This is the most expensive balsamic vinegar in America — here's why
A 750-ml bottle of Screaming Eagle Second Flight Cabernet Franc Merlot out of Napa Valley, which has about four to five pours, is one of the most expensive wines at $706— but there is a balsamic that costs more. Il Buco Alimentari in New York City — which opened in 2012 and serves as a sister restaurant and market to the famed Il Buco — sells the m...
At 99 Brick Oven, dining halfway between urban and country
The server at 99 Brick Oven Bar & Grille wasn't sworn in as a witness, but her words could have been introduced as evidence in the case of the People of Western New York vs. Boring Food. Every time I ordered a Neapolitan-style pizza at the Lancaster restaurant, she asked: with fresh garlic? Yes, I repeated. Why, at a restaurant with so much Italian...
Beat the Heat with this Ancient Sicilian Drink
On hot summer days, here in New York City, you will often see, at a stoplight in one of the neighborhoods where the traffic gets thick and slow, or in one of the places where the hapless pods of tourists find themselves most exposed to the sun’s pitiless rays, a young man or woman equipped with a blue Igloo ice chest and a lot of lungpower, pulsing...
Sal the butcher's meat store dream comes true: From Sicily to Staten Island
Sal Civiletti's business, Sal's Prime Meats and Salumeria, opened over 14 months ago. And the reason why Sal is happy and smiling in his toils around the store is because the butcher is truly a happy man -- his dream of proprietorship, specifically of solely owning a salumeria, finally is reality. "I come from Palermo," said Sal. "I started in thi...
Il Pastaio di Eataly is Coming!
Get ready New York! Opening soon, a new fresh pasta dining experience is coming to Eataly NYC Flatiron: Il Pastaio di Eataly. Meaning "the pasta maker," Il Pastaio di Eataly will offer fresh, housemade pasta dishes, prepared daily by our very own pastai. Inspired by the ancient art of pasta making and generations of Italian culinary secrets, our te...
Staten Island Nightlife: DeLuca's, shades of the 'old country' in Tottenville
Just when you thought Italian restaurants couldn't become any more unique, the doors to DeLuca's Restaurant opened on Staten Island's South Shore and shades of the "old country" came to life. Robert DeLuca, the owner and eponymous founder of the popular Tottenville dining spot -- that was coincidentally celebrating it's first anniversary weekend --...
New Italian gelateria opens in Rye
A new Italian gelateria/cafe opened July 25 in Rye. The husband and wife team behind La Fenice Gelateria chose 3 Purdy Ave. for its "great location" and "great town." The couple — Simona and Salvadore Silvestri —already own a similar spot with the same name in Greenwich, Conn. The intimate cafe, with a combination of stool seating and a few tables,...
Colorful Focaccia and Cookies in NoMad
As good an Italian rainbow cookie as you’re likely to find is just one temptation in the bakery that’s the second part of Jonathan Benno’s ambitious enterprise in the newly redone Evelyn hotel in NoMad. The shop features breads and pastries, including the classic triangular Italian sfogliatella, and assorted traditional cookies. At 11 a.m. each day...
All the Ways to Caprese at Eataly NYC Flatiron
'Tis that time of year when tomatoes abound! We love all of our pomodori, from juicy heirlooms to sweet cherries on the vine. What's the best way welcome in the season of the glorious tomato? Celebrate it like an Italian: make a caprese! Here at Eataly NYC Flatiron, we have a line up of caprese-inspired events that you won't want to miss. Explore t...
‘People Want to Eat Pretty Things’
On a quiet Friday afternoon recently, Dhanya Iadarola walked into Alfonso’s Pastry Shoppe looking for some bread. Ms. Iadarola, 33, was with her parents, Roxy and Anne Fernando, and her 14-month-old daughter, Carmela Iadarola. They came in to pick up a loaf after an errand brought them to the old neighborhood, where Ms. Iadarola grew up. Bread secu...
Italian restaurant La Villetta II opens in Ronkonkoma
A quiet corner of a Ronkonkoma office park that has hosted a string of Italian restaurants may have a keeper — an Italian restaurant with a busy original location in Farmingdale. La Villetta II opened six weeks ago in the space where Mama Mia Ristorante, Ciao Bella and others have dwelled, and has about 100 seats across two warmly toned dining room...
Eataly NYC Downtown To Host Wine, Beer & Street Food Festival
Get your appetite ready because on Friday, July 27 from 6-8PM, Eataly NYC Downtown is hosting a Wine, Beer & Street Food Festival. Guests can escape the summer heat inside Eataly and enjoy typical Italian street foods like Suppli, Porchetta, and Brisket Meatballs alongside local and Italian beers, a selection of sparkling, white, red, and rosé wine...