213512 Thu Aug 26 11:51:23 -0700 2004 42 18 Manhattan 0 1136898 I've seen 'hounds posting mixed reviews on Little Italy restaurants, in general. However, good clients want to eat there, one of two nights, while in town. Please give me your recs for places in Little Italy -- quality of food is main criteria. Thanks. Thu Aug 26 11:51:23 -0700 2004 0 scot884 1 1136902 there is no way you can talk them out of it? it's all tourist traps, emphasize that. Thu Aug 26 11:56:40 -0700 2004 1136898 0 Nathan 2 1136927 Chowhound must lead the nation in sweeping generalizations. There's no question Little Italy appeals primarily to visitors, but most who go find it enchanting. I have to admit I find it enchanting too, and I'm always happy when I can find a reason to take a stroll there. None of the city's top-tier Italian restaurants are in Little Italy, but most of them are at least competent, and the neighborhood has a definite charm. For a certain type of client (which probably includes the client that made the request) it's a fun evening out, full of "atmosphere." Little Italy isn't "houndish," but it sounds like your clients aren't houndish either. Thu Aug 26 13:04:50 -0700 2004 1136902 0 Marc Shepherd 3 1136932 I lived in Nolita for years and we'll just have to disagree on every level -- there's nothing charming about it IMHO. Thu Aug 26 13:21:46 -0700 2004 1136927 0 Nathan 4 1136949 Obviously it's not for everybody (is anything?), but I've taken visitors to Little Italy many times. It almost doesn't matter where you eat. They just lap it up. Part of the reason is that Little Italy--while it's no longer a true Italian enclave--is unique. Many people who come here have simply never seen anything like it. I could tell them, "Babbo and Felidia are better." They don't care. When one of my guests says, "I'd love to see Little Italy," I don't try to talk them out of it. I take them, and they invariably have a wonderful time. As the host, you need to look at it from the guest's perspective. Thu Aug 26 14:11:48 -0700 2004 1136932 0 Marc Shepherd 5 1136958 I guess it depends upon where your guests are coming from and where they've been.... Thu Aug 26 14:38:22 -0700 2004 1136949 0 Nathan 4 1136995 agreed. it's as close to italy as epcot center. Thu Aug 26 17:21:36 -0700 2004 1136932 0 josh L 3 1136951 I concur. Although I haven't had many successes food-wise in Little Italy, I had a very nice meal at Grotta Azzurra, 177 Mulberry Street. It recently reopened after being closed for quite some time. Thu Aug 26 14:13:21 -0700 2004 1136927 0 evg 4 1136967 I'll second the recommendation for the Grotta Azzurra. Service and atmosphere are good, food is quite good. Since it's a recent remodel, the restrooms are new. Downstairs is a separate dining room in the midst of the wine cellar. Thu Aug 26 15:04:46 -0700 2004 1136951 0 Deenso 5 1137007 A third for Grotta Azzurra. I attended a large family get-together there in May and thought the food was more than decent, especially the appetizers. We had good grilled shrimp, excellent calamari, good salads. I haven't rushed back there, but I quite enjoyed my one meal at this place. Thu Aug 26 18:02:11 -0700 2004 1136967 0 Daisy 3 1136952 Pellegrino on Mulberry St. is pretty good. Sadly, too many people on this site would rather pontificate and show off than give the original poster a simple answer to his/her simple question. They're so busy maintaining their cred that they lose sight of (1) how snobbish they are and (2) the fact that somebody came here looking for information about restaurants, not a lecture. Thu Aug 26 14:14:40 -0700 2004 1136927 0 frankie_lee 4 1137359 As an out-of-towner, I can second Pelligrino. We wanted a traditional "Little Italy" restaurant, and this place does it well. The food is red sauce Italian done very traditionally and the service was very discrete, professional and attentive. My wife says it is the best tiramisu she has ever had. Also, the location is dead in the heart of Little Italy, so you have all the touristy flavor around it. Mon Aug 30 08:16:01 -0700 2004 1136952 0 yellojkt 1 1136923 Da Nico's is probally one of the better places down there. Great garden and faboulus specials Thu Aug 26 12:54:30 -0700 2004 1136898 0 Evan 2 1136937 I would have to disagree on Da Nico. I went a couple of months ago with out of town guests and was horrified. Shrimp Parm was bland and soggy, my date's pasta with peas and prociutto was bland, heavy and cold. the bathroom was a dirty and a disaster and the staff was not kind. It started to rain so I asked for a plastic bag for my friend's leftovers and the waiter said he woudl have to go downstairs to