In this episode of Downtown Highlights, we visited BiCE Cucina, an authentic Italian restaurant that brings together hospitality and Northern Italian flavors. BiCE has two locations in New York City, Midtown and Soho. In this episode, we visited BiCE Cucina in Soho, their newest location.
BiCE Cucina Soho
The Story Behind BiCE
BiCE’s story starts about 90 years ago. It all started with Beatrice Ruggeri, also know as Bice. She shared her talent and love for food with her family and friends while growing up in Northern Italy. Impressed by Bice’s food, her friends and family encouraged her to open a restaurant, or “cucina”. She decided to listen to her loved ones and in 1926, she opened her own Trattoria in Milan with her husband, Gino.
Bice and Gino’s sons, Remo and Roberto, took over the business in 1970. They opened the first location in the United States in 1987. This restaurant is in Midtown, between 5th and Madison Avenue. BiCE quickly gained popularity around the world, opening locations in Palm Beach, Tokyo, LA, Paris, and Chicago over the span of three years. BiCE has even gained the attention of some major clientele such as the Kennedys. The legacy of BiCE continues on through Raffaele Ruggeri, Bice’s grandson.
Here, You’re Family
Raffaele’s goal for BiCE Cucina is clear: to make every guest feel welcome like they’re family. When you visit our restaurant “you’re coming into our home…and when you come into someone’s home, our home, you do everything you can to make sure you take care of your guests,” Raffaele Ruggeri explains to us. This goal is definitely being met, as we felt like we were home while eating here. As soon as we walked in the door, we felt welcome here by Ruggeri and the friendly staff.
Authentic and Light Cuisine
The Tuna Tartare
BiCE Cucina works hard to not only serve delicious food but food that is healthy and light. “We hope to create a beautiful restaurant where the food is really impeccable,” Ruggeri explains. BiCE Cucina has a wide variety of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options so everyone can find a dish that they love.
Everything that we tried at this restaurant was absolutely delectable. The food, including the pasta dishes, was incredibly light. In this episode, we tried three appetizers, the Tuna Tartare, Octopus Carpaccio, and Baked Eggplant Parmigiana, and two pasta dishes, the Tortellini and a gluten-free version of Tagliolini Aragosta. BiCE Cucina is not only a restaurant that serves delicious, healthy food, it is an experience. BiCE truly has something for everyone to enjoy. We will definitely be paying BiCE a visit again soon.
For more Downtown Highlights episodes, click here.
Welcome back to Downtown Highlights on Gluten-Free
The series in which we take the opportunity to “highlight” businesses in NYC, like the dedicated gluten-free Italian eatery, Senza Gluten.
As a result to this unpredictably tumultuous year and a half we’ve had, brick and mortar locations like this one have taken a hit thanks to the pandemic.
It is important to us here at Downtown to make sure that we’re serving the places that serve us.
For this episode of Downtown Highlights, we paid a visit to the esteemed Senza Gluten in Greenwich Village. The name Senza Gluten has Italian origins, of course, and translates to “without Gluten”.
Tiramisu
The restaurant was created in 2014, by Chef Jemiko Solo.
Chef’s goal in opening Senza was simple: to ensure a 100% gluten-free atmosphere. Guests can enjoy a gluten-free meal, devoid entirely of gluten or any risk of cross-contamination. You won’t find a spec of gluten inside the entire facility.
Our own host of Downtown Highlights, Marley Gifford, has celiac disease herself, visiting the facility was a euphoric experience as it is for many visitors of Senza Gluten with gluten intolerances.
Calamari
A Restaurant Made for those with Gluten Intolerances – Gluten-Free
Chef Solo does not have any gluten intolerances himself. However, many of his friends and relations suffer from various food allergies.
Chef made it his mission to help his friends, and all clients enjoying their food, and life, to the fullest.
He dedicates his work to ensure that his guests can again enjoy delicious dishes that disguise themselves as tasting just like the glutinous dishes we know and love.
Having the ability to eat glutinous dishes allows Solo to taste his dishes with an advantage, and gets him closer to the real thing.
The gluten-free possibilities don’t stop at the restaurant. Just down the street from the restaurant is the Senza Gluten Cafe & Bakery, which was opened in 2018.
Shortbread Cookies
This location allows the restaurant to expand its menu of different kinds of bread, pastries, and other baked goods. It is there that they also bake some of their savory dishes, like their arancini and mushroom ravioli, both Senza must-try.
Gnocchi
Pay a visit to Senza Gluten and bring both your gluten-free friends and ones that aren’t. We bet they’ll barely be able to tell the difference.
To see the last Downtown Highlights episode, click here.
This time on Downtown Highlights, we visited Dough, a brioche doughnut shop. Dough started as a small shop in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Their popularity quickly grew, encouraging the opening of more shops across New York City. Now, Dough has seven locations including Flatiron, Brooklyn, Rockefeller Center, Astoria, Urbanspace Vanderbilt, City Kitchen, and Smorgasburg.
