Fat Joe & Jadakiss break bread with Mario Carbone & talk food, hip hop & Jada's Italian heritage

Summary

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Joe and Jada Podcast: Fat Joe & Jadakiss Break Bread with Mario Carbone—Talking Food, Hip-Hop & Italian Heritage

Date: March 12, 2026
Hosts: Fat Joe & Jadakiss (Jada)
Guest: Mario Carbone (Renowned Chef/Restaurateur)
Special Appearances: Charlamagne Tha God
Theme: The intersection of Italian-American food, hip-hop culture, personal heritage, NYC nostalgia, and family.

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Episode Overview

In this lively and mouth-watering episode, Fat Joe and Jadakiss link up with Mario Carbone at his iconic New York restaurant. Over plates of signature Italian-American dishes, they dig into everything from the secrets of authentic cooking and the legendary status of Carbone, to run-ins with celebrity guests, Mario’s Italian roots, and the parallels between food and hip-hop culture. The banter is rich—with hilarious asides, inside stories, and heartfelt appreciation for tradition, family, and the relentless hustle behind both great restaurants and great music.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Italian-American Food Culture & The Making of Carbone

• Signature Dishes & Traditions

  • Mario showcases the making of classic dishes: Dover sole, linguini with clams, rigatoni with spicy vodka sauce, and bronzino.
    • “Every restaurant needs a Big Mac… I don't think there's a customer that doesn't come to Carbone that don't want the spicy [rigatoni].” — Fat Joe [04:16]
  • Mario talks about deliberately keeping the menu traditional:
    • “I thought it was important to make dishes that you've had before, but just try to make the best one that you've had… Like, I'm not trying to impress you with something you never had before.” — Mario Carbone [05:36]

• The Art of Classics

  • The challenge is making the basics excellent:
    • “You know what a linguini Vongole is? You know what a meatball is? Like, I don't got anything to hide behind. I got to make it great.” — Mario Carbone [05:59]

• Regional & Ingredient Talk

  • Discussion of seafood quality, cold-water shellfish (“the colder, the better your shellfish”), Italian olives, and NYC’s Italian neighborhood history.

2. Restaurants as Storytellers & Preservers of Community

• Keeping Tradition Alive

  • Carbone occupies the former Rocco’s, a century-old Genovese neighborhood spot.
    • “This block was Genovese. Vincent De Chin, this was his block… So these old places, after a hundred years or whatever, they're closing down. That's why it was important for us when this one closed down… we took it and tried to keep it going.” — Mario Carbone [16:40, 21:09]
  • The role of churches as anchors for ethnic neighborhoods in NYC.

• Restaurant Gossip: Legendary Guests

  • Mario shares epic stories:
    • Derek Jeter’s last game dinner [11:23]
    • President Obama dining (with “cell phone blockers” and secret service), Jay-Z and Elon Musk fighting over the bill [11:46–12:54]
    • Martin Scorsese requesting lasagna off-menu [50:34]
    • Sheltering the vibe so every visitor feels like "Henry Hill walking into the Copacabana." [69:53]

3. Food x Hip-Hop: Parallels & Influence

• Creativity: Bars vs. Dishes

  • Fat Joe draws parallels between “make a classic better than the next guy” in both food and rap:
    • “Ours is bars, but the way Jadakiss put it together, it’s different.” — Fat Joe [06:38]
  • Mario on hip-hop’s impact in NYC and his own life, citing Biggie and Jay-Z as musical touchstones of his youth. [47:08–48:35]

• Restaurant Hustle as Grind Culture

  • Candid discussion of fame, access, and getting into the city’s hardest-to-book spots—Carbone, Rao’s—with references to N.O.R.E., LeBron James, and Fat Joe’s own “no-reservations” flex.
    • “I just love not being reservations. I don't know why. I just, that's my thing. What is the percentage of that working?... All the time. I'm at a hundred percent ratio.” — Fat Joe [58:55–59:26]

4. Italian Heritage & Identity (and a Running Joke about Jada)

• Jokes about Jadakiss being “really Italian”—to the point Fat Joe’s daughter literally asks him. [02:25, 09:05, 40:54]
• Mario insists: “Of course he is!” [09:22]
• Ribbing about doing a 23andMe test and running with the “Jada’s Italian” gag throughout.

5. Hospitality, Family & Lifestyle

• Making Everyone Feel Special

  • Mario describes his philosophy of hospitality—making every guest feel like family, regardless of fame or status. [69:53]
  • “The most important thing in the restaurant business… is feeling like the restaurant knows you. Everybody gotta feel special.” — Fat Joe [69:27]

• Family: The Heart of Food

  • On the familial roots of Mario’s food passion, and the pride his wider family feels seeing Carbone sauce in 30,000 stores:
    • “That's why food is so important… that's where you get together. It's like the fireplace.” — Mario Carbone [39:21]

• Vision for the Future

  • Mario teases Carbone’s expansion: hotels, residential buildings, community spaces—emphasizing integrity over just chasing money. [43:12]
    • “As soon as you start making decisions for the money, it’s the beginning of the end… Keep your first like your last, you know, and stay on it.” — Mario Carbone [42:14]

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Memorable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On classic Italian-American food:
  • “You go to restaurants now, everybody got fire…the real food here.” — Fat Joe [05:26]
• On keeping it simple:
  • “Simple Italian food. It doesn’t have to be fancy or nothing like that. You can tail it up.” — Fat Joe [18:18]
• On the Rao’s mystique:
  • “You could be Derek Jeter… or the little guy who said, yo, it's my birthday… Everybody gotta feel special.” — Fat Joe [69:53]
• On surpassing boundaries:
  • “Spanish people don't get in the Italian community. I feel like both you guys been adopted by the Italian.” — Fat Joe [40:54]
• Famous guest stories:
  • “President Obama twice. Once as the sitting president…Cell phone blockers, like, they shut down all the phones… it was really an amazing moment” — Mario Carbone [11:46]
• On humility and growth:
  • “As soon as you start making decisions for the money, it’s the beginning of the end… If the answer is yes [to excitement/purpose], then maybe it’s right.” — Mario Carbone [42:14]
• On restaurant expansion:
  • “We’re going to go beyond restaurants…hotels…residential buildings…keep pushing what just the restaurants are… the lifestyle.” — Mario Carbone [42:57]
• On classic NY locales:
  • “Katz is the best restaurant in New York…I think Katz is for sure…Peter Hoogas…old New York.” — Mario Carbone [45:56, 65:43]
• On food and family:
  • “That’s why food is so important, because that’s where you get together…that’s why it’s so important.” — Mario Carbone [39:21]

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Notable Segments and Timestamps

• Mario’s Cooking Demo & Kitchen Banter
  • [02:25–09:38] — Back of the house, seafood prep, classic dishes
• Carbone Celebrity Stories
  • [11:11–14:36] — Jeter, Obama, Jay-Z & Elon Musk
• Joking about Jadakiss’s Italian Roots
  • Repeats at [02:25], [09:05], [40:54]
• History of Carbone’s Location, NYC Italian Heritage
  • [16:40–21:55]
• Discussion of Restaurant Access, No-Reservation Stories (LeBron anecdote)
  • [58:55–61:04]
• ZZ’s Club and Hospitality Industry Expansion
  • [35:10–43:12]
• Philosophy on Tradition and Modernity in Food & Hip-Hop
  • [66:32–67:01]
• Critiquing Other Restaurants & Chef Psychology
  • [67:01–68:31]
• Mario’s Staff Training & Guest Experience Philosophy
  • [69:53–70:35]
• Colorful Cookies / Seven-Layer Cake Chat
  • [71:18–72:19]

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Final Thoughts

The episode is a love letter to New York, Italian-American tradition, and the ways both food and hip-hop serve as connectors of family, community, and aspirational culture. Mario Carbone’s focus on keeping classics classic, making everyone feel special, and growing with integrity resonates directly with Fat Joe and Jadakiss’s approach to music and hustle. Their camaraderie is effortless and borderline comedic—down-to-earth, nostalgic, and celebratory of the shared cultures that make NYC (and their own lives) so rich.

Closing Quote (Mario Carbone, on his restaurant’s ethos):
“I thought about that front door…how do I give every person that comes in here the sensation of being Henry Hill walking in the back of Copacabana?...all the way to getting to the table. How do I treat this place as that movie and give everyone as close to that experience as when the door opens…they get hit with the music, the smell of the food, someone greets them…it's busy, but like, I got you.” [69:53]

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For listeners hungry for food stories, hip-hop nostalgia, and the real NYC, this episode delivers—served family-style, with plenty of laughs.

Transcript

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Peace to the planet. Charlamagne. Tha God here. And listen, we are back. The Black Effect Podcast Festival is back in Atlanta on April 25th at Pullman Yard. Yes, and the full lineup is nuts. We got the Grits and Eggs podcast, Deontay Kyle and Big Ice Cup Kat. We got Club 520 with Jeff Teague and the gang. Don't call me White Girl. Mona will be there. Keep it positive, Sweetie with Crystal Renee. We got Reality with the King with Carlos King. And yes, Drink champs will be in the building. Ok. Plus you know we gonna have a lot of gu. You need to join us. And we got the Black Effect Marketplace, the picture podcast and everything you expect from the Black Effect Podcast Festival. Tickets are on sale right now. Go get [e-mail] podcast festival. Don't play yourself. Okay, pull up.

[Podcast Narrator (Secret World of Roald Dahl)]

You know Roald Dahl, he thought of Willy Wonka and the bfg. But did you know he was a spy? In the new podcast, the Secret World of Roald Dahl, I'll tell you that story and much, much more.

[Fat Joe]

What?

[Podcast Narrator (Secret World of Roald Dahl)]

You probably won't believe it either.

[Mario Carbone]

Was this before he wrote his stories? It must have been Okay, I don't think that's true. I'm telling you, the guy was a spy.

[Podcast Narrator (Secret World of Roald Dahl)]

Listen to the Secret World of Roald Dahl on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mario Carbone]

I'm Clayton Eckerd. In 2022, I was the lead of ABC's the Bachelor. But here's the thing. Bachelor fans hated him. If I could press a button and rewind it all, I would.

[Fat Joe]

That's when his life took a disturbing turn.

[Podcast Narrator (Charlie's Place)]

A one night stand would end in a courtroom. The media is here.

[Mario Carbone]

This case has gone viral. The dating contract.

[Fat Joe]

Agree to date me, but I'm also suing you. This is unlike anything I've ever seen before.

[Mario Carbone]

I'm Stephanie Young. Listen to Love trapped on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Podcast Narrator (Charlie's Place)]

When segregation was a law, one mysterious black club owner Charlie Fitzgerald had his own rules.