the stockroom to get one so he couldn't give me one. All in all, a disappointment. . . and not cheap either. Thu Aug 26 13:39:30 -0700 2004 1136923 0 claire 1 1136925 Reviews on this board of Little Italy restaurants haven't really been mixed: they've been bad. Could you perhaps induce your clients to eat at Peasant? At 194 Elizabeth (bet. Spring and Prince), it's arguably in Little Italy. Calling card is the massive wood-burning ovens from which issues most of the menu. I found the dining room almost to dim to see my food, but other than that, it's good Italian food. 212-965-9511 Thu Aug 26 13:00:25 -0700 2004 1136898 0 Erica Marcus 2 1136931 Peasant is in Nolita, but a good choice certainly. Thu Aug 26 13:20:48 -0700 2004 1136925 0 Nathan 1 1136929 When I have tourists in town who want to go to little italy, I usually go to Lombardi's for a pizza dinner (yes, it is on the edge of little italy, but the food is better) and then go to one of the numerous pastry shops (Ferraras, etc) for gelato, pastry, and coffee. That way you get good food plus the walk through little italy and the "authentic" little italy experience. Good luck. Thu Aug 26 13:12:30 -0700 2004 1136898 0 CK1 2 1136934 if they are good clients, pay for a car service to take you to Roberto's on authur avenue in the bronx. I considered by many people on these boards and others to be a true little italy, it often discussed in the outer boroughs board, do a search on egullet.com, the thread there has good info and pictures... Thu Aug 26 13:36:29 -0700 2004 1136929 0 Cpalms 3 1136936 aren't most of the restaurants on Arthur Avenue now run by Albanians? Thu Aug 26 13:39:12 -0700 2004 1136934 0 Nathan 4 1136943 No idea who owns the places, who owns the the little italy restaurants?......here is the egullet link I mentioned above, check out the pictures, there is nothing in manhattan's little italy that even close to authur avenue, not even dipalo's... http://forums.egullet.com/index.php?showtopic=19774 Thu Aug 26 14:03:08 -0700 2004 1136936 0 Cpalms 5 1136945 Check with Roberto's first. They were planning to close for a few weeks in August and move to another Arthur Ave. location. Also note that they do not take reservations. But it is Little Italy like your clients imagine it. They will be disappointed in the one in Manhattan. Thu Aug 26 14:09:27 -0700 2004 1136943 0 bobjbkln 6 1136959 "They will be disappointed in the one in Manhattan." I don't think that most visitors would use the word "disappointed" when visiting Manhattan's Little Italy. I think you need to look at it, as someone said, from the visitor's perspective. What jaded New Yorkers find garish and inauthentic, many out-of-towners find charming and worth visiting. Little Italy, along with many other sites in NYC, would not be thriving business areas if that was not the case. That being said, people really should not be making suggestions unless they REALLY consider those recommendations chow-worthy. In theory, Chowhound is about finding the best hyper-delicious food that fits certain criteria, not the runner ups. -PDS Thu Aug 26 14:46:54 -0700 2004 1136945 0 PuertaDelSol 1 1136969 I've been to Il Cortile a couple times for firm events, and thought it was "good enough." Good bread. The pastas are all decent. I'm usually too stuffed to eat any main course. Thu Aug 26 15:07:10 -0700 2004 1136898 0 Karen 1 1136993 if you have to eat in little italy the best place is little charlies. they do italian seafood very well and its not a tourist trap. Thu Aug 26 17:19:14 -0700 2004 1136898 0 josh L 1 1137002 Is "Puglia's" still open? How is the food? Do they still have the strolling violinist to serenade you as you eat? :) Thu Aug 26 17:39:50 -0700 2004 1136898 0 Jon 1 1137027 Has anyone been to La Mela recently? Haven't been in a long time, but the few times I went way back when it was quite good. Food is served family style, which may or may not appeal to your clients. I love it, but it's not for everyone. Thu Aug 26 20:55:06 -0700 2004 1136898 0 Tom from Durham 2 1137045 Eek! La Mela, I can't think of a better way to put this, sucks big time. It's not just the enormous 3 room structure capable of feeding the entire RNC at one sitting, it's not just the strolling musician or the pushy waiters with the needless overdone totally fake Italian sexual innuendo, it's not the just the faux-Roman mosaics on the walls, it's not just the swillish wine served by the enormous bottle... it's the rubbery mozzerella with flavorless tomatos salad, it's the gloppy fried things masquerading as appetizers, the limp bland pastas soupy in their own sauce, the overcooked chicken and veal, the