Every Sunday night, 50 Sundays a year
(Easter and Super bowl Sunday excluded), raucous
laughter can be heard inside the walls of the Side
Street Grille in Hamden, CT. This past September
owners Dave DeNicola, Bob Severino, and Tony
Notaro celebrated their 11th year of producing
comedy shows.
There has been no shortage of talent that has
graced the stage there. The most famous comic to
pass through has been Lisa Lampanelli who sold
out several shows prior to her becoming nationally
known. Other well known comics who have graced
the stage have been Rich Vos and Joe Devito
from the show The Last Comic Standing as well as
Jim Florentine from Crank Yankers. DeNicola
mainly books his acts through repeat performers
and through word of mouth from other comics mostly
from New York City.
Side Street has become the model for how all
restaurants, bars or clubs should treat there
performers. When DeNicola was asked how he
treats his comics and why, he responded in typical
fashion for someone who loves comedy, “I make
them clean the grease trap.” When DeNicola
finally got serious again he made some great points,
“This is the hospitality industry. I've said this
before, it doesn't cost anything to be nice to
people. These guys drive 75 miles from (New
York City) to get here and the least I can do is
treat them decently and with respect. They are
doing me a favor by coming here to entertain my
customers.” This attitude has been key in the
continued success of comedy at Side Street Grille.
(Easter and Super bowl Sunday excluded), raucous
laughter can be heard inside the walls of the Side
Street Grille in Hamden, CT. This past September
owners Dave DeNicola, Bob Severino, and Tony
Notaro celebrated their 11th year of producing
comedy shows.
There has been no shortage of talent that has
graced the stage there. The most famous comic to
pass through has been Lisa Lampanelli who sold
out several shows prior to her becoming nationally
known. Other well known comics who have graced
the stage have been Rich Vos and Joe Devito
from the show The Last Comic Standing as well as
Jim Florentine from Crank Yankers. DeNicola
mainly books his acts through repeat performers
and through word of mouth from other comics mostly
from New York City.
Side Street has become the model for how all
restaurants, bars or clubs should treat there
performers. When DeNicola was asked how he
treats his comics and why, he responded in typical
fashion for someone who loves comedy, “I make
them clean the grease trap.” When DeNicola
finally got serious again he made some great points,
“This is the hospitality industry. I've said this
before, it doesn't cost anything to be nice to
people. These guys drive 75 miles from (New
York City) to get here and the least I can do is
treat them decently and with respect. They are
doing me a favor by coming here to entertain my
customers.” This attitude has been key in the
continued success of comedy at Side Street Grille.
Stand up comic Dustin Chafin of White Boyz In The Hood and the Dirt Poor Comedy Tour, a regular performer here,
sums it up best, “I always find my way back to Hamden, not for the money or the fame but because of
Dave. He is one of the nicest guys that I've met in the world of comedy. He treats us nice and goes out
of his way to show us his appreciation. The food rocks too! Side Street Grille is the kind of place that
when I reach rock star status I’ll still come back because Dave knows how to treat comedians.”
DeNicola’s most famous alumni, Lisa Lampanelli chimed in with “Some of my best comedy memories ever,
believe it or not, are from Side Street. Whether I was just coming in to try some new material, coming in
for paid sets, or just coming in to hang out with Dave and everybody there, I never left in a bad mood.
That's a rarity for a comic, to have 100 percent positive feelings about a place of work. Usually there's
some bad incident or shitty person to mar the place in one's memories. But Side Street holds a place in
my heart. Hopefully, I'll be coming back through there on my inevitable trip back down the ladder of
success."
The kindness and respect doesn't stop with just DeNicola. The entire staff is known as one of the friendliest around. If a
comedian is coming up from the city on a train DeNicola or a staff member has no problem picking them up, whereas
other places would tell the comic to take a taxi from there. The kindness doesn't stop when the comedian leave the
place either. One time Comedian Steve Marshall, another regular performer, missed the last train back to New York.
Marshall said to just leave him at the train station all night. One of the bartenders would not hear it and insisted that he
sleep on her couch for the night.
