by Patricia Bellomo | Jun 30, 2014 | Mob Blog
Mob BLog: Toyko Blue, June 30, 2014
Mob Blog: Tokyo Blue, June 30, 2014
[dcs_p]In Louie’s words …[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Seven o’clock on Wednesday. We’re in Lauderdale on a business matter, and Victor says, “Lou, let’s go get lobster at Tokyo Blue.”[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Tokyo Blue is an Asian joint in the Ocean Manor Resort Hotel on Galt Ocean Drive. Hotel and restaurant are owned by a friend of Victor’s, a guy named Frank Talerico. Frank did a pretty swell job with Tokyo Blue’s décor. The bar is a solid slab of glass backlit by cobalt-blue lighting. It’s a pretty big bar, with some lounge-style seating. Frank’s barmaids aren’t bad to look at either.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Tokyo Blue is called an ‘Asian Fusion lounge.’ I’m not a sushi guy, but you can’t beat the all-you-can-eat lobster priced at 49.99 on Wednesday evenings. Not that Victor or I are concerned with prices. It’s not as though Victor’s on a budget, and he eats all he can whenever he can, but the lobster at Tokyo Blue is Maine lobster and Frank’s people do a good job with it.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Cocktails first, at the bar. We eye some of the girls heading into the dining room. This week, they’re all on vacation. Most are young, all are scantily dressed.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
We stay seated at Tokyo Blue’s bar, order our lobster. It’s delicious. I do two plates, and Victor goes for four or five. But, hey, he’s a big guy.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Victor tells Frank the lobster is “outstanding.” He says to the barmaid, “Doll, bring us another round.”[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
No blended malt whisky tonight but a mild Sauvignon Blanc to complement the lobster, chase the sweetness from my throat. I eye the décor—ice blue with splashes of violet—a pair of studded and turquoise-finned headless mermaids, a large aquarium. I recall that Tokyo Blue got a lot of fanfare when they opened a few years ago, bringing in top name sushi chefs.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
I sip my wine and think of think about the days ahead of me. I have to meet a man tomorrow and then I’m skipping town, taking my family to the Gulf for the 4th of July weekend. It’s a safe bet I won’t be eating any lobster, but hey, you never know.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
If you enjoyed Tokyo Blue, you may consider reading one of Patricia Bellomo’s mob thrillers. Books include, Louie Morelli’s Mistress, Stella di Mare, and Louie Morelli’s Daughter. [/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Tokyo Blue was written in the voice of Patricia’s main character, savvy mobster, Louie Morelli. Tokyo Blue is real, Louie is Bellomo’s creation.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]Books available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in all e-reader formats. Also available on AmazonUK and AmazonEU.
[contact-form][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form]
by Patricia Bellomo | Apr 14, 2014 | Mob Blog
Cafe Atchafalaya
Mob Blog: Cafe Atchafalaya, April 14, 2014
[dcs_p]Brunch with my baby at Café Atchafalaya. I’m in New Orleans attending to business. It’s seventy-eight degrees and feels like rain, and the earth smells green and humid, and I’m eating a Louisiana Crab Omelette and drinking a Peach Old Fashioned.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
I haven’t been to the Café Atchafalaya since they redid the place a few years ago. Victor tells me its new owners—he keeps in touch better than I do. Anyway, it’s good to be back in my hometown. I love Florida, but I don’t get creamy grits or crab omelettes or Eggs Treme in Miami or Palm Beach. And even if I did, it wouldn’t taste the same. There is something to be said for atmosphere and you certainly get it at Café Atchafalaya, which is housed in a rustic old building, eschewing the antebellum elegance of nearby Uptown for the seedy bonhomie of the Irish Channel, where Victor’s early childhood was spent.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
