My B'day was last weekend and Professor and I had planned a day trip into the city to check out the Museum of Natural History, however fate stepped in and instead of enjoying the day, he was stuck working the entire weekend (with one intermission to play at the Easter service at church). Bummer!
So this Friday (since the weather forecast was for clear skies and temperatures in the mid-60's) we played hooky from work and instead of going up town to the Natural History museum, we signed-up for a walking food tour of Little Italy and Chinatown then ended the afternoon with a 2nd tour that was of the Tenement Museum. Our day was focused on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and we really got a chance to explore and get a feel for an area of the city we'd never spent much time in before.
There was a lot of walking (definitely sore the next day) but wow, what a fun time -Ate a lot of great food, learned some interesting facts about the neighborhoods and of course took lots of pictures to share. So much to talk about that I'll do it over several posts so you don't get too bored and meanwhile we're still moving ahead with the house (really - we are making progress)
We started the tour in Little Italy with our guide, Alana, who quickly got us organized (there were ten of us) and on our way. The first stop was the Precious Blood Church where the Shrine to San Genaro is located. The feast of San Genaro is ten day celebration held in the fall. It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to Little Italy every year to enjoy the food and carnival atmosphere.
We began working our way up Mulberry Street which is at the center of Little Italy. Most of the Italian families that settled around the neighborhood have long moved away though about twelve original families remain , Our first stop was was across from a charming looking restaurant, La Gennaro (formerly Umberto's Clam House which has since moved across the street) Alana explained that it was where a mobster by the name of Joey Gallo
was killed (coincedentally on my birthday,) about 4AM in the morning when he stopped by the Clam House to get something to eat. Guess he didn't know it was a hang out of the rival Colombo mob family. I'll spare you the graphic details and just say things didn't end too well for ol' Joey.
We didn't stop to sample anything at the restaurant which was okay with me. Instead we moved up the street to visit a few notable cheese purveyors and sample their offerings. Our first eating stop was Alleva of Little Italy. The shop is over one hundred years old (oldest cheese shop in America)and is still owned by the same family. We sampled the boccatini (small mozzarella balls) wrapped in thinly sliced prosciutto ham and the combination was mouthwatering! The cheese was so fresh and creamy and the ham added a salty, savory dimension that was absolutely wonderful. I was trying to pace myself since we had a lot still to taste but it was hard to pass up the sample plate that kept coming around. Hmmm. So good.
We wandered through the store which is noted for their mozzarela and ricotta cheeses and their friendly, informative staff. They had huge hams and cheeses hanging from the ceiling all around the store and had a constant stream of customers. Loved it.
We enjoyed our stroll along the streets taking in all the ambiance of our surroundings wrapped in so much history and vibrancy.
The restaurants were busy setting up their sidewalk tables and there were already people sitting out enjoying an espresso in the sunshine. Would have liked to linger but Alana kept us moving -so much to see and so little time (The tour was 3 hours and had a lot of ground to cover)
Our next stop was Di Palo's of Little Italy - they are known for their Italian cheeses - parmigiano reggiano in particular (for our tasting anyway). It is an absolutely quintessential mom and pop shop right out of old New York.
We sampled both the cow's milk and goat's milk parmigiano and both were incredible. The cow's milk a little darker and more robust and the goat's milk, lighter and a little smoother. The shop was crowded with shoppers waiting patiently for their number to be called - I can't imagine how they could ever make a choice as to what to buy.
Our final stop in Little Italy was the famous Ferraro's Cafe - the oldest coffee shop in Little Italy that is still in operation. We didn't try the coffee but we did sample the cannoli and though I'm not a big fan of cannoli (a little too sweet for me), what we tasted was actually very good. I also admired their pastry cases - those lobster tails were definitely calling out to me.
Not to mention the gelato:
I was drooling over the display case until the Professor finally dragged me away
A perfect end to the Little Italy part of the tour. Next stop? Chinatown!
Til Later!
Ask your child what he wants for dinner only if he's buying.
- Fran Leibowitz
Recent Comments