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Steve R.

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  1. Steve R.
    Boy, did you just hit on one of my favorite places for the past 15 years or so. Renato (the father) is a real character. Meatball the size of a softball & a line-up of old style dishes hardly found in NYC any longer, especially at this quality level. The price isn't so high any more compared to the new old style places opening up, like Carbone. Well worth going. Nice find.
  2. Steve R.
    Yes, but only when they've played away against the NY Sporttimes over the past couple of years. These matches are very informal, lots of fun and yet highly competitive. Well worth going.
  3. Steve R.
    Totally off the topic (sorry Don), but actually the most fun I had playing basketball was in the late '70s, living in St. Louis and going to grad school at Washington University. The NFL team back then was the Cardinals & their players would play b-ball at the Wash. U. gym on weekday afternoons (wonder if the coaching staff knew this?). At any rate, I got into a # of these games and got pushed around regularly by the linebackers who just mowed me over. But one day I was covering one of their players and Mel Gray (who was a great "small" receiver) set a pick for him and I tried to go thru it (after all, he was "small"). I ran full force into him and bounced off like a cartoon character, immediately going from l to __ , 90degrees down to the floor. He was solid as a wall. I still watch football with an appreciation for just how strong professional athletes are. And I'm still pissed at how funny they all thought it was. Served them right to wind up in Arizona.
  4. Steve R.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlUj64evoN0 Have fun.
  5. Steve R.
    Well, it's nice to know that we're all old. Add me to those that saw the Airplane at the Fillmore East (& a # of other times). The most memorable for me was outdoors at Stony Brook in early '70, when they performed Volunteers start to finish. Loved Great Society, not so much the Airplane with Signe Anderson. Missed Balin when he left. Loved the beginnings of Starship, when he returned & they all stayed put for awhile. Then it became pop crap. Anyone for a conversation about the Dead?
  6. Steve R.
    Try being a diehard Knicks fan for over 50 years and see what that gets you. One great championship, one weak Charles Smith put-back that didn't happen and too many years of Isiah. And, of course, our mutual admiration for Earl Monroe. So"¦ the reason for this post, another of my pointless stories. When I was playing gym ball in the '80s at my local "health" club, pick up games included some interesting characters. After all, it's Brooklyn. One day, mid-'80s, I find myself guarding Earl Monroe. Needless to say, he got the ball off before I could even register playing any defense. But he didn't move much. Friendly as all hell while he was dumping the shots in though. After the game, I thanked him for not also flying by me when I fell for every fake & he responded by saying that he wasn't being nice, he'd just had both hips replaced and didn't want to get roughed up going to the hoop. Nice.
  7. Steve R.
    I want to start by saying that I am absolutely not disagreeing with you. Getting out of the cities and driving around, letting it all sink in, meeting people & "getting lost" is absolutely a great experience. However, just as an additional thought: isn't that true just about everywhere? When friends come to this country or when we meet & wind up hanging out with tourists from, say, France, in Brooklyn (both have been recent situations), we always wind up seeing if they have enough time to explore the Hudson River Valley or other nearby points upstate NY & encourage them to do so. Otherwise, just like you state, their opinion of the essence of NY is skewed/warped and they think all is like "the city". Similarly, one of our trips to New Orleans was heightened when we drove out to the middle of Louisiana and visited areas around Rain, St. Martinville and the quiet swamp areas near there without real destinations in mind. In Italy, I wouldn't trade our car explorations of Umbrian towns/villages or our wanderings around Parma and points south for another week in Milan or even Venice. Again, no disagreement, just musing over how travel is so much better when you can give yourself time to explore outside the narrow bounds of "tourist cities" or go back enough to do both. Of course, to do this, you need time &, unfortunately, it seems that Choirgirl21 hardly had any to spare -- maybe next trip?
