Featured Dish: Rustica Pizza

Arthur Bovino — March 08, 2010

Clockwise from top: Manducatis Rustica’s Rustica Pizza. The fireplace at the back of the dining room.

Manducatis has been a Long Island City stalwart almost uninterrupted since 1959. No one is saying it’s the City’s best Italian. But there is still something fun about walking through its non-descript door and into the cascading dining rooms that each feel like secrets. Development may have infiltrated Long Island City, but Manducatis’ owners, the Cerbones, have made their own progress in the past two years. Namely, when their daughter, Chef Gianna Cerbone opened her Italian café nearby: Manducatis Rustica.

There is a doll-house, but thrown together quality to Rustica’s decor. An old oven. Mismatching chairs. Brick walls. There’s a large open doorway to the kitchen. The layout takes a cue from Manducatis, with a working fireplace in the back of the first dining room.

You may have heard about their celebrated calzone, a sauce-covered $15.00 behemoth described as “a pizza folded over on itself.” But there’s also a list of brick oven, Neapolitan-style pizzas. The eponymous pizza pie, the Rustica ($13.00), is dressed with goat cheese, sundried tomatoes, and a healthy pile of fresh arugula. The dough is chewy and pliable, if not necessarily very crisp. You could see how it would make for a good calzone. For dessert, there’s fresh gelato, and cannolis done the right way— plain or chocolate-dipped, but filled to order. Now that’s Italian…American.

Restaurant: Manducatis Rustica
Address: 46-33 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City, NY 11101
Contact: (718) 937-1312
Hours: Mon-Thur, 12:00pm-9:00pm; Fri-Sat, 12:00pm-10:30pm; Sun, 12:00pm-8:30pm.

Featured Restaurant: The Meatball Shop

Arthur Bovino — February 10, 2010

Clockwise from top: Spicy Pork Meatballs with Spicy Meat Sauce over Rigatoni, Chicken and Salmon Meatball Sliders, Beef Meatball Hero, and White Beans.

Meatballs. Even if you didn’t grow up in an Italian-American household, just bringing the word up in conversations can kick off impassioned discussions that involve meat methodology, combination theorizing, and philosophizing about technique. But a restaurant dedicated solely to meatballs? That would have made my great-grandfather laugh. And that’s exactly what co-owners, Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow, are going to do with The Meatball Shop, all the way to the bank.

Click Here for Meatballs >>

Featured Brunch: Ballaro

GutterGourmet — February 05, 2010

Ham and Cheese Frittata with Prosciutto di Parma.

Your new go-to for Italian brunch should be Ballaro, the Italian café and wine bar on 2nd Ave near 4th Street, named after an historic, open-air market in Palermo, Sicily. Ballaro’s cappuccino with chocolate sprinkled over the foam is among the best in class. The brunch special is an offer that you simply cannot refuse.

Choose between either the freshly-made ham and cheese frittata, or the vegetable (mushrooms, spinach, peppers and artichoke). Both frittatas rival the Spanish tortilla at Boqueria. Plus you get a mesclun salad with tomatoes, a slice of melon and your choice of sliced prosciutto di Parma or Speck dell’Alto Adige. All for $10, including the cappuccino!

Alternatively, make your own sandwich using their gourmet larder of affettati (sliced meats) and formaggi. I’m lobbying to have them name the one I made after me. The “GutterGourmet” consists of: olive oil baked focaccia warmed on the panini press, with culatello, creamy burrata made with latte di bufala, and topped with sliced stuffed hot cherry peppers. Also comes with the salad and the cappuccino for $10. Grazie mille, Ballaro!

Top 5: Affogato

February 04, 2010

The Affogato: hot, bitter espresso poured over sweet ice cream. It’s a great meal-ender.

Affogato, it’s Italian for ‘drowned.’ Gelato drowned in hot espresso— coffee and dessert combined. Sounds like a simple dessert, right?

But there’s nuance involved in what constitutes a great affogato. What kind of espresso? What flavor gelato? Vanilla? No? What kind? And what’s the ratio of one to the other? Is there whipped cream, caramel or chocolate sauce? Toppings— sweet or salty variables scattered on top or served on the side? We kept all this in mind as we set out to find the City’s Top Five renditions.

Click here to find out Always Hungry’s Top 5 Affogato.

Have an idea for a Top 5? We’d love to hear from you. Go to the bottom of a Top 5 page and enter your suggestion into the “Suggest a Top 5” field along with your rankings and your email address.

Featured Dish: Corsino’s Spiedini

Arthur Bovino — January 28, 2010

Tuna And Sweetbreads Spiedini with Capers and Lemon.

