Frank Pellegrino Sr. of Rao's Restaurant

Made or not made? I hear he is. He isn't. The restaurant is a crock of shit. It's great. I know some of the older New York Italians prefer to go elsewhere. The joint is famous, you cant argue about that. What made it famous, who is Frank Pellegrino really?

Frank made? That's the funniest fucking thing I've heard in 2015 .

He's not even a real Rao by blood. He wormed his way in there through his Aunt. Ronnie Straci is the guy with the brains and business smarts there. Frank was still tending bar when he fell ass backwards into his acting career. I've been there a couple of times and the food is no better than at joints like Bamonte's in Brooklyn or Domenick's in the Bronx, except you can walk right into those places without any of the pretense.

My family lived in East Harlem for years. Pleasant Avenue, between 117th and 118th, to be exact. My grandparents were among the last Italian born residents on the block when they passed away (late '80s and early '90s). I spent half my life visiting that neighborhood, and take it from me, most of the neighborhood people preferred Andy's Colonial Tavern (now closed) to Rao's. Not that Rao's is "bad," mind you. It's just EXTREMELY overrated.

Frank a made guy. I'm still busting a gut laughing .

I didn't realize he played the FBI chief in Soprano's as well as some other roles on TV.


To answer your other question...


Yes he is made... made for TV .

PB, thank you. You were just the man to clear this up for me. Word of mouth was he is/was connected to the Genovese's? But made? Yeah, had my doubts. I just don't get why this place has all the buzz. Come to my house. I'll make you a better Italian dinner than you'll get at Rao's. lol

Never. If anything he has a very informal tie to the Luccheses. He was always running to Bowat for one thing or another.

I am an older half italian guy that likes to go to Rao's I don't go often enough.

I like going because I have fun there. I only have the meat ball and the lemon chicken there. I like them again italian food is like art. What art people like is subjective. I like my wife's food better but I like their meatballs and the lemon chicken as well. I don't eat anything else there.

I lived in Harlem as a kid. I like to go back there because once a Harlem boy always a harlem boy. Unless you make yourself believe that you are beyond that part of your life later on like my brother Ralphie

I like to sing even though I can't sing well. Frank likes to sing professional singers go their and start singing. The people who work there are fun people.

It's a fun place I would go their even if the food sucked and it doesn't suck.

Friends of mine from Harlem like to go back and talk about when we were kids. My friend Johnny, genie boy from a Hun 9, Lou from a Hun 7. We talk about those days as kids. Frank know these guys and a lot of other guys. We even talk about guys who are dead now. We talk about the women we fucked there when their husbands were at work.

When I go there time stops for me I am a kid again. When I go there and Frank is there we compare suits He makes us laugh and we tell stories about what we did as kids.

Finally got an invite to go in Nov 2014

Getting in took a long long time

It was expensive but I thought the good was very good

I pretty much went with the meatballs and they were great

A table of 3 cost us about $800 all in

If you go I would suggest you try and do it on business

Remember Las Vegas also has a Raos in the Venetian

Angelo's of Mulberry St. for me ;-)

Raos's sucks is overrated.

I used to frequent Angelo's. However, after the way i saw the owner carry himself on that nj house wives show, i have a hard time goin back.
If PB gets me a table, i will go to Rao's.

Try Belmont Tavern on Bloomfield Ave Bellville NJ

Very inexpensive and incredible pork chops

I haven't been to the Bronx places PB mentions but

The Tavern is probably pretty similiar, cash only , 50+ year history ,

Simple menu , good portions , real old skool etc.

The shrimp are actually named after Beeps in philly NJ faction

As an app id recommend shrimp beeps and pot cheese cavetelli

And jumbaylaya pork chops for entree ( it's off menu )

Also American Bistro on Washington Abe in nutley . Huge portions and fabulous food and this is where Nicky skins wore a wire in the philly / Gambino meet .
Great food.

In NY go to Bianca's on bleeker street , it's a secret gem in NY . I'd be very happy to hear if anyone knows this place as they know their shit

I'm sure we've discussed Bianca's before, DB. Great food. But as an aside, one bedroom condos on the far end of Bleecker are going for two million today. On the fucking Bowery! The old timers who lived in those cold water flats have to be spinning in their graves. I can barely believe it myself, and real estate is my life today.

