What’s in a Name? NOODLE PUDDING

Jeff Zalaznick — May 04, 2009

From Left: Noodle Pudding (the dish), Noodle Pudding (the restaurant)

When I hear “Noodle Pudding”, I instantly think of noodle kugel—the classic sweet or savory Jewish noodle casserole, which is also one of my favorite dishes in the world. As someone famous for ordering pasta for dessert, you can imagine why. There are multiple variations of this dish, but the sweet variety almost always includes the following: egg noodles, raisins, cinnamon and sour cream. Thus, you can imagine that I was perplexed when I heard of a notable Italian restaurant in Brooklyn Heights, that was named Noodle Pudding. Due to my positive association, I have always felt fondly towards this restaurant, but it has also always been a source of great confusion.

The other day, I had The Gluttoness call Noodle Pudding’s owner, Antonio Migliaccio III, to find out the deal. I was overjoyed to find out that in Ischia, a volcanic island off the coast of Naples where Antonio hails from, if you go into a bakery and order Migliaccio, you’ll likely be served something that resembles a Jewish-style Noodle Pudding. More specifically, Antonio told us that his favorite comes from the Calise Family Bakery, which sells a sweet noodle pudding known as Migliaccio di Ischia. It’s made with capellini that is baked with eggs, milk, sugar and candied orange peel.

It was this noodle pudding that Antonio thought of when he decided to name his restaurant after the English translation of his last name, and thus, Noodle Pudding was born on Henry Street. Unfortunately though, they don’t serve it there. When we asked the manager, Alfredo, if they serve noodle pudding at Noodle Pudding. He answered,“No, We serve much better desserts.” Probably not true, but either way, we love the name.