[Fat Joe]

Segregation in the day, integration at night. It was like stepping in another world.

[Podcast Narrator (Charlie's Place)]

Was he a businessman? A criminal? A hero?

[Fat Joe]

Charlie was an example of power. They had to crush him.

[Podcast Narrator (Charlie's Place)]

Charlie's place from Atlas Obscura and visit Myrtle Beach. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mario Carbone]

I feel like both of you guys been adopted by the Italian.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah, we have him. He right now. He got facts. He got something Going on out there. Where is Jadakiss? Italian. To the point. My daughter's asking me, is he really Italian? That's how you are. You Italian? Jadicus?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, he's got some Italian.

[Mario Carbone]

You gotta get the 23 in me.

[Fat Joe]

I'm full of shit.

[Mario Carbone]

What are you two doing back here? Mario, welcome. You've been here enough. You never been in the kitchen, and this guy's never been here before. How's that possible?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, only in Miami.

[Mario Carbone]

You can't get.

[Fat Joe]

I've been in Miami.

[Mario Carbone]

You can't get him in.

[Fat Joe]

That's the haunted reservation.

[Mario Carbone]

You can't get him in. This is the.

[Fat Joe]

I can't get. You better stop, man. Yo, this guy takes care of me. To the ultimate.

[Mario Carbone]

I feel like I should teach you a couple things, because being that you're here a lot, in case I'm not here, maybe you could just jump in next time you're here.

[Fat Joe]

I can't make toast, man.

[Mario Carbone]

Come on back here. This is Chef Paulie.

[Fat Joe]

Chef Paulie.

[Mario Carbone]

What's up? How you doing, Jada?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How you doing?

[Mario Carbone]

He runs the kitchen around here when I'm not around. We're gonna do a couple dishes today. We're gonna do a couple. Couple seafood dishes.

[Fat Joe]

Okay.

[Mario Carbone]

Maybe some things you haven't had at Carbon before. No. Dover Stone.

[Fat Joe]

Dover Stone.

[Mario Carbone]

Dover Stone.

[Fat Joe]

I like Brancino. Dover stone's good. Yeah, they make it incredible. But that brazino.

[Mario Carbone]

Clean Bronzino after, for lunch.

[Fat Joe]

That brazino.

[Mario Carbone]

Best bronzino in the game.

[Fat Joe]

Best brazino in the game.

[Mario Carbone]

I'm going to show you how to do this because you maybe never seen it before. And then we're going to do a linguinian clam. You like Linguinian clams?

[Fat Joe]

I love Linguinian clam sauce.

[Mario Carbone]

Yes.

[Fat Joe]

Yes.

[Mario Carbone]

You guys hungry? Yes. Do a little rigatoni later, too.

[Fat Joe]

Rigatoni. Spicy rigatoni. You know, every restaurant needs a Big Mac. You know, when you go to.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, you mean a signature?

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

You know, you go to McDonald's, you get a Big Mac. You go to Burger King, you get a. A Whopper. I don't think there's a customer that doesn't come to Carbon that don't want the spicy.

[Mario Carbone]

It's actually hard to go to an Italian restaurant now and not see a spicy reggae.

[Fat Joe]

Oh, you see it then, huh? Oh, they shifted. I'm just saying everybody got a spicy reggaeton.

[Mario Carbone]

I should be collecting a vig on those restaurants.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. He got it.

[Mario Carbone]

We like spicy. Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Right, yeah. Let me ask you a question. Spicy rigatoni. Did they used to make the rigatoni spicy before you or.

[Mario Carbone]

Vodka sauce was always a New York thing. Really. You know, it's not an Italian thing. It's a New York thing. I played with it a little bit. How the. How I make the noodles, I add a lot of onion to it, so it's kind of sweet, creamy. And then the spice at the end, it was a dish that no one thought a lot of.

[Fat Joe]

You know what I love about carbon? Although it's hard to get into, although very upscale, it's still traditional Italian food.

[Mario Carbone]

Italian American,

[Fat Joe]

Meaning that you don't got fire coming out in the place. You know, you go to restaurants now, everybody got fire. You know, you get real food here.

[Mario Carbone]

I thought it was important to make dishes that you've had before, but just try to make the best one that you've had. Right? Things, you understand? Like, I'm not trying to be the chef to impress you with something you never had before and be like, oh, this combination is this and that. And, like, if you don't like it, well, maybe you didn't. You didn't get it. Like, the artist in me is like, oh, you didn't get it. But, like, I can't serve you a meatball and be like, oh, he didn't get it. It's probably just not good if he didn't like it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Right.

[Mario Carbone]

I got. I don't have any net to fall back on. I got to make. I got to make the best one. You know what a linguini Vongolet is? You know what a meatball is? Like, I don't got anything to hide behind. I got to make it great.

[Fat Joe]

Yes.

[Mario Carbone]

White wine, fresh chilies, little bit of garlic. Simple food. This is simple food. It's a simple Italian American food.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah, but you know how to make it? I got friends. No, no, I got friends use the same ingredients that will make it, and they don't taste nothing like they make it.

[Mario Carbone]

That stuff's the same in all. All forms of art, Right? Like, I mean, it's not just food, Right? Like, the same analogy of. Of make. Make a classic better than the next guy.

[Fat Joe]

Ours is bars, but the way Jadakiss put it together, it's different.

[Mario Carbone]

You can't. You can't do it. Right? Like, good luck. All right, we're gonna steam our clams open. We got linguine cooking. So neither one of you guys cooks at home? No. Nothing.

[Fat Joe]

Nothing. You cook?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No.

[Mario Carbone]

What's the last thing you Made.

[Fat Joe]

I can't make toast, bro. I burned the whole house up. You could make toast.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Come on, man.

[Fat Joe]

Yo, listen, when I say. I say suck at cooking. I don't know how to make nothing.

[Mario Carbone]

I set up a cutting board for you, but I'm a little worried that you. You're gonna walk out of here with nine and a half fingers, probably cut something.

[Fat Joe]

But I can't. Yeah, I can't cook.

[Mario Carbone]

These are. These are some clams that I opened earlier. And then I marinate them like fresh oregano. Yeah, no, but you gotta do. This is.

[Fat Joe]

I mean, like Regis and Kelly.

[Mario Carbone]

Regis and Kelly.

[Fat Joe]

This is how I do it. They come out with the dish already. Hey, this Saturday.

[Mario Carbone]

And then this is our pan. This is shaped this way for that fish. Exactly. This pan is made for that fish.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Oh, that's them.

[Fat Joe]

They love the dopest soul my family loves.

[Mario Carbone]

And then Ricky's gonna show you how to filet later at the table. Local clams.

[Fat Joe]

I love clams.

[Mario Carbone]

You can't.

[Fat Joe]

Local clams. What does that mean, local?

[Mario Carbone]

Local.

[Fat Joe]

In New York, clams.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah, they're from. They're from Long Montauk, Long island, that area up there.

[Fat Joe]

Because that's almost like, if you cross the water, you win. Maine and all that.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah. Also great. You want cold water for shellfish. The colder the water, the better your shellfish. That's why when you go to the Caribbean, the lobster is, like, kind of questionable. Like, that lobster's not as good as a New England. It's a different kind of lobster. It's not as sweet like they need cold water.

[Fat Joe]

Hey, listen, I ain't gonna lie to you. You go to Japan, it's the best sushi in the universe.

[Mario Carbone]

That's. That's the difference. Well, many, many reasons. They have incredible fish, but that's only part of it. I mean, a lot of it is kind of the amazing training that they have. Like, they take that training so serious. Like, way more serious than anybody with anything. Like, it takes, you know, 10 years before you're allowed to even, you know, cut a piece of fish. You know, you got to be an apprentice. You got to learn. You can't. You can't just pick up a knife. You can't. They don't play around like that. How long on our pasta lapoli? One minute. So you have the fresh, open clams, then I have the marinated clams. It's important to mix them. This is how we do it around here. All your pants fans ready for your soul over here. Man, the plants look Good. I don't know if you guys have a cooking show in your future.

[Fat Joe]

No. I don't know. Maybe Jada.

[Mario Carbone]

Nah.

[Fat Joe]

You know, I'm gonna save it for the thing, but they think my daughter thought Jadakiss was really Italian.

[Mario Carbone]

I. I also think Jadakiss is dying.

[Fat Joe]

I operated under that assumption. Yeah. Jada. My daughter was like, your dad. Is Jadakiss really Italian? I said, what the.

[Mario Carbone]

Of course he is.

[Fat Joe]

What you talking about?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Strange?

[Fat Joe]

She said, yo, it's all over. They say so.

[Mario Carbone]

It's important here. When you finish the pasta, you leave. You leave a good amount of liquid in there. And then the last minute, you turn the fire all the way up, and you let that. You let the noodle drink. Drink the sauce up.

[Fat Joe]

Wow. You got Mario Carbon cooking the ones and twos. Usually just. Greetings, everybody. Yo, what's up? Counting the money in the bag or hanging out with somebody.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hate is coming.

[Fat Joe]

Yo, Mario could cook.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The hate is coming.

[Fat Joe]

Have they ever seen you cook live in person before?

[Mario Carbone]

Who? They.

[Fat Joe]

I mean, the people.

[Mario Carbone]

How do you think I got here?

[Fat Joe]

I cook. I've always just socialized. I never seen you in the kitchen like that.

[Mario Carbone]

You were questioning whether I actually, like.

[Fat Joe]

I never did that. I never. I know. Yo, you're always the real deal in this kitchen. You can catch a suntan in the back of your neck. This joint right here, we're only cooking for one person.

[Mario Carbone]

I got back of my head. I got 300 people coming in here to my.

[Fat Joe]

That's a fish.

[Mario Carbone]

All right, Watch out. I'm gonna cook. You plate your linguine here.

[Fat Joe]

We don't want no problems. Mario Caponia live.

[Mario Carbone]

Live in person. Thompson. Thompson Street. Italian American neighborhood. Just like. Just like.

[Fat Joe]

Not only what it feels hungry right now. Like, I'm, like, looking at this. Like, I need that.

[Mario Carbone]

I mean, no different than my people have been making for 100 years in this neighborhood.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Whitney did that.

[Mario Carbone]

He's gonna finish this fish. We're gonna go make you a bronzino with some rigatoni. Have some lunch.

[Fat Joe]

Oh, let's do it.

[Mario Carbone]

Let's open a bottle.

[Fat Joe]

So we here, Mario Carbone, 40. Thank you for taking out the time. You know, last time I sat here, Derek Jeter was there with his wife. Captain on the other side. The captain was in here hanging out.