Spiedini, the Italian word for skewered, grilled foods, have long been a popular item at Jason Denton’s ‘inoteca’s, and at his new restaurant, Corsino, he has taken things to the next level. It’s surf and turf spiedini: Tuna And Sweetbreads.

There’s a big red center in each large cube of tuna, and a sweetbread that has been cut in half. They sit on a light zig-zag-drizzled sauce with charred capers (a tad bitter) and lemon. Somewhere between bites of sweetbread and tuna, the light, flaky texture of the sweetbread creates a little flavor disorientation— “Wait, am I eating fish?” — but there’s nothing confusing about wanting a second plate ($16.00).

More On Corsino's Spiedini >>

Featured Breakfast: Maialino

Jeff Zalaznick — January 27, 2010

Clockwise from top: Amatriciana Al Forno, Porchetta Al Uovo, Cacio E Pepe Strapazzato, Cestino Di Dolci.

There is no doubt that Maialino has been a great addition to the Gramercy eating scene, and the breakfast is no exception. It provides the neighborhood with a desperately needed power breakfast spot, in addition to an incredible morning menu. Like the other meals offered here, the breakfast is grounded in Roman tradition, and goes the extra mile by making some creative and delicious dishes out of the classics.

The two stars of the show are the Porchetta Al Uovo sandwich, and the Amatriciana Al Forno. The first, features a sizable portion of roast pork and fried eggs on ciabatta, that is a stellar new addition to the breakfast sandwich scene. As for the Amatriciana with guanciale, the sauce isn’t very spicy as advertised, but it is a great rendition of tomato sauce, that proves why eggs and tomato sauce belong together. It is something that I wish I could find more often.

All of the food is good though. The coffee is strong. The pastries in the sampler, Cestino Di Dolci, are all tasty—the two musts are the Budino di Olio d’Oliva (Olive Oil Muffin), and the Pane Cioccolato. The Cacio E Pepe Strapazzato could have had a little more cacio and a little more pepe, but if there’s a way to make scrambled eggs more exciting, this is a good start— especially with an accompanying bite of thick-cut, black pepper bacon (Pancetta Al Pepe Nero), or Salsiccia Di Cacio E Rapini (Broccoli Rabe, Pecorino & Pork Sausage), both of which exhibit accurate flavor intensity and perfect technique.

Featured Dish: Maialino’s Burrata

Arthur Bovino — January 20, 2010

Burrata at Maialino.

Today, Sam Sifton reviewed Maialino. We agree with much of what he said, including nods to the salumi, tripe and Chicken alla Diavola. Not mentioned, however, were some of the restaurant’s strong protein dishes like the Veal T-bone and Braised Lamb, as well as an excellent burrata appetizer. And, what dish could be more perfect to mention given it’s National Cheese Lovers Day?

Executive chef, Nick Anderer, said Maialino’s “legit, real-deal burrata,” is flown straight from Puglia. They get it through Lou DiPalo of DiPalo Selects, who Anderer said they use “almost as a purchaser.” Along with Marea’s Nova Scotia Lobster with Burrata, and the Burrata Pizza special at Kesté, Maialino’s is another incredible rendition worth seeking out.

“It’s a buffalo milk mozzarella casing,” said Chef Anderer, “the inside is buffalo cream with buffalo stracciata, torn shreds of buffalo milk cheese soaked in buffalo cream. When it’s cut open it’s like a buffalo milk stracciatella.”

There’s not much more to it. “We put it on a plate and we put some Marcelli olive oil on it.” Well, that’s not completely true, there’s a scattering of Maldon salt and fresh ground black pepper.

You will only find the burrata on Friday or Saturday, when it arrives. Any fan of this type of cheese won’t be disappointed. When cut, it oozes and spreads out to fill the gap. Each bite has a creamy tang accented with a light bitterness of olive oil. It’s the kind of dish that when it’s gone, the first thing you look for is bread to mop up the film on the bottom of the plate.

AlwaysPartying: 2010 International Day of Italian Cuisines

January 15, 2010

Clockwise from top left: Del Posto’s Garganelli Verdi al Ragu Bolognese, dell’anima’s Tagliatelle alla Bolognese, Vinny Vincenz’s Penne Bolognese, Il Mulino’s Pappardelle Bolognese.

This Sunday, January 17th, is the 2010 International Day of Italian Cuisines. The global event is intended to help promote the preservation of authentic Italian cuisine and defend against the improper use of Italian products. This year’s official dish is Taglietelle al Ragu alla Bolognese.

