In 2023, groundwork was laid for Grana Padano PDO’s export volumes to outstrip domestic sales this year. Already, foreign consumer turnover has surpassed its Italian counterpart, reaching nearly €1.95 billion compared to Italy’s €1.65 billion. Renato Zaghini, President of the Grana Padano PDO Protection Consortium, underscored this during the lates...

“The most vivid memory of my childhood was watching my grandmother prepare bread. She would knead the dough twice a week using ancient flours and would personally oversee the leavening process,” Maria Grazia Di Lauro, owner of Masseria Potenti, tells me.  “Once kneaded, the dough was placed under wool blankets to rise, and throughout the night, my...

It’s almost impossible to visit Italy and to not be tempted, at least once, by a cream-filled or sugar-coated cornetto. It’s a staple of the light, quick, and inexpensive Italian breakfast, and it pairs perfectly with a cappuccino or an espresso. From pistachio to Nutella, to honey and apricot jam, there’s a cornetto to fit just about everyone’s ta...

I don’t know how many of you buy wine specifically to drink with food, but the Italians do and we could learn a few lessons from them. If you taste wines such as soave and pinot grigio on their own, you might think they’re a bit bland and boring, but sip a glass with a plate of antipasti or spaghetti carbonara, say, and they spring into life. Itali...

The outsider might find Bari’s mercato di pesce (fish market) quite striking. Along the city’s Lungomare, near the historic Teatro Margherita, lies the Molo San Nicola, a pier surrounded by modest-sized, brightly colored fishing boats. There’s nothing pristine or upscale about it—which is precisely the charm—but it’s here that you can find some of...

Belmont’s new upscale Italian restaurant is open for business, and taking reservations.  Marrelli’s Italian Restaurant has taken up residence at 33 Glenway St. in what was once Heirloom Restaurant. Linda and Scott Murphy, the owners of what is now Heirloom Catering and Honeycomb Cafe, announced last year that Heirloom Restaurant would be turned int...

Neighborhood joint, approachable food — that’s the message coming from Bret Springs and Zach Marten about The Wise Guy, their new Crossroads bar and restaurant. “Casual red-sauce Italian,” Springs said, “and a relatively aggressive happy hour.” “Pizza, pasta, martinis, cocktails,” Marten said. “You could do a date here, but the game’s on TV too.” T...

A major retail stretch just of Downtown Newark is officially home to a new eatery as an experienced restaurant group has launched Sugo inside the Springfield Avenue Marketplace. Sugo, which specializes in pizza and Italian food, recently opened inside a storefront at 48 Jones Street. The restaurant occupies 2,100 square feet at the grocery-anchored...

Andrea Cerasuoli hasn’t quite been himself since an early April fire torched Ortobello, the beloved Italian joint in Bensonhurst that his father started back in 1974. “I’ve been kind of — I don’t want to say depressed,” Cerasuoli, 48, told The Post on Monday. “But I’ve been feeling down because of the whole fire situation. “I’m not really over the...

In many ways, opening Osteria Bianchi was all about a homecoming for Josh and Kelly Bianchi. For one, Kelly is a Kansas City native, so the return here seemed like the right fit for their family after the glitz of Las Vegas. The American Italian restaurant is also a return to some family roots: Josh’s grandmother is from Sicily, and the restaurant’...