A Story of a Friday Night at the Italian Club Dallas

Last night we hosted our Regional Cena featuring Sardegna at the Italian Club Dallas and it was quite a night so I thought I’d blog about it. 

For those unfamiliar with the series, Cena (Italian for evening meal) is our weekly Friday night dinner.  In January we introduced the concept of the 2^nd week of each month being a “regional” week and over the course of 20 months we are exploring each of Italy’s 20 regions.  We start it on Wednesday night with a tasting of wines from the region (which we sell by the bottle at very discounted prices) and on Friday we host the Regional Cena.

During the Regional Cena we offer regional wines, we serve a meal that is authentic to the region, our dance troupe I Colori performs traditional Italian dance numbers specific to the region, we have a slide show running in the background of images from the region and we produce an informational brochure about the region.   We’ll wrap the regional week today with a cooking class to learn how to make the wonderful dinner we had last night.

Last night was one of our most popular yet.  We were sold out by Wednesday (note – make reservations early!) and we had 50 more people on a wait list for the night.  Those in attendance were treated to an amazing meal of Sa Fregula (Sardinian Soup with Couscous, Clams and Saffron Broth); Su Gulurgiones de Casu (Homemade Potato and Cheese Ravioli with Pomodoro Sauce); S’Iscarzofa (Artichoke and Arugula Salad with Pecorino Sardo Cheese); Purcheddu’ (Roast Suckling Pig and Rosemary Potatoes) and Seadas (Puff Pastry stuffed with Cheese and Bitter Honey).

The ingredients used for these dinners are the real deal.  I think one of my favorites in the regional series thus far was Liguria when on a Friday night we served anchovies that had been swimming off the Italian coast just 3 days before.  But then again last night's roasted sucking pig was pretty delicious too!

During a Friday Cena the bar opens at 6:00pm and dinner begins around 7:00pm.  During cocktail hour, everyone mingles (members and visitors) and even if you come in alone, you’ll meet a lot of new friends before dinner even starts. 

Last night about 1/3^rd of our guests were new to the Club and they were like family before the Sardinian Soup was even placed on the tables.  After the incredible meal, I Colori performed and they include an audience participation number which is always quite fun.

Lately we have been trending on the website Yelp which is a site where people write reviews of restaurants.  Last night we had several guests who joined us because they had read about our multiple 5 star ratings on Yelp and they even ended up on the floor dancing with I Colori… I can’t wait to see what their reviews will look like!

I Colori Performing a Regional Dance from Sardegna

We finish the night with a fun raffle and by about 10:00pm or so dinner is done… but that’s where the night starts as well.   

After dinner a couple of tables inside the club end up playing friendly card games, one for the men and one for the ladies.  Many of the rest of us end up on the patio outside sharing lemoncello and sambucca and cigars and a whole lot of laughs.   

11:00pm - Chef Tommaso Carves the 2nd Roasted Sucking Pig

By 11:00pm, everyone was somehow hungry again and last night Chef Tommaso rolled out a 2^nd sucking pig he had roasted.  Much less formal than during dinner, the pig was carved and the 30 or so people remaining partook in more delicious and mouthwatering pork.

It was like a scene at many homes on Thanksgiving where everyone stood around and was picking at the carving before the meal is served.  It truly is a large Italian family and it is memorable. 

BUT if the pig wasn’t enough, by 11:30pm Tommaso was back inside the Club preparing a large bowl of pasta aioli for everyone to share to top off the multiple courses of meals.  Overall it was an incredible night!

Trying to write about this experience and actually experiencing it are far different. 

I can assure you that you will not find a dining and cultural experience in Dallas quite like ours.  There isn’t a single time that visitors walk out not having met new people and everyone is accepted and welcomed.  Last night we had a couple of the first time visitors who ended up on the patio with us sharing the liquors, pig and pasta.  While it might have been their first time to visit the Club, they were simply like members of the family we haven’t seen in some time and they were warmly greeted and made to feel part of the family.

My family is mainly in New York but I do have a couple of cousins who I visited with in Nashville a couple of weeks ago.  I hadn’t seen them in years but they made me feel like I was right at home again with homemade cookies and lots of love… and it was wonderful.  That is the same feeling that is shared every Friday night at the Italian Club Dallas. 

We offer Cena every Friday and our next regional is September 9^th when we’ll feature Abruzzzo which is the region in Italy that my family is from.  Come join us for one and you’ll see what I mean… and you’ll take away an experience you won’t forget. 

Now off to learn to cook…

Bocce & Life.. in a Blog

I invited my really good friend Eric to join me to play bocce last week for one of our every-other-week bocce nights.  I feared Eric was going to kill me since the night he joined me was the hottest night we have had in Dallas this summer... but surprisingly he didn't.

