New York never had an Italian restaurant as good as Romeo Salta was in its heyday. Mimi Sheraton, New York Times Restaurant Critic

{HISTORY}

Opened in 1953, Romeo Salta's restaurant located on West 56th Street in midtown Manhattan was the best place to go for authentic, traditional Italian food in New York City. Serving a mix of northern and southern Italian cuisine, the atmosphere of Romeo Salta's was elegant, intimate and full of gracious hospitality just like its owner and namesake Romeo Saltalamacchio. Known for great seafood, pasta and its signature pencil-thin breadsticks, Romeo Salta's never failed to delight its guests with a memorable meal and attentive service. 

By the time the restaurant opened in NYC, Romeo himself was no newcomer to the hospitality world. He started his food industry career working in the kitchens of cruise ships in his native Italy before coming to America in 1929 and working at various hotels and restaurants in the city including the Waldorf-Astoria and the St. Moritz.

In the 1930s,  he went west to California for more restaurant work, and in doing so,  noticed that there was no place to enjoy authentic Italian food beyond spaghetti and meatballs in the Los Angeles area. It was there, in Hollywood, that Romeo remedied the Italian food situation and opened his first restaurant, The Chianti. Slow to start at the onset, a fortuitous public mention of praise from Ed Sullivan turned Romeo's humble, little-known restaurant quickly into a buzzing celebrity hotspot. As successful as The Chianti became in California, New York still called to Romeo's heart, so following WWII he moved back to Manhattan and opened Romeo Salta in the early 1950s. 

For forty years, Romeo Salta, the restaurant and the man, were beloved New York icons upholding the same level of exceptional service and exquisite food from day one. Following Romeo's retirement, although he still visited the restaurant every day into his late 80s, his son Salvatore, took over operations until the restaurant closed permanently in 1994.  Four years later, Romeo passed away at the age of 93.

In 1962, Romeo published The Pleasures of Italian Cooking, featuring Northern Italian cuisine with classic recipes included from Rome, Venice, Florence, Genoa, and Milan among other famous cities. Lauded upon its debut, the cookbook was translated into four languages and made Romeo Salta a household name associated with exemplary Italian cooking.  

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• Published in 1962 by The Macmillan Company 
• Book Club Edition
• Includes original dust jacket
• 239 pages including detailed index
• Contains 300 recipes 
• Color photograph plates included throughout by Robert Caramico
• Interesting recipes include Finocchi Dorati (Batter-Fried Fennal), Gato di Castagne (Chestnut Refrigerator Torte), Insalata di Pasqua (Easter Salad), Pollo Arrostito alla Parmigiana (Roast Chicken with Cheese), Costolette alla Bolognese (Veal Cutlets, Bologna Style), Filetto Ripieno (Stuffed Filet of Beef), Risoverdi (Green Rice), Gnocci alla Ricotta (Ricotta Dumplings), Pasta alla Uovo (Egg Noodle Dough), Lasagna Verde alla Bolognese, Gamberoni Indiavolati (Brandied Crayfish), Filetti di Sogliole Spumanti (Fillet of Sole in White Wine), Noccioline di Vitello in Brodo (Meat Ball Soup), Tortino di Carciofi (Artichoke Pie) and so many more!

{CONDITION}

In beautiful vintage condition, this cookbook looks practically brand-new. There is some minor wrinkling on the dust jacket at the top and bottom edge, but other than that this book is clean and bright throughout with no cooking, spots, stains or notations. The spine is tight, the coverboards are clean and bright and all pages are intact. 

{SIZE}

Measures 9.5" inches (length) x 6.5" inches (width) x 1.25" inches (thickness) and weighs 1.5 lbs