America First Venetian Wine Bar

 BAR CICHETTI

by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke & Tom Taraci

BAR CIHETTI

Daniel Bellino Zwicke is widely recognized as the 

creator of Bar Cichetti, known as "America's First Venetian Wine Bar". It was established in 1998 by Zwicke and Tom Taraci. Daniel served as the Chef, wine director, and managing partner. Bar Cichetti aimed to recreate the experience of a Venetian bacaro (wine bar) in New York City, specializing in Venetian food and Italian wine. Reviews from the time noted its cozy atmosphere and delicious food, with highlights like the  Sarde en Soar, Lasagna, and Pasta with Duck Ragu.

It's important to note that while Bar Cichetti was a significant part of Bellino Zwicke's career, it is no longer open under his operation. There's a restaurant in New York City currently operating as "Bar Cicchetti by Fabio Viviani" in Chelsea. This is a different establishment and should not be confused with Daniel Bellino Zwicke's original Bar Cichetti, "America's 1st Ever Venetian Wine Bar."

The BELLINO'S

At BAR CICHETTI

UNCLE TONY, MYSELF, COUSIN TONY, AUNT FRAN

Aunt Wanda, Debbie, AUNT HELEN, Dan

Daniel & CAMERON DIAZ

SOME PICTURES at BAR CICHETTI

MICAHEL STIP & R.E.M.

CHEF DANIEL & His KITCHEN CREW

BAR CICHETTI

DANIEL & FRIENDS

DANIEL, RAOUL, LISA, MATT DILLON, ABBIE

JOHN LURIE & GLENN O'BRIEN

BAR CICHETTI 1998

Daniel Bellino Zwicke is widely recognized as the creator of the first Venetian wine bar (bacaro) in the United States, named Bar Cichetti

. 

Here's more about his venture:

• Establishment: Bar Cichetti was established in 1998 in New York City with the goal of bringing the Venetian bacaro experience to the US.
• Focus: It specialized in Venetian cuisine and Italian wines.
• Bellino Zwicke's Role: Daniel Bellino Zwicke was involved as the Chef, wine director, and managing partner.
• Reception: Contemporary reviews noted its inviting atmosphere and popular dishes such as Sarde en Soar and Pasta with Duck Ragu.
• Status: Bar Cichetti is no longer operating under Daniel Bellino Zwicke's direction. 
• Important Note: There is a different restaurant in New York City called "Bar Cicchetti by Fabio Viviani" that is not related to Daniel Bellino Zwicke's original establishment.

CHEF DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE

With OLD PAL MATT DILLON

SINATRA SAUCE

The COOKBOOK

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Celebrities Drinking Coffee

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BRANDO

 

 

 

 

MARILYN MONROE

 

 

 

 

 

 

JOE DiMAGGIO

 

 

"Mr. COFFEE"

 

 

 

 

 

 

SOPHIA LOREN

SINATRA DRINKS COFFEE

GET The COOKBOOK 

SINATRA SAUCE

The COOKBOOK

EAT & DRINK LIKE FRANK

With His FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES

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"FRANK DRINKS COFFEE" 

FRANK SINATRA

 

 

 

 

 

PAUL NEWMAN & JoANNE WOODWARD

 

 

 

 

 

JOHNNY CASH

 

 

 

 

 

PICASSO

 

at CAFE FLORE

 

PARIS, France

 

 

 

ANDY WARHOL

 

 

 

 

Kim Novak with Jimmy Stewart & Alfred Hitchkcock

 

 

 

 

 

AL PACINO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JOHN LENNON

 

 

 

 

 

FRANK SINATRA

GARY COOPER

ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Espresso Coffee

 

 

 

 

DAVID BOWIE

AMY WINEHOUSE

RIP

 

 

 

 

MICK JAGGER

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FRANKENSTEIN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A PRETTY GIRL

The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

aka GOT ANY KAHLUA

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"HAVIN MY COFFEE"

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Frank and Dino Hanging Out

FRANK & DINO

TWO of The GREATEST

"JUST HANGIN OUT"

SINATRA SAUCE

The COOKBOOK

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12 Bellinos at Cipriani

 

