Sunday, November 8, 2020

Where has Mario Batali Gone



 
Where is Mario ?






OTTO has CLOSED


You know things are bad when once very popular, former Mario Batali, Joe and Lidia
Bastianich restaurants close. This is the case with Otto Enoteca, created by Mario Batali and
partner Joe Bastianich back in 2003, another victim of Covid 19 Pandemic of 2020. It's a sad day for me, someone who loves Italian Wine and Italian Wine Bars, as to begin with, there are not that many in 
New York, and now we've lost another. I know what it's like. I myself created with my partner 
Tom T
America's 1st ever Venetian Wine (Bacaro) Bar Cichetti way back in 1998, right around the time that Joe Bastianich joined forces with rising celebrity chef Mario Batali and opened Babbo. This is were they started growing their restaurant empire. They followed Babbo with Lupa Osteria, specializing in Roman Cusisine and Italian Wine. Today Lupa is the only former Bastianich / Batali restaurants operating at this very moment 
(Novemeber 2020). Babbo has not opened and there is rabid speculation that Del Posto will not survive the Pandemic and in all likelihood will shutter it's doors permanently. Eataly remains opened.
 
Yes I will miss Otto. Joe and Mario set it up quite nicely, especially the bar, which though the prices were quite a bit more than most wine bars in Italy, I really liked the place. My cousin Joe and I went there on numerous occasions and had some good times there. We'd order some nice wine and have a few antipasti plates, and maybe a pasta or two. 
 
Anyway, as the smoke has cleared with the whole ting with Mario, and him leaving B&B Hospitality.
One would have to say Mr. Batali got out just in time. He was paid off for his share in the company which has now lost a great deal of its former total value. Who knew we were going to have a Pandemic that would change the whole world, killing people, and destroying many businesses in its wake. Otto is a victim of the Pandemic and has closed for good. Babbo has been closed and has not re-opened yet, though we suspect it will re-open one day, and most likely will not fall victim. Del Posto is another story, most feel that it will end up closing for good, though we could be wrong on this thinking. Lupa is a great restaurant and we are happy to see them open, and hopefully for a long time to go. We just got a new President, Joe Biden. We are all hoping and praying and wishing this horrible nightmare of the Covid 19 Pandemic would just go away (as Donald Trump said it would) and die. All everyone wants is to get back to normal. Well as normal as can be? We know many things will change for good, but we all want to go back to work full time and have things go the way they were going before this horrible Pandemic hit, "can we please?"
 
 
 
 


OTTO
 
RIP
 
"Well Miss You"
 
 
 


SUNDAY SAUCE
 
 
MEATBALLS
 
MARINARA
 
BRACIOLA 
 
and More ....






.
 
 

Sunday, November 1, 2020

Best Thing to Happen in 2020 McRIb

 

The McRib
 
 
"IT'S COMING BACK"
 
For CHRISTMAS
 
BEST THING to HAPPEN in 2020
 
THE McRIB is COMING BACK YAHall !!!
 
The Glorious Day is DECEMBER 2, 2020
 
 
There's another GREAT in DAY in 2020 Just 4 DAYS BEFORE The RETURN of The McRIB
 
WHAT is IT YOU SAY ???
 
The RELEASE of BESTSELLING ITALIAN COOKBOOK AUTHOR DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE'S Latest BOOK,  "POSITANO" THe AMALFI COAST COOKBOOK 
/ TRAVEL GUIDE
 
 
 
It Will Be Available on AMAZON.com
POSITANO is COMING
NOVEMBER 28, 2020
The BEST THINGS to HAPPEN in 2020
The McRIB & POSITANO The AMALFI COAST COOKBOOK
TRAVEL GUIDE to CAPRI POSITANO NAPLES The AMALFI COAST
 
This Man is in Ecstasy 
 
He's Eating a McRIB
 
Any waiting for the Release of POSITANO The AMALFI COAST COOKBOOK
 
 
He LOVES McRIBS so MUCH He's EATING 12 at ONCE
 
 
"DAMN" ???
 
He's got a McRib
 
The MAN IS HAPPY !!!
CHOMPING on ANOTHER McRIB !!!
 
 
 
 
WANT to MAKE a McRIB at HOME ?
 
RECIPE in The BADASS COOKBOOK
 
 
McRIB RECIPE
 
MAKE it at HOME !
 
