NYC Tastes

It looks like the East Coast is headed for a winter storm tomorrow, so it's time to stock up on some vino for the long snowy weekend.  Here are three of my favorite Italian wines for such an occasion. Concerto Reggiano Lambrusco-  Concerto is the first world's first single vineyard lambrusco from the great Tenuta La Rampata grapevines in Reggio Emilia. This bubbly wine pours a vibrant ruby red color with lively notes of fresh strawberry, cherry and raspberry.  This is a dry wine, best served cold and perfect for pairing with cured meats like speck, mortadella or my favorite winter food delivery, a large pepperoni pie from Joe's Pizza .   Average Price $22.95 Le Masse Di Lamole- This wine holds a very special place in my heart.  When Mr. T and I went to Tuscany, we attended a small wine festival in Greve and fell in love with this beautiful Chianti.  I searched for it here in the states with no luck until a shipment magically arrived...

I absolutely love Memorial Day Weekend in NYC. Most people clear out, headed to the Hampton's or Berkshires, leaving those impossibly hard restaurant reservations wide open for people like me! So this year we kicked things off at Carbone so I could finally have my favorite noodles in the entire world once again. Of course before the noodles actually arrive there's so much more at Carbone to enjoy.  Every meal starts with a gratis basket of bread filled with crunchy garlic loaves and mozzarella & tomato topped grandma bread. Freshly sliced salami with parmigiana cheese. And a bowl of pickled cauliflower dotted with spicy chilies. For our appetizer we split an order of the Scampi alla Scampi; enormous prawns roasted with butter, lemon and garlic.  These looked like they would be challenging to eat but they came out of the shell quite easily with little lobster fork. Then we moved onto our favorite dishes of the entire me...

Friday night bites at Vini e Fritti; always a fantastic way to kick off the weekend.  This Roman style apertivo bar located in the Redbury Hotel was opened last year by my favorite restaurateur Danny Meyer.   The small space is adorned simply with a handful of four tops, a long marble bar and big windows up front perfect for watching the busy streets outside.  I always intend to just pop in for a drink but once those small plates of fritti start to stream out of the kitchen, its impossible to resist. Gnoccho Fritto con Prosciutto e Parmiginao; impossibly light fried pockets of pizza dough topped with layers of prosciutto and pepper dusted parmigiana cheese. Crostino di Straccistella con Pomodorini; some of the creamiest mozzarella cheese that ever existed drizzled with olive oil & preserved tomato on focaccia bread. My favorite spot is at the windows up front with a glass of champagne or a classic Negroni, slowly watching the evening slip...

I absolutely love when it snows, it makes everything look magical with big flakes dotting the tops of yellow cabs and street lamps, turning the city into one big snow globe.  Last storm I headed to Fusco and found the perfect spot in their front windows for watching the snow fall while indulging in their brand new two course espresso lunch.   Guests have a choice of appetizer and pasta finished with espresso and biscotti for just $28. There were so many great appetizers to choose from; Hamachi Crudo tossed with chili and ginger, Kale Parmigiana Salad with almonds and a hefty Short Rib Spätzle served with bone marrow custard. I had an incredibly tough time choosing what to order, but it was the beautiful Burrata that won in the end, thick and creamy, studded with radicchio, fresh basil and pignoli vinaigrette. Onto entrees Fusco's Tajarin, a thin yellow pasta tossed with garlic, bonita flakes and clams that had all the freshness of the ocean ...

I was incredibly sad when the elegant  Elan closed last year.  I spent so many Sunday's in their front window watching the bustle and buzz of Gramercy go passing by.  I prayed something wonderful would move into the space and something wonderful actually did! Scott Conant's new Italian restaurant Fusco. We stopped in for dinner Saturday night and my old spot at the front window just happened to be open.  A smooth, silky bottle of Chianti to share and we were off for a fabulous night. Thick crusty rolls served with freshly churned butter and a beautiful garlic broccoli rabe pesto to begin. This would have been enough carbs for most people but we just couldn't pass up an order of the Stromboli... ... layered with  squares of smoked mozzarella, salami and bright sprigs of rosemary. Since we did so much carbo loading to start we decided to go light for the mid-course and split the Truffle Pea Cesar appetizer. This was lovely-...

La Sirena is the brand new restaurant from Italian superstars Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich.  The last venture these two opened in NYC was Eataly, arguably my favorite spot in the city, so I was beyond hyped up for this meal.  Usually this kind of excitement leads me down a dark path of sadness and disappointment but at La Sirena my every expectation was met and more. Let's start with the cocktail program which is fantastic.  The menu has over two dozen drinks broken down into six different categories like Fresh & Crisp, Rich & Robust and Stirred & Boozy.  Of course there are the classic Negroni's and Sicilian Sour's but also fun old favorites like the Singapore Sling served here with Cherry Herring and pineapple.  The space itself is stunning both inside and outside. The weather was fabulous when we dined so we opted for the terrace where the white tiled floors and fresh flowers made it feel like w...