That's why I always laugh when out-of-town posters want to know if there are still Italians living down there. My stock answer is, Only if they get off the boat with a million in cash. But if you have a million, why leave Italy in the first place?

And that's why there aren't many Italians living on the Lower East Side today. But that's enough sociology for today. You guys know I get verbal diarrhea when I talk about the gentrification of New York City .

PB : Any where in the tristate it makes me sick. No wonder the west side wanted Jersey so bad...

I used to go to the belmont tavern quite often. The past 10-15 years it has been commercialized. However, the food is still good. An no, you wont find a bunch of mobsters hanging out there. You would have back in the 80's and before.

No argument here. It's over for the blue collar family in the NY-NJ-CT area. All to make room for a bunch of ragheads who hate us anyway, not to mention the fucking hipsters and yuppies.


They got it, didn't they?

I was up at wood stock NY not to long ago and the hipsters are all over the place.There are many Italians that ran for the hills and now the hipsters are there.

Well I must say I knew of all people you went there , call it a hunch

Regardless it is still the 1 place where you can get a great meal for $25 or under

And the food is still excellent , more northern style coking but I still swear

They have the best tiramisu in the city , to die for, plus good

Wine list for $20 and under . Not many places like that left , if you know

Any in manhatten please let me know , it took me 5 years to find a place like that

Where a girl thinks she is getting treated to a top notch Italian restaurant , just

Don't show her the bill . I do remember that other good place in the village that

Had that special green pasta that was outrageous , even Bill Clinton would go but I

Forgot the name but man was that pasta good. Could of eaten 3 bowls worth


I read an article recently that stated Manhatten real estate was the most stable investment

In the history of investments lol, and I must say it's pretty accurate . If you don't have a

million dont even bother and a million we are only talking an avg 1 bedroom.

There was 1 small time period after that terrible day that did enable some to get

In at a somewhat reasonable price , especially Williamsburg where people made a fortune

I was just to young with my $40k salary right after college at Wells Fargo lol but boy I wish

I figured a way to get in.

A $500k place then is probably $3-$4M today.

Regardless one positive of the manhatten real estate is it kept a lot of

Sons of the guys you know out of the family business and on the straight and narrow .

Got to say I'm very impressed you know about Bianca , I know guys working in NY 30 years that had no clue about it and marveled at it's quality and price once I brought them there . Then again you do pretty much have an NYC history in your head , at some point when everyone has moved on a book could be in your future and ironically it would be a success

True Belmont but the place sure does have it's regulars

Now my good friend bartended at bellanapoli in Bloomfield

Very good food , the owner had some connects going back 4-5 years . In fact it's a place like this ( whether I was right or wrong ) that cemented in mind CN couldn't function as good as it did without restaurants that served as a way to make connections , meet people , start books , work the garbage and vending angle , skim tips ( which absurdly does happen and is a money maker at a good joint ) and even loan small amounts of $, but who knows I could be very wrong .

A lot of Westside went there back then . It would make sense too as they had a piece of joeys back then which was near by and a cash king at one point , like the old joeys in ortley beach .

Same with tiki back in the day , Westside printed cash with that place , now this is going back 5+ years , no idea who handles things now but again that real estate and bar is a gold mine , millions on both fronts . I still go there and somedays they had to bring in hundred of thousands . Funny enough Mondays were and are the best days and only a connected joint figures out a way to turn a Monday into an industry day ( or strippers) and clean a few hundy thou every Monday lol , not too mention the 40 tvs that only play sports lol

Il Mulino on West Third, right off Sullivan. It's like ten feet from Gigante's old club. I've eaten there a lot. But they got too big for themselves now. Vegas, Miami, Uptown, Downtown. They're practically a chain. But at one time the original was one of the three or four best Italian restaurants in the entire City.

Pb
Sent you a pm...

DB
I used to go to Joeys when it was on Vanhoughten ave before it moved to allwood road. I went to bella napali whem it was closer to rt 3 on the bloomfield clifton border back in 1991.
I also loved casa dante back in the day. Laco's is still good from what i hear.

Table of 3 800$??? I'm cool wouldn't even think once about that

I don't see it.

Ah yeah thanks PB a lot , now I can sleep !

To say nothing of the location in the Ritz Carlton in Puerto Rico....