Eric is a true friend of mine and I respect his views on the world, on business, on life and on relationships.

He regularly writes a really great blog and in the last couple of days, he has written a couple of blogs about our night together... sweltering in the heat... but not minding it and simply enjoying life with some really great people from the Italian Club.

I would encourage you to have a look at his writings as well as some of his many other entries which always give me some great perspectives on business and on life.

Where Do You Belong

Life Is Beautiful

And Eric, Thank You... for being a true friend, for enduring the heat with me and for being a natural at bocce!

We need to prepare for you and I to be a team together in our fall championship!

The Dog Days of Summer

I’ve been a little slow in blogging lately… and I’m blaming it on the “Dog Days of Summer” which interestingly is a term that was actually developed by Italians! 

In ancient Rome, the star Sirius, also known as the “dog star,” used to rise and set with the sun during July and August.  Thinking this is what caused the excessive summer heat, the term “dog days of summer” was coined.

While most people and dogs (and bloggers!) tend to slow down in the summer, at the ICD we have actually been very busy behind the scenes getting ready for the fall. 

In late June we held our General Membership meeting and during that we had a lot of exciting announcements.

First off, we have created an entirely new language “school” that will debut in September.  Based on 5-core classes with additional classes covering conversation, children and travelers, we’ll also have new offerings such as “Language at Lunch,” and you can read more about our new school and the syllabus here.

We are also expanding our cooking classes.  We’ll add to our Regional Cena weeks with a new cooking class focusing on the cuisine of the region on the day following the Regional Cena. 

Some of our other enhanced and new offerings will include an extension of our Battle of the Bottles series and offerings such as a liqueur dinner, ladies’ movie night, and Monday Night Football watching.  We’re keeping our website and our Facebook pages updated almost daily with all of the changes so make sure you check back on them frequently.

I’d also like to give a plug to our great friends at Jimmy’s Food Store who have endlessly supported the efforts of the Italian Club.

Jimmy’s was just named the People’s Choice Winner for the Best Sandwich Shop in D Magazine’s Best of Big D 2011: Food and Drink.  The link to their profile in D Magazine is here and the link to Jimmy’s Website is here.  

When you visit their website, make sure you sign up for their weekly newsletter which offers some amazing deals on authentic Italian foods and wines.

And when you do go to Jimmy’s for the best sandwiches in Dallas or some of their homemade meats, pastas and imported cheeses, wines and other Italian products; take a moment and introduce yourself to Paul and Mike DiCarlo.  Chances are you won’t meet two finer Italian Americans right here in Dallas!

While I may be “dogging” a little on my blogging this summer, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a lot of great things happening at the Italian Club Dallas this summer.

If nothing else, stop by on Wednesday’s nights for our weekly summer W.O.W (Wine on Wednesday) promotion (details here) and get to know the Italian Club Dallas a little better… I assure you that you won’t be disappointed!

Giving Back

The last couple months at the Italian Club have been a whirlwind of activity!

We hosted the Festa della Repubblica Celebration, we staged our 2^nd in a series of Battle of the Bottles, we rocked at Taste Addison winning the People’s Choice Award, we’ve introduced a new format for Wednesday nights called W.O.W. (Wine on Wednesday) and on top of all of that, we’ve staged our regular events including two great Regional Cenas featuring Tuscany and Umbria.

Now it’s time for us to take a little break and to give something back.

In addition to our support of our two regular charities, the Children’s Craniofacial Association and the Special Olympics Texas Bocce Tournament, we’re extending our outreach.

Last fall we tried something new and our member volunteers found it to be one of our most fulfilling events – Feed the Troops at D/FW Airport – so fulfilling in fact that we’re planning to repeat it. 

Every day, between 150 and 250 members of the United States Armed Forces depart D/FW Airport for deployment in the Middle East.  This year, on September 12, the day after the 10^th Anniversary of 9/11, the Italian Club of Dallas will once again be feeding these heroes as they depart for the Middle East to protect and defend our great nation.  Plans are underway to give these men and women a warm and delicious send-off, Italian Club of Dallas style!

Something else that’s new will be presented at our General Membership Meeting on June 26 ~ the formation of Gli Angeli del Circolo Italiano Dallas ~ the Italian Club of Dallas Angles.  As the Italian Club, we encounter situations of Italian’s residing here in Texas who are facing extraordinary circumstances.  In the Dallas area, they have had no place to turn… until now.

I’ll be personally heading up this new extension of our community outreach and will share more details about the program after we’ve released it to our General Membership on June 26.