[Mario Carbone]

He came here. His last game as a professional was a day game in Boston. And they drove straight here, and they had an early dinner. I remember him walking in. Everyone kind of got up, gave him a standing ovation. Like, it was really an amazing moment at the corner over there.

[Fat Joe]

You've had some cool moments in the air. That was one of them. Any other epic moments?

[Mario Carbone]

We had President Obama twice. Once as the sitting president. So when you're the sitting president, there's a whole level of security. So I knew a week in advance that he was coming, but I couldn't tell anybody. I didn't even wanna text anybody because I assumed that they were watching my phone. So I was like, I didn't want to tell anybody. So none of the staff knew. No one knew that the president was coming. It was like Friday night or something. And because it wasn't an announced, no one in the dining room knew he was there, knew he was walking in either. So they assumed that everybody's safe because it's not an announced stop. And then as soon as he walks in, they set up protocols outside. So I have Secret Service in the kitchen. I have Secret Service at every spot, downstairs, everywhere. Cell phone blockers, like, they shut down all the phones. And to have him walk in, to see people's faces, to have the President of the United States walk in out of nowhere, wow, you know, Amazing moment to have the Secret Service back there. Crazy. That was a crazy night.

[Fat Joe]

That was a big night.

[Mario Carbone]

Hov and Elon ate here once. I remember that they ate here together.

[Fat Joe]

Hov and Elon Musk.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah. And they were fighting over the bill. Jay called me out to the kitchen and he was like, can you explain to this man that it's been taken care of? And I was like, Mr. Musk, you realize the position I'm in right now, right?

[Fat Joe]

Like I said, Elon Musk probably bought the building that night, huh? Yo, tell home I bought the building, huh?

[Mario Carbone]

Gotta make sure. But Jay had to make sure he paid.

[Fat Joe]

That's right. The world famous spicy rigatoni, lobster ravioli, lobster buttercream sandwich.

[Mario Carbone]

Ricky Tonelli from Cook Avenue and Yonkers right here.

[Fat Joe]

Let me tell you something. This my guy right here.

[Mario Carbone]

He's the Face.

[Fat Joe]

No, no, he's the Face. He's the spokesman. He's. I'm surprised we got you. I thought we was coming to Ricky.

[Mario Carbone]

That's why I call him the Face. Yeah, everyone knows him.

[Fat Joe]

Everybody knows him. Wherever you set up shop, this is the guy right here. This official car bone guy. You also got the guy with the blonde hair, right? With the brown. The brownish hair, works here. He been here with you for years? The little guy with the brown hair.

[Mario Carbone]

Little guy with the brown hair. Ricky. Little guy with the brown hair.

[Fat Joe]

He's your guy? That guy.

[Mario Carbone]

That guy's not around no more.

[Fat Joe]

He didn't make it.

[Mario Carbone]

You're not.

[Fat Joe]

No.

[Mario Carbone]

You're not going to see him sleep with the fish? Not going to see him anymore.

[Fat Joe]

Slip with the.

[Mario Carbone]

He was here, but no, it was there. Something happened.

[Fat Joe]

He's a nice guy.

[Mario Carbone]

Nice guy.

[Fat Joe]

He's working in union term by there, huh?

[Mario Carbone]

Tuna, Calabrese style.

[Fat Joe]

I want to try that.

[Mario Carbone]

You're going to do the dopa for us, right?

[Fat Joe]

Absolutely.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Chef sleeps with the pleasures.

[Fat Joe]

He sleeps with the fishes. That is crazy. I asked you earlier off camera, is there any Italian that doesn't love Frank Sinatra?

[Mario Carbone]

No, it's illegal. There's a police for that. They come to your house, you don't like Frank Sinatracha. They check for the photo and they find you.

[Fat Joe]

Yo, that Frank Sinatra, the real deal, man. What a good guy, man. He was. He was a man of morals and principle, man. He was. The more and more I looked into Frank Sinatra, he was really a great guy.

[Mario Carbone]

Chairman of the board. Chairman of the board.

[Fat Joe]

Chairman of the board. So what made you.

[Mario Carbone]

Before we start having dinner, our little lunch here, I have a surprise for both of you.

[Fat Joe]

Okay.

[Mario Carbone]

I thought to live in the Italian American lifestyle. Jada knows this because he's Italian. Living the lifestyle. I thought I would have a little surprise for you. I brought my tailor here. He's gonna. He's gonna make you guys a soup.

[Fat Joe]

Oh, that's great.

[Mario Carbone]

Custom made. My boy Dennis from. Dennis. My boy Dennis from Milan. I brought him in. Harry from Milan. So that you looked apart a little bit more before. Yeah, before you eat at the corner table.

[Fat Joe]

Dennis from Milan, before you eat at

[Mario Carbone]

the corner table, you look the part a little bit.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You do.

[Mario Carbone]

So he's gonna. One at a time, he's gonna measure you up for a nice nasu.

[Fat Joe]

Beautiful. Thank you so much.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Bingo.

[Mario Carbone]

First, bro, you brought some nice fabrics, right? Yes. They're over there. And he's gonna measure them up. It's nice. It's a nice thing to measure them.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Come on, Danny.

[Fat Joe]

Joe Taylor don't play. He went to get measured, huh? You know Milan? I love Milan. Milan's a great. What's your favorite city in it in Italy?

[Mario Carbone]

Probably Rome.

[Fat Joe]

I love Rome.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Rome is beautiful.

[Mario Carbone]

Eternal city.

[Fat Joe]

I love Florencia.

[Mario Carbone]

Florence is great. Yeah. Firenze. Firenzi.

[Fat Joe]

You know, I'm a big olive guy, man. When I eat the olives in Flores, it feels like God is giving you the olives.

[Mario Carbone]

Tuscany is home of the greatest olive in the world.

[Fat Joe]

So that Is like, that's why.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah. Florence is the capital. Tuscany. Tuscany is the home of the olive. That's why you feel that way.

[Fat Joe]

The home of the olive. When I eat olives out there, I feel like, wow. Like, it's just a different. It's a different. I like Castellavano olives.

[Mario Carbone]

Casa Veltrano.

[Fat Joe]

Castella.

[Mario Carbone]

Casa Vetrano. Castelvetrano.

[Fat Joe]

Casa Vetrano. I love those olives. Years ago, before this restaurant was here.

[Mario Carbone]

So.

[Fat Joe]

Before this was here.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah. So the sign that's outside is the original sign from the restaurant that was here before us, which was called Rocco's. Rocco's was open in the 20s, and this neighborhood was a Genovese neighborhood. This. This block was Genovese. So Vincent De Chin, this was his block. And he would spend a good amount of time here. Where that wall is, there used to be a secret door. So this. This. This sliver of the room was a private room. And they could come from upstairs, from the apartment buildings down, and get in without going on the street and being seen. But this was all Genovese family. And this was Rocco's from the 20s.

[Fat Joe]

You know, I've been in here before. It was carbon. No, Josephe, been in here before. It was carbon. And that's why I asked you the question, to see if you got it right. You knew the chef. Hey, I've been in here before. It was carbon. Trust me. That's why I knew the answer to that question.

[Mario Carbone]

What's your favorite Italian restaurant that's not carbon.

[Fat Joe]

Well, where'd he go? To be honest with you, I love Il Molino.

[Mario Carbone]

Yep, right down the mic.

[Fat Joe]

Miami. El Gabbiano.

[Mario Carbone]

Gabbiano. Same family.

[Fat Joe]

Il Gabbiano's. Really great. I don't like what they doing with the new age Italian restaurants where they bringing fire in the stuff and a bunch of sauces in the stuff. Like, I like. I like it simple, man. I like it like this, where we come and we get the real taste. Spicy breakfast. Now, I'm okay with that one. But, you know, it's like, you know, I go to spot no Jersey. You've probably been there. Grissini's.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Simple Italian food. It doesn't have to be fancy or nothing like that. You can tail it up.

[Mario Carbone]

Yo, Darren's got the best fabrics.

[Fat Joe]

Oh, man, I'm gonna have him telling me up, too.

[Mario Carbone]

You know, there's a little double. Little double breasted. I need it six by one. Oh, wise guys down, they used to wear the silk. The silk suits. They call them shark skin.

[Fat Joe]

Drove look good now how about. So the world famous Rails, right?

[Mario Carbone]

Yep. You've been there a million times.

[Fat Joe]

No. Joey Cupcakes.

[Mario Carbone]

I know Nikki Vest, man. Nikki Vest was a bartender.

[Fat Joe]

Nikki Vest was a legend over there. So I went to Joey Cupcakes trial in. In. In the Bronx. And they had all those jackets on in. In that court in that courthouse.

[Mario Carbone]

Who's a good sharkskin

[Fat Joe]

Don Cartagena Was

[Mario Carbone]

Louie's actually in the Bronx.

[Fat Joe]

Lou's from.

[Mario Carbone]

Lou's from.

[Fat Joe]

It was a Louis C. It was a Louie on three months all the way uptown in Throg's Neck. Remember Joe Ninus? Joe Ninus. You ate at Joe Nina's before My dad.

[Mario Carbone]

My dad told me many stories about

[Fat Joe]

that place I've been in Joe Meninas. That's not around no more, right? No, I think he resting in peace.

[Mario Carbone]

That's it.

[Fat Joe]

But he was a good guy. And traditional is Dominic son.

[Mario Carbone]

Arthur.

[Fat Joe]

Arthur. Where they serve you whatever, you know. I used to have a guy on 1 16th street, all the Italians watching. I want you to tell me who it was. It was a little spot that was almost like a diner. And it was an old Italian guy there. And we sit in the table, smoke cigarettes all day. And you go in there, it was like almost empty. He wasn't making a lot of money. But you go over there, it's like around the corner from Rao's. You go in there, he just stare at you. And then he go in the kitchen, he come out and he'd throw whatever he wanted to throw on the table. And it was always good. And this man right here, he had it. The minute he died, his family sold that whole building in one second.

[Mario Carbone]

But he was always near rails. I know it's Patsy's.

[Fat Joe]

I know Patsy's is my favorite pizza joint in the whole planet Earth. But there was a spot around the corner. Nothing to brag about.

[Mario Carbone]

Regional Baptist.

[Fat Joe]

Here's my guy. But there was a spot on 1 16th where this old man would just stare at you. He had an apron. And you sit there, then you the only customer and he go in the kitchen, come back and play and give you some food. That's out of this world. I'm telling you, the second that guy died, they sold that building. This family.

[Mario Carbone]

He was the only one keeping it together.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah, he loved it. You could tell. He didn't have to do it because he wasn't making no money there.