Hundreds of chefs worldwide will be preparing the dish according to the authentic recipe, and below is a list of Always Hungry Approved restaurants participating in the event:

Salumeria Rosi
SD26
Four Seasons
I Trulli
Osteria del Circo
Beppe
Porter House New York
Testaccio
Bellavitae
Vai
Naples 45 Ristorante e Pizzeria
Etcetera etcetera

AlwaysInvestigating: Sanpanino’s Italian Dagwood

Arthur Bovino — November 24, 2009

Leonardo Scarpone building an Italian ‘Dagwood’ at Sanpanino. Left, Dagwood with his Dagwood (courtesy, blogsofrealplay.com). Right, Scarpone with his Dagwood.

In July, Scanwiches’ beautiful Dagwood reignited a fascination with Dagwood Bumstead’s fantastical comic strip sandwich. There are sanctioned Dagwood’s Sandwich Shoppes (site) in Indiana that feature the Dagwood, and Columbus’ Ohio Deli & Restaurant has a Dagwood challenge (it involves eating a 2.5lb sandwich in a half hour). Great road-trips, but how about a Dagwood in New York City? There are big sandwiches, but a dearth of Dagwoods. Someone needed to create one. Who?

Considering Sanpanino (view) means ‘Saint of the Sandwich,’ Leonardo Scarpone, the owner of this Italian West Village sandwich shop, was the obvious choice. What would a New York Dagwood contain?

Click Here for Layer-by-Layer Construction of an Italian Dagwood at Sanpanino >>

How To: Cesare Casella’s Spaghetti Carbonara

The Gluttoness — October 29, 2009

Cesare Casella’s Spaghetti alla Carbonara.

Some people are all about lasagna, others love gnocchi or vongole. I’m all about Carbonara. Endless attempts at finding worthy replicas of this classic Roman dish have ended with disappointment. That was until Secession opened, and Cesare Casella, who was consulting on the Italian portion of the menu, brought his incredible Carbonara recipe to TriBeCa. Alas, Frank Bruni trashed the restaurant, the pastas were taken off the menu, and in a few months Secession was closed. I dreamed about the Carbonara, and every time I ran into Cesare Casella at an industry event, I essentially begged him for his recipe.

At Salumeria Rosi, Cesare Casella finally demonstrates his secret Carbonara recipe.

Recently, Cesare’s recipe finally landed in my inbox. But I wanted to learn from the master, so I met Cesare in the kitchen at Salumeria Rosi. His secret to perfect Carbonara? “Simplicity,” he said. “You’ve got to respect the traditional recipe and good ingredients—organic eggs, the best guanciale.”

Classic Carbonara uses eggs, pecorino Romano, guanciale, and black pepper, yet Cesare doesn’t have a problem with including cream (“Cream lets you make a mistake”) or blending meats and cheeses for more complex flavors. I’ve ruined many Carbonaras, but Cesare’s recipe was remarkably simple and the results were unparalleled. For anyone who loves Carbonara, this will be the ultimate rendition.

Click Here for Cesare's Carbonara Recipe & Photos >>

AlwaysInformed: Scuderia

AlwaysHungry — October 22, 2009

Arancino di Riso at Scuderia.

Leyla Marchetto recently invited us to an enjoyable tasting at Scuderia, which AlwaysHungryNY.com reviewed in April. Since then, the West Village trattoria added outdoor café seating and, more notably, replaced Claudio Cristofoli with Chef Carlo Apolloni. Some old menu favorites remain, for instance the still tasty Arancini di Riso and their tangy accompanying sauce, the Occhio di Bue Pizza, Raffetto’s Peppered Pappardelle and the Pizzetta con Nutella e Mascarpone. There are also new dishes to tempt those who may have settled in across the street at Da Silvano.

We found poppable Olive all’Ascolana, and an avowed eggplant-resister went against type, scarfing down Pizza Siciliana with Eggplant, Ricotta Salata and Oven-Dried Tomatoes. The Costa Brasata (Braised Beef Short Rib with Polenta) and Pappardelle Fiesolana (with Bacon, Mushrooms and Pink Sauce) went down very easy too. But the night belonged to the simple and delicious Gamberoni alla Griglia (Grilled Colossal Fresh-Water Shrimp with Frisée, Cannellini Beans, Olive Oil and Herbs).

Click Here for Pictures of New Dishes at Scuderia >>

AlwaysPartying: National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day

The Gluttoness — October 21, 2009

Babbo’s Pumpkin Cheesecake with Golden Raisins, Crème Fraîche and Saba.

It’s National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day and I’m reminded on this food holiday of the Pumpkin Cheesecake that became my favorite dessert at Babbo (view). It’s not currently on the menu (I’m told that pastry chef, Gina De Palma is still deliberating how pumpkin will make its star turn), but this rendition, which Ed Levine wrote about in The Times’ Quest for the Best Cheesecake, is really the only way to deliciously bask in pumpkin cheesecake glory.

