There is always something about Italian food that makes it a complete dining experience wherever you are in the world. Beyond Italian pasta and pizza, Italian food has proven itself to be a universal language of food because in just about every corner of the world, there is that quaint little Italian restaurant that adds life to the community's local cuisine. The love for Italian food simply transcends race, nation and borders.
More than a hundred years ago, immigrants from the culturally rich country of Italy came to the shores of America in search of better opportunities. They brought with them traditional family recipes from generations past, and cooked their way to many homes and restaurants in the country, slowly creating a niche for Italian cuisine among the populace.
It was not long before the first Italian restaurant was established in New York in the year 1906. Owned by Sebastiano Maioglio, the Barbetto is an important historical landmark in New York because it is the first and oldest Italian restaurant in New York. It was the first restaurant officially declared as a Historic Establishment in America. It is still owned today by the Maioglio family, particularly his daughter Laura Maioglio.
Today, New York city has been host to the world's most number of various Italian restaurants. Italian pizza was undoubtedly the precursor to the evolving Italian cuisine in New York City, but there is more to it.
Among these are the Sicilian's own version of their pizza, and the chickpea-fritter sandwich that is one of the usual fare in most Italian restaurants. There's the famed vintage Italian wine bars that serves as a welcome alternative to other pricier joints. More Italian delicacies found its way to New York with the trattoria, which came from various parts in and around Italy. And of course, who would ever forget Italian spaghetti? And of course, the ultimate dining experience is not complete without tasting yet-another Italian-born specialty, the great wines of Piemonte.
Italian food offers one of the more diverse cuisines, so it is no wonder why new Italian restaurants keep sprouting up all over the city. A quick look of local menus would show that a plethora of fine Italian food from the Italian region and its adjacent places. One would find culinary delights that are as varied as alla parmigiana, lemon fried chicken, spare ribs, salmon crudi, and other Italian fare. New York probably has the most concentration of Italian restaurants in the country. A day's stay or more in New York will not be complete without exploring its amazing Italian restaurant scene. So whenever you are in the city, be sure to have a healthy appetite, make room for food trips, and a good dining information guide.
Pizza and similar creations are common throughout Italy, and a number of streets claim the honor of having made up pizza in the first place. Not that pizza's invention could ever be verified - the vision of slipping a flattened disk of dough graced with a topping into a hot oven and cooking it promptly is surprisingly childlike and many people must have come up with it independently.
When old world adventurers became familiar to the New World, they were introduced to tomatoes, which they then shipped back to their home cities. The Italians needed something a little different to add to their bread-filled diet. The majority of the population of Naples, Italy was the initial to lay tomatoes along bread. Some of the older folks didn't want to employ tomatoes at 1st because they assumed this delicious red fruit was venomous, but as the time passed it became a definitive part
However, modern pizza has been attributed to American Italian Rafaela Esposito of Naples. In 1888, Esposito who owned a restaurant called the Pizzeria Petri baked what he called "pizza" in particular for the visit of Italian King Umberto I and Queen Marguerite. The 1st pizza restaurant in North America was opened in 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi at 53 1/3 Spring Street in New York City.
What are the Features of Hand Tossed New York Pizza?
One of the features of the New York style pizza that truly does establishes it apart from other kinds is the manner in which it is served. The average New York style pizza is served by offering the diner a very large slice. In fact, often the slice is so wide that the New York style pizza eater will fold the spectacular, slim portion of pizza pie over producing something of a pizza sandwich.
There are a great number of other flavorful foods on the menu in a pizza restaurant pizzeria restaurant other than pizza. Calzones and veal cutlet hero sandwiches are a good example of this kid items. Some pizza restaurants are also having more exotic toppings such as Cajun chicken and artichoke hearts. Variety sound to be the name of the game. There are even surprising number delis that have set out to offer pizza to their customers. There is also plenty of more imported style of pizza that is becoming more and more visible like Japanese pizza and pizza by the inch. These pizzas appear to deliver more especial topping on top of the different version of the dough that is visible
Some of the great New York City pizza restaurants
La Villa 1330 Broadway, 10001, 212- 714-2118
Shalom Pizza 359 Grand St, 10002, 212- 598-4178
Famous Original Ray's Pizza 319 E 6th St, 10003, 212- 645-8404
Pizza Italia 11 Stone St, 10004, 212- 514-7770
West Village Pizza Inc 82 W 12th St, 10011, 212- 691-6787
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