[Mario Carbone]

That's the thing about a lot of these old school places is that then they're not getting passed down. The next generation doesn't want to do it, and it's understandable. It's hard work. And, like, you know, the. The next. You know, what. What normally happens, you know, they don't want them anymore. So these old places, after a hundred years or whatever, they're closing down. That's why it was important for us when this one closed down that was 100 years old, that we took it and kind of put it back and tried to keep it, keep. Keep going, keep this neighborhood going. This was, you know, this was a big Italian neighborhood, you know, even though it's not Little Italy, because of the church on the corner, the neighborhoods would be marked by the churches, and then it would be built around it. So you have St. Anthony on the corner here. You have Our lady of Pompeii over there. So these churches would. Because they were the Roman Catholic churches, they'd be. You know, the Irish and Italians would migrate around them. So that's why you have these big pockets.

[Fat Joe]

So when you opened this original carbon, you knew the history that was here before that, and you had to have that spot.

[Mario Carbone]

Well, I. I worked across the street when I was. When I was, like, 19 years old.

[Fat Joe]

So you've seen that.

[Mario Carbone]

So I knew this. I knew this spot. So as soon as it became available and we heard about it, I was like, no, we got it. We got it. We got to get that. That's. That's got to be it. That's carbone.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

When you was young, did you. Did you visualize having this spot or, you know, owning this original?

[Mario Carbone]

No, I couldn't have. I didn't see it. When I was young, I was. I was a really bad. I was. I was a bad student. And, you know, I knew that, like, educate, like, the proper, like, university path wasn't for me.

[Fat Joe]

A lot of bad students became the most powerful people in the world. It's the truth, though.

[Mario Carbone]

But as soon as you start eliminating things, it opens up opportunities for what might be for you. You know, it's like, okay, maybe that's not for me, but that door closes. What opens, right? And, like, I had this. Always had this passion for food. I didn't know that I would, like, start a big company. But it wasn't even about that back then. It was about, like, okay, do something. I really want to do something I care about, right? Like, my grandparents and my family was always a big thing, so I was like, you know, I always. I worked at the school and on weekend in Queens. I grew up in Queens. So after school and on weekends, I would work in little restaurants, make a little bit of money. I was like, I like this. You know, this is. This is something where?

[Fat Joe]

At Queens.

[Mario Carbone]

On Springfield Boulevard. Springfield Boulevard.

[Fat Joe]

Shout out to coach from Cardoza. He just won the record for the most wins ever.

[Mario Carbone]

Right behind Cardoza is where I grew up. Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

So you grew up around there, where Ronnie Kiff is from?

[Mario Carbone]

Exactly.

[Fat Joe]

Did y' all grow up together?

[Mario Carbone]

No, we didn't know each other. We went to different school. He went to Cardoza. I grew up right next to it. But I went to Holy Cross High School.

[Fat Joe]

My wife's from Queens, man.

[Mario Carbone]

The only other. The only other famous Holy Cross graduate is Steve Stout.

[Fat Joe]

Ah, yeah.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Well, rich player graduated from Holy Cross, my manager. Rich player.

[Mario Carbone]

Is that true?

[Fat Joe]

But yes, a fact. He played football for him. But what I was gonna tell you is I used to go to this spot. What was the spot on Northern Boulevard across the street from the courthouse. It was Italian. That's where I learned pesto sauce for

[Mario Carbone]

the first time in Queens.

[Fat Joe]

In Queens. I used to go to Italian restaurant back in the days, all the time.

[Mario Carbone]

We had a lot of them, but,

[Fat Joe]

like, for the conversation. But that was the first place I ever ate pesto sauce. And I would eat pesto sauce for, like, three years straight. I thought, like, I invented some shit. Like nobody knew pesto sauce.

[Mario Carbone]

The two most fam places in Queens when I was growing up and still maybe today is. Was Don Pep. Don Pep's and Parkside. Parkside was a Gotti hangout in Corona, right by Shea Stadium.

[Fat Joe]

Parkside. What about the fat guy that used to own it? I think he passed away.

[Mario Carbone]

Well, his Tough Tony owned it.

[Fat Joe]

Tough Tony owned it.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

That's the spot you talking about.

[Mario Carbone]

That's Parkside?

[Fat Joe]

Yeah, man, they make a mean fryer. Diablo shrimp.

[Mario Carbone]

It's great restaurant. Yeah, it's a great restaurant. And across the street is the Lemonade.

[Fat Joe]

So he wasn't Fat Tony. He was Tough Tony.

[Mario Carbone]

No, he was Tough Tony.

[Fat Joe]

So I'm being disrespectful, calling him Fat Tony.

[Mario Carbone]

God rest his soul.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

All right, you mess everybody's name up.

[Mario Carbone]

Tony.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You can't call him Fat Tony.

[Fat Joe]

Q Gardens, Queens Boulevard. We had a Italian restaurant there. Nothing to brag about, almost dining style. But that's where I learned how to eat pesto sauce, you know? Nori. Nori, he don't know how to make

[Mario Carbone]

it, that's for sure.

[Fat Joe]

Well, you know, I learned how to eat toasto sauce.

[Mario Carbone]

Guy needs a peanut butter and jelly. He needs help.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah. But I thought, like, you know, I really thought it was like, big time, you know, in the Bronx, we had a.

[Mario Carbone]

You took Pesto back to the Bronx. You were like, like, you were like Columbus. It was Columbus. He discovered it in Queens.

[Fat Joe]

No, I thought I blew up, like,

[Charlamagne Tha God]

scoured it in Queens and took it back to the bx. Today's show is brought to you by our presenting sponsor, Hard Rock bet Florida Sportsbook. All right, March is here, and that means college basketball takes center stage. The stakes are rising, the shots are falling, and now it's time to hit the hardwood with Hard Rock Bet. Sign up today and double your winnings on your first 10 bets. Max is $50. That's right. Your winnings are doubled on your first 10 bets. So if you would have won a hundred bucks on your bet, make that 200. That's how you start March. And the welcome offer is just a tip off all tournament long. Hard Rock Bet is rolling out daily dancing boosts, featuring a live profit boost and a parlay profit boost every single day. More ways to shoot your shot, more ways to cash in with boosted odds. So don't sit on the bench. Download Hard Rock Bet app today and let's get the party started. Hard Rock Best baby Payable and bonus bets. Not a cash offer offered by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. In Florida, offered by the Seminole Hard Rock Digital, LLC and all other states must be 21 and over and physically present in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee or Virginia to play. Terms and conditions apply. Concerned about gambling in Florida? Call-88-APPROVED in Indiana. If someone has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-9 with it gambling problem, call 1-800-GGLE that's in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

This episode is brought to you by Spreaker, the platform responsible for a rapidly spreading condition known as podcast brain. Symptoms include buying microphones you don't need, explaining RSS feeds to confused relatives and saying things like, sorry, I can't talk right now. I'm editing audio. If this sounds familiar, you're probably already a podcaster. The good news is Spreaker makes the whole process simple. You record your show, upload it once, and Spreaker distributes it everywhere. People listen. Apple podcasts, Spotify, and about a dozen apps your cousin swears are the next big thing. Even better, Spreaker helps you monetize your show with ads, meaning your podcast might someday pay for, well, more microphones. Start your show [e-mail] spreaker because if you're going to talk to yourself for an hour, you might as well publish it.

[Podcast Narrator (Secret World of Roald Dahl)]

You know Roald Dahl, the writer who thought up Willy Wonka, Matilda, and the bfg. But did you know he was also a spy?

[Mario Carbone]

Was this before he wrote his stories? It must have been.

[Podcast Narrator (Secret World of Roald Dahl)]

Our new podcast series, the Secret World of Roald Dahl is a wild journey through the hidden chapters of his extraordinary, controversial life. His job was literally to seduce the wives of powerful Americans.

[Mario Carbone]

What?

[Podcast Narrator (Secret World of Roald Dahl)]

And he was really good at it. You probably won't believe it either.

[Mario Carbone]

Okay, I don't think that's true.

[Podcast Narrator (Secret World of Roald Dahl)]

I'm telling you, the guy was a spy. Did you know Dahl got cozy with the Roosevelts, played poker with Harry Truman, and had a long affair with a congresswoman? And then he took his talents to Hollywood, where he worked alongside Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchcock before writing a hit James Bond film.

[Mario Carbone]

How.

[Podcast Narrator (Secret World of Roald Dahl)]

How did this secret agent wind up as the most successful children's author ever? And what darkness from his covert past seeped into the stories we read as kids? The true story is stranger than anything he ever wrote. Listen to the Secret World of Roald Dahl on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Fat Joe]

I went and sat on the little ottoman in front of him.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hi, dad.

[Fat Joe]

And just when I said that, my mom comes out of the kitchen and she says, I have some cookies and milk. This is badass, Convict. Just finished five years. I'm gonna have cookies and milk at mom.

[Podcast Host (The Cino Show)]

On the Steno show podcast, each episode invites you into a raw, unfiltered conversations about recovery, resilience, and redemption. On a recent episode, I sit down with actor cultural icon Danny Trail to talk about addiction, transformation, and the power of second chances. The entire season two is now available to binge, featuring powerful conversations with the guests like Tiffany Adish, Johnny Knoxville, and more.

[Fat Joe]

I'm an alcoholic, and without this true, I'mma die.

[Podcast Host (The Cino Show)]

Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search the CO show and listen now.

[Fat Joe]

Segregation in the day, integration at night.

[Podcast Narrator (Charlie's Place)]

When segregation was the law, one mysterious black club owner had his own rules.

[Fat Joe]

We didn't worry about what was going on outside. It was like stepping in another world.

[Podcast Narrator (Charlie's Place)]

Inside Charlie's place, black and white people danced together. But not everyone was happy about it.

[Mario Carbone]

You saw the kkk. Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

They was dressed up in their uniform. The KKK set out to raid Charlie, take him away from here. Charlie was an example of power. They had to crush him.

[Podcast Narrator (Charlie's Place)]

From Atlas Obscura, Rococo Punch, and visit Myrtle beach comes Charlie's Place. A story that was nearly lost to time. Until now. Listen to Charlie's place on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Fat Joe]

Nori got a famous story. He says one day he was. You know, he grew up in LeFrak, so one day he tried to go up in an Italian restaurant out there that he used to go all the time, and they told him he can't come in. And when he looked in, there was a bunch of guys in there. And then he was like, yo, but I come here all. You know, Nori. You could imagine a young Nori before rap and all that. He was thugging his way in, and they was like, boom. It was. John Gotti was in there. And John Gotti was like, yo, just give him what he wants. They gave it to him outside. He paid for it in Nori Bokay. He said, yo, I seen the man there. Like, the man, not the myth in there.

[Mario Carbone]

Where the. Where the original. My first restaurant is on Mulberry across the street. Was his club, the Ravenite, that similar?

