The Soprano Gang Drops By for Linguine and Cannoli
THE CITY WEEKLY DESK/ the New York Times
By HANNAH M. WALLACE (NYT) 536 words
Published: April 7, 2002
Tuesdays are usually dark at Bamonte's. So on a recent Tuesday morning, when a block of Withers Street was cordoned off and two production trailers sat in front of the 102-year-old Italian restaurant, it was clear that something was up.
Inside, cameramen and set designers added finishing touches to the dining room, two dozen extras lingered by the bar, and the actors James Gandolfini, Michael Imperioli, Steven Van Zandt, Joe Pantoliano and Dan Grimaldi were getting into character.
''They told us to try and keep it quiet,'' said Lisa Bamonte, the manager and part of the fourth generation of her family to work at the restaurant. ''But word spreads around this neighborhood pretty quickly.''
The word, in this case, was news of the taping of several scenes of the HBO series ''The Sopranos,'' and by 6 p.m., a crowd had gathered outside.
''The cast and crew were all so nice,'' said Filomena Russo, who along with members of the Bamonte family was the only person allowed in the restaurant for the taping. Ms. Russo, a close family friend who has watched the series faithfully since it first aired in 1999, had left her house in Syosset, L.I., at 6 a.m. Though she ran into Mr. Gandolfini last year while playing blackjack at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, the other actors were new to her.
''Imperioli was such a gentleman,'' she said. ''He sat down and ate with us and even thanked us for dinner.''
Mr. Pantoliano, on the other hand, swore a lot, though he was very funny. ''He was as obnoxious in person as he is on the show,'' Ms. Russo said, adding hastily, ''I mean that in the best kind of way.''
At midday, Anthony Bamonte, the owner, cooked linguine with marinara sauce for the cast and crew -- ''They wanted to eat light,'' he said. Even so, they still had room for cannoli his daughter Laura brought over from her bakery nearby.
The crew spent 14 hours at the restaurant shooting four scenes, one of which involved a ''business meeting'' between Tony Soprano and his associates. The scenes are to be shown in the fall.
Unlike the relatively chic Nuovo Vesuvio, the fictional New Jersey restaurant where Tony Soprano and his crew often meet, Bamonte's has a classic Italian-American atmosphere. The restaurant is also near Silvercup Studios in Long Island City, Queens, where most of the show's interiors are taped.
This isn't Bamonte's first round with celebrity. Photographs on the wall are evidence that Danny DeVito, Harrison Ford and Woody Allen have all dined here. Joe DiMaggio was a regular. Bamonte's also had a star turn in the 1989 mobster film ''Cookie.'' ''People like the ambience here,'' Lisa Bamonte said.
They clearly like the food, too. Several ''Sopranos'' cast and crew members have already returned for dinner.