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I might sound like a NY snob when it comes to certain foods but IMO any Italian food/Pizza outside of NY or NJ is awful. Most places get their bread from Brooklyn Bakeries.
It's good in MA---and no doubt, in CT and RI. Little Italy in Baltimore has good Italian food. I've also had some good Italian food in South Philly. By good, I mean the old school red sauce places.
Here, in VA finding one of those places is like looking for a unicorn. Luckily, we do have a good spot where the Italian bread that comes with the meal is the real thing. Other Italian places around here don't serve real Italian bread.
Lots of mom & pop Italian restaurants make their bread from their pizza dough. That’s what I’m used to having. Usually, it’s warm out of the oven and sliced. There is usually a seasoned olive oil/garlic/oregano in a dish served with it.
If you’re doing the daily prep to make pizza dough, why would you buy bread from a bakery?
Not a big fan of Italian places, experience is limited. Went to a place yesterday (non chain) and while the entrees were tasty (and pricey), the 'bread' was plain old yeast rolls like you might pick up for Thanksgiving. Definitely looked 'store bought'. I was expecting maybe some kind of buttered garlic treatment.
I might sound like a NY snob when it comes to certain foods but IMO any Italian food/Pizza outside of NY or NJ is awful. Most places get their bread from Brooklyn Bakeries.
You're not lying. I've been staying in a rural area of Ontario for months. I fantasize about eggplant rollatini, lol. The pizza is just awful, but there is one chain that is edible. As far as good Italian food goes, though, it just doesn't exist. There's a "Greek and Italian" place in town. The souvlaki is not bad, but the Italian food choices are spaghetti and lasagna at about the quality one could get in the frozen section of any supermarket.
Not hating on this part of Ontario--has wonderful fish and chips and good Eastern European stuff like perogies and cabbage rolls, but I guess Italians didn't want to move to a cold place.
I'm going home for a couple of weeks to my home in NJ and to spend Thanksgiving with my daughter on LI (not far from Islip) and I plan to EAT Italian (and Portuguese) food as much as possible.
By the way, I'm not of Italian descent myself--fourth/fifth generation Dutch and English NJ--but we all eat good Italian in Jersey no matter what our heritage.
FWIW, I've been in a few 'Italian' restaurants that were run by Greeks, Albanians and other non Italians. Best bet is a family owned mom & pop place. Usually has someone's name on the marquee. Luigi's, Mario's or some other named joint should be a bit more authentic.
While the quality of the bread usually won't break a meal, having a decent bread is a nice touch.
You still have to be careful. My ex-husband's neighbors, brothers by the name of Levy, had a pizza place called "Sal's". It was good, though!
The best pizza/Italian places in NJ are the ones that have pizza in the front and a dining room in the back, and you bring your own wine. They usually aren't fancy to look at.
I might sound like a NY snob when it comes to certain foods but IMO any Italian food/Pizza outside of NY or NJ is awful. Most places get their bread from Brooklyn Bakeries.
You're right, you do sound like a snob--or at least someone who grew up with a particular kind of Italian food, and wants something just like it.
East Coast Italian seems mostly Sicilian; I grew up in a San Francisco Northern Italian family, and the food is very different. I also prefer what I grew up with.
A “true” Italian restaurant (trattoria) will typically have at most 5 or 6 entrees on a daily menu. Made fresh from whatever ingredients the chef finds that day. Pasta choices usually include 4 or 5 types of pasta.
Bread is usually never ending, freshly made that day, and served with EVOO, spices, and maybe herbs.
I have found Italian restaurants run by Albanians generally have quality food.
Run from any Italian restaurant that serves anything “Alfredo.”
LOL. This reminded me that bread is not served with meals down here. I never even noticed until this thread! It was an extra item you had to pay for when we visited Europe, too. Then again, we/Europe don't get free water, either....
I would think crusty rolls with balsamic and olive oil would be Italian. We spent a month in Italy, but now I don't recall the bread, duh.
I might sound like a NY snob when it comes to certain foods but IMO any Italian food/Pizza outside of NY or NJ is awful. Most places get their bread from Brooklyn Bakeries.
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