The aforementioned “baby” is my little girl, Ceci. Reluctantly, I admit she’s not quite so little anymore, but she is stunningly beautiful and everybody looks at her. Last night, she told me on the phone that Café Atchafalaya is her favorite, and I’ve pulled her out of school and brought her to the café so she can have brunch with me and Victor.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
I don’t live with Ceci—in fact, I don’t even have custody—but she’s my baby and I get free rein at spoiling her. And Ceci’s excited to be at the Café Atchafalaya. She doesn’t say so, but I can see it in her eyes. She sits beside me in her parochial school uniform with its crisp white blouse and her dark-blue knee-highs, and even though she’s clearly an adolescent and in the company of two doting males, grown men can’t resist looking—their eyes sliding at her and then quickly moving away. Eating her Atchafalaya Burger, Ceci is oblivious.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
The Peach Old Fashioned is Victor’s idea. It sounds girly girl, but it is made with Maker’s Mark and peach syrup, and it seems to fit my mood. For awhile I’m anonymous and loving it, and then a couple of gents recognize me and stop by our table to say hello. By the time Café Atchafalaya’s German chocolate crepes arrive, I’m ready to go. I say to Ceci, “Baby, I have to go meet a man on the Westbank. Do you want to go with Victor and me, or return to school?”[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
If you enjoyed Café Atchafalaya, you may consider reading one of Patricia Bellomo’s mob thrillers. Books include, Louie Morelli’s Mistress, Stella di Mare, and Louie Morelli’s Daughter. [/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Café Atchafalaya was written in the voice of Patricia’s main character, savvy mobster, Louie Morelli. All books available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in all e-reader formats. Also available on AmazonUK and AmazonEU.
by Patricia Bellomo | Mar 19, 2014 | Mob Blog
Feast of St. Joseph
Mob Blog: The Feast of St. Joseph, March 19, 2014
La Fiesta di San Giuseppe, the Feast of St. Joseph, is celebrated today. This is a day Italians celebrate, in much the same way as the Irish celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, although we’ll supplant the green with a little vino. And pastry. And prayer, of course.
St. Joseph is the patron saint of Sicily, and the Feast of St. Joseph is celebrated to honor the spouse of the Virgin Mary. It’s a day to be thankful for what you have and to help those who are needy—a day to feed the hungry.
It’s customary to wear red on the Feast of St. Joseph. Fish-shaped bread and cross-buns are also part of St. Joseph’s celebrations, as is the Fava Bean. This little bean is credited with saving the lives of Sicilians during the famines of the middle-ages and has come to symbolize the festa. It’s considered good fortune to eat the bean on St. Joseph’s Day, as well as to receive a “lucky” bean.
Altars are erected in gratitude of St. Joseph’s bounty, displaying statues of St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother, along with candles and flowers and traditional Sicilian wine and pastry, most notably zeppole, which are fried puffed shells filled with ricotta or custard or Italian cream, and fig stuffed cookies called cuccidati.
It’s advisable to attend Mass before the feast.
The best place to celebrate the Feast of St. Joseph—apart from traveling to Sicily—is in New Orleans. The Italian Amercian Marching Club does an annual parade on the Saturday before the Feast of St. Joseph, with a prime French Quarter route. Incidentally, New Orleans was a destination for late nineteenth and early twentieth century Sicilian immigrants. Sicilian’s settled in the French Quarter even before the mass immigrations began at Ellis Island, giving New Orleans a heritage that is rich in Italian culture.
It’s no coincidence that the main character in my “Louie Morelli” series is from New Orleans. The city is also the setting for my novel, Louie Morelli’s Mistress.
