La Tradizionale
Wednesday, November 7, 2007; 7 p.m.
900 Seventh Ave., near 57th St., Manhattan

Come feast with celebrated food raconteur Arthur Schwartz at La Tradizionale, one of his favorite Italian restaurants—newly opened by his friend Shelly Fireman, the genius restaurateur behind Trattoria dell'Arte, Fiorello Café, Bond 45, Red Eye Grill and Brooklyn Diner.

You'll indulge in a delicious Italian menu prepared by Chef Shane Cash while Arthur introduces the food and wine and chats with the group.

Bene will provide goodie bags of Italian products.
$140 a person (incl. tax, gratuity & drinks); be sure to book tickets soon, as spaces are limited. To reserve, contact Lina Perl: Lina@benemag.com or 212-717-6380 (ext 104).

The Menu
A salad with shrimp and crabmeat, Shane's famous ricotta gnocchi with brown butter and sage, a choice of swordfish prepared Sicilian style (from Arthur's upcoming southern Italian cookbook) or braised short ribs, a specialty of Shane's.

For dessert, Mamma's Bowl is an Italian style chocolate sundae -- chocolate gelato, chocolate biscotti, and hazelnut-chocolate sauce (gianduia) that will be dramatically blended and served tableside.

Posted on July 03, 2007

Wednesay, November 14, 2007, 7pm
Trattoria Zero Otto Nove
2457 Arthur Avenue, near 187th St., The Bronx

Together with New York "Food Maven" Arthur Schwartz and his good friend Baronessa Cecilia Bellelli Baratta, who will fly in from Italy, Bene is celebrating the opening of Arthur Avenue legend Roberto Paciullo's new restaurant, Trattoria Zero Otto Nove. On Wednesday, November 17, we will meet in Bronx's Little Italy at the Trattoria at 7 PM, to savor real Salernitana pizza baked in Paciuallo's imported wood-burning oven, baked pasta, meatballs, baccala with potatoes, stuffed vegetables and of course, wine.

To reserve, contact Lina Perl
212-717-6380, ext 104
Lina@benemag.com
$95 a person (incl. tax, gratuity & drinks)

Posted on July 02, 2007

Saturday, June 30
Italian Wine Merchants
108 East 16th Street, New York City
$75 per person
Call for reservations, 212-473-2323, x106

Friuli-Venezia Giulia is Italy's white grape bastion, producing an extensive repertoire of both indigenous and international varieties. Surprisingly, Friuli also possesses a healthy relationship with red varietals, and international favorites Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot more than hold their own with the native reds. Enter this discovery zone and find an all-around performer that plays both its whites and reds well...

Posted on June 26, 2007

Aroma Kitchen & Wine Bar
36 E. 4th St., New York City
Sundays, 6pm-12am
$25 per person, $7 glass of white or red house wine
For reservations, call 212.375.0100. www.aromanyc.com

Owners Alexandra Degiorio and Vito Polosa invite you into their "home-away-from-home" to celebrate Sundays with friends and neighbors over rustic Italian dishes and table wine. Choose from a three-course prix fixe menu, while being serenaded by Daniel Garcia's classical guitar. Monday morning's commute will seem worlds away.

Posted on March 03, 2007

Aroma Kitchen & Winebar
36 E. 4th St., New York City
Monday nights, 6 to 11pm
Tasting menu, $30; Wine Pairing, $18
Call for reservations. 212-375-0100
www.aromanyc.com
Mondays are now good. Every Monday evening, Aroma will now feature a different five-course chef's tasting menu. The fare will highlight seasonal ingredients and fresh market produce, woven into five courses determined each week by Aroma's chef/owner, Vito Polosa. The goal is to showcase the generous appetites of regional Italian home cooking. And, while the dishes please your palate, songwriter Jack Morer will soothe your ears, plucking Spanish and flamenco-influenced compositions on his guitar.

Posted on March 03, 2007

GROM Gelato
2165 Broadway, between 76th and 77th St
New York, NY 10024
http://www.grom.it/eng/index.htm

Bene staffers are already salivating over the newest dessert in town. GROM, a gelato shop hailing from Turin, has long been a favorite in Italy. Featuring Italian flavors like stracciatella and nutella, GROM will celebrate its brand new Upper West Side location on May 5th from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. All guests will receive a free scoop to mark the occasion.

Posted on April 24, 2007

Insieme (The Michelangelo)
777 Seventh Ave. at 51st St.
212.582.1310
Hours: Monday - Thursday, 5:30pm - 11:00pm Friday & Saturday, 5:30pm - 11:30pm http://www.restaurantinsieme.com

Chef Marco Canora and sommelier Paul Grieco have already graced New York with the casual elegance their East Village restaurant, Hearth. But now their teamwork has produced a new restaurant in midtown, fittingly called, Insieme, or together in Italian. Housed in the Hotel Michelangelo, Insieme offers a two menus- one featuring traditional dishes and Canora's family recipes, and the other adding a new spin to Italian cuisine. The 75-seat restaurant, which opened April 16, is open for dinner through the end of the month with lunch service beginning in May.

Posted on April 17, 2007

Enrico's Ristorante
5863 Ellsworth Ave., Pittsburgh
Second Tuesday of each month, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
$20. Call for reservations: 412.661.1050, http://www.enricos-shadyside.com/

Once a month, bar manager and Italian wine expert Eric Leskovar charms curious guests with his wine knowledge at special tastings. Fine wines from Italy's wine regions are paired with antipasti, creating combinations that are sure to satisfy.

Posted on November 21, 2006

RomeFilmFest
Rome Auditorium
October 18 to 27
www.romacinemafest.org

The second edition of the RomeFilmFest will be held from October 18th to 27th in the Rome Auditorium, along with screenings at movie theatres and events held around the city. The festival will feature twenty-two Italian and international premieres, fourteen of which will make up the official competition of the RomeFilmFest. There will be a retrospective of the Actors Studio, one of the world's best acting schools, as well as an acting workshop. The featival will also take an up-close look at some of today's most important actors and filmmakers and feature talks by great actors and directors.

LUXURYfiles, an international bilingual quarterly magazine, will be the festival's International Partner and will publish a special edition to cover the Fest, complete with exclusive interviews and features. Twenty thousand copies of the edition (publication date: October 17, 2007), will be given to all the attending guests and celebrities. The magazine will also be distributed at restaurants, bars, hotels, theaters, boutiques and night clubs around Rome. LUXURYfiles enjoys a wide circulation in Italy and around the world. www.luxuryfiles.com

Posted on March 29, 2007