Tag Archives: pasta

Pepolino in TriBeCa

Who doesn’t love to venture to a well-known highly rated Zagat Italian restaurant? My boyfriend made this call, I hadn’t had a chance to stalk the menu before heading down to TriBeCa — so I had no clue what type of restaurant we were heading to. All I knew was it was Italian… Perfect!

When we walked into the restaurant we were greeted with a friendly “Buonasera” — many of those working at the restaurant seemed Italian. Their accents were perfection and if I closed my eyes, ate the food and listened to the wait staff talk in their native tongue, I would have felt like I was back in Florence.

A preview of what we ate for dinner at Pepolino

A preview of what we ate for dinner at Pepolino

While the ambiance was casual and comfortable — the space tucks in as many tables as they can on multiple floors. But who cares how cramped you are, as long as you have good food, company and conversation!

While my boyfriend and I ordered multiple dishes, I am only going to share with you our favorites. Off of the antipasta section of the menu I was encouraged to try the Cozze Al Burro which is steamed mussels out of the shell in butter, garlic and parsley with toasted bread. I was hesitant about this dish because it has been a while since I have enjoyed mussels. But, I always will try things again — and I sure am happy I did because this was probably my favorite dish! One scoop of the creamy mussels, butter, garlic and parsley combo placed on top of the crispy toast was to-die-for. I could help but think of my father and his favorite flavors and I know this is something he would enjoy very much! Being full of garlic, it’s hard not to love!

garlic mussels and parsley dip

Another favorite starter was actually off of the specials menu. An Italian-style crepe stuffed with cheese and mushrooms was a great plate to hit the savory spot I was craving so much. The crepe itself you can hardly see — it was truly covered in a hefty portion of stringy mozzarella cheese. Baked to perfection, this plate should be on their permanent menu!

mushroom and cheese crepe

For our pasta dishes, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a different type of gnocchi. My experience with the potato dumplings, if that’s what you want to call them, have always been delicious but they are also very heavy in your stomach. Pepolino makes their gnocchi from spinach and ricotta rather than potato. Because of this change in ingredients, the Malfatti Burro e Salvia dish, was both fluffy and light. The spinach and ricotta gnocchi was covered in a butter and sage sauce — two beautiful ingredients I don’t think I could ever get sick of! What the plate needed though was a solid amount of parmigiano reggiano cheese grated on top … which was exactly what I asked for after taking my first bite! Perfection!

gnocchi made from spinach and ricotta

Okay, now I am going to share with you the biggest curve ball I have ever experienced in a restaurant! My boyfriend and I agreed on the final pasta dish which on the menu is called “Spaghetti Chitarra.” The description for this plate reads as:

Homemade square spaghetti with fresh tomato and basil

Okay. So, what would you think that dish is going to look like? Without even discussing it until the plate arrived, we both thought it was legit SQUARE pasta, kind of like lasagna noodles except in the shape of a square. We were also expecting a red sauce since we saw the words “tomato” and “basil” in the description.

After further researching, why the heck we didn’t get “square” pasta  I learned a few things:

  1. I am an idiot because it flat out says “spaghetti” in the description so we are going to get some sort of spaghetti noodles
  2. Chitarra is the Italian word for guitar — duhhh, that’s why my spaghetti noodles looked like guitar strings!
  3. And after searching around I couldn’t figure out why we didn’t have a red sauce like we thought we would have. I can’t find any specific sauce that is automatically assumed to be paired with Chitarra spaghetti.

This plate just caused major confusion for us both … but in the end we enjoyed it! The edges of the Chitarra allowed the noodles to hold on to the cheese and butter in the dish — now, that’s my kind of pasta!

Overall we enjoyed Pepolino: the service was great, the restaurant was fun & comfortable and the wine list was perfecto! In all honesty though, Perbacco is still number one in my book!