AMERICA'S FAVORITE FOODS
 
And SECRET RECIPES
 
The BADASS COOKBOOK
 

Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Oscar de la Renta Spring Fall Collection 1984







ISABELLE ODUBER


OSCAR de la RENTA SPRING 1984

NEW YORK NY




ISABELLE ODUBER

OSCAR de la RENT SPRING COLLECTION 1984

NEW YORK NY

PARSONS SCHOOL of DESIGN RUNWAY SHOW

Featured Models : IMAN, DALMA, and ISABELLE ODUBER




OSCAR de la RENTA

WWD Ad for OSCAR de la RENTA

Illustrated by ANTONIO LOPEZ

Of Model ISABELLE ODUBER












Isabelle Oduber

For Oscar de la RENTA

SPRING 1984

NY NY








Oscar de la Renta

At Home in NEW YORK

NY NY




OSCAR de la RENTA

FALL COLLECTION SHOW 1984

NEW YORK NY

PARSONS SCHOOL of DESIGN

FASHION AVENUE


Featured Models : Dalma and Isabelle Oduber






Oscar de la Renta with his favorite House Model

Isabelle Oduber

FALL 1984

NEW YORK NY






Oscar de la Renta Runway Show Fall 1984

PARSONS SCHOOL of DESIGN

NEW YORK NY






















 

Remembering Isabelle Oduber

 

 









































 
 
 
 
STREETS of FIRE
 
 
Starring :  Michael Pare and Diane Lane
 
with Willem Dafoe
 
Theme Song :  I CAN DREAM ABOUT YOU
 
by Dan Hartman
 
 
 
 
 
My Ex-Girlfriend Isabelle
 
Posed for Famed Illustrator ANTONIO LOPEZ
 
For This Ad for OSCAR de la RENTA
 
1984
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
JOHN WAITE
 
 
MISSING YOU
 
 
 
 
.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkExjeUSCcQ&w=320&h=266]
 
 
 
MISSING YOU
 
 
John Waites
 
 
 
1984
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Missing You
 
ISABELLE
 
 
 
 
 
Missing You by John Waites was a favorite of my ex-girlfriend Isabelle, she really liked this song, and whenever I hear it, I immediately think of her, along with several other top hits of the time that Isabelle and I were going out togeter back in 1983 / 84 when I lived in the jumping East Village of 1980s New York.
 
Those were some great times. I was in my 20s and I thought I could conquer the World back then, and dating a top High Fashion Model who was with Ford Mosels and was also a House Model for Oscar de la Renta sure didn't hurt none. Yes the East Village abdd downtown New York was jumping then. This was the time of Madonna and the major art scene of Graffitti Artsist like, Keith Haring , Jean Michele Basquiat , Francesco Clemente , and otheer , who were among the hottest and biggest selling artist in the world at the time, including Andy Warhol who was still living and who took the young Basquit under his wings and even collaberated on a couple of projects together.
 
Yes, bacck then, I really felt as I could conquer the World. I was young and full of piss and vinegar as they say. I felt as though I could walk through brick walls. I woarked two jobs, I worked hard ad Played Hard, going out to the top Night Clubs of the day, like: Area, Danceteria, Carmelitas, Underchine, The Milk Bar, Palladium, all the hot bars, restuarants, and a lot of good private parties, a few of which were up at Isabelle 's apartment on 87th Street, sipping Champagne and eating Caviar which Isabelle could never get enough of, and she'd always bring back tins of the stuff from Petrossian ever time she did runway shows for the Pret di Port in Paris for the likes of designers Yves Saint Laurent , and Oscar de la Renta.
 
Wow, I started off talking about how this song by John Waite was one of Isabelle's favvorites, and I go off on a tagent on the 1980s, the East Village and the downtown New York art and party scene. Well they all do tie together you see. That's where Maddonna got started with Jellybean Benitez and others, dancing at Dancteria and Lucky Strike, private parties and what-not. She had her first Top 10 Hit with Holiday, although her first two singles Everybody and Burning Up did have pretty good sucess. Yes I was having quite a good time in the 80s, going out with girls, working, and playing with friends like my buddies Raoul, Drew, Jay, and my Buddy Bobby Martinez who was one of Madonna's famous Puerto Rican Boy Toys (I kid you not).
 
Well, back to some of the other music and Isabelle's favorite songs, like Hold Me Now by The Thompson Twins, TRUE by Spandau Ballet, Missing You and a slew of others. This is when MTV started out and Isabelle just loved that station. I remember spending whole nights with her drinking champagne and watching MTV as isabelle taped the videos on a VHS Recorder to make tapes of MTV Music Videos of Michael Jackson , David Bowie , The Police , and other artist to bring down to her friends and family in Caracas , Venezuela when she went for visits two times a year (her native country).
 
