allan evans's Profile
Tavola Calda on Bleecker Street.
Another facet of Roman life surfaced at 245 Bleecker (near Carmine & Leroy). Scalicaffe or Scalinetta. Their tripe and potatoes are what Quinto Quarto around the block shies away from offering. Very well done here. The dishes are what you find in Rome's "hot tables", like fresh tapas of local traditional dishes.
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Quinto Quarto
14 Bedford St, New York, NY 10014
Scali Caffe
245 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014
Egyptian ful mudammas pot (dammasa)
Outside of Cairo or environs, where can this essential cooking pot be found and bought (shipped safely)? Are there common alternate spellings to dammasa? There is an electric type and one that sits on a gas stove (preferable). It isn't easy to recreate the thrill of this essential dish without the right cookware. This seems to be the answer in taming their rough skins, maintaining the color and getting the right consistency. (Canned ful have preservatives. Have yet to find any organic).
Allan Evans
Is Trattoria Zero Otto Nove the best pizza in NY?
Could not help but admire their wood burning domed oven yesterday. As the master chef is from Salerno, there is no doubt he understands the essence of pizza. The pasta I ate was a triumph: fusilli with chick-peas, shards of crunchy pancetta, tossed with grated pecorino, bread crumbs and parsley. As good as pizza gets, it cannot compare to such primi piatti.
Potato Panic (Ekco peeler)
Thanks very much for the suggestions. Imagine if the Ekco design would fall into obsolescence: a new approach to mashed potatoes would arise gradually, and might not necessarily be an improvement.
Of garlic, it is one bulb that completely transforms according to the approach. If cooked with the peel, say a dozen + cloves tossed in for a chicken cacciatore (no tomato, just white wine, porcini if on hand, sage, rosemary), it acquires a potato-like flavor. Slicing and crushing brings out other subtleties, especially in a fast sautee with coarse salt and coriander (crushed seed) in olive oil as a ta'aliya (Egyptian) to pour over lentils or lamb with melokhiya. Pressed is wonderful for fish. The versatility of the potato and garlic remain a marvel.
Potato Panic (Ekco peeler)
The momentary displacement of an Ekco Potato Peeler created anguish and panic, as I live by potatoes. In Italy we searched in vain for a peeler able to fit the hand and respond to varied surfaces and shapes. Most have the broad handles and a poorly designed swivel, making what should be a pleasure into punishment. Fearing that the Ekco had been trashed or worse, I looked on the net and was horrified to see how difficult it is to obtain the classic Ekco design, one that ergonomically accommodates the hand as an expert bow fits an Amati. The majority of the current crop are wide-ended, lacking the deft touches of a sharp tip able to scoop out the eyes and any tunnels. They have been designed by non-eaters, ignoramuses, or worse. Luckily eBay listed a few (as a carrot-potato peeler, demeaning the potato into second place). I plan to bring several to Italy, as the situation there is dire. (And the unavailability of decent garlic presses in Italy is another shocker, but at least one can treat that bulb in varied ways.)
The potato has been overlooked in the Klezmer revival as well. A Lithuanian paean was once sung:
"Monday bulbes (potatoes), Tuesday bulbes, Wednesday bulbes, Thursday bulbes, Friday, bulbes, but for Saturday, something different: bulbes latkes."
amalfi coast
Jetlag caused a misspelling!: correct as Sorbillo (mentioned on other posts). They also have rucola (known as arugula in New York) seasoned with olive oil, a wonderful compliment to the pie.
amalfi coast
We immensely enjoyed staying at the Forum and their delicious breakfast (with freshly squeezed orange juice and eggs scrambled with greens). One pizzeria we liked very much, in Napoli, was Sorpillo, on via Tribunale. Luscious classic margerita pie with the subtle depth of tomato sauce made from vines growing near Vesuvius, the buffalo mozzarella not overwhelming, oregano thankfully absent - highly aromatic basil leaves added a layer of the sublime. As the pie (3 Euros!) was rather large and tends to get soggy towards the center as time goes on, I would strongly suggest ordering one pie for two, going at it vigorously, then ordering another to avoid entropy caused by the moist ingredients.
One site worthy of pilgrimage to anyone visitng Napoli and able to read Italian is Libreria Neapolis, on via San Gregorio Armeno. Their website (librerianeapolis.it) suggests a unique outpost specializing in the city's lore, from culinary and geological to historic and philosophical. We arrived at a narrow tiny room amidst Pulcinella and nativity scene artisans. Rather than experiencing shock in finding so small a place, we were overwhelmed by the choice of books, as each would have been a compelling read, including out of print small editions not available anywhere else. The proprieters are among the most culturally savvy people we have yet to encounter. Their advice on editions and local splendors proved invaluable.
