You will discover that my dishes are by no means "classic." On the contrary, they are often unorthodox. They reflect my disdain of conventional food and my efforts to keep my cooking from becoming boring, both to my patrons and to me. Alfredo Viazzi

{HISTORY}

In the 1970s and 1980s, at the corner of Bank and Hudson, in NYC's Greenwich Village, stood a bustling little BYOB restaurant beloved for its convivial atmosphere, great food and reasonable prices. The restaurant was called Trattoria da Alfredo after its owner Alfredo Viazzi (1921-1987), who immigrated to America from Savona, Italy in 1946.

Infectious in personality and warm in spirit with a flair for the dramatic and a long-time love of cooking and restaurant food, Alfredo opened Trattoria da Alfredo in 1971 serving pasta, salads, and his own unique blend of Italian cuisine. By the late 1970s, the Trattoria was so popular it sometimes took a week in advance to get a reservation and the atmosphere no matter the day or the time was always bustling.  Open six days a week for lunch and dinner, Daily News restaurant critics Suzanne Hamiln and Arthur Schwartz called it "one of the smallest, noisiest and friendliest restaurants in the city" in 1980. 

Alfredo didn't believe much in canned food, frozen ingredients and pre-packaged convenience foods when it came to cooking. Everything needed to be fresh, simple, the best you could afford. His style of cooking was based on the founding principles of traditional Italian cuisine and flavor pairings, but he liked to innovate, personalize and mix in some creativity when it came to creating recipes so that they were unique and the Trattoria the only place in the city where you could get his type of food. His cuisine attracted all sorts of gourmands - Julia Child, Craig Claiborne, James Beard -  and his location in the village attracted all sorts of local residents, actors, celebrities, and musicians. Even the Mayor of New York loved it. 

In reading past reviews of the Trattoria, and also his second sister restaurant, Tavola Calda da Alfredo located on Bleeker Street, it's hard to determine which aspect restaurant-goers loved more... Alfredo, his food, or the restaurant's atmosphere. All three were regularly and enthusiastically praised whether it was a simple mention in a Village dining guide, a review of the menu, or an in-depth interview with the restaurant owner himself. Alfredo and his restaurants were beloved fixtures of the NYC food scene.

In 1979, Alfredo published his first cookbook, Alfredo Viazzi's Italian Cooking made up of recipes he served at both of his restaurants along with other dishes inspired by the people, places and history of his heritage. Just like the man and his restaurants, this cookbook was met with rave reviews. Excerpts from it continued to be published in various food columns around the country throughout the 20th century and into the 21st.  

Considering that Alfredo was such a magnetic personality, there's a lovely extra layer of joy surrounding this particular cookbook in that it was signed by Alfredo himself with a large, gregarious Buon Appeitito on the title page. You can practically sense his enthusiasm right from the start just by his signature.  

Interesting recipes include Signora Rosa's Stuffed Mushrooms, Roman Egg and Spinach Soup, Cannelloni with Seafood Filling, Pansoti with Nut Sauce, Spaghettini with Bacon, Egg and Cheese, Stuffed Eggplant, Polenta with Gorgonzola, Beef Stew, Roast Loin of Pork Maremma Style, Chicken Trasyevarina Style, Striped Bass Baked in Seaweed, Fish Stew, Gypsy Salad, Meat Sauce Bolognese, Sweet Ravioli, and Zabaglione with Fresh Strawberries

When Alfredo passed away unexpectedly at the age of 66, the heart went of Trattoria da Alfredo and the restaurant closed.  Less than a year later, the beloved spot would become the Penguin Cafe. 

In addition to the delightful recipes, this book is wonderfully illustrated by renowned American graphic designer Milton Glaser (1929-2020) and wrapped in mylar to preserve the dust jacket's original integrity. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Signed First Edition, published in 1979 by Random House
• 225 pages
• Contains over 150 recipes
• Illustrated throughout by Milton Glaser
• Original dust jacket

{CONDITION}

In lovely vintage condition, this cookbook is clean and bright throughout with no cooking spots or stains except for three pages (179-181) in the vegetables and salads section where some minor wrinkling of the paper and a few light cooking spots appear, and on page 22-23 highlighting the recipes for Stuffed Eggplant and Signora Rosa's Stuffed Mushrooms. Always the sign of a favorite recipe or two, these marks are like little recommendations of a good dish from one cook to another. A notation of two stars written in pencil signals another favorite recipe for String Beans, Broccoli and Cauliflower, Butter and Parmesan Cheese (page 173). The dust jacket contains a few small rips along the top edge but is protected from further damage by a mylar cover. The spine is tight and all pages are intact. 

{SIZE}

Measures 9.5" inches (length) x 6.5" inches (width) x 1" inch (thickness) and weighs 1.5 lbs.

{A VINTAGE PAIRING SUGGESTION} 

Pair this cookbook with these other Big Apple restaurant books for a vintage culinary New York City dining experience. or pair it with vintage restaurant ware for a fun eating-out meal at home.