NYC Tastes

Forcella has been compared to Motorino on many occasions and since Motorino is pretty much amazing in my book pizza wise, of course I had to check out the competition. Mr. T and I arrived with reservations on a Friday night at the new Bowery location. The place was absolutely packed but luckily our waiter was great and our service was quick and efficient.   Like Motorino they have Gragnano, considered pizza wine, which is delicious but incredibly marked up here at $44 a bottle. I mean really- that’s a ridiculous amount for this wine. Anyhow our first pizza was the one everyone has raved about the Montanara- a fried Margherita pizza. Yes you read correctly. They fry the pizza dough first resulting in a crust that is amazingly delicate and airy. I was absolutely in love with this crust and it deserved all of the hype it gets however the rest of the pizza was lacking. The sauce and cheese were delicious but the dough itself was very uneven. The middle of the pie was thi...

It seems like forever since we’ve had a good sit down Chinese meal so last weekend we went over to Congee Village for some serious grub. It was about 9:00 pm and there was a bit of a wait but one Mai Tai later and we had our spread. First dish Sliced Beef Chow Fun Noodle. Sesame Chicken and Fried Rice. Scallion Pancake and a quartet of Pan Fried Pork Dumplings. Everything was fantastic but the Sliced Beef Chow Fun was the crowd favorite for sure. Obviously we ordered some pretty “safe” dishes but sometimes that’s okay to do. All of this food and about three drinks each and the bill came out to under $100 easily. Although Mr. T and I frequent Congee Bowery constantly, last weekend was my first time at the original location on Delancey. I really liked this location better. The layout is more decorative and the food honestly tasted a little better. This is seriously a great place to bring a group and keep it on the cheap. Congee Village

 Restaurant week can be a crazy time of year. Some people love going around and finding great three course deals; other people hate it and think it’s a waste of time. I fall into the first category. I absolutely love the idea behind it and love the excuse to go out for a lot of great meals. However I have had some great and not so great RW experiences so I thought I would share a few tips I’ve learned over the years so hopefully your experience can be tasty and wonderful. 1. Research the menus BEFORE booking. Just because you’ve always wanted to go to a certain restaurant doesn’t mean RW is the time to do it. One of my first RW experiences I showed up at a place I had been dying to try out and there were only two entrée choices- Salmon and Mushroom Risotto. I’m allergic to salmon and at the time I was in a serious risotto funk. Obviously I did not enjoy my meal very much. The menus are there for a reason- check them out before booking. 2. Lunch is the best way to go. Most RW p...

I woke up after New Years Day and had an insane craving for pasta. There was no rhyme or reason behind it- that’s just the way my body works. Sometimes I crave something so much I literally can’t stop thinking about it until said craving item has been ingested fully. So when the pasta craving hit I knew it should be taken care of immediately and it was a perfect excuse to try out Ciano. Ciano is located in the old Beppe space and although the name has changed the cozy warm, low lit atmosphere still remains. It was early evening, a day after a holiday so the place was virtually empty. I took a seat at the bar and started out with a Crostino of Pesto and Spicy Burrata. The Burrata was as creamy as ever with just a little kick of spice and a super garlicky pesto bottom. Talk about a nice start to the meal. I thought about ordering a few more when my bread basket arrived. Not actually a basket but a plate of grilled garlic br...

Yes folks the list of participating restaurants should be released sometime this week so get ready to make your reservations!  The last few years I have been lucky enough to hit about 3-4 lunches and this year I'm hoping to do the same.  I have no idea which Danny Meyer places will participate this year.  Maialino and the Modern Bar Room for sure...but Gramercy Tavern, Union Square maybe even Eleven Madison again? Correction: Eleven Madison is no longer owned by Danny Meyer since he sold it to executive chef and general manager Daniel Humm and Will Guidara. This dish was from years ago when they actually participated.  Who knows? UPDATE:   NYC Restaurant week reservations and list did come out this morning.  It was interesting to say the least.  The usual suspects such as The Modern Bar Room and River Cafe were no where to be seen.  However my favorites from other years Maialino, Quality Meats and Park Avenue Winter all made...

I’ve probably walked by this little pizza joint over 100 times in my life working in Brooklyn. I always look at the large banner out front claiming its greatness and the steady stream of people going in and out. When one day last week I realized I should probably check it out and see what its all about. If you notice some seasoning on top of my slice you would be correct. One of the first things I liked about My Little Pizzeria was the large variety of spices you can add to your slice at no charge. They even had a little bowl of fresh basil leaves. After trying a bite sans seasoning I definitely appreciated them even more. While I enjoyed the tangy sweet sauce and melty cheese the pizza was lacking a little flavor. Once I hit the part I had seasoned it was much better and I could completely understand why this place is always so packed. I happily enjoyed my slice until the end where the soft crusts let me down just a notch. However for only $2.25 a slice this is definitely...

We rang in the New Year last night at the Blind Tiger again and enjoyed plenty of delicious vintage beers.  As always I look toward the new year with some hopeful dining experiences in mind.  Last year I had 13 places on my list and only accomplished 5.  That's pretty terrible although I did have a wedding and honeymoon to plan and enormous changes in my job as well so I guess I have some good excuses.  Well here it goes- some of these places are new and some have been around forever but I just haven't gotten around to trying them.  L’Artusi Torrisi/Parm Red Rooster Harlem Cafe Boulud Ciano Forcella The Dutch Big Gay Ice Cream Shop Redfarm The John Dory Paulie Gee’s Brought over from Last Year Il Mulino Loconda Verde I already have reservations at two of the above places for January so I'm hoping to start this out right!