The Gotham Palate — 2009 December

Happy New Year from The Gotham Palate!

December 31, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Best wishes for happy, healthy and prosperous 2010, from Elena and The Gotham Palate Team!

Elena, enjoying a glass of Valpolicella at Osteria Sottoriva, Verona

We are looking forward to helping you make it another great year of delicious NYC dining!

In the meantime, we thank you for your continued readership and offer you some of the highlights from 2009 at The Gotham Palate:

- I have had the pleasure and good fortune of recruiting a dynamic and diverse team of passionate foodies, see the Contributor’s Page for some of the writer profiles. If you’re interested in contributing some writing or joining the Gotham Palate Team, please visit the Submissions Page.

-An elegant and wonderfully inspired logo, designed by Liam Collins from Rubberfish Art.

- Creating The Gotham Palate Shop at Cafe Press – 15% of all proceeds will be donated to the Food Bank for New York City.

Click on The Gotham Palate Mug to link to The Gotham Palate Shop

- Finally, some images from my beautiful, battery-recharging trip to Italy this summer. Traveling from North to South, from Garda Lake to Bari, with stays in Reggio Emilia, Rome, the isle of Ponza, and Naples, was not only wonderful way to re-create and reconnect with family and old friends, but a deeply inspiring and palate invigorating time!

Historic Corato, Bari - decorated for annual San Cataldo Feast

Penne all' arrabiata - La Vinicola, Pompeii

Torte di baba' - Pasticceria di Leo, Napoli

Torte di baba' - Pasticceria Leo, Napoli

Chiaia di Luna - Isle of Ponza

Orecchiette di grano bruciato (orecchiette made with toasted wheat) - Taverna Sforza, Castel del Monte, Andria, Bari

Orecchiette di grano bruciato (roasted wheat orecchiette) - Taverna Sforza, Castel del Monte, Andria, Bari

A refreshing quartino Pampanuto di Puglia

Rice, mussels and potatoes - a beloved Apulian specialty

Filed Under: Reflections and Rants Tagged With: Bari, Castel del Monte, Corato, Food Bank for New York City, Garda Lake, Lago di Garda, Liam Collins, Napoli, New York City, Orecchiette di grano arso, Orecchiette grano bruciato, Osteria Sottoriva, Ponza, Reggio Emilia, Rubberfish Art, Sfogliatella liscia, Taverna Sforza, The Gotham Palate, The Gotham Palate Shop, The Gotham Palate Team, The Gotham Palate Year in Review, Verona

“Would the Real Pad Thai Please Stand Up” – Review of Pinto

December 30, 2009 By admin 1 Comment

“Would the Real Pad Thai Please Stand Up” – Review of Pinto

BY SARAH IP

Pinto
118 Christopher St.
(btwn. Bedford & Bleecker Sts.)
West Village
(212) 366-5455 / www.pintonyc.com

Pinto Place Setting. Photo by Sarah Ip.

I’ve had my share of good pad thai before – from Boston’s Brown Sugar to Penang Grill in Stamford, Conn., and Soho’s Peep. But the best so far would have to be Pinto.

I picked this spot to celebrate my friend’s 22^nd birthday because of good reviews from friends over the summer. It was just the three of us. For first-timers, the West Village can be disorienting and you can get lost even with a map. After sufficiently walking in enough triangles to make our heads spin, we finally made it.

Pinto was darkly lit, like a demure, mysterious lover trying to play coy. Small candles throughout illuminated the small L-shaped bar. Our bartender clinked glasses as she deftly blended liquors in the cocktail shakers. Our two male waiters, both lanky and tall, looked like they had popped out of a GQ magazine, or maybe just hipster Williamsburg – one in wavy, messy curls and the other in an asymmetric faux Mohawk that curled into a mini bouffant on top. They were men of few words but were very accommodating, especially when I asked one of them to bring out the cheesecake at the end and surprise my friend. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Manhattan, NYC, Pinto, Pinto Restaurant, Sarah Ip, Thai Restaurant, Thai Restaurants in Downtown, Thai Restaurants in Greenwich Village, Thai Restaurants in Manhattan, Thai Restaurants in NYC

"Location, location and…." A Review of Nero d'Avola

December 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

“Location, location and…?” - A Review of Nero D’Avola

BY CAROLYN ONOFREY

Nero D’ Avola
46 Gansevoort Street
Meatpacking District
212-675-5224/nerodavolanyc.com

I had wanted to try out Nero D’ Avola (AKA Nero) for a long time. I’m a little embarrassed to say, but I’m a Meatpacking lover and the location sold it for me. A few of my friends had also been there for various occasions and didn’t have anything bad to say about it, not to mention it was on the MTV show The City. Don’t get me wrong, none of these things made it a credible destination but I decided it would be a good place to take a friend of mine from Miami.

Orecchiette at Nero D’ Avola

We showed up without reservations and were seated next to the door. Not ideal, but there really wasn’t another seat in the house. The place was smaller than I had imagined, packed with twenty-somethings on dates, celebrating a birthday, etc., all dressed to the nines no doubt ready to hit up their favorite Meatpacking club after dinner. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Carolyn Onofrey, Fashionable Restaurants in NYC, Italian Restaurants in Downtown Manhattan, Italian Restaurants in Manhattan, Meatpacking District, Nero d'Avola, Nero d'Avola Restaurant, NY, NYC, Trendy Italian Restaurants in NYC

“Location, location and….” A Review of Nero d’Avola

December 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

“Location, location and…?” - A Review of Nero D’Avola

BY CAROLYN ONOFREY

Nero D’ Avola
46 Gansevoort Street
Meatpacking District
212-675-5224/nerodavolanyc.com

Orecchiette at Nero D’ Avola

New Years Eve Merriment and Four Course Prix-Fixe Menu at Almond NYC

December 28, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Still scrambling for last minute New Year’s Eve plans that won’t seem or taste like they were cobbled together in the eleventh hour?

