Join Me For Dinner?

Some coworkers and I went out to dinner after work on Tuesday night at an Italian restaurant in Queens. We ordered an antipasto that included (clockwise) prosciutto or salt cured Italian ham, sun dried tomatoes, parmigiano cheese slices, buffalo mozzarella, roasted peppers and grilled mushrooms. My favorite was the parmigiano cheese and proscuitto.

So do you have a favorite Italian dish?

Roasted Corn on the Cob

Roasted corn on the cob is a street fair favorite of mine. At this vendor stand, each piece cost $1.50 and came with two different toppings: melted butter and/or sprinkles of parmigiana cheese. I like mine with parmigiana cheese.

Do you have a street fair favorite?

Cheese Aisle at Grand Central Station Market

This is the cheese aisle at the Grand Central Station market where I like to shop when I'm invited to dinner. Since I don't cook, I usually offer to bring a selection of cheeses and fruits for the host/hostess.

Next to the cheese aisle are the sausages and deli meat section and the bread and dessert section. Last summer, some friends and I stopped by here to get some cheeses, sausages and bread before heading to Bryant Park for an inpromtu picnic. Oh and there is a wine section at the market too.

For me, cheese was an acquired taste. I didn't grow up eating them so I don't like stinky cheeses until I went to France in 1996 where my friend introduced me to them. Since then, I love all kinds of cheeses. My favorites are Greek feta and chèvre (fresh goat cheese).

So what are your favorite cheeses?

Deli @ Little Italy

Little Italy, as the name suggests, is a section of Lower Manhattan where Italian immigrants first settled after arriving in New York City at the turn of the century. Today, the neighborhood has diminished to about half its original size due to the ever expansion of Chinatown, as well as the decrease in the number of new Italian immigrants to the US. Most of the first and second generation Italians who grew up in the area have moved on to other parts of the city or to the suburbs.

What makes Lower Manhattan so interesting is the dynamics of its population over time. Prior to the arrival of Italian immigrants in the 1900s, this area was inhabited mostly by Irish immigrants who came here in the early 1800s. Now, Little Italy is slowly being engulfed by a newer immigrant population, ie. the Chinese.

This photo was taken inside an Italian deli and it shows a big wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese being cut up into smaller pieces. The yellow cubes of cheese on the right are Pecorino Romano and you can see someone walking by with a tray of freshly made canolis.