  8. Steve R.
    Nicely stated Dean. Our trips to N.Italy over the past 10 or so years didn't leave me wanting to go back to Florence ahead of several other places, like Rome and Venice. However, the month we spent there last year allowed us to really get the rhythm of the place and so many previously "invisible" things became more available and had us falling in love with the city. Like the smaller market in Sant'Ambroggio in the morning and the plaza around it that turns into a major community gathering place every night. Like the mosaic studios that invite you in to watch them work. Like the Gregorian chanting done every night by the monks at San Miniato al Monte (above Piazza Michelangelo). And like the availability of the Last Suppers you referenced -- we saw the famous one in Milan several years ago & followed up by going to 4 or 5 of the others around Florence. Not only are some of them pretty special, but we loved the areas that looking for them led us into - like the one north of Santa Croce in a very residential neighborhood. Additionally, the restoration scaffolding inside the church of Santa Croce was left up for awhile as the work wound down and we got to climb 7 levels of it to see the works up close & get a highly detailed accounting of what we were seeing. It's a "hang out" type of city & well worth spending time in.
  9. Steve R.
    Just to put a couple of other respected food bloggers into the mix, here's a new review by Ben Kopelman at Immaculate Infatuation.
  10. Steve R.
    Well, if you go back mid-May or late June don't be surprised if you wind up starting a conversation with us instead (that is, if the Weinoos bring back more info. for us"¦ wonder if they found any good pizza or Chinese food). We'll be there for 3-5 days each time at the beginning and end of a month long Provence trip.
  11. Steve R.
    We already know we have common ground. My wife & I are big fans of the blueberry & the balsamic steaks we had in Florence last summer at his sister restaurant.
  12. Steve R.
    True enough. By the way, I tend to like Dom's square slices better anyway, but get somewhat protective of him/DiFara's when Katie or others compare what he does to others with different facilities & options. As I said, it's fair game as his prices and accepted notoriety put him in the mix, but its still basically a local place that uses better than usual ingredients and takes more personal care than most others. And I really do think that it tastes better than the others. Also, not sure whether you've been keeping up, but the "new" Franny's is even harder to get into than the old, smaller place. Ate a mid-afternoon lunch at the bar there a week or so ago. Very nice.
  13. Steve R.
    Not sure what you mean. DiFara, like most "neighborhood slice joints" (your phrase), uses a gas oven & sells over the counter pizza, by the slice or pie. Johns on Bleecker, Lombardi's, etc use coal ovens & are sit down places that serve by the pie only, made to order. Granted, they are not the wood fired Neopolitan style that Keste, etc are, but comparing DiFara to Johns or Lombardi's isn't any closer (or farther away) than comparing Johns to Keste.
  14. Steve R.
    But Jonathan, DiFara was #9 and Franny's only #11 in the Eater "38 Essential Pizzerias Across America" list. Seriously though, John's on Bleecker? Not Keste, right across the street?
  15. Steve R.
    It's hard not to be bemused, given the excessive cult-like following that Dom got (& still gets). I've stood there waiting for pizza with other long timers (including Jimmy Smits), chuckling about the situation. I think that even Dom gets a few laughs about the strong opinions he elicits. Here's a little more fuel: (there are pages of DiFara videos on youtube"¦ i like this one). And, by the way, if you're coming, let me know. Nothing like tennis and a pizza.
  16. Steve R.
    You pretty much hit the nail on the head. However, what I do find funny (kinda) is that, for an old skool neighborhood NYC "street slice" pizza place, Dom actually uses better ingredients than just about any other place. Katie, who is very much concerned with sourcing top ingredients and using them to full advantage, didn't see DiFara as just a neighborhood place, using an old gas pizza oven, but judged him compared to the other top shelf places & practices now in existence. People forget that much of Dom's notoriety began in the late '90s, before a million "artisanal" pizza places opened in NYC. Although it was always my favorite "street pizza" (& I still love eating it), even I admit that I can now (& do) get many other pizzas in NYC that taste as good (maybe even better, depending on my mood) from places that have brick ovens, wood or coal fired ovens, ovens manufactured by hand in Italy and with pizzaolas recently immigrated from various areas in Italy or who have studied pizza making. In my own neighborhood, within a 10 minute walk from home, there are 8 well known places with different styles, almost all good (Luzzo's, Table 87, Fascati, Sottocasa, Lucali, Krescendo, Juliana's, & even Grimaldi's) to choose from & another 15 or so unknown local places to explore. It's not that Katie was incorrect about things; after all, with DiFara's prices and accepted notoriety he's put himself into play vs. other top places & the quality of his ingredients should certainly be evaluated. However, like with most street foods, I would think the essence of the question should have been more "how did it taste"? than "is it really high end"? After all, a classic '60s car didn't have automatic windows, a GPS device, button ignition or good gas mileage, but I sure don't mind riding around in one when I get a chance.
