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I would like some recommendations for authentic Italian restaurants in NYC, preferably Manhattan or North Brooklyn.
I love Italian-American food of course, but I can get that anywhere and I want to try Italian food as eaten in Italy.
Most of them will be in Manhattan. Some are as follows:
Il Corso (Northern Italian)
Bocca (Roman)
Cacio e Pepe (Roman - Same owners as Bocca)
Cacio e Vino (Sicilian)
Tarallucci e Vino (Northern Italian - several locations - same owner - knows me by name )
These are all good. Some will cost more but such is life. Most of these places import products directly from Italy. Bocca also gets some ingredients from the farmers' market. All *authentic* Italian (regular portions as you would find in Italy) and no Italian-American garbage. Am sorry, but *chicken parm* is *not* authentic. Can find several other *authentic* places particularly along Second Avenue. East Village used to be a *heavy* Italian neighborhood, and thus can still find *lots* of authentic restaurants here.
Enoteca Maria on Staten Island right next to the St. George theater is another. Real, small-town farm style Italian food. Too bad the owners like to speak terribly about the Island that pays their bills. I won’t support them for that reason.
How can one tell he is getting "authentic Italian" food?
If you're Italian and have lived in Italy as I have, you know by looking at the menu and portion sizes. Italian-American places give *huge* servings and serve things that will *not* be found in Italy. *Chicken parm* is one of them. *Baked ziti* is another. Also, authentic places do not *drown* their dishes in tomato sauce and cheese, but rather coat the pasta. Italian food was slaughtered here in America to fit American tastes, and most dishes are pretty bad for this reason. Portion sizes are crazy here. Your main course should not be a huge pasta dish. Too many carbs and hence why you so many fat people in Italian-American places. You should start with an aperitivo, then a primo, a secondo, dessert and maybe a macchiato or espresso, but the dishes are supposed to be small enough to nibble on various things.
Should also know that a lot of the Italian-American places tend to be more Southern in types of dishes served. Lots of *heavy* tomato dishes. The North in Italy has dishes with tomato sauces, but not as much like the South. Same goes with pizza. Can find lots of pizza in Northern Italy, *without* tomato sauce, hence *pizza bianca*. Lots of foccacia pizzas with *onions*, *würstel* and so on, drawing from Austrian influence in some cases. *Alto Adige* would be an example of a region in Northern Italy with lots of Austrian influence in the dishes where one can hear more German than Italian.
Last edited by pierrepont7731; 09-26-2017 at 06:48 AM..
Enoteca Maria on Staten Island right next to the St. George theater is another. Real, small-town farm style Italian food. Too bad the owners like to speak terribly about the Island that pays their bills. I won’t support them for that reason.
Terribly how? Have found a few *decent* Italian-American pastry shops on the North Shore near the ferry. Were Italian-American but not disgusting like Olive Garden. That place has the Italian nonne. Have heard about them. They are *old-school* Italians from the old country and do not play. Can turn out some mean Italian food.
The owner gave an interview soon after the election where he felt the need to rip the South Shore of Staten Island as "Trump-ville" or some such other nonsense.
The owner gave an interview soon after the election where he felt the need to rip the South Shore of Staten Island as "Trump-ville" or some such other nonsense.
That's ironic. It's not as if Italy is *that* liberal, be it in the North or the South. They are insular overall just like Italian-Americans, so am not sure what he's running his mouth about. If one speaks Italian, in private, will hear about the *immigrants* destroying the old country or whatever and the yearning for the *vecchia lira*. It's fairly common place too, even among those who consider themselves more *liberal*. Had a friend of mine from the North (Tuscany). Would often make jokes about African soccer players in Italian not meaning any harm, but in the States, this would *certainly* be offensive.
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