Dining in Little Italy

[weinoo]

The easy answer is "no" & weinoo is correct -- dont eat in Little Italy. But there are kitchens there that have chefs in them & I'm sure that, if you know someone or have been in the area for 30 or more years, you could bring your family there & have a great time & eat well. However, the entire area is not set up for this and their focus is on the tourist trade, getting the most out of the appearance of genuine Italian culture without any content. Almost 100% of the time you'll get overcooked pasta, big batch sauces, made from canned ingredients, and poor cuts of meats at as much $$ as they think they can extract. These places are, by & large, the equivalent of buying that cheap bag or watch down the block on Canal St. You wind up with a Roll-ex, not a Rolex.

 

It is possible, however, to buy good product; for instance, I find it hard to top the Italian cheeses and other stuff they sell at DiPalo's.  There's also Alleva Dairy, right down the block. And sometimes I'll sneak around to Parisi Bakery (on Mott, in what used to also be Little Italy), and buy a loaf or two of real old-time NYC Italian bread for $2.50 - not too crusty and nice and soft in the middle.  Perfect for the reasonably priced sandwiches they also sell.

The downside, for now and the next few years at least, is that Grand St. is torn up like nobody's business, as the water and sewer lines are being replaced.  It's a mess.

And for $10, those Roll-exes can't be beat.

[Steve R.]

Twenty-something years ago, I bought Ginny a street Movado, which many other Execs in her company complemented her on & which lasted ten years before the gold paint started rubbing off. yes, it still told the correct time & yes I told her it was a $20 fake when I gave it to her. Our joke.

[DaveO]

The downside, for now and the next few years at least, is that Grand St. is torn up like nobody's business, as the water and sewer lines are being replaced.  It's a mess.

And for $10, those Roll-exes can't be beat.

Damn.   That family business,which started with immigrants including my grandfather and some of his relatives was located on Grand Street.  It lasted for decades.   I was there a lot in my teens and 20's and got to dine in Little Italy and Chinatown a lot, along with the neighborhood delis.

But that was decades ago.

How sad.   Now a tourist trap.   Too bad.  Of course if you can get a knock off roll-exe that looks great and works for a long time....hey that is damn good!!!!!

If there are still good bakeries or delis there, though that is a plus!!!!

[weinoo]

Damn.   That family business,which started with immigrants including my grandfather and some of his relatives was located on Grand Street.  It lasted for decades.   I was there a lot in my teens and 20's and got to dine in Little Italy and Chinatown a lot, along with the neighborhood delis.

But that was decades ago.

How sad.   Now a tourist trap.   Too bad.  Of course if you can get a knock off roll-exe that looks great and works for a long time....hey that is damn good!!!!!

If there are still good bakeries or delis there, though that is a plus!!!!

There are indeed.