12 BELLINO'S

At CIPRIANI DOWNTOWN

Soho NEW YORK

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Frank Sinatra Favorite Italian Cookies

 

VENIERO'S

ITALIAN PASTRIES

Since 1894

On September 23, 1894, one of the East Village’s longest-running businesses, Veniero’s Pasticceria, opened its doors. This venerable local institution has been serving confections, cakes, and pastries to New Yorkers and visitors ever since from its home at 342 East 11th Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues, in the heart of what was once the East Village’s own Little Italy, and remains one of the few surviving businesses from that once-thriving community. Located just down the block from our offices, we have a special love for Veniero’s — from which we have been known to indulge in a treat from time to time (or more) — and a special insight into the beloved business’ rich history, thanks to an oral history that Veniero’s current co-owner Robert Zerilli, grand nephew of Veniero’s original founder, conducted with us in 2014. 

Antonio Veniero immigrated to New York from Italy in 1885, in the period following Italian unification when poor Italians, especially southern Italians, began to leave the country en masse, seeking better lives and opportunities. At 15 years old, Antonio began working in a candy factory downtown. By 1894, he bought today’s 342 East 11th Street, a pre-old-law tenement built in 1865-66. Originally the business, then called Antonio Veniero Confections, was founded as a social club, complete with pool tables. Antonio sold homemade candy and espresso, the beans of which were roasted in the backyard. Veniero hired other Italian immigrants also skilled in confectionery. This part of the East Village was well populated with Italian immigrants, mostly Sicilian, although Antonio was from Naples. No. 342, which had residences above the ground floor, housed 13 families, all Italian immigrants or of Italian descent, according to the 1900 Federal census. 

VENIERO'S PASTICCERIA

ITALIAN PASTRIES

East 11th Street, NY NY

The same census and 1900-1901 New York City directory show Antonio living with his wife and children across the street at No. 345, a no longer extant building. In his oral history, Robert Zerilliexplains that the business evolved from Antonio’s founding to serve baked goods such as biscotti and cakes, later renaming itself Veniero’s Pasticceri. Following Antonio’s death in 1931, the business would continue to be run by members of the family. In 1970, Frank Zerilli, Robert’s father and a cousin of the Venieros, bought the business. As a teenager, Frank Zerilli had worked in the bakery and learned a great deal working under Antonio.

Zerilli shares great stories of both the family and the neighborhood connected to Veniero’s, including Antonio’s managing to avoid firebombing by the Black Hand, (Mano Nero gang — a mafia extortion racket), neighborhood quarrels with other bakers and pushcart sellers, and a legal fight over the ownership of a coffee-sipping parrot. 

Zerilli was born in 1962 and by that time his family lived in New Jersey. He would sometimes join his father for the workday in the East Village, and in his interview, Zerilli shared the sights, smells, and sounds of the East Village in his early years through the eyes of a child. One of the sounds that dominate his memories was the constant mix of English and Italian throughout the streets and small businesses in the area. As a teenager, he would work at Veniero’s, and lived in one of the apartments in the upper floors at No. 342, rent-free.

The neighborhood has changed quite a bit over the course of Zerilli’s tenure, and he talks about gentrification, as well as changing ethnicities and business and building ownership. On a side note, he mentions the East Village’s punk rock scene, and Joey Ramone coming to Veniero’s to buy a cake. Veniero’s itself has changed over the years too, adding items like red velvet cupcakes, which Zerilli discusses his reluctance to include. One of the many things that hasn’t changed, though, is that Veniero’s is still very much a family-run business, with Robert and his three sisters at the helm as co-owners.

ITALIAN PASTRIES

CANNOLI - RHUM BABA - ECLAIRS

At VENEIRO'S

FRANK SINATRA'S FAVORITE COOKIES

SICILIAN REGINA COOKIES

VENIERO'S

FRANK SINATRA & FRANK ZERILLI

At VENIERO'S

1979

NEW YORK CITY

SINATRA SAUCE

The COOKBOOK

SINATRA STORIES & RECIPES

COOK & EAT LIKE FRANK

His FAVORITE ITALIAN RECIPES

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