Tag: italian food

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Bars Dining Featured NYC Restaurants

Downtown Highlights: BiCE Cucina – Here, You’re Family

BiCE Cucina Opens a New Location in Soho

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.

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Dining Featured Restaurants Uncategorized

Ampia NYC Partners with The Murder Mystery Company

This year the holidays will be different, not bad, just different. We are recommending safe and socially distanced options for your ghastly haunt, Halloween spots in and around Downtown.

We have chosen to share our Halloween with this talented husband and wife duo, Chef Michele Iuliano, and Anisa Iuliano, who are the restaurateurs behind seven NYC-based Italian eateries (most notable being their popular Napoletana eatery, Gnoccheria) open Ampia Restaurant & Rooftop in the heart of the Financial District.

This incredible authentic Italian eatery with a gorgeous rooftop during outdoor dining also offers a beautifully decorated indoor restaurant.

 

 

Ampia NYC

 

Ready for a bloodcurdling time?

 

Come join the Downtown team this Friday, October 30th as Ampia teams up with The Murder Mystery Company

 

Ampia NYC

Enjoy a murder mystery dinner and show at Ampia NYC

 

Located at 100 Broad Street on the 2nd floor, guests may choose dinner & cocktail menu items from the Halloween pre-fixe menu.

 

With a socially distant dining room and perfect for all ages, Ampia NYC has your Friday night Halloween plan covered:

 

8:00PM seating: Dinner & show

  • Theme: Death of a gangster | Join the Dunn Family for the Mafia wedding of the century! Don your best 1920’s wedding attire for the Don and his goons. This show will have you in stitches… especially if you’re a snitch!
  • Time: 8:00PM: arrivals & cocktail reception | 8:30 – 10:00PM: dinner & show

VIP Booth seating available for groups up to 6 people

 

*Costumes are not mandatory but highly recommended*

 

Pexels Halloween

 

Ampia Restaurant first opened last October 2019 and closed its doors in March due to COVID-19. The 4,000 sq. ft restaurant sits inside of an old bank-clearing house, transformed into the modern Mediterranean inspired dining room, with all furnishing and design aspects directly from Italy.

The location is 100 Broad St., take the elevator (stairs are also available) up to the 2nd floor, entering directly into the restaurant. Guests can expect a luxurious menu to indulge in an authentic Italian dining experience while maintaining social distancing protocols, and several, safety and sanitizing precautions.

It’s time to get into the Halloween spirit this season, chose Ampia NYC and we will see you there!

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Dining Featured Restaurants

Taste Summertime in Italy at Sorbillo on the Bowery

Tomatoes are emblematic of two things: Italian food and summer. Sorbillo, which comes from renowned Napolitan Pizzaioli Gino and Toto Sorbillo who also operate eight restaurants in Italy, is ready to stuff you silly with pizza, pasta, and antipasti.

Photo by Liz Clayman

Sorbillo is known for offering Gino Sorbillo’s signature Neapolitan pizzas, but now the restaurant is expanding the menu to include more than just pies. Guests can choose from a variety of new pastas such a homemade Black Squid Ink Tagliolini with sautéed shrimp, clams, calamari, cherry tomatoes, and white wine; Spaghetti alla Carbonara with Guanciale and egg yolk; and Parmigiana Di Melanzane with eggplant, mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Other additions include pan-seared Salmon in herb butter served with mashed potatoes and sautéed baby spinach, Rib-eye al Profumo di Rosmarino over a bed of grilled vegetables, and Saltimbocca alla Romana—chicken rolled with prosciutto and served with smoked mozzarella and a creamy mushroom sauce. 

Photo by Liz Clayman

Obviously you’ll still be ordering a few signature pizzas. The dough is handmade with Caputo type 0 organic flour then fermented using natural yeast so it is flavorful and easy to digest. Almost all of the pies feature San Marzano tomatoes, but we also love the Margherita Gialla with yellow cherry tomatoes or the Portofino with pesto, Mozzarella Bufala, and Datterino tomatoes. Sorbillo’s pizza is some of the most authentic and delicious in the city, make sure you try it for yourself this summer!