Bianca in Noho

So, one of my dearest friends, Stef, took me to one of her favorite UWS restaurants several weeks ago (I didn’t blog about it because I was so hungry I forgot to capture photos… sorry folks!). This restaurant is called Celeste — and Celeste doesn’t even have a website, so I wasn’t able to menu-stalk prior to going for dinner. Following our dinner a coworker of mine mentioned that I should go to Bianca downtown in Noho — she described this restaurant making it sound a bit like Celeste; there were no reservations, always expect a wait, payment is cash-only and the food is spectacular. Bianca does have a website so I forwarded it to Stef saying we needed to get to this joint asap! Stef couldn’t help but laugh as she pointed out to me that Bianca is Celeste’s sister restaurant.

food from bianca

So Stef and I hurried down to Bianca at 7:30 p.m. thinking our wait would be quick and easy — nope! we waited over an hour to be seated. But time flew by as we caught up over a glass of wine at an uber hipster bar right next to the restaurant. When we were seated at Bianca, I was reminded instantly of Al Di La in Brooklyn; the decor was so similar — old-school wall paper with white subway tiling to help divide the space on the walls, even the smells coming from the kitchen were as delectable as Al Di La’s.

We quickly ordered — clearly, we both scouted out the menu prior to attending dinner. To share: the Gnocco Fritto with Stracchino Cheese, a caprese salad (special of the day) and for our main dishes we both ordered pasta — I ordered myself the Ravioli di Ricotta con Burro e Salvia (ravioli in a butter and sage sauce) and Stef ordered herself the Gramigna con Salciccia e Peperoni (pasta with crumbled sausage and red bell pepper). Even though the restaurant was packed — not a single seat was available — the food came out in a very timely manner.

gnocco

Our apps were d-e-l-i-s-h … The gnocco was perfectly cooked, nice and puffy and soft and the stracchino cheese was out of this world. It was obvious it was coated in a very flavorful truffle olive oil, but the cheese consistency was smooth and creamy — maybe even more so than a burrata. Remember folks, Gnocco is not the same as Gnocchi.

butter and sage ravioli

When it came to my ravioli, I instantly had a flash back. The first time I ever cooked my boyfriend a meal at home I made him a caprese salad served with ravioli in a sage and butter sauce (Thanks Food Network for the fabulous recipe and thank you Whole Foods for providing the “homemade” ravioli). This ravioli at Bianca though was homemade and wasn’t just “served with butter” — it was swimming in it. The longer I let the ravioli sit, the thicker the butter got, which allowed me to scoop more of it up on to my fork. I would order this rich dish again in a heart beat!

meat pasta

I had to share a pic of Stef’s pasta — it was out of this world! I also loved that Bianca wasn’t afraid to feed people, the serving sizes were outstanding!

I love finding restaurants like Bianca and Celeste — I am always ready for more suggestions… So if anyone has any, be sure to share the details! Bianca really fit the bill for me and Stef this weekend — literally! Ultimately for 2 appetizers, 2 main dishes of pasta, and 1 homemade sorbet for dessert … plus a bottle of wine. It all totaled up to $81. The way we ordered we were also “splurging” so the fact that we didn’t faint at the sight of the bill, we were very pleased!

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Bar Pitti in The Village

It’s one of those restaurants — cash only and no reservations.

I had expected a brutal wait for a table at Bar Pitti on a Friday night during a very busy time of night when most New Yorkers are just starting to get hungry. But to my surprise my boyfriend and I only waited 20 minutes for our table! It was luckily the last beautiful evening before the weather went back to being chilly — so the restaurant had indoor and outdoor seating available. We luckily got the best of both worlds and sat technically inside but right in front where the walls/windows were opened.

While waiting for a table, those waiting will stand outside on the sidewalk (which isn’t a big deal if the weather is nice, but if it was the middle of winter I can only imagine how upset I would be being both cold and hungry).

So we got a fabulous table and quickly began to eye down the menu to pick out what we wanted to order. The wait staff is fairly pushy and it’s obvious that they are running around trying to serve a jam-packed restaurant but they are rather sort and quick to the point. But who can be mad at a waiter who is very kind yet talks insanely fast?