During our recent Festa della Repubblica Celebration at the Club, Miss Clara Vick was presented with the Star of Italian Solidarity and the title of Cavaliere (Knight) for her tireless, lifelong dedication to the support of Italian POWs.  During the acceptance remarks, her daughter Rita stated quite simply: “Mother taught us our entire lives that you give back to others without expecting anything in return… that’s just how you do it.”

Her words really hit home with me personally and they are why I’ve championed these added programs on behalf of our Club.  I know the kind hearts our members have and I know they will respond enthusiastically to support these new extensions of our current community outreach. 

It Was A Night of Knights!

We hosted our Festa della Repubblica and Italy’s 150^th Anniversary of the Unification event at the Club Saturday night… and what a night it was!

Following a welcoming reception, we began the night with a performance by I Colori Italiani, our Italian folk dance troupe from the Italian Club.  Our guests then followed a procession of the flags of Italy and the United States into the dining area. 

Leading the flag procession was US Army Major General Keith Thurgood.  The flag of Italy was presented by Colonel Gianluca Piccolomini, Commander RAMI of the Italian Air Force at Sheppard Air Force base who was joined by several members of the Italian Air Force.  The flag of the United States was presented by retired US Air Force Colonel and the current Mayor of Parker, Texas, Joe Cordina.

With the colors in place, the guest joined in rousing versions of the Italian and American national anthems led by soprano Marsha Anderson and tenor Ron Montgomery.

Next up, I had the honor of introducing the many dignitaries and guests attending.  Our special guest for the evening was the Consul General of Italy, Fabrizio Nava who was joined by the Consul Generals from the countries of Finland, Japan, Malta, Mexico, Peru, Romania and the Slovak Republic.  Rounding out the list of dignitaries were Castro County Judge William Sava, General Director and CEO of the Dallas Opera Keith Cerney, COO of American Eagle Airlines Fred Cleveland and Sr. Executive VP of Flight Operations at American Eagle, Captain Jim Winkley.

The President of Com.It.es (the Italians’ living abroad committee) Vincenzo Arcobelli then presented remarks which included a moving video paying tribute to the 150^th Anniversary of the Italian unification.  Mr. Arcobelli was followed by Consul General Nava who shared some very special moments.

Mr. Nava began with the reading the declaration passed through the Texas legislature designating June 2 as Italian Heritage Day in Texas.  He then presented two “Star of Solidarity” Knighthood Awards as declared by the Italian President to the Chair of the Castro County Historical Commission Miss Clara Vick and to the Distinguished Professor of Art History at Southern Methodist University Dr. P. Gregory Warden.

Consul General Nava, Rita and Clara Vick, Vincenzo Arcobelli and myself

With the formalities completed, our guests enjoyed a wonderful four-course meal prepared by our Chef Tomasso.  Following dinner were performances of Italian Art Songs and arias by Marsha Anderson and Ron Montgomery and the fitting conclusion of the evening was the singing of Happy Birthday (in Italian) as Consul General Nava, Mr. Arcobelli and myself cut the beautiful birthday cake.

As an American-Italian, I have to say this was one of my proudest evenings at the Italian Club of Dallas.  The evening had the perfect balance of protocol, history, emotion, hospitality, friendship and entertainment and it was a wonderful representation of our Italian heritage and traditions.  I was honored to have played a small role in the evening.

Buon Compleanno, Italia!

If you ask any American which is the newer country ~Italy or America~ chances are most will answer America.  Well in reality Italy is the newer country and this week marks a special birthday celebration.

While what we think of today as “Italian” culture and identity has existed for many centuries, it was only in the 19th century that, thanks to a unique combination of political, military, diplomatic and cultural achievements, the country we now call Italy came into being as a unified country. On March 17, 1861 the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed, eventually becoming the Italian Republic on June 2, 1946. 

Each year on June 2, Italians recognize the creation of the Italian Republic in 1946 with La Festa della Repubblica (The Celebration of the Republic). And this year is extra special because it also marks the 150^th (Centocinquanta) celebration of the Unification of Italy.

To celebrate Italy’s birthday, we’ll have a pair of very special events this week at the Italian Club Dallas.

On Friday, June 3 during our weekly Cena we’ll celebrate Italy’s 65^th birthday with a special menu prepared from regions all over the peninsula. We’ll also have informational brochures about the unification as well as a performance by our own I Colori Italiani dancers.   Reservations for this special birthday Cena can be made here.

On Saturday, June 4^th we’ll have an even more special celebration at the Club.  In recognition of this special year, we'll welcome Consul General of Italy Fabrizio Nava, military and civic dignitaries, and other special guests at this reservations-required event.  Among the many dignitaries joining Signore Nava will the Consul Generals of several other countries. 