weighs-a-ton "tiramisu" and cheesecake.... I ate a bad meal at La Mela 18 years ago that left me feeling ripped-off and horribly unsatisfied. We were teenagers who didn't know much about food, but the experience was so bad that my friend who lives in the 'hood crosses the street whenever he passes La Mela. Recently, just a couple of months ago, a family member announced that a celebratory dinner for family and friends would be held at ... La Mela. In the interests of harmony, I swallowed my words. It wasn't just as bad as I remembered it from 18 years ago. It was worse. I live 1/2 the year in Italy, so I might be taken for biased, but EVERYONE hated it... even those who'd flown in for the occasion from Knoxville, Tennessee. Run, don't walk, away from La Mela. Fri Aug 27 00:01:09 -0700 2004 1137027 0 Elaine(Snutteplutten) 3 1137061 maybe you can help - the italian places I have been to in NY seem to run to two types 1. red sauce on everyhting, mushy pasta, pasta served as a side dish to some meat (covered in red sauce) or 2. dishes that are made to seem like italian, but are in fact the invention of somebody who spent a summer abroad in italy in the 80's. lots of mixtures of truffles, 3 kinds of mushrooms, boar salami and sun dried tomatoes, 3 kinds of meat cooked together, all sorts of wierd vegies, and, again, pasta served as a side to meat. as you live in italy half the year, and (I am guessing) eat italian food when you are there, any recomendations for real italian in ny or the area. I am looking for some cured meat on a plate to start, then a small portion of firm pasta with a clasic sauce (not some made up concotion with goose liver, truffles and blueberries), a small piece of meat, maybe a little cheese and fruit for dessert. any suggestions? Fri Aug 27 09:22:33 -0700 2004 1137045 0 zach 4 1137066 Zach, I'm actually a poor person to ask, because I cook a lot of Italian food at home, and eat exclusively Italian food during my months in Italy. I'm not that into the Italian food here (pizza being the big exception) because when I'm here, I'm craving all the wonderful things that New York has to offer that you can't get in where I live in Italy: Chinatown, sushi, Korean, mexican, central american. Plus, I tend to be annoyingly critical - my friends can't stand eating out with me when I'm complaining about mushy pasta. I spent a lot of time last winter trying to find great Sicilian food in restaurants here in New York and finally gave up. I think there probably are great Italian restaurants in New York, but it does seem to be very hard for a restaurant to operate on a New York scale and keep the simplicity and freshness that are the hallmarks of great Italian cooking. Plus Italian-American cuisine (which I do appreciate) has become a thing in its own right (and has even influenced the food in Italy - witness that some restaurants in Italy will now offer a bowl of oil for dipping bread - a strictly American idea that has spread). One of the great things about New York is that through the greenmarkets and the specialty markets you can recreate great Italian food at home - because after all, the hallmark of a lot of Italian cooking is incredibly fresh ingredients, lovingly and simply prepared. I live in Caroll Gardens (segue to the Outer Boro boards) and buying cheese and cold cuts at Caputo's, fish at Fish Tales, bread at Mazzola's etc. etc. you can do most things yourself. But I know that's not the answer you're looking for, and the other Hounds can point you to better stuff. Jim Leff recommended a place in Queens today on the Outer Boro board - I haven't been there yet myself, but with the Big Dog's imprimatur, I'm cautiously optimistic. Fri Aug 27 09:56:45 -0700 2004 1137061 0 Elaine(Snutteplutten) 5 1137068 Thanks. There are some really great places to eat in NYC, and, even better, there are some really great places to buy stuff to make at home, but their seems to be a real lack of authentic in NYC, or at least unadulterated. (and I really hate to sound like a snob, but that is my feeling). I moved here 6 months ago, after living 25 years out of the country, and I still spend about half my time traveling for work. The one thing that my wife is really unhappy about is that we haven't found a good tratoria that we can enjoy on a regular basis. We haven't been very impressed by the italian food we have had here. oh, well, we will keep up the quest. Fri Aug 27 10:10:26 -0700 2004 1137066 0 zach 6 1137163 where do you live and what have you tried? Fri Aug 27 15:54:12 -0700 2004 1137068 0 idiot 7 1137168 I would rather not mention names of places, just because I am aware that I sound really