NJ has a large Italian population, so there was no problem finding a decent Italian restaurant when we lived there. Our favorite was Nanina's in the Park in Belleville (Newark suburb). Great food, world-beating wine list.

My favorite places have always been Parkside and F and J Pine, long before I knew of any mob connections with any restaraunt... my parents would take me there after a day at at the bronx zoo when we were kids.

On a much smaller scale... Trattoria 35 on Bell Blvd has good affordable italian food. It's nothing too special, but I like it there.

And I have never been to Rao's in the city.... but I have at Cesars Palace... does that count? : )

Have you been reading my posts, Shamm?

http://www.gangsterbb.net/threads/ubbthr...true#Post824802

Ha, no I missed that one...

I haven't been in a few years... I need to go back.

No

Hello Pizzaboy,

Never been to Rao's or Domenick's. I was wondereing when you say the food is no better than Domenick's does that mean it(domenicks) is a good place to go. If it is I would like to try it. Also, any other recomendations, in the bronx, westchester area. You seem to kno your food. Thanks.

Yonkers

\

Rao's is very overrated. I've eaten there once about 5 years ago with "a friend in high places" and it was simple family style Italian food. The allure of the place is nothing more than there is limited seating and it's almost impossible to get into. Dominick's in the Bronx is tough to beat.

Two restaurants that are fantastic and not populated with tourists are Il Cortile on Mulberry St and Joe's of Avenue U in Brooklyn. Both fantastic and old neighborhood eateries.

Nah, I just like to eat lol. But the food at Domenick's is excellent. That's what I meant when I said that Rao's was no better, except you can walk right into Domenick's, and worst case scenario you wait an hour for a table. With Rao's, if you don't know someone you're looking at a six month wait (at the least).

The only downside to Domenicks is the seating. They have long picnic type tables, so you may get stuck sitting right next to a stranger (or worse, a tourist) if your party isn't large enough. But that never bothered me. Great food, huge family style portions. You'll love it.

As far as the rest of the Bronx, the Patricia's restaurants are very good (Morris Park and Throggs Neck locations), and Frankie and Johnnie's will always be Frankie and Johnnie's, so you can't go wrong there.

I grew up on 187th and Hoffman, but we've lived in Throggs Neck for more than 25 years. But my Dad lives in Eastchester, so I get up to Westchester quite a bit. There are plenty of great Italian restaurants up that way.

Slightly off topic, the last time I was on Central Avenue I was SHOCKED at how many empty stores there were. Sign of the economy, I guess. Because I'm 55, and years ago there was no such thing as an empty retail spot on Central Avenue. And there was no shortage of restaurants back then either. It's sad.

Yea its changed a bit. If your ever over there, the A&S porkstore makes excellent itailian combo, and all the food is fresh. Other than that I dont know of italian restaurants on Central that I can think of. I live on the north westside of Yonkers so I only go over there every once in a while. Ive been to F&J a few times and there food is awesome. Ill definitely try dominck. Thanks for the recomendations.

DB-

I swear to God, after every post you make about places you have been to, its places I have been to and frequented as well. This is starting to scare me!

Bianca's has been my absolute go to spot in the city to take girls on dates to since 2008. Great food and value for the city. LOL and I always wrestle away the bill immediately so my date does not see how affordable it is.

Belmont Tavern is great, I used to live on Bloomfield Ave right by it for a time in my life. I would highly recommend to anyone to go there and just sit at the bar for an extended period of time-you will meet some characters! The food is terrific too there with huge portions. It is a dive bar/ red checkered tablecloth low key Italian joint right on Bloomfield Ave on the Newark/Belleville border. DB is not joking either that they have a dish named after Beeps in the Philly North Jersey crew! The Beeps shrimp is amazing too...

American Bistro is very good too, I went there once. It is located in Nutley close to the border with Belleville. They have a nice little bar there too. I remember the specials were terrific.

I haven't been to Bella Napoli since 2005 and was there for a college graduation party for a girl I was dating at the time. I don't remember much about the food, but I remember the restaurant was gorgeous inside. Its right by the Shoprite in the Brookfield Section of Bloomfield. I just remember you had to valet your car, which for a broke college student at the time it really pissed me off to have to do that!