  • Photo by Liz Claman
  • Photo by Liz Claman

Sorbillo
334 Bowery
Sunday–Thursday: 11:00 AM – 10:30 PM
Friday–Saturday: 11:00 AM – 11:00 PM

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Dining Featured Restaurants

BigA and Stonebridge Let Fermented Pizza Dough Shine

Not everyone should go gluten free, but many people have discovered that consuming an abundance of gluten makes them feel less than their best. But avoiding pizza is the worst! Enter fermented pizza dough – by letting the dough ferment for 24-48 hours and eliminating the sugar that is usually used to quickly activate yeast, the pizza dough has time to ferment and develop flavor with less gluten than the typical dough. Both Biga and Stonebridge Pizza and Salad use this technique along with high quality ingredients for a superior pizza experience.

BigA sits on the corner of Clinton and Houston Streets ready to feed you all the pizza you desire. Chef Giovanni Barbieri attended Italy’s top pizza school and operated restaurants in Italy before brining his extra crunchy pizza to the US. The name BigA comes from the pre-fermented starter used in the dough that gives it its signature flavor and crunch. Barbieri uses Italian stone ground flour and imports toppings for his pies from Italy.

The dough is turned into three different dishes: Tonda, a classic round pie available in traditional or multigrain varieties; Pala, a 20-inch oval pie perfect for sharing; and Biga Crunch, a sandwich made from the same base as the Pala. All of the pies are precooked, then topped and finished to order. We suggest a Sempre Bona Tonda with prosciutto and fresh burrata and a Pala split in two – half Diavola with spicy salami and fior de latte and half Parmigiana Biga Crunch with hand crushed tomato sauce and eggplant. Don’t forget to ask for the house made hot chili oil to top your pick!

Stonebridge Pizza and Salad came to be because the owners invested in hyper-oxygenation technology that resulted in the best tomatoes they’d ever tasted. Many of the ingredients used at Stonebridge come from their hydroponic farm upstate in Schuylerville, NY. By fermenting their dough they are able to achieve a flavorful, light, and crispy crust. The fast casual setting means speed is key, and their pizzas are baked in three to four minutes. Signature pizzas include the Mushroom Fixation with mixed roasted mushrooms and truffle oil; the Spicy Hawaiian with ham, bacon, pineapple, and jalapeño; and the White Pizza with caramelized onions, bacon, arugula, and truffle oil. Make your own options as well as chef crafted salads are also available.

BigA
3 Clinton Street
Monday–Friday: 5:00–11:00 PM
Saturday–Sunday: 12:00–11:00 PM

Stonebridge Pizza and Salad
16 E 41st Street
Monday–Friday: 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Saturday: 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Closed Sunday

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Dining Featured Restaurants

Celebrate Passover at Felidia’s

Felidia, Lidia Bastianich’s acclaimed flagship restaurant, has introduced a new Passover Menu this year. Available on Friday, April 19th and Saturday April 20th, Felidia is offering an elegant Italian feast to celebrate the beginning of Passover. The three-course family-style dinner menu presented by Executive Chef Fortunato Nicotra boasts traditional dishes with an authentic Italian twist. Highlights include smoked salmon pastrami with egg and potato salad, brisket braised in Barolo sauce with potato cake and roasted asparagus, and dark chocolate mousse with white chocolate ice cream.

To come up with a menu that combines classic Italian and Jewish dishes, Chef Fortunato researched a number of Italian inspired Passover menus to come up with the one served at Felidia. Several Italian cookbooks touch on the Jewish cuisine. Cities like Rome, Milan, Venice and Padua – as well as smaller towns like Pitigliano in Tuscany – once had thriving Jewish communities. Several Italian cookbooks have explored Jewish cuisine of Italy including Joyce Goldestein’s Cucina Ebraica: Flavors of the Italian Jewish Kitchen.