[Fat Joe]

No, we.

[Mario Carbone]

When we. He. It was good. He was long gone after when we started there, but that was. That was the story. That. That's it.

[Fat Joe]

You still drive through there, and you. You know you on that block.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Even if they put a Jamba Juice a this, a that, a that, you know how you go through Yonkers and you know that gas station is where the locks used to be. When you go through that block, you know that's John Gotti's block. And they might put Jamba Juice a yogurt spot.

[Mario Carbone]

Whatever the case, I think it's a shoe store.

[Fat Joe]

It's the shoe store.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah, the Ravenite shoe store.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Still feel the mystique?

[Fat Joe]

Yeah. Because all the movies we ever seen, every documentary, everything was. Was that block. You can't change the block.

[Mario Carbone]

Can't change the block, can't change history.

[Fat Joe]

Yes.

[Mario Carbone]

That's what we're trying to get, a plate.

[Fat Joe]

Swap this out real quick. I want to try this tuna thing over here.

[Mario Carbone]

Ricky.

[Fat Joe]

Ricky's the man, bro. Ricky the Face. Yeah, that's what they call them.

[Mario Carbone]

That's what I call them.

[Fat Joe]

Ricky the Face. Yo, Mario, let me tell you something. Speaking of starting in Queens, you have built an enterprise, to say the least. If I go to Texas, I call you yo, could you get me in? If I go to Vegas, I say, can you get me in? If I'm in Miami, can you get me in? If I'm in New York, can you get me in. Did you ever envision becoming this big?

[Mario Carbone]

Did he get you in?

[Fat Joe]

Huh?

[Mario Carbone]

Never. Not then they got you in.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I never.

[Fat Joe]

Kids could do whatever he want.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I never asked him, though.

[Fat Joe]

All these.

[Mario Carbone]

All these. Get in.

[Fat Joe]

He asked me. I would have got him in.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I had Nori shout out to Nori. You got me in my head.

[Mario Carbone]

Nori got you in? Shout out to Nori.

[Fat Joe]

That's all good.

[Mario Carbone]

Shout out to Nori.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah. Yeah, Nori. Yeah. I think I got Nori in.

[Mario Carbone]

That's how this works. We're passing it through. We're passing it down.

[Fat Joe]

No, we passing it through. I remember Mario called me one time. He said, man, this guy, Nor like, Nori, he'll wear something like.

[Mario Carbone]

He.

[Fat Joe]

When he got a hole of carbone, he was in there. Every like, say, oh, he's Rao.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah, right.

[Fat Joe]

You know the story behind that, right? It's the hardest restaurant in the planet Earth to get into. It is what it is.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I can get it.

[Mario Carbone]

You.

[Fat Joe]

You got in the Rao's. You got the plug. I do, too. Price choked my butt.

[Mario Carbone]

But shout out rails.

[Fat Joe]

I use my. My favor wisely. I mean, yo, once a year, twice a week, you know, I don't abuse. Beck has to go every Wednesday and abuse the juice, whatever the sauce is this, this, that. Nori's the same way. One day, I don't know if you remember, you called me up and you was like, yo, this guy's in here every night, yo. He spends money, yo. Nori ain't cheap. He's blowing the bag. He's blowing a hundred wines. He's spending the money. But he was like, he just. No other customer could take the back three tables. Nori got the back three tables. I told Dory. Nori was like, yo, what made you come up with the Zeezy's concept? So the private club.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm in, the Zeezy's club.

[Fat Joe]

See, there you go.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Kind of a big deal around here.

[Fat Joe]

Can you. That's what I said. In these parts, you don't need me to get in. I'm thinking you got it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Zeezy's.

[Mario Carbone]

You been in Zeezy? Yeah. In Miami.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

New York.

[Mario Carbone]

In New York, yeah.

[Fat Joe]

New York. ZZ at their Nick game.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Kyle Lowry, smack. See, Coach Tibbs, you see. See some nice.

[Mario Carbone]

ZZ started in Miami because we wanted to do this. This sort of idea of this. This members club there. We had all our, you know, all of our. You know, our. Our top people. VIPs. We wanted to take great care of them. We wanted to open something special for Them. And it started there. We had this amazing space in the design district of Miami. We built a beautiful sports bar, cocktail bar, restaurants.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I didn't even know it was a ZZ's in Miami.

[Mario Carbone]

It was one in Miami.

[Fat Joe]

Oh no. It started in Miami.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It's crazy.

[Fat Joe]

And the food is incredible. Phenomenal.

[Mario Carbone]

And then we did it here in New York. We also got a great space in Hudson Yards and it was walking distance to the Garden. It's a beautiful film.

[Fat Joe]

After we won that. Well, I'm there all the time. But I was there after the Knicks won and they had a celebration in Zizi's. So everybody. Leon Rose, the whole. The whole New York was in there. We had every jeweler in town, whoever that's.

[Mario Carbone]

Do you think. Do you think we over celebrated last year?

[Fat Joe]

Yep. We waited 20 years. You think so, Jess?

[Mario Carbone]

I just. It felt we won one game we didn't like we. I was happy for everybody. As a Knick fan in New York, I'm happy for it. I just felt like. It felt like we were celebrating a little bit too hard for the. For what we were where we were at.

[Fat Joe]

We ain't win since 1973. We've been out here like crackhead.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We still haven't won since we.

[Fat Joe]

Know how many times I went home. We sick. We lost 20 point leads. We still ain't win. But last year was the first.

[Mario Carbone]

You were good with the level of celebration in relation to the victim.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Through a damn parade that night.

[Mario Carbone]

Every night was a parade.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I wasn't.

[Fat Joe]

That's. I loved it. I loved it. And don't let us win because we burning this down like this. About to go crazy out here. I loved it. I loved it. Dolan was going out there giving it the fans a game ball.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And then they learned the lesson from that. That's why they didn't put up the banner from the.

[Mario Carbone]

The cup. I'm glad they didn't put the banner on. Yeah. And I don't want that matter.

[Fat Joe]

You want the real chip?

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah. There's some. There's some questionable banners up there anyway.

[Fat Joe]

For real.

[Mario Carbone]

You last time looked up there.

[Fat Joe]

I never look up there.

[Mario Carbone]

You got some.

[Fat Joe]

You know, I pray every time.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Just decorations of it.

[Fat Joe]

I can't lie to you. Every time I sit courtside, I look up a deck because I used to go up a deck and I pray a big prayer. I just. I thank you, God for letting me sit here this and that. I used to be up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

She was up there for old times sake.

[Mario Carbone]

One time. Shit.

[Fat Joe]

They used to Put me in the Cobler clutch up there. Macho man, Randy Savage and all that.

[Mario Carbone]

He ain't going back up there.

[Fat Joe]

That's where the.

[Mario Carbone]

There's not enough nostalgia in the world for him to go back up there,

[Fat Joe]

clothesline you, and say, hey, buddy, while you. They lift you up from the floor after they clothesline you. That was new challenge libre.

[Mario Carbone]

He's praying to the gods of the hardwood to sit on the floor, man.

[Fat Joe]

It's a beautiful thing, you know, like, coming from where you come from, you know, cooking in the kitchen. And now you. You own this big establishment you got. I've been in supermarkets and sort of sourcing the supermarket everywhere. I mean, this is huge. How does your family. How does your family. Not meaning your immediate wife, but, you know, your uncles, your aunts, you know, it's.

[Mario Carbone]

It's amazing because they're so proud. And, you know, no matter where they are, they see it in the stores or, you know, go to the restaurant. I mean, the family's here all the time. My parents are here all the time.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Is big on family.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How important is families?

[Mario Carbone]

It's important. And that's the. That's. That's why food is so important, because that's like. That's where you get together. You know, it's like. It's like the fireplace. It's like this is where everyone gathers around. And that's why it's so important. You know, we put. Not just us. I mean, plenty. You must have grown up with amazing big meals with the whole family around.

[Fat Joe]

You know, I'm the fakest Italian. You know, every Sunday, I'm eating Italian.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You Italian to me, I'm like, go get your olives.

[Fat Joe]

People who think.

[Mario Carbone]

Get your casual Toronto olives, yo.

[Fat Joe]

I'm not gonna lie. You put a cap moment on here. Like, probably the only Spanish guy that do everything.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Spanish Italian, man.

[Fat Joe]

I performed one time.

[Mario Carbone]

When you call me. When you call me, the phone rings. Giuseppe Grosso.

[Fat Joe]

Giuseppe Young. Listen, I performed in Staten island one year for a bunch of old retired men. They still had the mask on with

[Charlamagne Tha God]

the air, with the pumps.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

You know who could confirm this story? Bo Didle. Bo Didle was there.

[Mario Carbone]

Sounds like he's the one that arranged it.

[Fat Joe]

They on top of the chairs. Sweet Caroline. Oh, there ain't no other Puerto Rican have been in that environment like you

[Mario Carbone]

perform Sweet Caroline in Staten Island.

[Fat Joe]

I'm just saying, you know, they go where you go, Boca Raton. You know, all that. Right. But what I'm trying to tell you is, trust me, I've been indoors. Spanish people don't get in the Italian community. You know, I feel like both you

[Mario Carbone]

guys been adopted by the Italian.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah, we have him. He the.

[Mario Carbone]

Right now.

[Fat Joe]

He got facts. He got something going on out there. Where is Jadakiss Italian? To the point. My daughter's asking me, is he really Italian?

[Mario Carbone]

I said, of course.

[Fat Joe]

My father's from Memphis. Is this, like, get out of here. Why you wasting my time with this? She's like, dead ass. Like, yo, dad, they saying he's Italian. That's him. Could you. Are you Italian, Jada?

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes, I'm Italian.

[Mario Carbone]

You gotta get the 23 in me.

[Fat Joe]

So full of shit, man. Yo. Yeah. Where your parents from?

[Mario Carbone]

His grandmother's partisan.

[Fat Joe]

Ah, it's Jada. Let me see. Is Jada just Italian?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Me?

[Fat Joe]

This is crazy.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Get the merch.

[Fat Joe]

Get the merch. You're Jada. Your world oil machine boy. This guy making money from all over.

[Mario Carbone]

We got a restaurant collab working on me and Jada.

[Fat Joe]

Let me ask you a question. What does the future look like? What do you think of which.

[Mario Carbone]

Is beautiful, man.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah, but what are you thinking?

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah, we're. I mean, you know, we're going to continue to grow. I think. I think it's important we do. We do fund projects. We continue to. Not just take things for the money. Like, as soon as you start making decisions for the money, it's the beginning of the end, right?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Like, that was the jewel of the day, right?