Patricia Bellomo is the author of the crime and mob thriller books Louie Morelli’s Mistress, Stella di Mare, and Louie Morelli’s Daughter. Books available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and on all e-readers.
by Patricia Bellomo | Dec 11, 2013 | Mob Blog
[dcs_p]Mob Blog: Breakfast With The Bookmaker, December 11, 2013[/dcs_p][dcs_p]_
In Louie’s words …[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
News Café, in South Beach. We’re sitting curbside with Victor’s bookmaker, a character if there ever was one. Victor’s bookmaker is pushing eighty. He’s an old time book, with a mane of shaggy gray hair and bright blue eyes. His skin’s a little weathered—this is South Florida, but other than the skin damage, Victor’s bookmaker doesn’t look his age.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Victor’s into his book for thirty gee’s, slipping an envelope to him beneath the table. Victor’s the loser, so the tradition is the bookmaker buys, even if it is just bacon and eggs. And bread pudding with vanilla sauce, which is what Victor always gets when we come here.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
It’s a mild day, with a low bank of scudding clouds blowing in from the Atlantic. It’s December in Miami, and we’ve got the usual bimbo mix on the sidewalks clashing with suntanned coeds and middle-aged Germans. There’s a lot of eye candy, and we’re all looking, even the bookmaker.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
He tells us women have been his downfall. Being that he’s on his fifth wife, and she’s forty years younger than him, I’d have to agree. “At my age, I’m still paying child support,” the bookmaker says. “Imagine that. I’ll never be able to retire.”[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
“Well, you’re doing pretty good this year.” Victor says. “Another week like last week, and I’ll be able to retire you.”[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
The bookmaker laughs. “Believe it or not, I had more winners than losers last week. The lines Vegas puts out are garbage nowadays. I miss the old days.” He sighs, thinking back to a time when being a sports book was easy. “I used to write three million on a weekend back then, and nobody bothered you. Now you’ve got cowboy cops busting ten dollar bettors.”[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
If you enjoyed Breakfast with the Bookmaker, you may consider reading one of Patricia Bellomo’s mob thrillers. Books include, Louie Morelli’s Mistress, Stella di Mare, and Louie Morelli’s Daughter.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Breakfast with the Bookmaker was written in the voice of Patricia’s main character, savvy mobster, Louie Morelli.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
All books available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in all e-reader formats. Also available on AmazonUK and AmazonEU.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
by Patricia Bellomo | Oct 10, 2013 | Mob Blog
[dcs_p]Mob Blog: Miami Beach Mobsters, October 10, 2013[/dcs_p]
[dcs_p] In Louie Morelli’s words … [/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Did I say the Russian’s make me nervous? They’re unpredictable, these new Miami Beach mobsters, with their expensive Cristal and low priced prostitutes. Unfortunately, the way business is today, I’m obliged to meet with them every now and then.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
My venue of choice is my own nightclub, Franco’s, which is a Miami Beach favorite, even for Miami’s new Russian mobsters. I meet a couple of them up in the VIP lounge, where Franco pours the Cristal and Victor offers Montecristo’s.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
It’s a civilized meet, and I’m not expecting trouble, but the Russian’s like to show their muscle. I think they’re amused that I’m so low key, but then, they’re in a much more dangerous line of work than I am, dealing with Middle Eastern fanatics and South American sociopaths. Being a patriot, I object to some of their practices, but then, what they do is their business. As long as it doesn’t encroach on mine. But, occasionally, these foreign-born Miami Beach mobsters come to me for a deal or a favor. And sometimes, like today, it’s me who is looking for information.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Fortunately, the information is provided without a price, as a gesture of goodwill. I graciously accept. After all, it wouldn’t do to offend my unsavory friends. So I let Franco pour the Cristal, and then he brings in the working girls, and the Russians are happy. [/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Patricia Bellomo is the author of the crime and mob thriller books, Louie Morelli’s Mistress, Stella di Mare, and Louie Morelli’s Daughter. Miami Beach Mobsters was written in the voice of her main character, Louie Morelli.[/dcs_p][dcs_p]
Books available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Amazon.UK & Amazon.EU. Books are also available in digital formats.
![Mob Blog: Breakfast With The Bookmaker, December 11, 2013[/dcs_p][dcs_p]_](https://patriciabellomo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/money.jpg){kind=link}