First up was our appetizers and of course I had to order the caprese salad with fresh bufala mozzarella which came out beautifully seasoned with some salt and pepper and was exceptionally creamy and fluffy. I love a good bufala mozzarella but my boyfriend and I agreed that we loved Da Silvano’s unbelievable burrata. (Da Silvano is Bar Pitti’s sister restaurant and they are located right next to each other.) Although we did dig into our caprese and garlic bread was even served to the table (I’m not sure if it was part of the order or complimentary) but it was a perfect way to scoop up some bufala mozzarella and tomatoes. Besides being convenient it also added so much flavor to the cheese! Who would ever say “no” to garlic?

My boyfriend didn’t think that the caprese salad was enough to order so he wanted to snag one another item off of the specials menu (Note: the restaurant changes their specials menu daily based off of what is fresh). He picked the asparagus and veal dish. Hmmm, okay, this was a rather strange plate. The food didn’t taste bad in any way whatsoever but it was so damn odd. First of all, it’s a cold plate. Second, the asparagus is pureed. And third, you can’t see the veal, but the veal was literally just a thin layer of meat that was sliced and put on the plate before the asparagus puree was poured on top. Again, it didn’t taste bad, but the dish was just very unusual.

Next came our main courses. We both ordered off of the specials menu — I picked the spinach ravioli in a sage and butter sauce. This was such a phenomenal pick because after filling up on appetizers I desperately needed a light entree. I am such a sage lover. And I couldn’t help but laugh with my boyfriend over the fact that we were literally eating the same exact dinner that I had made him for the first meal I cooked for him. Aww, so sweet! (I made him a fresh caprese salad with a spinach ravioli in a butter and sage sauce — super easy to make at home!) But the chef at Bar Pitti did a great job infusing the fantastic flavor of sage into the butter. And I loved that there was plenty of butter sauce to scoop up from the plate onto the ravioli!

food at bar pitti

My boyfriend ordered a farfalle with salmon and asparagus in a pink sauce. I am not a fan of salmon when it’s cooked — I love love love it raw but forget cooking it and feeding it to me. Ick! But I surprisingly enjoyed this farfalle dish! Full of flavor and not an overwhelming taste of salmon, I really enjoyed all of the different tastes that were cooked into this dish. I was disappointed about one thing though — the farfalle aka bowtie pasta was wayyy over cooked. I’m such a typical Al Dente type of girl that loves her pasta just cooked enough that there is a slight firmness to the pasta. The texture of this pasta reminded me of the way my macaroni turned out the first time when I cooked it in the microwave back in college. Luckily the taste of the pasta was no where near Easy Mac!

Last but not least was our dessert. I have been on such a sorbet kick lately so I couldn’t help but order a serving of tangerine sorbet. (I think of my new obsession of sorbet is just a way for me to do research. My friend Brittany and her friend Gina recently gave me a KitchenAid ice cream maker as a thank you for letting them stay in my apartment for a long weekend. How nice is that! So now I have been learning all about what flavors taste great in ice cream and sorbet!) The tangerine sorbet was loaded with flavor and reminded me of my gelato experiences I had on my recent trip to Italy. The presentation was also fantastic — the sorbet was stuffed back into a tangerine! (My boyfriend and I were actually debating this… I thought that the tangerine looked like an orange, he thinks it looks like a tangerine. Please, someone agree with me on this that a tangerine looks exactly like an orange! )

And then my boyfriend ordered the tiramisu which tasted fantastic! I laughed at him though because this tiramisu tastes exactly like coffee/espresso and my boyfriend hates coffee (so I find it odd that he enjoyed this dessert!) Perfectly rich, and creamy this tiramisu really hits the spot for someone looking for both a sweet and savory dessert.

So besides having over cooked farfalle I am going to rate this restaurant a 9 out of 10. It really was a great experience and I was even able to speak the few words of Italian that I know. (I could easily order double of anything and I have fantastic manners saying please and thank you, and I know how to say “how do you say this in Italian?” So obviously I learned several new words as well.)

By the way, I do have to share with everyone something funny that happened at our dinner table. My boyfriend huffs and puffs whenever the food arrives because he can’t dig in right away. I always have to take a photo of our food first (of course, so I can share the pictures with all of my blog followers). But lately I’ve been noticing while I put my camera/phone away I manage to glance at my boyfriend who is snapping a few pictures himself…. Hmmmm, I think we might have a new food photographer!