[Mario Carbone]

Like, that's the beginning of the end. You gotta keep making decisions as if it was your first. Your first spot. Like, why'd you get. Why'd you get into it, you know, Keep your first like your last, you know, like. And stay on it. Don't, you know, don't get distracted by what's going on out there. But what people are offering you is. Is it something that's exciting? Will the team be excited to do it? Will your people be excited to do it? If the answer is yes, then maybe it's right. Hold on.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I think I want to switch. Then he got the. It's the one I looked at.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah, I mean, this. That you want to put it on.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It's fabric, I think. Look, you said, this one. My son said, go back. You got my measurements.

[Fat Joe]

I need this fire.

[Mario Carbone]

So I think what. I think we're going to go beyond restaurants. I think we're going to open hotels. I think we're going to open, you know, residential buildings and communities and, you know, we're going to do the sauce in the stores, I think we're going to keep pushing what? Beyond what just the restaurants are.

[Fat Joe]

Lifestyle.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah, the lifestyle. That's what we're doing here today. The lifestyle. And I think the future is really bright for us. We're still a young company, but we've got some years under our belt. We've got some great people that can do a lot of work.

[Fat Joe]

Yo, Ricky. What's up?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Ricky the Face man.

[Mario Carbone]

You guys enjoying everybody?

[Fat Joe]

Ricky the Face. Yo, Ricky, let me see that tune over here. I've been like, ricky's got a beautiful voice.

[Mario Carbone]

If you ever need anybody to come

[Fat Joe]

listen, let me tell you something.

[Mario Carbone]

You need a guy. You ever need a guy, it's Italian.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I need a tune.

[Fat Joe]

For the first two times I came to this spot, Cardboard. You ain't charged me. They were so mad at me. Steve style, Beckeyes, all of them. They had the biggest thing. Yo, Fat Joe's the only guy I ever seen not charged in carbone this, this that. He was blasting hip hop on here. Yo, Fat Joes in here, they was. Was blad. They was a movie. Everybody who was a regular already, they was dumb tight. They was like, yo, how Joe got that off you out there in Dubai, right?

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah, Dubai.

[Fat Joe]

Tell me about it.

[Mario Carbone]

That we. Last year, we opened at the end of the year, we opened London Dubai, and we opened another Las Vegas. That's how we closed the year. Last year, we got two car bones in Las Vegas. We got a Sedel's in Las Vegas. Vegas is good to us.

[Fat Joe]

Sedell's is yours as well.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah. Yeah. So Dell's is good to us.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

My resources. I didn't. I'm under a rock.

[Mario Carbone]

You're not using your resources.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I'm not using my resource. Great.

[Mario Carbone]

I've been telling you that I'm trying to. I'm trying to get you to open. Open the book up. I gotta. You gotta use the book. Use the book.

[Fat Joe]

Gotta use the book. Jada.

[Mario Carbone]

Oh, here's our fishman.

[Fat Joe]

Gentlemen, if I may, I'd like to

[Mario Carbone]

flay these beautiful Dover souls by the table. Go ahead. How many Dover souls you flayed? Today's the first one, but I think other than that, maybe two, 3,000, maybe.

[Fat Joe]

Lost count.

[Mario Carbone]

13 years. I don't know. Oh, did they got a Bronzino going for Joe? Yes, chef. Okay, great. Absolute. He requested a Bronzino. See, with dual surgery, Ricky's day one. Day one, 13.

[Fat Joe]

Over 13 years.

[Mario Carbone]

I don't know. Day one, I never lost, you know, But I always enjoy doing it because it's a beautiful fish.

[Fat Joe]

The adobe sold. You guys made it cool, right?

[Mario Carbone]

It's not normally an Italian dish.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah. It's like an old Jewish lady's.

[Mario Carbone]

It is. It is popular amongst that community. Yes.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

When you go.

[Fat Joe]

When you go into the diners, it's like an old Jewish lady is like the dov is.

[Mario Carbone]

So.

[Fat Joe]

I bet you they never had a style. You know, when they try to shoot that at me, I'm like, yo, I need that bronze, you know? You know, Shout out to Kats Delis. Zeezy's did a pop up with Kats deli. Yeah.

[Mario Carbone]

In Miami. Brought it to Miami.

[Fat Joe]

Hundreds of people out there.

[Mario Carbone]

I think Katz is the best restaurant in New York. Katz, Del.

[Fat Joe]

Can't be.

[Mario Carbone]

Can't beat it.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

How many years they've been over?

[Mario Carbone]

1887 or something.

[Fat Joe]

1887.

[Mario Carbone]

Some crazy something.

[Fat Joe]

I was there when I owned them

[Mario Carbone]

because I want to see if this guy works. Let me see. Oh, wow. Wow.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's you. That's your advice?

[Mario Carbone]

That was like he clipped the face.

[Fat Joe]

I practiced all night. Oh, that was like real life. Let's hit it with the love now.

[Mario Carbone]

Let's see what the sauce. Oh, yeah, look at this piccata style. The only way to do it nice. Got capers in there.

[Fat Joe]

Tomato, a little bit of butter.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The best.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah. A little bit of citrus to brighten it up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

This is a real life.

[Fat Joe]

He did the.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He clipped. He clipped in real life.

[Mario Carbone]

Make it nice. Joe's gonna try his thing. Like he has the soul. While he waits for the bronzino. Yes, chef. Get the bronzino right away.

[Fat Joe]

Of your favorite hip hop songs. I won't corner you into your favorite artist, but hip hop songs,

[Mario Carbone]

the evils.

[Fat Joe]

Fire the evils.

[Mario Carbone]

Jesus.

[Fat Joe]

No, no, no. Mario know what he did. He be, you know, I mean, I

[Mario Carbone]

remember where I was, like, kind of where I remember a moment where I feel like I kind of. I discovered it for the first time. I was like, maybe 15 years old. 14. 15 years old. I'm in the back of my best friend's older brother's Lincoln lsc. A boat of a two door car.

[Fat Joe]

That's that big boy boat. That's baby blue.

[Mario Carbone]

Baby blue Lincoln llc. I'm in the backseat and I hear big get on the radio for the first time. And it just takes you, you know, it's like the voice took you. What is that? What is that like? It's a moment of discovery. You're just like, yeah, yeah, yeah. This is something different.

[Fat Joe]

Bronzino.

[Mario Carbone]

And then. And then I do. I do. For me, I do believe that, like, kind of. Kind of Frank gave way to Jay. To me, like the chairman of the chairman. Like, that was a thing. And I remember the first time Steve brings Jay in and, like, you're just like, oh, my God, I have this little tiny restaurant. The guy is here. Like, the guy, the chairman definitely grew up with hip hop. I mean, that was. That was. You know, I remember every, you know, every album of the summer just coming out of every car window. Like, you just don't feel it kind of like that anymore. Music doesn't move the same. I mean, it moves, but it moves differently, you know, like when you would hear the song of the album of the summer from, you know, in May or June, coming out of the cars,

[Fat Joe]

it was always ll. Like, LL is one of my favorite. Whenever they would be on the radio and they'd be like, brand new llc. I don't care what highway I was on, I just pull right over, open the windows, blast the music. And then it'd be, you know, this is hard to say, but in the wrong way. And I'd be like, yo, I never, as a LL fan, I never heard a wack song to me, Like, I always felt like even when they was like, yo, walking with the panther, whatever, wasn't it still was it to you? Something like a phenomenon. Whatever nobody liked, I loved. Like, I. I got it. Like, I was like, yeah, too many

[Charlamagne Tha God]

that nobody didn't like.

[Mario Carbone]

No, I know the lover boy stuff, like lounging. Like when he would go. Real love aboard.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

When you go for the ladies.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah.

[Mario Carbone]

Always thought about the ladies.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah. Smokers. And then he would come with an all right album and then smoke, Smoke. Once they doubt him, he'll come back with the 5 platinum. Like, he needed that to just motivate him.

[Mario Carbone]

Bronzino, right here.

[Fat Joe]

Get your Bronzino for you.

[Mario Carbone]

Sure.

[Fat Joe]

I need that.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah. Get a little veal parmesan. The world famous. Thank you. Yes, chef.

[Fat Joe]

The world famous.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You got a zero win on my man Ricky to face his swag of how. You see how he's doing this? This is not normal. Don't try this at home.

[Mario Carbone]

Don't try it at home. It's very dangerous.

[Fat Joe]

Absolutely.

[Mario Carbone]

Would you like some,

[Fat Joe]

Ricky, how long you been in the business?

[Mario Carbone]

I've been in the business, yeah. Maybe almost 20 years, but I've been here 13 years. Very proud of it. Since we've only been here 13 years.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The same luggie.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

The short stint hit.

[Fat Joe]

You ever served some guys where you got A little nervous something. A little rigatoni might have fell or something.

[Mario Carbone]

We try not to get nervous at the restaurant. Ricky and I made a lasagna for Mr. Scorsese that was. We'll never forget.

[Fat Joe]

Wow.

[Mario Carbone]

Kind of on the fly.

[Fat Joe]

He wanted a lasagna.

[Mario Carbone]

He wanted a lasagna. What are you going to tell me, Mr. Scorsese?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

No, Mr. Scorsese came in and he wanted.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

He want.

[Mario Carbone]

He has a chef to slice it. And people, we came over, we did a whole thing. It was very nice. Very nice. It was a very proud moment.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

This episode is brought to you by Spreaker, the platform responsible for a rapidly spreading condition known as podcast brain. Symptoms include buying microphones you don't need, explaining RSS feeds to confused relatives, and saying things like, sorry, I can't talk right now. I'm editing audio. If this sounds familiar, you're probably already a podcaster. The good news is Spreaker makes the whole process simple. You record your show, upload it once, and Spreaker distributes it everywhere. People listen. Apple podcasts, Spotify, and about a dozen apps your cousin swears are the next big thing. Even better, Spreaker helps you monetize your show with ads, meaning your podcast might someday pay for, well, more microphones. Start your show [e-mail] spreaker because if you're going to talk to yourself for an hour, you might as well publish it.

[Podcast Narrator (Secret World of Roald Dahl)]

You know Roald Dahl, the writer who thought up Willy Wonka, Matilda and the bfg. But did you know he was also a spy?

[Mario Carbone]

Was this before he wrote his stories? It must have been.

[Podcast Narrator (Secret World of Roald Dahl)]

Our new podcast series, The Secret World of Roald Dahl is a wild journey through the hidden chapters of his extraordinary, controversial life. His job was literally to seduce the wives of powerful Americans.

[Mario Carbone]

What?

[Podcast Narrator (Secret World of Roald Dahl)]

And he was really good at it. You probably won't believe it either.

[Mario Carbone]

Okay, I don't think that's true.

