Cabo Wabo is presumably served.

JFK courted foodies when JetBlue’s Terminal Five opened a couple of years ago, and then La Guardia scored LaFrieda, Carmellini, White, and others. But now none of that matters because JFK has gone and opened a Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill, for those who need them some Sammy Hagar! So who will come to JFK next: Michael Anthony the Gramercy Tavern chef, or Michael Anthony the Van Halen bassist and hot-sauce gourmand?

Sammy Hagar Opens New Restaurant [Noise Creep]

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Filed Under: openings, jfk, sammy hagar, sammy’s beach bar and grill, van hagar, van halen

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With all the attention focused on the fate of Tavern on the Green, another Parks Department property has escaped commensurate scrutiny: The Bayside mansion formerly known as Caffé on the Green, onetime residence of Rudolph Valentino and summer retreat of Fiorello La Guardia, abutting the Clearview Golf Course and overlooking Little Neck Bay. Almost two years ago, then-operator Joseph Franco was forced out of his concession contract in the aftermath of a city audit. (There was also a Department of Investigations probe into alleged Gambino-family ties and what appeared to be a suspicious shooting in 2002.) But that’s all water under the Throgs Neck Bridge. Tonight, after extensive restorations, the restaurant and catering hall reopens as Valentino’s on the Green, a tribute to the property’s most famous tenant.

The new ownership includes Giorgio Kolaj, whose Albanian-immigrant family founded Famous Famiglia, the international pizza chain (and the “official pizza of the New York Yankees”). Kolaj recruited chef Don Pintabona, late of Dani and Tribeca Grill, as managing partner, and Pintabona’s plans far exceed the norm for outer-borough banquet halls. He admits to having known nothing about the silent-film star before this project. Now, he says, “I’ve really become obsessed with him.” Pintabona has amassed a sizable collection of Valentino memorabilia, from postcards and letters to a white-linen vest. He’s also intimately familiar with the actor’s life story — including that the Latin lover was trained not in performing arts but in agriculture, and that some accounts suggest he viewed show business as a way to raise money to buy a farm out west.

It’s quite apropos, then, that Pintabona is deep at work on a plan to build a solar-and-biodiesel-powered vertical farm on the property, where he hopes to grow about 80 percent of his raw materials, from mushrooms and potatoes to farmed fish. He also envisions a teaching lab for local schools. For now, the chef wants to lure locals with dishes like “pasta al forno zio Vincenzo,” named for his Sicilian uncle Vincent, and “aragoste Zela Rambova,” Pintabona’s version of angry lobster. Some Valentino trivia: Natacha Rambova was his second wife, and Zela was her pet lion cub. Check out the menu below, and preview the space in our slideshow.

Valentino’s on the Green Dinner Menu [PDF]

Valentino’s on the Green, 201–10 Cross Island Pkwy., Bayside; 718-352-2300

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Filed Under: openings, bayside, rudolph valentino, slideshow, valentino’s on the green

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The Daily News notices that a Chinese takeout joint, Ming’s, has posted a counterfeit health-inspection grade. Better or worse than a fake Vendy award? [NYDN]

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Filed Under: health concerns, department of health, health inspections, letter grading

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Salumè

In the magazine this week, Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld award three stars to the hyperauthentic panini — served on lightly toasted rolls, not squish-grilled flatbreads — at Salumè, where owner Michele Colombo just might be “the sandwich equivalent of the Soup Nazi.” At Olio Pizza e Più, try the mezzaluna, a half-pizza, half-calzone hybrid similar to the one on offer at Peppino’s in Brooklyn.

In openings, Bay Ridge gets a newcomer in the form of Valentino’s on the Green, a restored mansion named for onetime occupant Rudolph Valentino. (Fiorello La Guardia also hung his hat there.) Pegu Club celebrates its birthday with a special menu of all-star cocktails. And cantaloupe is in season — put it to its best use in a minty sorbet from Maialino pastry chef Jennifer Shelbo.

Read more posts by Helen Rosner

Filed Under: in the magazine, maialino, olio pizza e piu, pegu club, pizza, salume, valentino’s on the green

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• Restaurant Week is a great deal for business-strapped restaurants and there’s a long waiting list of eateries who want to get in on the action. [WSJ]

• Danny Meyer forgot his twentieth wedding anniversary last week. [Page Six/NYP]

• Each country gives their own rations to troops in Afghanistan: The French supply cassoulet, while Americans hand out hamburgers. [NYT]

• Coffee prices are currently at a twelve-year high. [NYDN]

• Vegetable-based dishes and small plates will be trendy for menus this fall. [NRN]

• Kosher jerk chicken was a hit at yesterday’s West Indian American Day Carnival Parade. [NYDN]

Filed Under: mediavore, danny meyer, restaurant week

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Sauteed Diver Scallops A can’t miss appetizer, The Cat nails the grilled pineapple and scallops flavor combo…

Red Cat

227 10th Ave, New York

(212) 242-1122

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Is there anything better than eating pizza after a fun night out? The only answer to that, of course, is NO! I mean…

Luzzo’s

211 1st Ave, New York

(866) 906-0395

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