Tello’s Ristorante

Last night I had met up with a very close family friend for dinner. I can’t get over that our families have been friends for over a century!

We decided to stay in Chelsea for some Italian food, and his friend recommended Tello’s on the corner of 20th Street and 8th Avenue… a 7 minute walk from my apartment.

I had scouted out the review online a week in advance and of course I eyed down the menu one too many times. And I couldn’t wait to try out this Italian restaurant. After all, it’s always a treat to discover something new/old that’s in my neighborhood!

Immediately when you walk into the space, you’ll notice that it’s similar to a Ma and Pop’s place — with red checkered table clothes and old black and white family photos covering the walls, you knew right away that wearing jeans is totally acceptable here.

the best calamari

As I eyed down the crowd the scene was clearly a mix of folks — from a high-power career-looking woman with her husband still in his work clothes and their typical 12 year old child playing video games at the dinner table. To a group of men giggling, gossiping, and overall just loving their company. To intimate dates spread evenly throughout the restaurant. I loved that this restaurant plays music, but doesn’t blast it. With the high ceilings you’d think that the restaurant would get obnoxiously loud, but it doesn’t!

This is the perfect place to: have a meal without screaming across the table to talk with your date, bring your kids to, dine out casually, and of course to enjoy good food.

To start, we ordered the calamari which was brought out so quickly I didn’t even get a chance to eat my bread. After squeezing the lemon on top, then dunking a piece into the red sauce, I realized how fresh and perfectly seasoned and cooked this fish was. Not only was the fish fresh and perfectly cooked, the red sauce added a lovely zing of heat. I’d give the calamari an A+ in my book!

food at tello

The menu has a large selection of dishes to pick from… it was a good thing I scouted out the menu before arriving. By the time the waiter asked what I would want for my entree I knew I could tell him the Porcini Ravioli (I know, I’m on a mushroom and ravioli kick this week). He also said that the dish was “fantastic.” So of course, I had to order it! My family friend, Dennis, ordered another pasta dish: Rigatoni Tello which included pasta with sweet sausage, tomatoes, peas, and zucchini.

The ravioli was incredible! I love creamy pasta dishes and when it includes mushrooms it is even better! And that’s just what this dish had — lots of mushrooms! Every bite was filled with a cheesy, creamy, and mushroom flavors that all fused so beautifully together.

Dennis loved his pasta dish too! He gobbled it down so fast I had to eat a little faster to catch up.

My only complaint about dinner was that the food was so hot when it came out, I had to let it cool off for a bit before I could take my first bite… It’s not a large complaint in any way, but I was totally tortured by the most delicious smells coming from my plate and I knew I couldn’t eat it right away!

The Smile on Bond Street

The Smile meatballsWalking into The Smile, I walked in from a chilly Manhattan to a cozy cabin-style decor restaurant where it seemed like everyone wanted to be on a cold winter evening. The rustic wood, the holiday mantel decor all added to the style of the establishment.

I wasn’t all that hungry when I was here, which is unfortunate because when I opened up the menu I couldn’t decide what to order — everything sounded so fresh and tasty! I ultimately ordered just a small appetizer portion of the Lamb Meatballs. The taste of lamb brings back so many memories because my grandmother used to often cook with lamb. And of course The Smile spiced them the same way my Nannie used to — with mint! Drenched in a spiced red sauce, these meatballs were impeccable. Actually, The Meatball Shop should take some pointers because their meatballs are nothing like this!

Hopefully I will return soon, this is a place my boyfriend will love. What else will I be trying on my next visit? I have my eyes on their pasta dishes — which apparently change because the one on the website is different than what I saw the other evening. The menu is very reasonably priced and is definitely a great place for a person to go if they are on a tight budget.

Location-wise this is a fantastic place to go to if you are over by the Washington Square Park area or looking to make your way out of Soho after some shopping. It’s only a couple of blocks off of Broadway and is very easy to get to.