[Podcast Narrator (Secret World of Roald Dahl)]

I'm telling you, the guy was a spy. Did you know Dahl got cozy with the Roosevelts, played poker with Harry Truman, and had a long affair with a congresswoman. And then he took his talents to Hollywood, where he worked alongside Walt Disney and Alfred Hitchcock before writing a hit James Bond film. How did the Secret Agent watch up as the most successful children's author ever? And what darkness from his covert past seeped into the stories we read as kids? The true story is stranger than anything he ever wrote. Listen to the Secret World of Roald Dahl on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Podcasts.

[Fat Joe]

I went and sat on the little ottoman in front of him.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Hi, dad.

[Fat Joe]

And just when I said that, my mom comes out of the kitchen and

[Mario Carbone]

she says, I have some cookies and milk.

[Fat Joe]

This is badass. Convict me just finished five years. I'm gonna have cookies and milk at mom.

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host (The Cino Show)]

On the Cino show podcast, each episode invites you into a raw, unfiltered conversations about recovery, resilience, and redemption. On a recent episode, I sit down with actor cultural icon Danny Trejo. Talk about addiction, transformation and the power of second chances. The entire season two is now available to binge, featuring powerful conversations with the guests like Tiffany Haddish, Johnny Knoxville, and more.

[Fat Joe]

I'm an alcoholic, and without this program, I'm gonna die.

[Podcast Host (The Cino Show)]

Open your free iHeartRadio app, search the Cino show and listen.

[Fat Joe]

Now,

[Mario Carbone]

this is the biggest night in podcasting. The countdown is on to our 2026 iHeart Podcast Awards.

[Podcast Narrator (Secret World of Roald Dahl)]

Live from south by Southwest, March 16th. We'll honor the very best in podcasting

[Mario Carbone]

from the past year and celebrate the most innovative, talented creators in the industry. It's truly a who's who of the podcasting world. Creativity, knowledge, and passion will all be on full display.

[Fat Joe]

And the winner of the iHeart podcast award is.

[Mario Carbone]

See all the nominees [e-mail] podcastawards. Audible is a proud sponsor of the Audible Audio Pioneer Award. Explore the best selection of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals all in one easy app. Audible. There's more to imagine when you listen. Sign up for a free [e-mail]. Ricky's got some stories. Of course.

[Fat Joe]

Yo, Ricky. We want to hear one of these stories. That's what I'm trying to get you to talk about when you keep moving.

[Mario Carbone]

All right, all right, tell us the story. Story time with Rick.

[Fat Joe]

We don't know how to start with Ricky. Yeah, we want to hear legendary ones.

[Mario Carbone]

One of my favorite stories, if I may, was when I took care of Mr. Pesci at this table.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

This same table.

[Mario Carbone]

Same table.

[Fat Joe]

This is the table. Where's the table, by the way? There was a restaurant in the Bronx called the Golden Elephant that Preston used to go to go, what do you want me to do?

[Mario Carbone]

Who the hell they serve there? What was the signature dish?

[Fat Joe]

Listen, bro, that's where them guys used to go at that time. Golden Elephant near Pelham Park.

[Mario Carbone]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Shout out Frankie Salah Patelo. His father used. Used to own the joint.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

So what happened with Mr. Pesci?

[Mario Carbone]

So Mr. Pesci came in and he sat down here and he said he was by Himself. And I said, you know, I understand you have a few of your friends coming to join you.

[Fat Joe]

Is there anything I could bring you?

[Mario Carbone]

Why are you waiting for your guests? He said, you know what?

[Fat Joe]

How's your bartender here?

[Mario Carbone]

I said, I think he's pretty good. So I said, why? What's up? What do you need? He goes, I want a martini. But he had. Tell him to shake it. Shake it as hard as he could. Just when he thinks he shook it enough, bring it back and shake it again instead of just like that. Sure, enough like, we brought it over. He took a sip. Ricky, do me a favor. Have the bartender shake this again for me. Two hours, please. Never three, because.

[Fat Joe]

Two hours.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Mario Carbone]

Threes for Zambuca. Two is for Martinez. That's what he told me. So then, you know, we took it back to him.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Shake it for two hours.

[Fat Joe]

And he brought it. Shake it for two hours.

[Mario Carbone]

No, sorry. Two olives. Two olives. Yeah, two olives.

[Fat Joe]

We think at least two hours. He got. That was a big olive guy.

[Mario Carbone]

So he shook.

[Fat Joe]

He shook it right, Put it back.

[Mario Carbone]

And then he. And then he drank it nice and easy. He goes, that was perfect. Thank you so much. Then he made me take my jacket off because, you know, he said, you guys look a little too fancy. So we did a little. Yeah. So we did it out like this. And then we started dancing in the dining room. It was a beautiful thing. Joe's the man. Joe's the man. I remember a night we had just opened, and I was in the kitchen right here. Busy night. And they come into the kitchen. One of the managers in the kitchen, they said, Chef, Mr. Pellegrino's at the bar. Frank. Frank Pellegrino's from Rao's. He said, okay, you tell me the second he sits down, because I want to make sure he has a perfect experience. Okay, no problem. A few minutes later, Frank walks from the bar over there into the kitchen. He's not sitting down. He walks right into the kitchen. He walks right up to me. He says, you Carbone? I said, yes, sir. I said, how are you, Mr. Pellegrino? Thank you for coming. He goes, the place looks good, kid. And walked up.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah, I remember that.

[Mario Carbone]

He didn't have.

[Fat Joe]

I didn't even taste that.

[Mario Carbone]

He didn't have anything. He walked in. He looked around. He walked into the kitchen. He made sure he met me. He said, the place looks good. And he walked out. Yeah, I remember he was at the bar, and he was digging, never to be seen again. He was dancing. How was It I remember, never came back.

[Fat Joe]

I had a friend.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That was it.

[Fat Joe]

I had a friend. He's not my friend no more. But his former father in law was this rich guy, used to sell marble, but I mean, like to all the buildings, everything super rich. He couldn't get him rails. And the guy who was my friend used to tell him all the time, yo, let my guy, Fat Joe the rapper get you in rails. He went with the owner of the Nets. They didn't let him in. If you don't come. They turned down Madonna, right? They don't care. He went with some other rich guys. They turned him down. He finally, eventually got in. And when he sat down, the rest of me, he said, let me ask. He said, man, he said, you ever hear this guy Fat Joe? He said, fat Joe, the minute he comes in, we bring a table. We make the table in the middle of the thing for him. Fat Joe gets the table wherever he wants. In rails this and that. Homeboy called up his son in law, like, yo, I didn't know your man had the power like that.

[Mario Carbone]

That's that Henry Hill table.

[Fat Joe]

I'll tell you something. I'm gonna tell you something. I went one time. There's a true story. But you want me to say the name? I can't say the name? No, I can't say the name.

[Mario Carbone]

I mean, you can't. You can't leave when he's a friend. No friend no more.

[Fat Joe]

No, no, no. I can't say this one thing I love doing. Although I don't do that with you. I don't play with you, But I love arriving with no reservations. Anywhere I go, Fat Joe, I want to see if we can do it right.

[Mario Carbone]

You just want to test them.

[Fat Joe]

I just love not being reservations. I don't know why. I just. That's my thing.

[Mario Carbone]

So what is the percentage of that working?

[Fat Joe]

All the time. But let me explain. Sunday, all the time.

[Mario Carbone]

It's 100%.

[Fat Joe]

I'm at a hundred percent ratio. Don't do that, because I be asking you. Yo, carry on. Coming through. But I'm 100 percenter.

[Mario Carbone]

Like, what time? He's like, I'm outside one day, I'm

[Fat Joe]

in the joint, and LeBron James is in Miami. When he played for Miami. It's Valentine's Day. LeBron James is there with his wife in the hallway, like, waiting, right?

[Mario Carbone]

Not a good sign.

[Fat Joe]

Ram packed. I'm with my wife. She was like, no, it's another spot in Miami.

[Mario Carbone]

Gabbiano.

[Fat Joe]

Gabbiano.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Gabbiano, right.

[Fat Joe]

That's my spot.

[Mario Carbone]

Shout out Gabbiano.

[Fat Joe]

So it's beyond sold out. So I walk up there. Obviously, this girl has no clue who Fat Joe is. I go up in there. I go, yeah. I said, you got a reservation? I said, nah, I ain't got a reservation.

[Mario Carbone]

So she says, worldwide.

[Fat Joe]

So she says, oh, it's a four

[Mario Carbone]

hour wait for us.

[Fat Joe]

I said, four hours. I'm looking at her. I said, four hours. She looks to the side at LeBron James, the king of Miami, when he was winning chips. She said, everybody's waiting. So I sit back, I go like this, because there's certain names. You might think I talk a lot, but there's certain names I don't drop. No matter what. Life, death, nothing. I won't. So when I look, I'm embarrassed. My wife says, I told you. You said, well, you know, such and such send me bonk. They crack open the champagne. Why didn't you tell us?

[Podcast Sponsor Voice]

Come here.

[Fat Joe]

They walk me inside the restaurant. They pour his champagne right here. They bring the table.

[Mario Carbone]

And LeBron's still waiting.

[Fat Joe]

He's still waiting. But the name I dropped was so legendary. It was a name of names. I said, well, you know, Mr. Such and Such. The champagne they popped the off of. What are you. What are you waiting for? Please come inside. Like, they thought they got. They doing the shit. I see. Yo, I had to drop the name. That's like you two time a fella you go to spot they funny. You'll be like, yo, Fat Joe sent me. It might pop the champagne for you. You know what I'm saying? But I've done it two time a felon. But, yo, Mario, great time with you. Carbon Miami, May 1st to the 3rd. Oh, that's the joint you always throw out there. Yeah, what's that? F1 week.

[Mario Carbone]

F1 week. F1 weekend.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

We gotta go out there.

[Mario Carbone]

We gotta get you out there.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You gotta get out there, right?

[Fat Joe]

You got the new.

[Mario Carbone]

Should we do a show from the road?

[Fat Joe]

The new yala do a show from the road. Knowing Jada, that's a different type of chemistry.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know why I'm fasting? Gotta do one when I'm not fast?

[Fat Joe]

Because I wouldn't.

[Mario Carbone]

I'm fast right now.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You think I wouldn't have been obliterated?

[Fat Joe]

No, you showing off right now. You fasting with all you got that type of soul willpower with reggaetoni in front of you and everything. I'm impressed. I'm not fasting. Hard to see that. Bronzino.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I seen you at the next game.

[Mario Carbone]

Too.

[Fat Joe]

No, no. Oh, you gotta stop.

[Mario Carbone]

I heard about it, too. I ran. I ran into. I ran. I ran into. I ran into Stout in the hallway.