The family style Passover Menu is $75 per person and is available by reservation only, which can be made on their website or via phone at (212) 758-1479

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Dining Featured Lifestyle Living Miami NYC

Nonna Beppa Arrives in New York, Downtown

Nonna Beppa
Chef
One of our delights on any given day is to discover new and unique restaurants. They say that you can eat out every day in New York City and yet never eat at the same place twice!
Wait, maybe you just may want to. Especially, when you find a place with exceptional, homemade delicious food, yes, just like Nonna made.
Fresh, ingredients only at Nonna Beppa. This charming restaurant is named after Chef Giancarlo “Wendy” Cacciatori’s, grandmother.
Much of the food is virtually identical to that served at the two restaurants run by Chef Wendy’s family in Comune di San Giovanni in Persiceto, a tiny town north of Bologna. These restaurants—Locanda Antichi Sospiri and Oceano—have been around since the end of WWII and have become pillars in this community, occasionally throwing both baptisms and weddings for the same guests over the decades. He hasn’t changed or updated any recipes for the New York market.
Nonna Beppa will include a window pasta making station where cooks will hand make pasta and tortellini for 12 hours a day from 11am to closing 11pm. The signature dish is Chef’s family’s beloved tortellini recipe, filled with a mix of prosciutto aged 18 months, mortadella, pork loin and 24-month aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, and served in a light broth.

“Fresh, ingredients only at Nonna Beppa”

Other standouts include a three-ingredient Tagliatelle al Prosciutto di Parma and and all pastas will be cooked i.e. boiled in a chicken and beef tongue broth unless otherwise requested. He’ll also be using balsamic vinegar his family has aged themselves for the last 35 years. All ingredients (besides fruits, vegetables, flour, eggs, and fresh meat) will be sourced directly from Emilia Romagna and everything available on the menu is for sale, including fresh pasta to cook at home and charcuterie and cheeses imported straight from the source.
This past week we had the “piacere delizoiso” of being invited to Nonna Beppa, from the second you walk through the door, you are greeted with smiles from the hostess, and a hug from the owners wife Valentina. So far so good. The embiance is as fresh as the homemade pasta, yes, there really is a pasta station, and or you can sit back and watch Emilia Romagna-bred Chef Giancarlo “Wendy” create his homemade family recipes.
Every dish was as delicious as the first. My favorite was the homade Tortellini in brodo I’ve never tasted something this light, fresh and oh so good. These flavors broght me back to my very own Grandmother’s kitchen in Italy.

Nonna Beppa
Tortellini, with broth

 

1. What made you choose New York City for your second city located in the United States?
So many of our clients in Miami also spend time in New York and they begged us for years to open here. When we found the spot on Hudson Street, and we knew it was time. Also, opening a restaurant in New York City is the ultimate challenge for a chef and I was ready to take it on!

 

2. Why did you choose the specific location?
We chose this location because, as in Miami, we want to become a neighborhood place. We wanted to be a hidden gem for locals, away from New York’s more touristy streets.

“These restaurants—Locanda Antichi Sospiri and Oceano—Have been around since the end of WWII”

 

 

3. What should the number one dish be that people order at Nonna Beppa one, that they cannot leave without trying?
Our tortellini, hands down! It’s my grandmother’s recipe and it’s been served at my family’s restaurants in Emilia Romagna for decades. The secret ingredient is love:).

 

 

Nonna Beppa
Tagliatelle in Bolognese,

 

 

4. Tell us a little bit about the Chef and how he got his start?
I never dreamed of coming to America and was content to continue running the kitchens that our parents and their parents before them had cooked in for a lifetime. However, after a consulting firm hired me to come to Miami to survey the Italian restaurant scene, I noticed that my land’s love for food was missing. From that day, I’ve made it my mission to spread the joy and love of Emilia Romagna cuisine.

 

 

5. Would you like to tell her readers?
Nonna Beppa isn’t just a restaurant where food it’s served. Our goal is to make you feel like you’re at your friend’s house having dinner.

 

 

 

Nonna Beppa, New York
Newcomer Italian Restaurant

“Everything available on the menu is for sale, including fresh pasta to cook at home”

 

 

Eat in or take out from this delicious newcomer to Downtown New York City!

 

Reservations
reservations@nonnabeppa.com
(917)639 3996
290 Hudson Street
 New York, New York 10013