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Umbertos Clam House

Umbertos Clam House
The restaurant's exterior in 2014
Map
Restaurant information
Established1972; 52 years ago (1972)
Owner(s)Robert Ianniello
Food typeItalian, seafood
Street address132 Mulberry Street (between Grand Street and Hester Street) in Little Italy in Manhattan
CityNew York City
StateNew York
Postal/ZIP Code10013
Coordinates40°43′6.33″N 73°59′51.53″W / 40.7184250°N 73.9976472°W / 40.7184250; -73.9976472
Websitewww.umbertosclamhouse.com

Umbertos Clam House is an Italian seafood restaurant located at 132 Mulberry Street in Little Italy in Manhattan, New York City.[1] Umbertos became known for its "tasty dishes of calamari, scungilli, and mussels", but initially became prominent, weeks after opening, for being the site of the murder of gangster Joe Gallo. The restaurant was founded and is owned by members of the Ianniello family.

History

The restaurant, founded by Umberto Ianniello, opened in 1972 at 129 Mulberry Street at the northwest corner of Mulberry and Hester streets.[2] It was both the hangout of Umberto's son, reputed Mafia leader Matthew ("Matty the Horse") Ianniello[3] and (according to Judge Edward Weinfeld of the Federal District Court in Manhattan) secretly owned by Matthew.[4]

On April 7, 1972—two months after opening—New York gangster Joe Gallo was shot and killed at the restaurant, a killing The New York Times dubbed "one of the more sensational Mafia murders in New York City in recent history".[5][6] His party of family and friends[7][8] (including his daughter,[9] wife, and bodyguard[10]) had stopped for an early morning snack after celebrating his 43rd birthday[11] at the Copacabana.[11] A rival gangster spotted him and sent in hitmen shortly after Gallo was seated at a butcher block table in a back corner.[12] After sustaining five shots, Gallo stumbled out into the street and died.[11]

Matthew was at the cash register that night but fled to the kitchen[12] and missed the entire attack; he later claimed no prior knowledge of the attack and was not charged concerning it.[citation needed] As The Nevada Daily Mail reported: "the proprietor dove into the kitchen and lay on the tile floor with his hands over his eyes as soon as Sonny Pinto and two out-of-town torpedoes known only as Cisco and Benny came in the side door blasting. The next thing he knew, Pete "The Greek" Diopoulis, a Gallo bodyguard, was pushing a gun in his face and pulling the trigger but only clicks came out because it had been emptied trying to save Joey."[12]

In 1986, Matthew Ianniello was sentenced to six years in prison on a racketeering charge that involved skimming over $2 million from bars and restaurants (including Umbertos Clam House, the Peppermint Lounge, and a topless bar called the Mardi Gras, all in Manhattan), secretly owned by Matthew; his business partner Benjamin Cohen of North Hills, Long Island; and seven associates.[4]

Between 1986 and 1994, the federal government oversaw the restaurant's financial operations and daily operations, after trial evidence led them to believe that money was being skimmed.[5][3] In 1994, with the restaurant suffering increasing losses, the establishment's control was turned over to the current owner, Matthew's younger brother, Robert Ianniello,[3][13] who is listed as the restaurant's principal owner.[3]

In November 1996, the restaurant was closed due to a lack of funds and the building was sold.[14][15] Umbertos reopened in May 2000, at 178 Mulberry Street (on the corner of Broome Street), two blocks north of the original location.[16] In 2010, Umbertos moved to its current location, just a few spots north of the original site.[16][17] Today, the Ristorante Da Gennaro occupies the original location of Umbertos Clam House.[7]

The founders of ZZ's Clam Bar have said it "celebrates" Umbertos Clam House.[18]

The Mafia hit and its locale were recalled in media coverage of the death of the actor Jerry Orbach, who became friends with "Crazy Joe" Gallo after playing a character who was modelled on him in the movie, The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (1971), based on a novel by Jimmy Breslin.

The song "Joey" by Bob Dylan from his 1976 album Desire references Umberto's and the Gallo incident. The song is an epic loosely based on Gallo's life, and contains the lyric "One day they blew him down/In a clam bar in New York".

In a 1989 interview, Jerry Garcia stated that he would try to eat at Umbertos every time he played in New York, chuckling "they try to get a picture of me up there with Frank Sinatra and The Pope!"

As of January 2005, the Zagat Survey restaurant guide notes: "patrons of Umbertos are often tourists 'who expect the Sopranos cast to arrive.'"[5]

Umbertos was featured in Martin Scorsese's film The Irishman (2019), where Gallo's hit was dramatized. It also features on the reverse of the Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes album, Hearts of Stone, showing the band eating outside.

The original 129 Mulberry Street location can be seen in the 1984 film Ghostbusters, during the montage.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Zagats Review". Zagats.
  2. ^ Roberts, Nina (October 7, 2007). "Yes, parts have been yuppified, but Little Italy eats as well as ever". Boston.com.
  3. ^ a b c d Raab, Selwyn (February 12, 1994). "Umberto's, of Clams and Bullets Fame, Is Paroled". The New York Times.
  4. ^ a b "Ianniello Is Sentenced In Racketeering Trial". The New York Times. February 16, 1986.
  5. ^ a b c Fried, Joseph P. (January 9, 2005). "FOLLOWING UP: Still Serving Italian, Long After a Mob Hit". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "The gruesome end of Crazy Joe Gallo". Ephemeral New York. February 7, 2009.
  7. ^ a b Skillings, Pamela. "Manhattan, New York: Photo Tour of Sites of Famous New York Deaths". About.com. p. 9 of 11. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  8. ^ Gage, Nicholas (May 3, 1972). "Story of Joe Gallo's Murder" (PDF). New York Times. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  9. ^ Dunford, Martin (2009-01-02). The Rough Guide to New York City. Penguin. ISBN 9781848368262.
  10. ^ "Joseph Gallo". The Biography Channel Website. 2013. Retrieved 8 Sep 2013.
  11. ^ a b c Morabito, Greg (August 26, 2011). "A Guide to New York's Mob Restaurants". New York Eater.
  12. ^ a b c Mulligan, Hugh A. (May 5, 1985). "In These Eateries, Pasta Was Served With Bullets". The Nevada Daily Mail: 3A.
  13. ^ Lubasch, Arnold H. (December 31, 1985). "9 Of 10 Found Guilty In Skimming Trial". The New York Times.
  14. ^ Lewis, David L. (December 19, 1996). "Umberto's Totally Clammed". New York Daily News. New York. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  15. ^ Jacobs, Andrew (December 22, 1996). "Umberto's Is Rubbed Out". The New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
  16. ^ a b Wilson, Michael (September 26, 2013). "After 4 Decades, Memory of a Mob Killing Still Draws Gawkers". The New York Times. Retrieved December 28, 2018.
  17. ^ Grimes, William (May 24, 2000). "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; Fill It Up, and Check the Olive Oil". The New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2011.
  18. ^ Collins, Glenn (18 June 2013). "At ZZ's Clam Bar, Seafood Shares the Stage With Cocktails". Diner’s Journal Blog. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  19. ^ Image theraffon.net
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