In this episode, we had the pleasure of interviewing Vicky Pantazi, the manager of the Flatiron Dough location. When asked what makes Dough special, Pantazi said without hesitation that it’s the dough.”It’s very fluffy, it’s very soft, and that’s what makes us unique” Pantazi stated. All doughnuts at Dough are made fresh in small batches daily to ensure that all customers only receive the best.
Dough has vegan options as well. Vegan options include Vegan Plain Glaze, Vegan Cinnamon Sugar, Vegan Hibiscus Glaze (Seasonal), and Vegan Blood Orange (Seasonal). Even though these options are vegan, the dough is still really soft and fluffy. We tried the Vegan Cinnamon Sugar doughnut off-camera and fell in love with it. We couldn’t even tell that this doughnut was made solely with vegan ingredients!
The Taste Test – Hibiscus Glazed Doughnut
Since Dough has not yet developed a line of gluten-free doughnuts, Sam came out from behind the camera to do the taste testing instead. She decided to try the Hibiscus Glazed doughnut. This flavor is available year-round. The bright pink glaze on this doughnut was so eye-catching, she couldn’t resist.
The doughnut was as delicious as it was beautiful. The dough was soft and fluffy, just as Pantazi had described. The pink glaze was sweet and smooth, and of course, strongly tasted like hibiscus. The glaze is made fresh in the kitchen by cooking down hibiscus flowers. No wonder it tasted so fresh!
The next time you are looking for some breakfast to start your day with, check out Dough. You won’t regret it! For the last Downtown Highlights episode, click here.
Welcome to Downtown Highlights, the series in which we take the opportunity to “highlight” businesses in NYC, like delicious chocolate and or gelato from Venchi. After the tumultuous and crazy year we’ve had, brick and mortar locations have taken a hit, and so it is important for us at Downtown to make sure that we’re serving the places that are serving us.
Venchi
This week, we have been transported to Italy via our New York, Venchi, an Italian gourmet chocolate shop. This place evokes a sensory experience, from homemade chocolate to refreshing authentic gelato. The sights, smells, tastes, sounds, and feel of their shop are unlike any other. The best part? You don’t need a passport to enter this little slice of Italy.
We sat down with store manager Michele Sbarigia to get the scoop on Venchi’s story.
Venchi started in 1878 in Torrine, Italy. Their claim to fame is their nougatine, a decadent treat of caramelized hazelnut coated in 56% dark chocolate. Twenty years ago, Venchi incorporated gelato into their decadent repertoire.
One of the most stunning features at Venchi is that its ingredients are as authentic as it gets. They use all-natural ingredients, importing their specialized ingredients directly and exclusively from Italy. Hazelnuts come from Piedmont Italy. Pistachios come from Bronte, a small village in Sicily. Lemons come from Sorrento, a small village under Naples, and so on.
By staying true to the pillars of rich tradition and quality ingredients, Venchi remains as authentic as it gets in NYC.
Colorful, soft, and sweet; there isn’t a treat quite like mochi!
This time on Downtown Highlights we visited Mochidoki. Mochidoki serves delicious mochi. Mochi is ice cream wrapped in rice flour dough. All mochi at Mochidoki is gluten-free, with vegan options too.
While visiting, we had the pleasure of interviewing Christopher Wong, the co-founder of Mochidoki. Christopher explained that he has many fond memories of mochi. Some of his earlier memories were from his childhood in Hong Kong when he would eat mochi with his grandmother after school. This deep love for mochi inspired Christopher to open Mochidoki.
One of the most challenging things about making mochi is getting the dough to remain soft while the ice cream is frozen. Christopher explained “we managed to find a way so that the mochi stays nice and soft even though it’s frozen. We spent a lot of time on developing.” The process was perfected so that the mochi is absolutely flawless when taken out of the freezer: the dough is soft while the ice cream remains just the right consistency and firmness that ice cream should be.
This summer, Mochidoki’s seasonal flavors are Cake Batter and Turmeric Hot Honey. We were intrigued by both flavors and sampled the Turmeric Hot Honey flavor for this episode. It was absolutely delicious, with the right amount of sweet and spicy. If you are looking for a sweet treat in Downtown Manhattan this summer, we highly recommend swinging by Mochidoki.
This week, we had the pleasure of visiting the brand new Bayberry Garden – the “big sister” to Providence’s Bayberry Beer Hall.
Located in Providence, Rhode Island’s innovation district at 225 Dyer Street, Bayberry Garden is a sight to see. I was welcomed warmly into the modern, yet classic New England-inspired location, complete with plant life, all of it enveloping its guests.
The restaurant is lovingly owned by husband and wife team Tom and Natalie Dennen. The name Bayberry Garden was inspired by Tom’s grandfather’s home in Maine, which was surrounded by Bayberry bushes.
