamina.  Four hours later I was exhausted and couldn’t wait to find out where else he was going to be.  I saw him 3 other times that year.  The 1999 Tour really wasn’t a tour to promote a CD it was just him bringing the old E-Street Band and merging it with the New …it couldn’t have sounded any better if it were a dream.

It was a great 18 months I saw him in Chicago (bought a cool sweatshirt…I’m wearing it as I write this.  How friggin’ gay!), Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Louisville, East Rutherford, NJ and Madison Square Garden, NYC and every concert rocked better then the next.

My favorite memories of “Bruce” are of the Saturday mornings in the Summers of my youth loading up the car to go “down the shore” and cranking “Born to Run” “Hungry Heart” “The River” “Thunder Road” and singing so loud and out of tune in the graveliest voice I could muster.  By the time we got down the shore we had lost our voice and our hearing for most of the day.

After cruising the Boardwalk for “chicks” we’d kiss the ones we picked up, said good bye and “blasted” Bruce all the way back home.  Ahhh…the Summer’s at the Jersey Shore.

One of my favorite stories of “Bruce” was when I went to see Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes at the Stone Pony.  I was under age but was bigger than most of the bouncers that worked there so they didn’t really question me.  If you’ve ever been to the Stone Pony you would know that it is the most intimate place to see a band.  Southside was rockin’ the house and all of a sudden who walks in the door, with a gutar slung over his shoulder…I don’t think you needed a hint…but “The Boss”.  He waved at Southside and the band as he stepped up to the bar, stood there talking small talk with the bartender.

“Southside” decides to take a break, walks to the bar shakes Bruce’s hand as “The Boss” whispers in his ear, they both shake their heads in acknowledgment and Springsteen walks up on stage and literally apologizes for the inconvenience but he wanted to “try out” a couple of songs for us…to kinda get “our” opinion.  I was thinking to myself…are you fuckin’ kidding me?…no get off the stage you freeloader… everyone was looking around in the same “awestruck” way that I felt I was looking…we let him play…it was the least we could do.  After he played “My Hometown” and a version of “Downbound Train”, he thanked us, went to the bar welcomed us to give some feedback.  Of course I did.

Ever since… I have been a huge fan of his graciousness and humanity.

If you have a favorite “Bruce” song or favorite story, please feel free to leave it as a comment.

Bruce Springsteen’s “Working on a Dream”… I’m still a fan.

Lucky Day

I’m as giddy as an 8 year old girl with her new pony! I have been waiting with much anticipation for Bruce Springsteen’s new CD “Working on a Dream”  I pre-ordered it from iTunes and downloaded it last night.

The music critics haven’t been kind to my New Jersey brother.

Joel Slevin of the San Francisco Chronicle said, “It’s hard to believe that the Springsteen of ‘Working on a Dream‘ ever produced works of poignancy and intensity.”

Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune: “Both overdone and remarkably slight, ‘Working on a Dream’ ranks with the forgettable ‘Human Touch’ (1992) as the most underwhelming Springsteen studio release.”

Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times thought, “The best thing that can be said about ‘Working on a Dream’ is that it’s boisterously scatterbrained, exhilaratingly bad.”

James Reed of the Boston Globe notes, “Curiously, ‘Working on a Dream’ comes with a DVD on the making of the album, but it’s safe to say this isn’t a classic that warrants it. You’ll just have to wait for the next curveball.”

Although there is a bit of negativity which I think is warranted, there are some really great tracks on this CD.  I think Richard Williams of The Guardian has the perfect Review of “Working on a Dream”.

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