Almond NYC has the answer: a $75 four course prix-fixe dinner that includes a champagne toast, party favors and general merriment.

Click on the image above for further details. To read The Gotham Palate’s review of Almond NYC, go to: thegothampalate.com/?p=1644

Filed Under: Upcoming Events Tagged With: Almond NYC, New Year's Eve 2009, New Year's Eve in NYC, New Years Eve at Almond NYC, New Years Eve parties in NYC, New Years Eve plans, NYC, Where to eat on New Years Eve in NYC

“The Last Café on the Only Road” – A Review of Indian Road Café

December 22, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Indian Road Café
New American Comfort Food
600 W. 218^th Street at Indian Road
212-942-7451 / indianroadcafe.com

“The Last Café on the Only Road” – A Review of Indian Road Café

BY CLAIRE McCURDY

Image from http://wahi.typepad.com/the_streets_where_we_live/2009/02/indian-road-cafe-trivia-night-tomorrow-.html

Indian Road Café, the last café on the only road in Manhattan, is a show-stopper. There is just nothing else like it in the city. Indian Road Café is set in a part of New York where vestpocket, postage stamp, tiny and minute storefronts are the rule. It physically subsumes the space once occupied by a decrepit supermarket, whose floorboards were a public hazard. Indian Road Café is expansive, with a panoramic view of the Henry Hudson Bridge, the river, a long expanse of grass and trees with a few yellow and red leaves still hanging from them, and the Columbia University Boathouse. It is roomy and relaxed and extremely comfortable, so that an individual or a large party can sprawl about and relax. A friend of mine once kayaked up the river and carrying the kayak across the lawn to the restaurant to join me. It was exhilarating! So not New York. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Aaron Kindig, Aaron Kindig Indian Road Cafe Inwood, Claire McCurdy, Indian Road Cafe, Indian Road Cafe' in Manhattan, Inwood, Inwood restaurants, J, Jason Minter, Jason Minter Indian Road Cafe, NYC

Great gift ideas for the foodies in your life – shopping will help benefit the Food Bank for New York City

December 21, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Visit The Gotham Palate’s online shop for wonderful gifts for that foodie you love. Purchase a mug, apron, tote bag, T-shirt and other fine items that celebrate good food, service and ambiance. Click on any item below to link to the shop.

Shopping at The Gotham Palate Shop allows you to engage in conscious spending because 15% of all proceeds are donated to Food Bank for New York City.

Filed Under: Informational, Worthy Causes Tagged With: Gift Ideas, Gift Ideas for Foodies, Holiday Gift ideas, New York Charities, Stamping out hunger in New York, The Food Bank New York, The Gotham Palate Shop, Worthy Causes in New York

Wallowing in white truffle without getting whacked – A Review of Sapori d'Ischia

December 18, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

“Wallowing in white truffle without getting whacked – A Review of Sapori d’Ischia’s White Truffle Tasting Menu

BY SETH S.

Sapori d’Ischia
(White Truffle Tasting Menu)
55-15 37^th Avenue
Woodside, NY 718-446-1500

Mural at Sapori of Ischia

How often do you go to a restaurant nowadays and notice an item on the menu that includes truffle oil? It’s easily one of the more popular ingredients to add complexity to dishes and for those of us who enjoy the unmistakable aroma and earthiness; it is a welcome addition to just about anything. Truffle oil also allows us to add that special something to a dish in a far more value conscious way than ordering a dish with actual white or black truffles. Truffles are among the most expensive items in the culinary world and some of the higher end New York City restaurants will charge hundreds of dollars to indulge in a menu with truffles in every dish. Which is why it was so interesting to hear about the $50 prix fixe White Alba Truffle dinner at Sapori d’Ischia in Woodside, Queens. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: d'Ischia, fine Italian Restaurants in Queens, Italian Restaurant in New York, Italian Restaurants in Queens, New York, NY, NYC, Queens, Sapori, Sapori d, Sapori d'Ischia, Seth S., white truffle sampling menu, white truffle., Woodside

Wallowing in white truffle without getting whacked – A Review of Sapori d’Ischia

December 18, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

“Wallowing in white truffle without getting whacked – A Review of Sapori d’Ischia’s White Truffle Tasting Menu

BY SETH S.

Sapori d’Ischia
(White Truffle Tasting Menu)
55-15 37^th Avenue
Woodside, NY 718-446-1500

Mural at Sapori of Ischia

La Estufa, kitchen for the neighborhood – A Review of La Estufa

December 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

“La Estufa - kitchen for the neighborhood” – A Review of La Estufa

BY CLAIRE McCURDY

La Estufa
American-Organic
5035 Broadway near W. 214^th St.
Inwood
212-567-6640 / laestufarestaurant.com

Mon-Sun: 11:30am-10:30pm

Exterior of La Estufa Restaurant - from laestufarestaurant.com

La Estufa is a personal Inwood neighborhood favorite of mine. A former tiny rundown bodega, it is in its new incarnation under consideration for a Zagat listing; it is close by (a flight of 102 steps – downhill– away from my apartment); and the waiters are uniformly friendly and eager to exchange the latest gossip about prominent sports figures, as well as to recommend their favorite foods. It’s a communal dining experience—their parting shot after filling your order is always to sing out “Enjoy!” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Alex Torres, Claire McCurdy, Dominican Restaurants in NYC, Inwood restaurants, La Estufa, NYC, Restaurants in Inwood, Where to eat in Inwood