 
To be Continued  ...
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PIPER-HEIDSIECK
 
 
Whenever I see a bottle of PIPER HEIDSIECK CHAMPAGNE, it always makes me think of Isabelle and the time she called me up at 10 in the morning and asked me if I wanted to come over and if I could stop and get a bottle of Champagne along the way. "Ah the Good ol Days. Champagne and Caviar at 11 in The Morning," it's not a bad way to start the day.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
Modeling Card of Isabelle Oduber

 

 

 
Caracas / New York Fashion Model





ISABELLE ODUBER on The RUNWAY

PARSONS SCHOOL of DESIGN

OSCAR de la RENTA

SPRING COLLECTION 1984

NEW YORK NY




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
.
BASQUIATtt
 
 
Jean Michel Basquiat

 

 

 
 
1980s NEW YORK

 

 

 
Downtown Art Scene

 




The WORLD
 
 
.
 
.
 
HARINGradiantBABY.jpg
 
 
 




KIETH HARING 'S Orignal RADIANT BABY

 

 

 
Spawned the ArtFourm article RADIANT CHILD by Rene Ricard 

 

 

 
 
This article by Ricard made Graffiti Artis like Kenny Scharf, Keith Haring , and
 
Jean Michel Baquiat Famout Over Night

 






 
 
 
 
ReneRICARD
 
 


POET / WRITER

 

 

 
 
RENE RICARD

 




 
 
 
 
.
Sunday-Saucee225Pixel
 
SUNDAY SAUCE

 

 

 
When Italian-Americans Cook

 

 

 
by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

 

 

 
BUY IT !.

 

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIfR2p8m0G8&w=320&h=266]
 
 
 
"I CAN DREAM ABOUT YOU"
 
(Another on of ISABELLE'S Favorite Songs)
 
 
by Dan Hartman
 
 
From STREETS of FIRE
 
 
 
 

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR8D2yqgQ1U&w=320&h=266]

 
 
 
TRUE
 
Spandua Ballet
 
 
Another of my ex-girlfriend Isabelle Oduber 's favorite songs, and one that always brings me back and makes me think of Isabelle instantly.
 
 
 
 
 
oscardelarentaa
 
OSCAR de la RENTA
 
 
 
 
EME Magazine .. October 2014
 
 
 

I met Oscar de la Renta on November 5, 1985. At that time I was already in the last year of the race in Parsons and that particular day would be the presentation of his spring 1986 collection in the auditorium of 560 de la Séptima. Avenue in New York.

 

He had been selected along with other classmates to work in the backstage helping with the organization and dressing the models before their departure on the catwalk.

As soon as I arrived and he saw me he said "You speak Spanish and I want you to get dressed and help Isabel", referring to Isabel Oduber , Venezuelan and house muse and model. 
I could not believe it, so he took me to the rack where his suits hung. There were exactly eight, twice what the other models would carry, among which were the great international mannequins of the time, the same ones that the Valentino's and Saint Laurents wore in Paris. I remember in particular Dalma, Betty Lago, Kirat, Marpessa Hennink, Amalia Vairelli and Nubia, another Venezuelan who was Lagerfeld's muse in Chanel, among so many other famous models.

 

ADRIANA TORAN

 

FROM EME Magazine

 
 
 
 
 
.
 
 
 
 
 
.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

ISABELLE in HER ELITE MODELING DAYS

ISABELLE ODUBER

CARACAS / NEW YORK

Isabelle

Monday, October 19, 2020

Six Stages of Marlon Brando

 





6 STAGES of MARLON BRANDO








As  FLETCHER CHRISTIAN

MUTINY on The BOUNTY

1962



With WALLY COX





As TERRY MALLOY

On The WATERFRONT

1954

Directed by ELIA KAZAN




The WILD ONE





BRANDO as STANLEY KOWALSKI

TENNESSEE WILLIAMS 

"A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE"

Directed by ELIA KAZAN

1951





Marlon Brando

As DON VITO CORLEONE

The GODFATHER

1972

Directed by FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA

Based in The Novel The GODFATHER  1969

MARIO PUZO





Marlon Brando with Maria Schneider

LAST TANGO in PARIS

1972

Directed by BERNARDO BERTELUCCI 





CLEMENZA'S 

GODFATHER SUNDAY SAUCE


From The GODFATHER





.



















Hurricane Sandy Odyssey NewYork NYC NY