  17. Steve R.
    If you talk too much about this stuff, you could get whacked. Much easier to say that I don't remember nothing!
  18. Steve R.
    Il Santino is the Wine Bar (with food as well) next door to Il Santo Bevitore, a place much written about, highly rated & where we had a very nice meal. Same owners. It was pretty crowded every time we passed by, always with locals. The wine in the restaurant was very well priced & they had a very extensive selection, especially in the mid-range, so I assume it will be so in the Wine Bar as well. And the food (small plates) looked good. I'm not sure that they take reservations. Here's a little blurb from one of the local blogs: http://www.florenceuncovered.com/loop/eat-in-florence/il-santino-wine-bar/ Pitta Gola ( http://www.pittigolaecantina.com ), on the other hand, is right across from the Pitti Palace and the outdoor tables are right on the tourist thoroughfare, but very nice & upscale. We didn't go there, as it seemed to be somewhat pretentious (NOTE: we didn't go there"¦ this is just pure impression and may be totally incorrect). They seem to specialize in high end wines & prices were up there (but not prohibitive). It's a 10 minute walk between the 2 places"¦. you could go to both. By the way, Il Santino & Pitti Gola are both just blocks (halfway between the 2 places actually) from the Church of Santo Spirito, which faces a large plaza (Piazza Santo Spirito of course), a hang out for all ages in the evening and full of places to sit and have after dinner drinks or just stroll. Very safe, very colorful. No idea on the closing time question. We're too old to get anywhere past 9:15 or 9:30pm so we never ran into a closing kitchen. My guess is that, on a weekend especially, they'll take you even if you showed at 9:45pm"¦ or 1 minute to 10, for that matter. But that's just a guess.
  19. Steve R.
    We lived in Florence for a month this past summer (no car) and have, during previous trips, driven into Tuscany from Florence. Here are some random thoughts"¦ if you want more specifics on anything, pm me. Florence: Sostanza has great steaks, prepared in the Florentine way; that is, very large, very rare. They also have a nice buttered chicken. And its a mad house on weekends, with them moving you along pretty rapidly. Makes Peter Luger's look tame (hey, I have to throw in one Brooklyn reference/post). You'll be jet lagged when you arrive and you're a stronger person than I am if you can survive staying up for a proper Italian dinner hour (9pm earliest). So, you might want to consider a big lunch on Friday mid afternoon or maybe "happy hour" food (called appertivos there)"¦ plenty of places serving up free or very low cost food when you pay for drinks. Depending on where you're staying, there's a good one in Piazza Sant'Ambrogio in Santa Croce (almost across the street from Cibreo). It's called Cafe Sant'Ambrogio. There's another nice area in the Oltr'arno (across the Arno) in the plaza behind the Santo Spirito church (around the corner from a great down home restaurant called Casalinga -- which I recommend). Either place is a way to sit down around 5:30-7:30pm at an outdoor table and drink/eat and people watch. Central Market is great -- don't get confused and think that the outdoor area (where discount fake Italian leather and other tourist goods are sold) is the market. The market, with its food stalls and produce, is inside the big building. Hint about going to the major museums in Florence: lines are long and you'll waste precious time if you don't get tkts in advance or spend the money for a tour guide (which includes quick entrance). If you decide to break your pasta avoidance, we really liked Cucina del Garga (near the Academia). Tuscany: yes, you should drive around and stop at small cities in Chianti country, as well as Siena. But there are a couple of things that you should know. First, parking for Siena will be outside the old city walls and, therefore, a walk to get in and out of the city. This all takes time and Siena itself is worth taking time for. Great Duomo, nice streets, big open city center square. Like a little Florence. You may not want to plan to do much other than getting to Siena (there are worthwhile Chianti towns between Florence and Siena), seeing Siena & maybe eating & sleeping in Siena one night. Secondly, if you plan to go to wineries, I wouldn't do it "blind""¦ too much uncertainty, as many of the most worthwhile are small and without real signage. It's not like Napa or Sonoma (or the North Fork of Long Island for that matter). Both in Florence and in Siena there are