PizzArte – The Beauty of an Artful Pie

During the first blizzard of the year, Dan and I created a mini stay-cation for ourselves in the city.  He had to work and wanted to avoid any kind of commute, so we cashed in our Citi Thank You points and stayed at the Empire Hotel at Lincoln Center just a few steps from Dan’s theater.

In between his shows, we made room for a few culinary adventures, including the one I’m about to describe here at PizzArte.  What a fun stay-cation it was!

Atmosphere:
Located on 55^th Street, between 5^th and 6^th Avenues, PizzArte’s locale certainly doesn’t insinuate coolness, but that’s just why it’s so great – it’s a true diamond in the rough. 

The space is made up of a two-floor cozy restaurant, bar and gallery rolled into one.  The gallery (hence PizzArte’s name) showcases a plethora of interesting works by international artists and the ones we saw happened to be done by Qinza Najm, a Pakistani American artist.  It was fun to be surrounded by abstract art, which put us in the mood to eat something creative, as well.

Food:
Having the foresight to purchase a Gilt City coupon for our dinner, we sort of had our food choices mapped out for us, which consisted of a glass of house wine each, a personal salad, and a shared pizza pie.

Salad – Loving the fact that we can each choose our own personal salad, I was free to indulge in all the beets and goat cheese my heart desired.  Dan went for a classic Caesar salad, which was done beautifully, with the perfect amount of cheese, anchovy paste and really crunchy, airy croutons, which I devoured as well.  Both salads were generous in size and therefore signified great value right off the bat.

Pizza – Although PizzArte boasts many pizza choices, our Gilt City deal enabled us to choose from a slimmer menu, which was A-OK with us.  Deciding to try the Eduardo, the dough was prepared in a unique fashion by first being fried and then baked in their coal oven.  Dan was a bit skeptical at first, but our waiter reassured him that the fry method adds to the lightness and the airiness of the pie.  He was totally right!  In Dan’s words, the pizza had a “zeppolian pizzaarte” quality to it, meaning a hybrid between a zeppole and a pizza.

We both ooohhed and ahhhed and Mmmmmed a lot while eating the Eduardo pie.  The dough was exquisitely light and the toppings of Italian ham (not quite prosciutto), melty mozzarella and ribbons of fresh basil gave it a beautiful earthy yet still luxurious quality.  It’s unlike any pizza I’ve had before, and overall was a total win.

Service and Cost:
Due to the snowstorm factor, the restaurant was pretty low key in terms of clientele, and we loved it this way.  Having our own little escape haven, watching the snow outside and relaxing with a full bodied red vino made it that much more romantic. 

Our waiter was a great guy, and gave us the fabulous suggestion of ordering the Eduardo.  He didn’t steer us wrong once, and seemed to have a lot of knowledge about the menu.

Costs are moderate on the regular menu, with most pies ranging between $18-$23.  While they’re not overly large, the pizza pies are filling and do a great job of satiating you.  Our Gilt City coupon turned out to be an excellent value, setting us back just $30 total for our aforementioned meal.  Go ahead, and snap it up – there’s still time!

3 Mmmms

PizzArte – 69 West 55^th Street, New York, NY 10019

212.247.3936

F Train to 57^th Street

www.pizzarteny.com

Prosciutto, Tomato and Olive Pastalicious

After a relatively healthy week, I couldn't resist a little indulgence by way of pasta.  Flipping through my "rustic eats" Pinterest board, it contains a lot of food porn that I knew I could choose from.  It didn't take me long to decide on this pretty spaghetti, prosciutto, tomato and olive concoction.  

Further exploring the Tartine and Apron Strings blog from which this recipe came, I was impressed by its simple, rustic style.  I had the pasta, the garlic, tomatoes, even the fresh herbs already on hand.  Doing a quick run to the supermarket for other essentials such as white wine, prosciutto and olives, I had everything I needed to begin, not long after.

The sauce for this dish is the best part, as it's incredibly easy and takes only about 15 minutes to prepare.  The only pain is chopping all the onions, garlic and tomatoes, but once you get through that, the recipe is a cinch.  My favorite part is rolling delicate pieces of Prosciutto di Parma on top and then finishing it off with a sprinkling of fresh parsley, which is just to die for.  Dan and I devoured firsts, seconds, and then some.

Prosciutto, Tomato, and Olive Spaghetti recipe, courtesy of Tartine and Apron Strings blog

Prosciutto Wrapped Fig Goodness

Last week, while at my parent's house, I must admit that we pilfered a bit from my neighbor Kim and Ken's garden (Kim and Ken, if you're reading, we thank you!).  Actually, let me rephrase that...my parents were taking care of their garden while they were on vacation and they offered for us to take advantage of their ripening fruits and veggies.  The figs were especially gorgeous and totally ready to eat, so we picked a whole bunch, not yet knowing what we'd do with them.

After some deliberation, as I thought about how to prepare these (I originally wanted to make a fig crostata), I found an easy recipe on the Food Network website for prosciutto wrapped figs.  Not only did they sound absolutely scrumptious, they were also pretty easy to prepare and needed only three simple ingredients including the figs themselves, goat cheese and prosciutto. The rest was left to the oven gods who made this into a warm, decadent and savory creation.  

I brought this to a Labor Day BBQ at my brother and sister-in-laws and they literally disappeared in about 5 minutes.  Even picky eaters couldn't resist.  I hope you won't either.

Prosciutto Wrapped Figs Recipe courtesy of The Food Network

A Fabulous Pit stop at Veslo

Image by Veslo

Just the other day, while on our way to Bear's friends and family party, my cousin Vicky and I stopped at Veslo to have a drink and a much needed snack after what was a long work day.  I suggested Veslo, as it wasn't terribly far from our final destination, and I remembered the sizable bar area that would just suit our needs.  All in all, it was a great place to stop for a casual bite and a refreshing cocktail.  Here's what we had:

Dalmatian Platter - We were looking for something to tide us over before we embarked on a Russian feast, and this was the perfect way to do it.  Consisting of generous slices of very good quality prosciutto, crumbly parmesan cheese and a sampling of green and black olives and pickled peppers, it was just what we needed.  I especially loved wrapping the prosciutto around the cheese, both of which were served slightly chilled, giving them a crisper taste.  The platter size was quite large and although we were both hungry, we just couldn't finish it all.  The portion would've been perfect for about 3 people.

Sangria - I noticed they had a big container of red sangria at the bar and I ordered a tall glass of it.  Loving the fact that it wasn't too sweet, it was packed with generous apple cubes and some citrus fruit too.  I liked that it wasn't too diluted, letting you taste the wine and vermouth inside.

Service and Cost:
Served by the bartender, who was no doubt Croatian, the service was very prompt and efficient, but not that friendly.  Our server was polite and she did absolutely nothing wrong, but I didn't feel any kind of warmth from her - and I couldn't help noticing that she was very friendly to her Croatian patrons.  Oh well, it still wouldn't deter me from coming back.

Costs are affordable, and the generous sized platter of food and a large cup of sangria set me back $14 including tax.  Enjoy it, and try to venture deeper into their menu as well - they have some really neat Dalmatian delicacies.

3 Mmmms

Veslo - 32-11 Broadway, Astoria NY 11106
718.728.0549
N/Q Train to Broadway
www.veslonyc.com