And Pizzaboy recently recommended Dominick's to me and I went. It is phenomenal, the Clam appetizer was the best I have ever eaten at any restaurant in my entire life, Hands down!! Thank You Pizza for pointing me in the right direction.

Has anyone here ever been to Jimmy's Italian Restaurant in Asbury Park at the Jersey Shore? I would highly recommend it.

I have heard rumors and whispers that place is LCN connected to a certain extent, can anyone here elaborate on this? For instance, it is in a dicey section of Asbury Park but everyone says to me "don't worry Dante the place is connected and the gang bangers stay clear"- that is an example of some of the things I have heard regarding that restaurant. I have no idea but just know that the food is terrific there, I highly recommend it. Another place that you have to valet park your car as a requirement too by the way LOL

A&S is great. The fish store, too. At least you still have that going for you up there.

Northwest Yonkers? You mean over by Sacred Heart and Broadway and the river? If that's the general area, I've heard that there are some new spots in Hastings that are pretty good. But that's just word of mouth, I haven't been to that area in years.

And Dobbs Ferry is also pretty close to you and you have Scaramella's up there. I haven't been there for a few years, either. But I never got a bad meal there.

Anytime, buddy. I'm not any smarter than you guys, just older. And when you get to be my age you learn where to eat .

Scaramella's.. It looks great. Ill have to check it out. Thanks again. How bout over by you, there has to be some good italian restaurants. Ive been to Villa Barone like 20 times, but thats a catering hall.

I havent been to Jimmy's in asbury park in a thousand years, it was good back then. Now ????

I've been going to catered affairs at Villa Barone since it was Tardi's. But something tells me that's probably a little bit before your time.

As far as the rest of the neighborhood, like I said, Patricia's is very good. Louis Seafood has been here for like sixty years and we go there quite a bit. Then there's Spoto's, which is also pretty good. And these are just the places along East Tremont.

But you have to remember that Throggs Neck has just as many Irish residents as Italians. Probably more (but Country Club is mostly Italian), so there's no shortage of Irish pubs and American restaurants that are also very good.

And this is all East of the Bruckner. Once you cross the expressway, you're in Pelham Bay and there are plenty of great spots over there, too. But Pelham Bay is changing fast, if you know what I mean. It's just a matter of time.

LOL. Yeah I kno what you mean. Yeah also i dont remember Tardi's. Like you said that may have been before me, I'm 34. Ill have to check out those places you mentioned. Going out to eat is probably one of my favorite things to do, but thats probably most people. Im also out on long island quite a bit so thats where Im usually eating on the weekends. Cant beat a good italian restaurant though. But I do love seafood as well. Thanks for the tips. You ever come across some place thats really good let me know.

I'm pretty impressed Dante

Bianca was my secret spot but I guess not anymore

I only found out about it from a local and it's still a pretty local spot

I see we have the same scams when it's our turn to pay lol

I'm sure we have crossed paths at some point

DB-

I found out about Bianca's by complete accident. I had just returned back from a Vegas Vacation with the boys and had absolutely no money to my name. I had a hot date with a girl that I picked up on the NJ Transit bus before I left for Vegas that I didn't want to cancel so I scoured the internet for a great, inexpensive Italian restaurant and found Bianca's by complete mistake. The food was terrific, the wine was great, and I was hooked, my go to spot from then on. I remember that we ended up going out drinking that night in the Village straight after eating at Bianca's to Off The Wagon (I was 23 at the time), what a fun night! I miss my 20's.........

PS I bet our paths crossed during the period of my life I frequented Satin Dolls, I have a crazy story from that place that I'm reluctant to share with people I don't know on here....

Pb you know any other wiseguys that had or have a table at Raos? I only know of Anthony baratta and I think u mentioned him above..just curious since im not from ny but anytime I read about the place they always mention on any given night u can rub elbows w mobsters.

Dante I have no idea about that place being connected but I wouldn't be surprised

CN and maybe more so on the past in notorious for investing in Jersey shore bars and restaurants

Plus with Asbury being a shit hole , it fits the bill as a connected restaurant is the last thing they are worried about. That area also has a lot of gays .

I'll try and check it out , as well as some of the places PB brought up as I'm always on the look out for good places outside of NJ and Manhattan

Steven Crea also has a table at Rao's.

Baratta & his son beefed with Crea over it.