excellent small wine stores that can (& will) make arrangements for you to go to specific wineries that they do business with. If you find the right one, you can talk to them about what type of places you wish to see (small production or larger, white or red specialties, what route you intend to follow, etc -- they may even be able to recommend a agritourism winery with rooms for the night ). One such place in Florence is on Corso di Tintori, just south of Santa Croce & they have a great selection of wines, decent prices and will ship (I can't remember the name of the place). The owner, a youngish guy (late 30s?) is very consumer friendly. In Siena, we noticed several places that would probably do the same. I think this method is way better than arranging with a tour company or just winging it. Also, on one trip, when we went to Umbria, our local wine store guy here in Brooklyn (ok, so I mentioned Bklyn twice) contacted several wineries & made arrangements for us -- but they were larger places with international distribution (like Caprai) & I'd really think you want smaller family run places with local distribution. Have fun. That area is magical.
  20. Steve R.
    I feel your pain. "Paulie" (well, the actor who plays him) is from my Bklyn. neighborhood. I used to watch him & some of the other older guys shoot pool when I snuck in to the local pool hall, located in a basement off Ave. J, 2 blocks from DiFara's pizza. Good type casting.
  21. Steve R.
    Your post raises (at least to me) points that I think are very relevant to our new "foodie" culture (which has its moments but, in general, curls the remaining hairs on my basically bald head). Dividing your note into its 3 parts, my comments: -Absolutely. If the resulting product is not tasty to me, I don't care how many top shelf ingredients have been put into its creation. Or how trained the chef is. However, as I get older, I have to care how many "really bad for me" things go into foods that I do love to eat. With DiFara's, the ingredients that bothered Katie do not, in my opinion, create a bigger danger to my health & I do believe the pizza there tastes better than most. Maybe my opinion on the taste of the pizza is colored by my history with the place; maybe hers is colored by what she saw he was using & how she feels about ingredients. Whatever"¦ one less person on line. -I'd more easily agree with you on this if there weren't so many critics who draw the line way further over from hot dogs, burgers and pizza. I've seen perfectly serious people, with excellent knowledge of the food industry, explain how ridiculous it is to critique entire ethnic cuisines because they were identified (by them) as "lowbrow". Some would even prefer to restrict "highbrow" criticism to preparations using only French technique. Slippery slope -- I'm more forgiving of the debates over "best burger", lest they come for my favorite Chinese foods next. -Yes. But we're not only rationalizing in order to eat our mac 'n cheese, but our refined richly sauced French food as well. Surely it can't be bad for you if each ingredient is carefully selected and prepared using precise technique.
  22. Steve R.
    Well, Jonathan Waxman is still going strong at Barbuto in the W. Village and we go there periodically, especially for the chicken (website) If you have any interest in seeing the skyline from the Brooklyn side of the river (truly a great view), you can walk over the Brooklyn Bridge (or take the A train to the 1st Brooklyn stop: High St) and eat at Henry's End, a great bustling local place in Brooklyn Heights that has a game menu, excellent fish, chicken and duck dishes, and an outstanding domestic wine list. Not usually a destination for those visiting, but when coupled with the fact that Brooklyn is now trendy and it's one block from the Promenade overlooking the skyline (& the new park below it), it may be worth a visit. I'm not impartial here, as I know the owner for 30 years and live 5 blocks away. (website) Back in Manhattan, weinoo can weigh in on dumplings (as I eat mine in the C'town in Flushing Queens)"¦ the one I go to for years is Vanessa's on Eldridge St, but I freely admit that there are probably better. I'll think about more if you need them -- are there any specific types of food or environment that you're looking for? We go out a lot but I hesitate to recommend places that won't be that interesting or might be a little more than you want. eta: by the way, if you do come to Bklyn and want a little tour, feel free to contact me. If we're around, we're friendly & open to spending some time showing off the area.
