George Michael Rest in Peace Dear Boy

 

May GOD BLESS YOU

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GEORGE MICHAEL

1963 – 2016

MAY YOU REST in PEACE DEAR BOY

George Michaels music was a large part of my life as a 20s and 30s young man. I was blown away by his music the first time I heard Careless Whispers in the Summer of 1984 .. That song was quite beautiful and incredibly romantic and I just couldn’t get enough of listening to it over and over again. Careless Whispers always reminds me of a certain time in my life, a very happy time full of new experiences in romance with any one of a number of girlfriends as well as life experience of all types (work, relationships, etc..) and a life full of hope and happiness.

I have loved the wonderfully heart felt inspirational music of George Michael from the very beginning and on till now and it saddens me at the sudden tragic loss of this great musical artist George Michael. I didn’t know, just loved his music quite tremendously, so it’s not just another loss of an incredibly talented, but also a wonderful person and human being, which I’m sure George was, as anyone who could music as George Michael did by default would just have to be a wonderful and kind person and great human being.

So farewell dear George, you are missed by many, May You Rest Eternally in Peace and may God Bless You Always.

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Me and My Old Fashion

 

 
An Old Fashion and New Orleans. Two things I Love dearly. And drinking Old Fashions in New Orleans and Bourbon Old Fashions to be more specific is a favorite pastime of mine, especially at such fine Bars as Napoleon House, The Long Bar at Tujague’s, or at Arnaud’s and Galatoire’s.
The first thing i order from my waiter at my beloved Galatoire’s is a Bourbon Old Fashion. They make them perfectly here, muddling an Orange Slice with sugar, Maraschino Cherry, Soda, and Angostora Bitters before filling the glass with Ice and adding my Bourbon. The waiter brings my Old Fashion and I’m in Heaven. I’m at Galatoire’s in New Orleans. It’s one of my favorite restaurants in the World. I have my drink, sitting in the main dining room looking the menu over. “Oh Bliss.”
    What to have for lunch. Shall I get a Gumbo, Raw Oysters, or Oysters Rockefeller to start? Decisions, Decisions! And my main Course? Trout Almondine, Shrimp Clemenceau, or Filet Mignon topped with Fried Oysters and Hollandaise. Think I’ll go for a Cup of Gumbo, followed by the Oysters Rockefellor, and Trout Almondine for my main. They should go with my Bourbon Old Fashion quite nicely.
    What, “No Wine with Your Meal,” you ask. knowing what a Wine freak I am.
“No, not in New Orleans my friends.” I do not drink Wine in the Cresent City. It’s all pretty much Cocktails when I’m down there, maybe a Beer or two, but no Wine what-so-ever in New Orleans for me. Hey it’s the way to go in New Orleans. That’s what you do down there, Cocktails are preferred throughout the meal over Wine. And that’s fine by me. It just seems to go better. My Bourbon Old Fashion and all the fine Creole Cuisine. I Love it.
So, if you’re ever down there, in that wonderful city on the Mississippi, New Orleans, go to Galatoire’s, Antoine’s, Arnauds’s. Order yourself a nice Lunch or Dinner, and don’t forget to get a couple Bourbon Old Fashions to go with your meal. It’s a match made in Heaven, Creole Food and an Old Fashion in New Orleans, Louisiana. “Do it.”
 
 
 
 
by Daniel Bellino Zwicke
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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AMY WINEHOUS – R.I.P.

 

Life was a Losing Game

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AMY

R.I.P.

Amy, rest in piece. What a Tragedy to have lost Amy Winehouse. It goes without saying that Amy Winehouse was a phenomenal artist and one of the few Great Musical Artist of her Time, or any time for that matter. She was a special person with an incredibly amazing way of singing and conveying a song with sweetness and melancholy feelings the likes of have not been seen in quite some time.

So Sadly drugs and alcohol abuse got to the immensely talented and troubled Winehouse and took her life as opposed to escaping these forces. Amy wasn’t a lucky one as people such as Keith Richards, Steven Tyler to have done so much drugs that they might have not escaped death but gladly they did. Amy did not and fell victim as a number of other great musical talents such as Jimi Hendrix and Janice Joplin. No sadly Amy WInehouse was unable to escape the destruction of drugs and alcohol and she died at the early age of 27 and every time I listen to one of her wonderful renditions, singing Valerie, Love is a losing Game or other song it makes me a little sad, sad that Amy didn’t make it, sad that she is gone, though her music lives on, still Amy is gone. Rest in Piece dear Amy, the World took you way too soon.