DB-

Jimmy's in Asbury Park is a great Italian restaurant. Check it out and let me know how you like it. I highly recommend it. Grab a drink at the bar before you take your seat as well (they put out cold antipasto trays for free to munch on), last time I was in there I met a lot of cool and interesting people at the bar when we were having some carafes of wine before sitting down to supper.

Asbury Park on the Westside (where Jimmy's is located) is a run down ghetto still with A MAJOR street narcotics sales scene (a lot of people from the suburbs of the Jersey Shore drive into Asbury to get their heroin as opposed to driving to Camden, Trenton, or Newark for it), it also has a gay section, and a major waterfront development with great bars/clubs/restaurants. The gays have a lot of art galleries, coffee shops, etc there in the nice section of Asbury. It is starting to turn around from the days I remember as a kid driving through there in the 1990s were it looked like "Sarajevo by the Sea". I vividly remember driving through Asbury Park with my father as a kid in the 1990s and it looked like post Word War II Europe (hence why it used to be nicknamed Sarajevo by the Sea).

On a side note- you can see the pre-redevelopment days of the 1990s in Asbury Park in the DeNiro movie "City by the Sea" and a few scenes from episodes of the Sopranos were filmed in Asbury Park just before all the major redevelopment came into play.

Dante, sorry to cut into your conversation with DB but when you bring up Asbury Park it brings back great childhood memories for me. Back in the 70's and 80's Asbury Park was like Disneyland to us kids. We had a place down in Bradley and my cousins were in Ocean Grove (still are). We'd walk down to Asbury Park hang out on the boardwalk go on the kiddie rides and eat salt water taffy. Those were the days. The place was a gold mine. Wasn't there even a casino there?

To see it now is disturbing. Scorsese wanted to use the boardwalk there for Boardwalk Empire but for some reason the city didn't want him to. He had to build a boardwalk from scratch in Brooklyn to shoot the series.

Next time I'm down the shore I'm gonna check out that restaurant. Ciao!

Greetings From Asbury Park.

Moe, Where's my Salt Water Taffy?

Just curious...Where did you hear this from?

Dante how much does it cost now to go onto the beach? Do they still charge?
That's the biggest racket I swear you had to wear a badge years ago or you couldn't get on the beach. Out here in CA the beaches are FREE you just pay for parking.

Dante you and DB have the thread back now I'm done

How's that even possible? I mean how did they justify it or something? Did you also have to pay or fresh ocean air?

Alfanosgirl-

First and foremost, please do not forget to shoot me a message the next time you are here in Jersey

Believe it or not out of principle I have never paid to go on the beach, I ALWAYS sneak on! I am 30 years old and still sneak onto the beaches because I feel that since I grew up at the Jersey Shore it is my God Given right to not have to pay to have access to the beach. I feel that all the tourists who come here to the Jersey Shore should have to pay but not us locals..That's my stance, its not because I do not have the money, it is out of pure principle.

There was never a Casino in Asbury Park to the best of my knowledge. New Jersey is the only state I have ever been to were you have to pay for access to the beach, it kills me. Below are the rates for Asbury Park, I had to look it up for you (these are actually some of the cheapest beach badges and passes, you should see the prices of other towns!)

Asbury Park 2014 Seasonal Beach Passes & Gift Certificates
The Beach Office is now closed for the season on the Asbury Park Boardwalk and will re-open in the spring of 2015.

RATES-DAILY
Monday-Friday $5
Saturday & Sunday: $6

RATES-SEASONAL
Regular (Age 18 thru 61 ) $70
Teens (age 13 thru 17) $20
Seniors (age 62 and over ) $20

Seasonal beach badges are available for purchase from the Department of Public Works Office "off season."

Alfanosgirl-

Also, I have a restaurant recommendation for you right in Bradley Beach for the next time you're down that way....

Extortion-

A ROW AT RAO'S

Everybody from Gov. Pataki to Mariah Carey vies for seats at Rao's. So it's no wonder some real-life wiseguys have been having a (surf 'n') turf war over a table at the tiny East Harlem restaurant. According to wiretaps, former acting Lucchese family boss Anthony (Bowat) Baratta, imprisoned for drug dealing, sent word to current acting boss Steve Crea that he should let Baratta's son use his table at Rao's. Crea sent word back that Baratta's son was "off the wall" to ask for such a thing. But former Daily News columnist Jerry Capeci reports on Ganglandnews.

com that Baratta's son complained to his father, who enlisted another jailed Lucchese boss, Joseph (Little Joe) DeFede, to lean on Crea. "What the [bleep] is it they want?