This delicately dense cheesecake is replete with rich, creamy pumpkin flavor. It is accompanied with crème fraîche, Saba (Italian grape must reduction), and golden raisins that have been cooked into an intense caramel compote. The raisins burst with juiciness and a subtle scent of orange, an effect that works in unison with the bold sweetness of the Saba to amplify the pumpkin flavor.

Given the quality of the food at Babbo, it’s virtually impossible to leave room for dessert, but sometimes you have to make room and the pumpkin cheesecake is such an occasion. I can only hope that Chef De Palma brings it back. While we wait with anticipation to see if it makes a triumphant return, there are some other great New York City cheesecakes that I can recommend.

FirstLook: A Voce Columbus

Jeff Zalaznick — September 18, 2009

Bomboloni alla Toscana with Chocolate Sauce.

The new A Voce Columbus (restaurant page) is a fabulous addition to the Time Warner Building. There has been a major void in the building, namely Italian and something high end that is not over the top and that can satisfy a wide array of diners. This fills both, and there is no doubt that Missy Robbins is going to be very successful there. With the exception of the additions of a vegetable antipasti and salumi menu, the food at A Voce Columbus doesn’t stray far from the Flatiron outpost. But it is certainly a more mature version of its precursor, and one fitting the new location.

In short, The Fennel and Chili Marinated Brick Chicken was fabulous, the Pork Chop with Roasted Abalone Mushrooms was excellent, and as we’ve noted before, the Bomboloni, which we once named our #1 dessert donut in New York City, were insane. That being said, as good as the food is, the restaurant’s greatest achievement may be taking over one of the most asinine spaces in New York City and turning it into a great room.

Here is your AlwaysHungryNY.com first look.

Bread with Sardinian Sheep’s Milk Ricotta.

Vegetable Antipasti with Roasted Peppers, Zucchini, Onions and Tomatoes.

Click here for more great pictures of a meal at A Voce Columbus. >>

AHNY Video Premiere: Michael White

September 16, 2009

“Just a Drizzle of Oil and Lemon”

Marea is definitely high in the running as our favorite new restaurant of 2009. Michael White’s passion translates to his food. There is no question that he is one of the best. Our new video, “Just a Drizzle of Oil and Lemon,” is a glimpse into the genius that makes this great restaurant what it is.

Sit back and relax. Enjoy the show.

Click here to watch Just a Drizzle of Oil and Lemon in AlwaysHungryNY.com’s video viewing gallery.

Featured Dish: Da Andrea’s “Le Tigelle”

The Gluttoness — September 10, 2009

“Le Tigelle,” Composed Flat Bun with ‘Parma’ Imported Prosciutto at Da Andrea off Union Square.

When you think pork buns, it’s the Asian version, Char Siu Bao, which most likely comes to mind. But the next time you’re craving a swine sandwich there’s a decidedly Italian option at Da Andrea (restaurant page). Forced to relocate from Hudson to 13th Street, their signature baked-to-order Flat Buns with ‘Parma’ Imported Prosciutto ($11.00) have found a larger audience in their new digs.

Da Andrea’s chef-owner, Gian Pietro Branchi, modeled this dish on “Le Tigelle Modenesi,” an appetizer he said you will typically find in Modena, Italy, the region of Emilia-Romagna which inspires much of his restaurant’s cuisine. In Modena, he said, the buns are usually served with a variety of cold cuts like Salami, Coppa and Mortadella (similar to the accompaniments in Via Emilia’s Gnocco Fritto). But the chef chose to serve just prosciutto (give the customer too many options and things get complicated). Each order is displayed on a wooden tray covered with a generous layer of “prosciutto crudo di parma,” a stack of seven piping hot buns and a small ramekin of grated Parmesan. All are combined to create the ultimate Italian-style pork bun.

The flat buns resemble silver dollar flapjacks, although their crisp, browned exteriors are nothing like the outside of a pancake. Once sliced open, fragrant steam emerges from the soft doughy insides— the perfect melting ground for a spoonful of Parmesan cheese. The marbled fat of the thinly sliced prosciutto also benefits from the warmth— the natural oils infuse the thin buns with robust flavor. The saltiness of the cheese and cured meat provide ample seasoning and with a little applied pressure you can create an instant prosciutto panino.

Whether you’re looking to savor a quick bite with a glass of wine or use these buns as the ultimate bread basket, this simple, do-it-yourself dish is a delicious, addictive experience. The only place you’re likely to find a better bite is in Modena, where it’s usually served with rosemary and garlic lardo.