Pizza at Co.
June 22, 2011 § Leave a comment
Somehow, even after our trip to Doughnut Plant, Laura and I still had room for more carbs, so we walked our way over to Jim Lahey’s place, Co., for some thin-crust pizza.
Menu at Company
Although the weather was amazing that day, we opted to stay inside, where it was surprisingly quiet for 1 PM on a Saturday. The interior set up and decor was pretty minimalist, with one large table for communal dining going down the midde.
Interior
To ensure we had a “balanced” meal, we ordered one “Boscaiola” pie, with tomato, mozzarella, pork sausage, mushrooms, onions, and chili flakes, and a green-laden “Popeye,” with Pecorino cheese, gruyere, mozzarella, spinach, black pepper, and garlic.
Popeye
Because I’m a sucker for any pizza with meat and mushrooms, the Boscaiola was my favorite. The sausage tasted very fresh and I liked the not-so-subtle, spicy kick from the generous sprinkling of chili, which was well balanced against the sweetness of the tomato.
Boscaiola
I was actually surprised by how much I liked the Popeye. They really don’t hold back with the spinach, and some of the green leaves became wonderfully crisp from cooking at such high heat, almost like garlicky, salty spinach chips. And though I tend to stay away from too much cheese on my pizza, I really loved the combination of the nutty Gruyere and the sharpness of the Pecorino.
Because the pizza was so delicious, Laura and I actually managed to finish two whole pies, even though our stomachs were to the point of exploding by the end. Luckily, we had an afternoon of exploring the Chelsea art galleries to work it all off.
Co.
230 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10001
212.243.1105
http://www.co-pane.com/
A Voce and Otto Enoteca Pizzeria
June 29, 2010 § Leave a comment
Saturday I met with not one, but two, good friends from Georgetown. I started uptown, where Melissa and I had lunch at A Voce, Missy Robbins’ relatively new Italian restaurant that has spectacular views of Columbus Circle. We began with their delicious and fresh focaccia bread and something new – a creamy goat cheese with spices, tons of olive oil, and fresh herbs. I could’ve eaten that for an entire meal actually.
Our main courses were the pappardelle with rabbit sausage and fennel and sagne all’amatriciana with bacon, onions, etc. Although my pasta was a bit hard to eat since it came in long thick sheets, it was so rich and full of flavor that I didn’t really mind. The rabbit sausage was tender and spicy, and even though there wasn’t an actual sauce, the fennel and onions imparted great savoriness and well-roundedness to the dish. We didn’t order dessert, but later, the waiter came over with a small plate of doughy fritters sprinkled with powdered sugar and drizzled with floral honey, a nice (and free) end to the meal.
Afterwards, we walked around the beautiful Time Warner building, only to find that the Samsung store had set up giant television screens and chairs for people to watch the USA vs. Ghana World Cup match that afternoon. So we spent the next two hours digesting our food and agonizing as the US team failed to convert on their shots on goal.
At around 5, I headed downtown to Washington Square Park, where I met Amy for dinner at OTTO Enoteca Pizzeria, Mario Batali’s casual eatery. It was already packed by the time we got there, but luckily since we’d made reservations, we didn’t have to deal with the crowds.
We started off with one of the special salads, with cucumber, watermelon, and sharp sheep’s cheese. I’d always been curious about savory salads with watermelon, but this was surprisingly good. The sweetness was balanced by the acidity of the balsamic vinegar and the cut of the red onions. We shared a prosciutto arugula pizza (my favorite) and a plate of the bucatini, which came tossed with guanciale (kind of like Italian bacon), onions, and other yummy goodness.
But the definite highlight of the meal was the olive oil coppetta. Olive oil gelato topped with large flakes of sea salt (weird, I know, but don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it), passionfruit granita (essentially Italian ice) basil syrup, fresh strawberries, and lime curd. Salty, sweet, tart…it was one of the most harmonious desserts I’ve ever had. And now everytime I go back to OTTO, I’m going to have to get it.
A Voce at Columbus Circle
10 Columbus Circle, 3rd floor, NYC
212.823.2523
www.avocerestaurant.com
OTTO Enoteca Pizzeria
1 5th Avenue, NYC
212.995.9559
http://ottopizzeria.com/
Shake Shack and Otto
January 8, 2010 § Leave a comment
Wednesday was a really good day. Anne, Maria,Tonia, and I went to the Tim Burton exhibit (photos on dessin numero 1) where we didn’t have to wait in any lines because we’d ordered timed tickets beforehand. His drawings were amazing, and there was even a letter to Johnny Depp asking him to insert the “everything’s edible except you because if i could eat you, that would be called cannibalism” line! The only gripe I had were the crowds, but I guess that could only be expected with such a popular exhibit.
Because it was way too cold to eat outside, we headed to the Upper West Side to grab some Shake Shack. On the way, we passed the Fordham Law School area, which was wonderful. Going to school there would definitely spoil me.
Shake Shack was awesome, as always. Delicious, well-seasoned burgers with a tart freshly squeezed lemonade. Even better? They had Food Network playing on their televisions, so we got to jeer at Sandra Lee combining canned ingredients while we chomped on our food. Whatever’s going on with Scripps and Cablevision better be solved soon, because I will not tolerate being parted from Food Network for very long.
Afterwards, we spent a good chunk of time in Soho, mostly on Spring Street. We checked out the crazy skeletons and bottled penis bones at Evolution (where I seriously contemplated buying a butterfly wing pendant and Tonia had an equally hard time deciding whether or not to get the beetle wing earrings), made the obligatory trip to Uniqlo, and had a good scrub down at Sabon, where I bought a lavendar apple scrub that may just be my new obsession.
Dinner was at Otto, because we wanted something light. The pizzas definitely surpassed our spaghetti alla carbonara, which I’m going to remember for next time. My favorite was definitely the prosciutto arugula, mainly because I can’t resist good prosciutto and the greens balanced out the meat’s delicious fattiness.
However, the best part of the meal was definitely the Olive Oil gelato. So creamy, so tasty. My first bite got all the sea salt sprinkled on top so that wasn’t too pleasant, but after that, sigh. The olive oil taste doesn’t really hit you until later. At first, you just taste the rich sweetness. Maria and I also ordered a tangerine sorbetto that was packed with citrusy flavor.
SO: culture, shopping, and delicious food all in one day. We traveled from midtown to the UWS to Soho, covering most of Manhattan. Can you think of a better way to spend your time?
Notes on Food 