The menu itself is written in comedic spirit. There are such delicacies as Winona Ryder’s Five Finger Discount Chicken,
the Tonya Harding Club Sagawich and the Mike Tyson Pizza Bites. The food is quite good, especially the wings as this
writer has spent many happy hours indulging in the free wings given out. The wings have been a past winner of the local
wing ding contest for several years as well.
While it is a fun place, not everything always go according to plan. DeNicola described one night with a comic as ‘quite a
night to forget.’ The comic was scheduled to perform for 15 minutes yet he was on stage for nearly an hour. His three
fellow comics wanted him off and he wouldn't get off the stage. The other three comics had to physically grab him and
carry him off the stage, where they then proceeded to through him out the side door and in the process Dave’s wireless
microphone got broken.
If you need a laugh on a Sunday night, even if you’re a little short on cash come on down to the Side Street Grille. Its $5
no matter who is performing and you are guaranteed to do some laughing. It seems like there will be no shortage of
comics in the future to entertain you. As comedian Geno Bisconte says, “The Side Street Grille is my favorite gig
in Connecticut. It is located right off the Quinnipiac College campus so I always book a date in
September and May to see the new hotties, and daddy is never disappointed!”
sums it up best, “I always find my way back to Hamden, not for the money or the fame but because of
Dave. He is one of the nicest guys that I've met in the world of comedy. He treats us nice and goes out
of his way to show us his appreciation. The food rocks too! Side Street Grille is the kind of place that
when I reach rock star status I’ll still come back because Dave knows how to treat comedians.”
DeNicola’s most famous alumni, Lisa Lampanelli chimed in with “Some of my best comedy memories ever,
believe it or not, are from Side Street. Whether I was just coming in to try some new material, coming in
for paid sets, or just coming in to hang out with Dave and everybody there, I never left in a bad mood.
That's a rarity for a comic, to have 100 percent positive feelings about a place of work. Usually there's
some bad incident or shitty person to mar the place in one's memories. But Side Street holds a place in
my heart. Hopefully, I'll be coming back through there on my inevitable trip back down the ladder of
success."
The kindness and respect doesn't stop with just DeNicola. The entire staff is known as one of the friendliest around. If a
comedian is coming up from the city on a train DeNicola or a staff member has no problem picking them up, whereas
other places would tell the comic to take a taxi from there. The kindness doesn't stop when the comedian leave the
place either. One time Comedian Steve Marshall, another regular performer, missed the last train back to New York.
Marshall said to just leave him at the train station all night. One of the bartenders would not hear it and insisted that he
sleep on her couch for the night.
The menu itself is written in comedic spirit. There are such delicacies as Winona Ryder’s Five Finger Discount Chicken,
the Tonya Harding Club Sagawich and the Mike Tyson Pizza Bites. The food is quite good, especially the wings as this
writer has spent many happy hours indulging in the free wings given out. The wings have been a past winner of the local
wing ding contest for several years as well.
While it is a fun place, not everything always go according to plan. DeNicola described one night with a comic as ‘quite a
night to forget.’ The comic was scheduled to perform for 15 minutes yet he was on stage for nearly an hour. His three
fellow comics wanted him off and he wouldn't get off the stage. The other three comics had to physically grab him and
carry him off the stage, where they then proceeded to through him out the side door and in the process Dave’s wireless
microphone got broken.
If you need a laugh on a Sunday night, even if you’re a little short on cash come on down to the Side Street Grille. Its $5
no matter who is performing and you are guaranteed to do some laughing. It seems like there will be no shortage of
comics in the future to entertain you. As comedian Geno Bisconte says, “The Side Street Grille is my favorite gig
in Connecticut. It is located right off the Quinnipiac College campus so I always book a date in
September and May to see the new hotties, and daddy is never disappointed!”
| Side Street Grille is located at 15 Dickerman Street in Hamden Connecticut Show time starts around 9pm. |
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| Side Street Grille has become the model for how all restaurants, bars or clubs should treat there performers. |
| FOR BOOKINGS CALL (203) 407-1539 |
| --Rick Carino |
| Nu Entertainment Productions Nu Magazine |
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