pompous, and I don't want to incite any rancer here. I live in Nyack and go into the city on a regular basis to eat, but I am in the fortunate position of getting to Italy several times a year for business (as well as France, Turkey, and other great food destinations) and have lived most of my life outside of the US. Several of the places that have been recommended to me on this board, while very good, are not at all what you would find in italy (even some of those that have italian celebraty chiefs running them). And I am not saying that what I am looking for is better, just more to my taste and what I am familiar with. Fri Aug 27 16:02:11 -0700 2004 1137163 0 zach 8 1137280 I, too, live in Italy for part of the year, and I don't think that you can find a true trattoria in NYC. I think it's an economic issue: No one can afford to open a place with few simple items on the menu and then charge enough money for that stuff to pay rent here. And most Americans would be very disappointed in a menu as limited as the menus at most Italian restaurants. The Batali places are, to my palate, exactly what you're saying you DON'T want. Beppe is very good Tuscan, but expensive (which people often end up complaining about). Bianca is nice Romagnola food, not amazing, but not tricked out in any silly way. Sometimes when I want something alla buona, I go to the original Pepe Rosso. For good Italian pizza I hit Caserta Vecchia (on Smith Street in Brooklyn), Ottimo (prices there, too, are creeping up), or the new Centopizze at 10th and 2nd (pizzaiolo is about to change, though, so I don't know how it'll be after mid-September). I'm very curious, however, to hear where you've eaten. And can you suggest a few good Turkish places? Sat Aug 28 17:19:00 -0700 2004 1137168 0 scrittrice 5 1137230 I hope this isn't an invitation to a gunfight, but could you tell us where you have enjoyed a good pizza in New York? I have my favorites but I respect your palate for Italian food and would like to have your opinions. Fri Aug 27 22:07:38 -0700 2004 1137066 0 Brian W 4 1137072 not sure where you've been, but try: 1) Lupa - great cured meats, cheeses and pastas and not incredibly expensive. be prepared to wait to get in though, because others have discovered it as well. 2) for cured meats & cheeses, but not really any pastas - there's 'Ino & 'Inoteca - good wine by the glass/quartino too. 3) Bianca - simple Italian food at reasonable prices 4) 'Cesca - a bit fancier and more expensive, but I thought their meats & cheeses and pastas were quite good there are a whole bunch of new places that just opened that sound like what you're looking for as well, but I haven't been yet - such as: Marco and Pace and Barbuto and Bivio. you may want to post and see what others have to say about them Fri Aug 27 10:19:40 -0700 2004 1137061 0 wurstle 4 1137079 Sounds like Lupa to me. Fri Aug 27 10:52:12 -0700 2004 1137061 0 big o 4 1137117 um Lupa. Otto as well. Inoteca and Ino. Peasant Giorgione and others...where have you been here? Fri Aug 27 12:50:33 -0700 2004 1137061 0 Nathan 4 1137161 perbecco Fri Aug 27 15:46:15 -0700 2004 1137061 0 idiot 4 1137162 The Batali places (Lupa, Otto, Babbo), I like Perbacco, Assenzio (supposedly Sardinian), have not tried Cacio e Pepe, but I hear it's good. Some like Max, Frank and Gnocco, I think they have all gone way downhill. Some love I Trulli others say it's tired and too expensive, but no-one says it's not totally authentic (at least I don't think so). Where have you gone that you felt was in the #2 category? That would help us to narrow it down for you. Fri Aug 27 15:52:48 -0700 2004 1137061 0 silly string 4 1137164 thank you all very much Fri Aug 27 15:56:22 -0700 2004 1137061 0 zach 3 1137086 So then the place is no good? ;-) "Enormous 3-room structure" doesn't ring a bell at all--when I was there (and this was many, many years ago, I admit) it was just one small room facing onto the street. Maybe I've got it confused with some other place, but I doubt it. More likely either it or I have changed a lot since my last visit. Fri Aug 27 11:18:50 -0700 2004 1137045 0 Tom from Durham 4 1137094 They now have a front room and enormous back room/enclosed garden, and then on the other side of a non-related entryway, a huge room that seems to cater to larger groups. I'm sure that once upon a time there was the kernel of a real restaurant there... and then it grew, and grew, and grew.... Fri Aug 27 11:37:08 -0700 2004 1137086 0 Elaine(Snutteplutten) 1 1137091 L'asso at the corner of Mott and Kenmare. It's not traditional Little Italy BS, but it IS fantastic. Fri Aug 27 11:33:53 -0700 2004 1136898 0 Dave