Bayberry’s Growing Garden
Bayberry Garden, Providence, RI
Bayberry Garden itself is, quite literally, a garden. All of the vegetation and plant life in the restaurant is not only real but is starting small. As the restaurant grows and evolves, so will the plants within it. Three trees that face the streets of Providence are planted six feet under the cement floor of the restaurant. There’s an ivy wall at the rear of the restaurant that is now only a few inches from the ground but will climb up the wall as the restaurant ages. Hanging plants around the restaurant will overflow and turn the restaurant into more of a garden than it already is.
Bayberry Garden has an organic vibe and feel, and the wine list is a perfect jumping-off point. The selection is biodynamic, meaning there is no intervention with pesticides, and all selections are uber-organic.
Mike Seely is the executive chef and also worked under an esteemed James Beard Award winner, a high mark in the culinary universe. His dishes blew us away on a granular level.
Oysters and Breads n’ Spreads
Oysters on the half shellArtisanal bread and spreads. From left: herb pain au lait, farmhouse multigrain sourdough, semolina and cheddar sourdough, salt, and pepper butter, caramelized shallot, and fennel jam, and chive butter.
The meal began with oysters on the half shell, a New England restaurant hallmark and necessity. The selection of oysters that evening were from Chebooktook, Canada, and East Beach, Rhode Island. They were accompanied by a delicious in-house preserved lemon mignonette with homemade rice wine vinegar and a homemade hot sauce. We then received a refined take on the breadbasket with a plate of herb pain au lait, farmhouse multigrain sourdough, semolina, and cheddar sourdough, and on the side was salt and pepper butter, caramelized shallot and fennel jam, and chive butter. Unlike predictable restaurant bread and butter, it was quite the treat.
Marbled Avocado
“Marbled Avocado”
Our next course was the “Marbled Avocado”, which was served with Allen Farms pea greens, preserved lemon, and crispy rice paper. Think guac and chips, but elevated. The avocado was creamy and nutty and paired perfectly with the zesty, crispy rice paper. Additionally, it is a great option for those with gluten intolerance, like myself.
Rhode Island Striper
Rhode Island striped bass with pea chutney
The next course turned out to be my personal favorite; as it should be since I am a Rhode Island native. It was a Rhode Island striped bass with a pistachio crust, spring parsnips, and pea-chutney. The dish was warm, sweet yet savory, and oh so comforting. Additionally, the pistachio-crusted fish paired perfectly with the rounded flavor of the peas and finished out with a delightfully subtle sweet flavor. It was both exquisitely refreshing and warming.
Half Chicken with Farm Roots and Spuds
Half chicken with roots and potatoes
After the striper came the half chicken with Little City Farm roots and potatoes with morel cream and greens. The chicken was wonderfully juicy and flavorful and was married so well with the crispy spuds. They did a classic dish justice here.
Dark Chocolate Profiteroles and Rhubarb Pavlova
Dark chocolate profiterolesRhubarb pavlova
Naturally, we couldn’t leave Bayberry Garden without dessert. These dishes were undoubtedly the stars of the show. My guest, a Rhode Island restaurant industry veteran, ordered dark chocolate profiteroles with strawberries, strawberry sorbet, ricotta, and balsamic glaze. The innovative flavors were fused into the beautiful creation. My guest was left speechless, which is not an easy feat. Last but not least, my dessert of choice was a rhubarb pavlova with green strawberries, white chocolate, and lemon verbena + juniper ice cream. This was my first time having pavlova. Previously, I had only seen iterations of it on The Great British Baking Show, and it left me quite starstruck. The entirely gluten-free dish was crispy, pillow-soft, creamy, sweet, and complex. Every layer of flavor was able to shine. It was lovely.
Tea and Pâte de Fruit
Chamomile “Sunday Morning” tea and mixed berry pâte de fruit
As our night came to an end, we were served a “Sunday Morning” tea, from a list of teas that are almost presented as if they’re cocktails. They come from Amber Jackson, who founded The Black Leaf Tea + Culture Shop with the love of tea and Black culture in mind. Moreover, she started the company after recognizing the absence of space for young Black professionals in Providence. “Sunday Morning” was the perfect way to ease into the night. It featured chamomile tea, orange peel, lemongrass, and spearmint, and was served in a small glass French press, so all of the ingredients were visibly present, adding to the experience.
The night concluded with the sweetest touch, two mixed berries Pâte de Fruit, a personal favorite confection of mine. Also, they were rolled in basil sugar crystals, which kicked up the classic French sweet-Bayberry style.
I should also mention that the service at Bayberry Garden was impeccable. Our server, Danny, was very knowledgeable about the menu, beverage selections, and wine. His quirkiness was infectious, particularly when telling backstories about the decor or when highlighting a house-made ingredient. Additionally, all staff members were extremely warm and friendly, to the point that the table maintenance was done effortlessly. At Bayberry Garden, you’re treated not only as a guest but as a friend. The sentiment behind the restaurant’s conception feels rich with intention, purpose, and storytelling, just like old New England folklore.
Thank you, Bayberry Garden, for having me! I won’t be a stranger.