A Modern Family Dinner

pasta dinnerMy friend Ken and I love the ABC show ‘Modern Family.’ We decided to make dinner before the show came on this week. Ultimately, we were disappointed because we were planning for a new episode, and sadly it was a rerun. But did everyone catch the Thanksgiving episode? I just started to watch ‘Modern Family‘ this season. I started out by having Netflix send me the first season because I love to watch the pilots of a series. I was able to jump right into the show! That’s the best part of show, you don’t have to have watched it from the beginning!

Here’s what Ken and I cooked up for dinner: we roasted asparagus and tomatoes in the oven at 350 degrees. We brushed on top a little big of olive oil and sprinkled on some salt and pepper. Then we cooked up some pasta. Once it was cooked we added just a tad bit of olive oil to coat the pasta in, then we added freshly chopped rosemary, some salt, and some pepper. After mixing everything together I scooped out enough pasta on each plate and then grated some fresh parmigiano reggiano cheese on top. This dinner turn out so light, flavorful and fresh! Our tummies were happy, but overall we were still disappointed that this week there was no new ‘Modern Family’ episode.

I think we should have this dinner and a tv show become a weekly tradition. What do you think? What are your favorite shows to watch with friends or family?
(Photo Credit: absenceofalternatives.com)

A Seafood Dinner in Venice

Our Italy trip ended in Venice, so sad that everything had to come to an end. Instead of staying in the heart of Venice, we stayed on an island of Venice called Isola Di San Clemente. It was such a treat to stay at such a luxurious hotel and on a private island! The hotel felt more like an Italian palace but the charm of Italian tradition could be see throughout the property — like in a courtyard with a Virgin Mary statue and an old individual stone “hut-like” place to pray in.

We arrived in the late afternoon and we had a few hours before dinner. I showered and expected my luggage to be delivered to the room quickly (like it had been done in all of the other cities and towns we stayed in) but I soon realized that the stereotypical European tardiness was about to shine through. Not a single person in the group received their luggage before dinner. If I had known, I would have gladly brought my bags up to my room myself. So sadly we had to put our casual travel clothes back on (gross) for our lovely dinner at an upscale Venetian restaurant. How embarrassing.

It was a rainy night so we had to stay inside on our short boat ride over to the main land of Venice. We also had to buy umbrellas upon arrival. We quickly walked through Piazza San Mark (St. Mark’s Square) and through small, narrow alley ways in the back of Venice before we arrived at our restaurant.

The vibe was very similar to New York City’s Minetta Tavern in Greenwich Village. The lights were dimmed, the crowd was sophisticated (except us in our travel clothes), and the deep booths were inviting to all who came into the restaurant.

Of course we ordered our starter, entree, and dessert.

For my starter I ordered something that honestly surprised me. The way it was described on the menu wasn’t what I had expected to eat, but I was pleasantly surprised with the flavors. My dish was beef sliced extremely thin and placed over a warm arugula and shaved parmesan reggiano cheese. It was such a brilliant combination of ingredients. If the beef was sliced any other way the dish would have been a disaster. And the warming of the arugula leaves added a surprising feeling to the tongue. I am such a fan of parmesan reggiano, it’s truly the best cheese on earth. If you are to splurge on anything in the grocery store, it should be this. I can live without truffles, I can live without red meat, but I seriously could never live without this type of cheese. Very little parmesan reggiano goes a very long way.

Next I had a pasta and seafood plate. I slurped up my pasta so quick. It’s surprising how much lighter pasta is on your stomach in Italy compared to the way it is here in the United States. I don’t know what it is, but I never felt guilty when I ate a plate full of carbs. And no I never once said “it doesn’t count when you’re on vacation.” I hate that saying.

For dessert I had a rum cake and I swear I got drunk off of it. One bite was like taking a shot of rum. The fluffy cake was dense and tasted like it was soaked in alcohol. If I could order all over again I probably wouldn’t have ordered the rum cake. I even passed my plate of cake around so everyone could take a taste for themselves — even the people at the table that were indulging in loads of wine even commented on how much alcohol was in such a small piece of cake!

Over all I really enjoyed this meal. I didn’t enjoy the rainy trek through Venice to get to the restaurant, but the company was fabulous and the food was memorable.

