BEING TONY BOURDAIN: Roccos Old School Italian or Carbone ?

The OLD ROCCO Sign

Before CARBONE was PASTED Over It ! ???

The traditional Italian restaurant Rocco in Greenwich Village has closed due to “greedy landlords,” as Rocco’s owner Antonio DaSilva says on the now-defunct restaurant’s voice greeting.

DaSilva, a third-generation restaurant owner, is the grandnephew of Rocco Stanziano, who first opened the restaurant, at 181 Thompson St., in 1922. According to the recorded telephone message, DaSilva intends to move the restaurant to a new location.

In November of last year, the New York City restaurant blog Eater reported that the traditional home-style dining spot’s lease was up at the end of 2011. And to renew that lease the landlord was asking for $18,000 a month — a $10,000 monthly increase from what DaSilva traditionally paid.

Assuming the lease are young up-and-comers Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi, both chefs belonging to the Torrisi Italian Specialties team. Together with partner Jeff Zalaznick, the group operates a mini-chain of restaurants with two spots in Little Italy and a stand at Yankee Stadium.

Word is the Torrisi team struck a deal with Rocco restaurant’s landlord and then slyly advertised the restaurant takeover in a 16-second video on their Web site.

“It’s pretty bad and it’s a shame,” said Ralph Redillo, the superintendent of the restaurant’s building. “A lot of outsiders came into the neighborhood just for Rocco’s.”

Redillo, 52, cited the Italian eatery as a former “big mob joint,” which also drew its fair share of celebrities over the years. According to the super, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio dined there in the ’50s, and more recently Hollywood A-listers such as Robert De Niro and Johnny Depp paid the red sauce joint a visit.

Thompson St. local Jane Usyk used to go to Rocco at the special request of a Connecticut friend who personally knew DaSilva. With a smile, Usyk remembered the “very dramatic” and “colorful” personality of the chef as he approached customers adorned in his traditional tall white toque. Years back, Usyk added, she even dined at Rocco with Al Goldstein, the editor of Screw magazine.

The food at Rocco could be deemed typical southern Italian “but cooked to perfection,” according to the restaurant’s Web site. Among other dishes, the restaurant served up homemade gnocchi Gorgonzola, a savory roast rack of lamb and garlic grilled calamari served with white beans and baby greens.

For dessert lovers there was always hot or cold zabaglione — a dessert made of whipped egg yolks, sugar and Marsala wine and served with fresh strawberries.

Pat Gombos was sipping drinks with some friends at the Blue Haven on the corner of West Houston St. when he heard that Rocco had closed.

He recalled a sendoff party held at the Italian eatery for a friend of his who was off to Iraq. It was just one of many memories that are quickly dissolving as yet another community staple falls prey to the tides of finance.

“Great prices, great food and great atmosphere,” Gombos said of Rocco. “I’ll totally miss it.”

Inside ROCCO'S

The Good Old Days

Outside ROCCO'S

Shortly Before They Closed

After 89 Years in Business

"So SAD" !

CARBONE

In NEON

PASTED OVER THE OLD ROCCO SIGN

ROCCO"S

"The BEST VEAL in The CITY"

Noel Quoting lines from The GODFATHER

At the old ROCCO'S RESTAURANT

Greenwich Village , New York

I ate at Rocco's a number of times over the years. It was a great little Old School New York Italian Red Sauce Joint as they say. Nothing fancy, just good solid Italian Cusine the way we like it New York and the NY Metro Area, including New Jersey, Conn., and Philly. Rocco's menu was classic old school Italian-American Red Sauce fare with such items as ; Baked Clams Oreganata, Insalata Caprese, Spaghetti with Clam Sauce, Lasagna, Manicotti, Veal Saltimbocca, Picata and all the usual suspects you'd get in a your classic old school New York Italian restaurant.

We had a lot of good times over the years as I did with my sister Barbara , brother-in-law Noel and I had on this day when we made the above video. We drank Frascati Roman wine, had antipasto of fried Calamari, pasta, Ravioli, Rabbit, Veal, dessert and coffee, and we had a great time BSing and joking around as my brother-in-law Noel quoted lines from the Godfather movie saying, "Get The Veal it's the Best in the City," Frankie Pentagelli saying, #Cheechee break-out the Sausage and Peppers," and his own line, "Wish I had a Pinky Ring," which really cracked me up and my sister Barbara up.

Yes we had a really great time that day, as we did many times at Rocco's before they sadly lost their lease and the much more expensive Carbone opened to great fanfare, mixed reviews and with much more expensive food than in the former space of Rocco's with a $56 Veal Parm.

Every big food publication wanted to wrote and review as they did, and with one food writer from New York Magazine coming up with the great idea of bringing a couple Italian-American Grandmothers (Nonnas) with him to get the take and critique of the restaurant. Guess what? The Italian Grandmothers didn't really care for it and had a number of criticisms.

Carbone is OK, and though they try to say they are in the Old School Italian Red Sauce tradition, "they are not." You can't be with a $56 Veal Parm.

We miss Rocco's, Joe's, and especially Gino's, we really do.

Basta!