God Bless Your Soul ….

DBZ

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Harry’s Bar Venice Italy


“The World’s Coolest Restaurant”







   The World’s Coolest Restaurant? Why, it’s Harry’s Bar,Venice of course. Without a doubt. There is no contest for any to compete. Well many will beg to differ, but I know better, and better than most. No Brag, Just Fact! Let me tell you why.
If you are in any of the Great Renowned Cities of the World, cities such as; New York, Paris, Rome, Bangkok, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong, wherever. There will in all these cities be a number of restaurants where the In-Crowd, the Jet-Set, Those in The Know, the Movers-and-Shakers of the World will go to. There are usually at least 6 to 12 restaurants for those in the know to go to. For example, if you are in my City, New York and you are one of these people, “Those In the Know,” you might go to any one of these restaurants. right now in the year 2011 these restaurants would be; Minetta Tavern, Bar Pitti, The Waverly Inn, Pastis, Momofuku Ssam, The Standard Grill, John Dory at The Ace Hotel, and at least 6 others. Same goes for LA, London, Paris, Rome, and so-on.
In Venice there are many restaurants, but really just one more or less that “Everyone Who is Anyone” will go when in town. One, that one is “Harry’s Bar.” No other restaurant in the World quite like it. If you are of the Jet Set, The In Crow, those “In-The-Know,” you’ll know one thing for sure, when you go to Harry’s Bar you will be amongst the all of

The “in Crowd” will be there and nowhere else. Well this is a bit of an exaggeration to make a point, but this point is true 85% of the time.


Ernest Hemingway & Friends at Harry’s Bar



And of the place, Harry’s Bar, Venice. And i keep saying Harry’s bar Venice, for it is thee only one, but there are many others around the World with the same name. There is only one Great “Harry’s Bar” and that is Harry’s Bar, Venice at the Vaporetto stop of San Marco.

Yes, and of Harry’s. The restaurant is Wonderful. It has a beautiful casual elegance in the decor. The place is always filled with the “Beautiful People,” the service is great, and the food Fabulous. Though at a price. Harry’s bar is very expensive. For some this is of no consequence, but if it is expensive for you, it is definitely worth a splurge. The place is awesome.

After-All, they invented the “Bellini” Cocktail here. And

Beef Carpaccio as well.

If you go to harry’s Bar, you will Love it. The place is filled with quite a exciting energy. It’s a experience you’ll always remember. So, do remember, The World’s Coolest restaurant, Harry’s Bar, Venice that is.

 

 
by DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Italian Wedding Soup

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ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

 

The greatest soup ever made! The greatest soup ever made, that’s quite a statement and it’s debatable, and though I’m saying this I know that it may not be, but everyone has their own taste and though I love any number of other wonderful soups like; Vietnamese Pho, Chinese Roast Duck & Wonton, good old American Chicken Noodle Soup and others, if I was forced to pick one as my # 1 very favorite soup of all, it would have to be this, Italian Wedding Soup. So if it’s not the World’s greatest soup of all (Vietnamese Pho maybe) then it is without question one of the greatest anyway. And how can it not be great, made of tasty chicken broth with escarole and the thing that puts it into the greatness category, the little Meatballs? An Italian Soup that has Meatballs in it, what’s not to love? Well, I guess it depends who you ask, but if you ask an Italian-American, guess what? “Italian Wedding Soup is the greatest soup of all!” The combination of fresh homemade chicken broth, with pieces of chicken, escarole and of course those yummy little meatballs that every Italian holds so dear, that’s Italian Wedding Soup, and the first bowl I ever had, wow! I was a little boy and my mom made it for us. “Here Daniel, Italian Wedding Soup, it has little meatballs in it,” Mommy said as she placed the bowl of soup down before me. I couldn’t believe my eyes, little meatballs in soup, what could be more magical to a little boy of I don’t know five? Yes, I remember that first bowl, and I don’t know how many hundreds of bowls of this most pleasing soup I’ve had since then, too many to count, but everyone just as tasty and whimsical as the other. It’s the Meatballs, it’s Italian Wedding Soup and there’s not any soup that’s better. I just love it. How bout you?

 

 

Excerpted from MANGIA ITALIANO, set for October 2016 PUBLICATION  ….

 

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