  23. Steve R.
    It's an interesting piece. Katie Parla (whom I've met) is a very respected blogger based in Rome. And she gets around -- as a matter of fact, she did an event at Paulie Gee's in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with a great pizza maker from Rome this past October or so. She's serious about the sourcing of ingredients &, apparently, did not like DiFara's one bit. Oh well. However, don't, for a minute, think that she doesn't know about Leff. She's been a poster on CH for years. I'm not sure how she wound up not mentioning him in her piece. And, Elizabeth Minchilli also had a blog piece on DiFara's recently (Eliz. is another prominent blogger (& CH contributer) based in Rome who was in NYC this past Xmas). It seems that she and Katie don't agree"¦ not surprising, since their Rome tastes diverge as well. http://www.elizabeth...oklyn-new-york/ For what it's worth, both of them (& Maureen Fant) have helped me & Ginny in our Italy trips but, as with this, I find that my tastes are more similar to Elizabeth's than Katie's. As for DiFara's, I'm not at all objective. I grew up 3-4 blocks from it and have been going there since I was 14 or so (I'm 61 now"¦ do the math). With or without the cult following & all the media attention, I'd be eating pizza there anyway and loving it. True story: my wife bought me Leff's "The Eclectic Gourmet Guide"¦" in '98 saying, "take a look at this"¦ your old pizza place is famous". That's how I wound up on CH 15 years ago.
  24. Steve R.
    Interestingly enough, the folks I was describing as living there were not Asians, brought by "snakeheads" to work and serve. Unbelievably, from what I heard, those places were even worse, but were further downtown (at least at that point) inside Chinatown, part of a very closed community where we were never able to set foot. The men in the Bowery flophouses back then were African American, Hispanic and white, brought there by drug addiction, alcoholism & mental illness. The rest of these blocks were restaurant supply stores, halfway houses (the Salvation Army's Booth House, etc "¦ including the one that Norman Mailer's protege Jack Henry Abbott briefly lived in until he stabbed a waiter around the corner), city run shelters &, of course, bars (no cocktails, just straight shots and beers).
  25. Steve R.
    A couple of questions: are you open to eating stuff that is more "local" than the flavors/cuts that are traditionally found here? Not necessarily things like tripe, etc but not filets and broiled chicken either. If so, here are some interesting places you might want to go to on the non-expensive side of things: Rome: I'll leave it to others to give you the upscale or more traditional Rome places in the major areas of the city. However, there's an area called Testaccio that we really like. Our favorite place there is Perilli, which is low keyed and local, but may not be the best for first time tourists. However, take a look at their website and see. If not, there is a place named Flavio al Velavevodetto that has a great outdoor area and you select your wine by going to their wall and checking out the bottles and prices the way you would in a wine store. Both of these have traditional pastas of the area and are written up by Eliz. Minchilli on her blog http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome.com/page/2/?s=testaccio There are also quite a number of great moderately priced places in the old Jewish area of Rome and a lot of these are in threads on Chowhound's Italy board: http://chowhound.chow.com/boards/58 Florence: we spent a month there last summer and my reviews are on this chowhound thread: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/911705. Remember that dinners in both cities really get going after 8:30pm and most places are busy until 10pm. Florence has a rich tradition of places putting out free food for drinkers during their equivalent of "happy hour" ("appertivos") and there's a neighborhood behind the church of Santo Spirito on the other side of the Arno (Oltr'arno) that has a # of such cafes. There's one in the Santa Croce area as well (Sant Ambroggio). Central Market is great at lunch time. Since I mentioned Eliz. Minchilli (and now I see that goldenticket has as well), I should mention that, in addition to her blog, she does food tours in Rome &, most importantly, has apps called "Florence Eats", "Rome Eats" and I think "Venice Eats" that are incredible bargains at under $5 each and that we used to find some great places. Have fun.
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