Food (Pizza & Pasta) in Capri: Part III

There is something about Anacapri that has me obsessed with everything and anything Capri. It was interesting to learn that those working certain jobs in Capri are able to be working only because they were born and raised in Capri. For example, the guy that rowed our boat into the Blue Grotto had to have been born and raised in Capri otherwise they weren’t able to have that certain career. This is brilliant because it keeps the locals in business and the greedy money making, destroyers of all things authentic off and away from the Italian paradise.
While walking the streets of Anacapri in the early evening, my family and I had to pick a place for dinner. We came across this gorgeous square and the main part of the square was the church. Actually, after vacation I soon discovered the E! News host Giuliana Rancic got married in this exact church a few years ago… I am officially jealous of G! Right next to this square was a pizzeria/pasta restaurant and of course we thought the menu sound fabulous!
We sat outside, perfect for people watching. But when I peeked my head into the restaurant I saw a gorgeous pizza stove and an adorable little old man tossing pizzas. Naturally my mom and I immediately headed inside to take pictures of him making pizza, but before I knew it I was behind the counter top spreading dough myself! The pizzaman also ended up being the owner of the restaurant! He didn’t speak a lick of English, but he flirted with me as if he was a 25 year-old guy. He was just too cute, I couldn’t even get him to turn to face the camera for a picture, so I stared right back at him.
We sat down for dinner and had a few delicious dishes! My dad always goes right for the red sauce plates, for some reason, and he never really tries anything new. I guess what works for him is what he sticks with. I usually laugh on the inside because I feel like he’s missing out on some of the most delicious foods, but this time he was right on by ordering the spaghetti in a red sauce. I have never had a more delicious red sauced pasta dish before in my entire life! Italians cook their spaghetti just right, Al Dente = the best way to prepare pasta! The pizza was also delicious, it was filled with salami, mushrooms and olives! I was surprised to see that my pizza came with separations, the toppings weren’t all mixed together. I actually enjoyed this because the extra crusty separations added more texture and crispness.
Another aspect of Italian restaurants that I adore is how almost every restaurant I ate at has their own signature bottle of wine. Not just a wine that the restaurant thinks is the best, but they typically have their own label and possibly even their own vineyard. This is incredible because no restaurant is going to create a wine that tastes bad with their food!

food

When Life Gives You Lemons…

It’s common knowledge that the Italians know how to make Limoncello. (It’s also common knowledge that they know how to do everything else — from building breathtakingly beautiful buildings, to painting, sculpting, and drawing the most influential artwork of all time, to knowing how to cook-up the most important foods that have ever been put on this earth: pizza, pasta, and everything else that has carbs.)
So naturally, if life gives the Italians lemons… they know exactly what to do with it!
I recently spent almost 2 weeks in Italy, and I have over 150 photos of different types of food to share with you. But lets just start with the basics, shall we?
I’ve been cooking with lemons for years! And it wasn’t that long ago that I discovered all of the fabulous things you can do with lemon rind. Since then, I have been zesting away! On top of salads, into my pasta dishes… whatever I do with it, lemon zest makes my food taste like it’s, well, awake! It’s not sour, it’s a fresh and lively flavor.
So when I saw the gorgeous lemons that Italy can grow, my jaw naturally dropped in awe. Not only are lemons abundant in Italy, they grow 4 or even 5 times larger than the typical lemon we see at the grocery store in the U.S. No wonder why they can make loads of Limoncello, they have plenty of lemons to go around!
Take a look at how gigantic some of the lemons on Capri are… The photo below is a picture of a lemon and I had to hold my hand next to it so you could see how HUGE they actually are!

While visiting Pompeii (not too far from Naples, which is where my family and I caught our boat to Capri), we couldn’t help but sip on a fresh lemon slushy made at a food cart outside of the entrance to Pompeii. Even though it was a bit too sour, the lemon slush hit the spot on an insanely hot day. (I didn’t notice until I posted these photos that the guy preparing our lemon ice slushes also happened to be smoking a cigarette at the same time. Kind of gross, but then again … we were in Italy!)