America's Little Italys: Recipes & Traditions from Coast to Coast

Bellman's (America's Great Delis) bittersweet celebration of Italian-American communities in the U.S. charts the roots and endurance of Italian-American traditions. With the starry-eyed enthusiasm of an outsider, Bellman surveys the immigrant experience during distinct waves in the 19th and early 20th centuries; spotlights Italian-Americans in industry, politics, and entertainment; and notes regional differences and the ways they influenced settlement. In chapters devoted to 15 Italian-American enclaves—including Manhattan's Little Italy, Boston's North End, San Francisco's North Beach, and Cleveland's Murray Hill—Bellman profiles family-owned restaurants, cafes, markets, and bakeries that have survived integration with more recent immigrants and urban renewal. Bellman provides archival photographs of streets, storefronts, company logos, advertisements, postcards, and menus. Anchoring Bellman's identification of the Italian-American experience with food are signature recipes from such famed establishments as Umberto's Clam House in New York (lobster fra diavolo), Caffé Vittoria in Boston (espresso martini), Frank Pepe Pizzeria in New Haven, Conn. (white clam pizza), Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans (caramel custard), and Tony Nitti's Bar-B-Que in Chicago (wedding soup with tiny meatballs). Although the fate of America's Little Italys is insecure, this trove preserves their legacies. (Nov.)