Three italians and a mexican sums up a long weekend of some outstanding dining experiences here in NYC with lots and lots of baked dough. (See previous post.)
Warning: What you are about to read will make you very, very hungry.
Let’s start with lunch at Via Quadronno or Via Q if you’re a local.
A little bakery/wine/panini shop located on a quiet, tree lined street on the Upper East side. Very small, very Italian, and very busy. (Oh, and expensive…not only is it NYC, but it is the Upper East Side.)
I could’ve eaten the entire bread basket and never ordered another thing. Perfectly toasted, cut in small strips and drizzled with the most delicious olive oil. A panini of prosciutto and mozzarella stuffed in their freshly baked “Francesino” bread with a nice cold Peroni…followed with scoops of chocolate, vanilla, raisin and tiramisu gelato.
Next up, Ovest! I love their cool bar design underneath the garage door window openings.
I’ve blogged about Ovest Pizzoteca in a previous post several months ago, but this time the experience was dinner instead of lunch. What a totally different vibe, but the same incredible food. Another winner in the bread department. Light and airy. A must on the menu? Their bruschette tradizionale of cherry tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil as well as the grilled asparagus with asiago cheese in a balsamic dressing with a hint of flavor from the wood burning oven.
But the evening isn’t complete without a hand-tossed pie of imported Italian mozzarella di bufala on a thin crunchy crust and a nice bottle of vino rossi. As mentioned before, a close second in my book to the pizza master, Chris Bianco of Pizzeria Bianco, in downtown Phoenix, Arizona.
Time to toss in the mexican!
First, I’m not a fan of mexican food, however the brunch menu of this newly opened restaurant, Jalapeno, enticed me. Since it’s in my hood, and I’ve waited patiently for months to see who and what would replace the old tattered store front on Columbus Avenue, it deserved a try.
A bit pricey in my opinion for mexican food (great chicken maya inside an incredible fresh tortilla), but with unlimited margaritas? I’m sold! I understand the chef also owns the Italian dessert place, Bomboloni’s, next door along with the Jewish deli, Lansky’s, just up the street. Welcome to the neighborhood Jalapeno!
A nice finish to the weekend food frenzy?
The restaurant Pisticci in Harlem, just a few blocks from Columbia University. Tucked away on a side street just off Broadway, this adorable restaurant is warm and homey with sunflower hues that just makes you feel welcome as soon as you walk in the door. Fresh flowers, big comfy couches and local artwork filled the walls.
But once again…the bread. I knew it, direct from Sullivan Street Bakery. I can recognize that taste anywhere. Delicious brown and crusty on the outside, light and airy on the inside. I could’ve stopped after I sampled their goat cheese garlic bread. But no, there was more to come! A taste of their infamous seasonal fig salad and an entree of prosciutto e spinaci, a light pasta tossed with prosciutto and fresh spinach in garlic and extra virgin olive oil.
So as you can see the three italians and a mexican made for a very incredible weekend and one that will be followed with days and days of exercise. But every bite of all those delicious breads and other miscellaneous carbs will be well worth days of cycling and running!
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