[Fat Joe]

I heard about it.

[Mario Carbone]

He's like. I mentioned this to Joe.

[Fat Joe]

Let me tell you. So Steve Stout. Steven Stout.

[Mario Carbone]

Shout out, Stout.

[Fat Joe]

You never brought me a dollar in your life. You're the richest guy. I go one time with Saudi Arabia, with Steve, the minute we land, he got 62 meetings in the lobby of the hotel like he was. Steve Scott just gets money wherever he goes. He got all these Saudis coming in there. I could never get a dollar with him. But one thing I could count on is the second I grabbed the glizzy, he had the camera in my face like this. Yo, you eating the glizzy I see. Yo, Steve style. Maybe you want to bring me a Saudi dollar or something, man? Maybe you want. Get me a fragrance or something, man. Try to get some money with. He caught me on camera with the glizzy.

[Mario Carbone]

Steve. Joe's open to a fragrance deal.

[Fat Joe]

No, I'm just saying I stand on. I stand on brand. I stand. Everybody knows I love a glizzy. I went to the game, I got me a glizzy. What's the problem with that? I don't have a problem with it.

[Mario Carbone]

It seems in line. We don't got a problem with that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's what he needed. He need a glizzy endorsement.

[Fat Joe]

I need a glizzy Oscar Mayer. Oh, we got a flag on the plane. Carbone.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Too much glizzy dialogue.

[Mario Carbone]

Can't talk glizzy.

[Fat Joe]

He brought it up. I didn't bring it up. You said I was in.

[Mario Carbone]

I heard about it, but I didn't bring it up. I wasn't gonna say nothing. You brought it up.

[Fat Joe]

Steve Stau.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

He was about to say Steve Staustner. No, he was.

[Fat Joe]

Yo, bring me one of them. Them jars before we get out of here. Bring me one of them car bone jars so they can know what to get in there.

[Mario Carbone]

Supermarket gifts for everybody.

[Fat Joe]

We love it.

[Mario Carbone]

We're in 30,000. 30,000 stores. 30,000 stores for the whole family.

[Fat Joe]

Look at this. My family uses this. This is amazing.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You could try. You could try.

[Fat Joe]

This is amazing stuff. Shout out to the loveies. This is it. The loveies.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

If you can't get a. If you can't get an appointment, at least you can buy some of this at supermarket.

[Mario Carbone]

Yes, you can. Carbon at home.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know what I mean? You can do it at home or bone at home.

[Mario Carbone]

Even you, Joe.

[Fat Joe]

Yo, Mario, do I get a discount for Buying a property in your building or something. Whatever you're gonna pick.

[Mario Carbone]

Oh, yeah, yeah.

[Fat Joe]

I want a discount. Let me.

[Mario Carbone]

I gotta. I got a friends and family read for you.

[Fat Joe]

No, I need it.

[Mario Carbone]

It's beautiful. It's gonna be beautiful.

[Fat Joe]

I know. It's gonna be amazing.

[Mario Carbone]

Got you. I got you.

[Fat Joe]

We got any hint. What area is it in Miami? You gonna do it in Miami?

[Mario Carbone]

No, it's being built right now. It's in Edgewater. It's on the water. It's gorgeous. Being built right now. 20. 20 floors are already built. Beautiful, beautiful, gorgeous condos. Edgewater. I got a. I got. I got a friends and family number four.

[Fat Joe]

Name some favorite restaurants. Just name two or three. That's. I got one in mind. That's why I thought of this. Not Italian that you love going to anywhere.

[Mario Carbone]

Anywhere. Anywhere. I mean, Katz is for sure. Katz's. Peter Hoogas. I mean, the old New York.

[Fat Joe]

I went there two days ago in Long Island.

[Mario Carbone]

Peter Hooger, the one on Great Neck.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah, them got. Man, they had that steak this month, no reservations. Walked in. I just got. With that beauty face.

[Mario Carbone]

100. I was out there. Tell them Fat Joe sent you.

[Fat Joe]

Fat Joe came up in there. Costa, what's up, brother? Yo, what's going on? That state, we're losing that, man. We're losing the traditional, man. Thank God for Carbone. This fly is sexy on another level. But we got that real food, you know, these new places, you know, it's just horrible. You know, it's almost like hip hop.

[Mario Carbone]

It's any. It's any art, but yeah, hip hop. You could use a hip hop as an analogy. Any art, though, you have, you know, you gotta keep the certain amount of tradition going. It's always important that somebody pops off and does something different and new, and you. There's a new style that comes, but it's. It's generally always. It's always rooted in the classic, you know, like. Like it's not gonna come overnight. Nothing's gonna come overnight. There's no success is gonna come overnight. It should, you know, but it should happen is you should learn and be based in the classic. Be a master of the classic.

[Fat Joe]

I noticed you. Cause the other night I went to dinner with a friend of mine, he owns Italian restaurants, and we went to Carbone in Miami two, three days ago. How hard is it as a restaurant owner to not criticize other restaurants, Other restaurants and their food and stuff like that? I got a best friend, he's a chef, Chef Mark. He criticized. I don't give a damn if we went to White Castle. Like, yo, they don't make the bread like, they used to. Dislist. How hard is it for you to sit down at a restaurant?

[Mario Carbone]

It's harder for me to sit. I'm the biggest critic when I'm sitting in one of my places. If I'm in one of my places, which I think is a very important thing to do, right? I think it's more important for me to be a customer these days than to be back there with them. I think get you. Get your perspective, the perspective of the customer. And when I'm eating at one of my restaurants, I'm a very difficult critic. If I'm at somebody else's place, I just turn it off.

[Fat Joe]

Oh, you turn it off.

[Mario Carbone]

It's easy for me to just be

[Fat Joe]

like, I don't like that. All my friends here to chef.

[Mario Carbone]

I'm not. I'm not. It's too hard to be a critic for all of my places. I just want to relax. I just want to be in somebody else's spot. If it's great, that's great. I'm going to give you all your love and all the present. That's great. If it's not great, I'm going to keep my mouth shut, keep moving, like, all good.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah. Because I hate that I got friends that are all chefs and they own restaurants. They go somewhere, they criticize this, they criticize that. I'm just sitting there like, yo, bro, like, just enjoy the moment. You know what I mean? That's important.

[Mario Carbone]

Enjoy the people you're with, the table. It's also so much more than just a meal. It's the people you're with. It's where you're at. You know, it's your level of comfort. Like everything equals the meal. Like, it's all part of it. All the ingredients of it is. It's not just the food.

[Fat Joe]

I have not been to a carbon where the staff has not been great, have not greeted you with respect and love. I have not been nowhere near any of your establishments. Where people ain't happy to see you, they treat you nice. If I walk in, ZZ over here, you got the Dominican girl up front. She's nice, brings you up. The guys take care of you upstairs in Miami, you could forget it. They bring you out of the car in.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah, they walk you.

[Fat Joe]

No, they walk you in. You get out the car, they walking you in like, yo, what's going on, guys? This, this, this. You got Ricky here. You know, like, you.

[Mario Carbone]

You.

[Fat Joe]

That's one thing. And the most important thing in the restaurant business, the most important thing in the joke crack, listen, is feeling like the restaurant knows you. Whether you the richest. You could be Derek Jeter over there. You could be the little guy who said, yo, it's my birthday. And they got a reservation. They come in here, Everybody gotta feel special.

[Mario Carbone]

That's what I. That what I always thought about. When I thought about when we first opened this place and I thought about that front door, I was like, how do I give every person that comes in here the sensation of being Henry Hill walking in the back of Copacabana, right? So, like, the music's playing, he goes back door. No, I don't wait in line. Someone, how are you, Mr. Hill? Blah, blah, blah. And like, all the way to getting to the table. Like, how do I treat this place as that movie and give everyone as close to that experience as when the door opens, they get hit with the music, the smell of the food. Someone greets them. It's busy. But like, I got you. And. And I. I give everyone that little bit of that cinematic moment.

[Fat Joe]

I don't know if you trained your staff how to treat people.

[Mario Carbone]

This is a movie.

[Fat Joe]

You cannot get a warmer reception than coming here. And let me tell you something, because, you know, I've been on a real diet. You know, Fat Joe not so fat anymore. No, I know, but them three color cookies you throw on that table at the end of the meal. Yo, Ricky, don't you eat colored cookies? They'll take my diet diabetes sensor all the way up.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

New endorsement.

[Fat Joe]

Yo, let me tell you, three colorful cookies. The three color cookies. Man, I can't resist that thing. In the middle of resisting. I can't.

[Mario Carbone]

We're gonna get you some.

[Fat Joe]

Thank you so much. Mario Carbone. This ain't that.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That ain't this.

[Fat Joe]

It's cracking. Kiss. We here.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Legendary.

[Mario Carbone]

This is one of your first bones. Road games from the live from the back of Carbone.

[Fat Joe]

Yeah, you know, we went to Khaled's house. I think that was our first road trip.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

And then la.

[Fat Joe]

But nothing like, you know, Carbon is legendary. I know the history of every. Every bone and literally of this place. So pause.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

History of every bowl. Oh, man, that was ill.

[Mario Carbone]

And there's plenty more where that came from.

[Fat Joe]

What's the real.

[Mario Carbone]

This has a lot of names. It's got a lot of names.

[Fat Joe]

Name is a three color cookie or something. All right.

[Mario Carbone]

Seven layers. Seven layers. Tri colors. Tri colors. Yeah, you got a lot of names, but that's.

[Fat Joe]

That's New York. Right there.

[Mario Carbone]

That's here. This is every Italian bakery, pastry shop. I love it. They gotta be served cold.

[Fat Joe]

Shout out to my man, right outta the fridge. Marco from the 40 year old bakery. He does it for me. Sugar free out in Queens. Astoria, Queens.

[Mario Carbone]

Why are you making no sugar free?

[Fat Joe]

He's making them sugar free.

[Mario Carbone]

I hope he's not lying.

[Fat Joe]

No, I'm telling you, I've seen the ingredients.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It tastes like that and it don't got sugar.

[Fat Joe]

Sugar free.

[Mario Carbone]

Shout out. Marco, you're a magician. Marco, you're a magician.

[Fat Joe]

Marco's a good guy. Or let's just say less sugar addict if we want to keep it a buck.

[Mario Carbone]

I think that's the pronunciation. That's the right pronunciation.

[Fat Joe]

He got the Libra 3 going to Libra 6.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yeah.

[Fat Joe]

Joe and Jada, baby. The biggest Netflix carbon.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Make some noise for our guest, Mario.

[Fat Joe]

We appreciate Mario Calponi, the dawn of all times, Mario.