" an exasperated Crea asked Lucchese soldier Dominick Truscello in a taped phone conversation. "They want the table," said Truscello. Capeci reports that a sit-down has now resolved the dispute: Baratta's son gets the table three weeks a month, while Crea has it every fourth week. Rao's owner Frank Pellegrino, who plays FBI Agent Cubitoso on "The Sopranos," tells us, "I have no knowledge of any of this.

volcano shrimp is my new fav. with the blue cheese.

That Rao's story is like fifteen years old. When that shit went down Stevie was getting ready to go inside for a bid himself, so what difference did it make to him?

That's Stevie's table now, and Bowat's home, which speaks volumes about where he stands.

What a racket, unbelievable! I don't blame you for not wanting to pay. Sandy really caused a lot of damage down there. I know my cousin said the whole porch roof flew off their place in Ocean Grove and they never did find it. We didn't get to go down there last year during our visit, not enough time. We stayed in Times Square instead.

Sure I would love to go down to Bradley Beach to check out the restaurant you are recommending. Maybe I will visit Jersey again this year since I got a lot of Jet Blue Miles. I'll let you know. (I still have to go into NY to teach Bronx and PB a lesson, you guys didn't think I forgot about that did you )

What are you talking about?

I saw a great food show with Steve Schirripa at Rao's. He was with Pellegrino and they were making the famous Rao's meatballs and I gotta say they looked delicious!

I remember the two of you were bustin me about something awhile back and all I remember is saying I'm gonna fly into NY using my Jet Blue miles to teach you both a lesson ha ha ha ha.

"I don't know what the hell's going on out there but I'll tell you one thing, they're all going to get pinched if they want to have sit-downs over issues like this." - Barney Bellomo (from prison)

True story.

And just as an aside: I think that's from the fallout from the Buster tapes up in New Rochelle. Right, Ivy?

Think about this for a minute: It really was dumb luck that he stumbled upon that wire under the table. A fidgety old man fumbling around and he accidentally found the wire, and it set off a chain reaction of paranoia.

Point being, everyone goes on and on about the Westside being the sharpest and most secretive (and I'm the first one to agree with that assessment). But if Buster didn't get fidgety that day, the Genovese family could well be in as much trouble as everyone else today.

When you're good, you tend to get lucky. That's how I see it, anyway.

small world. i ate at the pine tavern a ton of times during the 80s. the size of the portions were ridiculous.
i have to say it was very average fare but far and away the best bang for your buck in the bronx, maybe even the whole city.

used to meet up with the fellas at the gran cafe then head off to ActIII Every saturday night. never understood why "Pizza Time" had such bad pizza.

Act III was a riot, if you didn't mind the disco version of Umberto Tozzi's "Ti Amo" blaring for three hours straight lol.

Pizza Time was what it was. A by the slice joint with a self service sidewalk window. Drunk food, and quick grub for the degenerates at the OTB. They could never compete with Peppino's anyway.

and don't forget "Gloria".......:)

man i find it startling how you so often hit the nail on the head. you're one of the main reasons i find credibility with this site.

PB, sent you a PM.

Sal

Act 3 in the tropics. .. lol. Many a good times had there in the 80s..

Mulinos in white plains is great but pricey. ...

Rao's at Caesars in Vegas is pretty easy to get into and the meatballs are also excellent there... if Pellegrino is in town, he will likely be out back smoking. .

It's mostly mundane and anecdotal. The Mafia aside, when you live in a borough for close to 56 years, you pick up a few things. I'm certainly no smarter than most of the folks here. Just older than most of them.

And it's freezing up here. I'm back for a few days because I had housing court. And now there's a storm threatening flights all over the place. But I better be back in Florida by the weekend. That's all I'm saying .

I ate at IL Cortile not too long ago. Calamari was excellent.

Rao's was also the shooting location in the Wolf of Wall Street when DiCaprio was meeting with Bo Dietl. Great scene. "Last time you took those things you put your head in the macaroni and I had to pick it up" Lol!