The evening will begin with a cocktail hour featuring special antipasti and complimentary prosecco, an elegant meal and live entertainment performances.  Consul General Nava and the Italians Living Abroad Committee (Com.It.Es.) President Vincenzo Arcobelli will give a brief presentation about the history and significance of Italian unification, and informational short films on the subject, courtesy of Com.It.Es., will play on the ICD's big screen. This will be a special evening to meet the new Consul General, Dignitaries, and out of town guests, enjoy wonderful Italian cuisine & entertainment, and raise a glass to our beloved Italia.  Again, reservations are required for this special evening and they can be made here.

We hope that you will join us for one of these two special celebrations we’re hosting to celebrate Italy’s birthday but if you can’t and would like to learn more about the history, we’ve created a special page here on our website that gives you a brief overview of the key historical figures behind the unification of Italy.  

The Truth According to Google and Yelp

Have you ever Googled yourself?  Did you like what you were able to find that floats around about you in the virtual world?  It can be pretty overwhelming to see just what you will find.  In the virtual world, everyone is capable of expressing their thoughts and opinions about everything from politics to religion to sports to people… and to restaurants.  As a restaurant, the Italian Club Dallas exposes ourselves countless times every day to the opinions and reviews of our guests.  If they have a bad experience with us, there are a lot of places they can write about it.

Now combine this with the other thing I’ve seen in my time as President.  By an overwhelming majority, people write to me or talk to me when they have had a bad experience with us versus a good one.  Its human nature and I know I do it myself.  When we are spending our hard earned dollars, we expect to be delighted and when we are disappointed with our expenditure, we want to let someone know that they fell short of our expectations.  When are expectations are met, we feel it’s what we expected anyway and when our expectations are exceeded, we’re happy but rarely do we take time to write that we are.

SO with that, I monitor everyday what is written about the Italian Club in the virtual world.  I have a series of Google alerts set up so that anytime any mention of us happens anywhere virtually, I get an alert.  If we have a problem, I want to know immediately so it can be addressed and corrected.  Recently an alert came across my email that I wanted to share.

The review below was written and posted on Yelp, which is a site where “real people write real reviews” about restaurants.  In this case the reviewer was a gentleman named Rick C.  I don’t know Rick C. and while I try to personally greet visitors every time I’m in the Club, I didn’t get the opportunity to meet him the night he was in.  Yet Rick C. took the time to write about his experience and to me it said that we are doing our job.  The verbatim text of his review is below and you can read it yourself online here on Yelp.

And to Rick C., thank you for sharing and I’m glad to know that we met your expectations.

Rick C.

Addison, TX

5/14/2011

First, I am not a big fan of Italian food, and never have been...BUT...OMG this place has made a believer out of me.  Second, they only have dinner on Wed and Fri nights.  Third, it’s a club so it not your traditional restaurant, just an FYI

Food - The food was absolutely delicious, it was the best Italian food I have ever had...hands down... from the appetizer salad, to the plate of pasta (I didn't think I even liked pasta!), to the pork chop entree..I can't pronounce half the meal they brought us but I will say, I ate everything, and I am not a big eater...the dessert was a banana custard (but with the consistency of a pumpkin pie), topped with a maraschino sauce, soaked in some kind of liquor and was served over a fresh slice of pineapple and quite literally was the best dessert I have had in the past 7 years...probably longer.

Atmosphere was a fun, festive type environment and the people were forwardly friendly. The walls are lined with pictures from Italy, they had a projector set up and were showing slides of places in Italy, they also had volunteers doing traditional Italian dances that night.

Service -This style of dining was different, then what I was used to, We arrived late ...yes you can arrive late, they start serving dinner on Fridays at 7pm, everyone experiences the same meal together, they were going to not let us in but the manager (Vito) asked the chef if they had room for 2 more, and he obliged. They sat us speedily and began to bring the courses almost immediately. Vito visited our table many times to ensure we were fully taken care and happy. And quite interesting, the chef came to our table to check to see if we liked everything.

Experience
This was one of the most unique, non-Dallas, thoroughly enjoyable dining experiences I have had in the past 7 years of living here. It’s like a big Italian family party and you were invited.  If you like Italian wines and art, delicious food, and boisterous, fun, engaging Italian hospitality, then this is the place for you. If you have Italian roots you will feel right at home.

Summary
It is as authentic as it gets here in Dallas...and most any other place I have been too. I believe its Dallas best kept Italian secret, something not to be missed if you are here in Dallas. Grab all your Italian and non-Italian friends and take them here, you won't be disappointed