A giant ravioli you say?

I like to eat. That's a widespread fact. I also like to scour the city for some mouth-watering eats... fact #2. However, there's nothing I like more that to eat a three-course dinner at Chestnut on a Tuesday evening- make it almost every Tuesday evening.

If you know me, you'll also know that I don't really like Restaurant Week. Although I was excited to taste some of the 'best' restaurants' food at an affordable price, I quickly learned that Restaurant Week menus at touted, and otherwise expensive restaurants don't live up to the clout the press builds up around them (not always but often enough). It seems that this event, which was initially created to celebrate food and the social culture surrounding it, is also an excuse to serve up the bad pieces and leftovers of the week. So now, whenever Restaurant Week rolls around, I steer clear.

Chestnut doesn't wait around for Restaurant Week to celebrate food and the loyalty of their customers. Every Tuesday and Wednesday, it offers a prix-fixe menu. And there's no catch. You can choose from any appetizer, any entrée, and any dessert* for a whopping 30 dollars! It is worth every pretty penny if you'll ask me. All the produce, meat, and fish are locally sourced (farm-to-table actually) and everything is prepared with love. How do I know? Well, my neighbor creates the delectable desserts there, and when I have dinner on the back patio, I walk straight through the kitchen! You know a restaurant can only offer great food if they let you walk through the kitchen!

My favorites on the menu include the beet (yellow and red) salad with marcona almonds, the grilled calamari stuffed with quinoa, and the pansoti pasta (giant spinach, ricotta ravioli - my favorite!) with wild greens and mascarpone foam. The menu changes seasonally but these items are around year-round.

*there is sometimes a 5 dollar supplement for 1 to 2 items on the menu.

Chestnut
271 Smith Street (between Sackett and Degraw)
Brooklyn, NY 11201

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My, oh, my... I love PIZZA!

If there's one thing I miss about my hometown in France, it's our small family outings to Pizza Marco, where pizzas are spun thin and covered with fresh and succulent ingredients. When I moved to Boston in 2003, I wasn't that crazy about the pizza. Yes, I did live in 'little Italy' but the crust was always too thick and the cheese too gooey. I enjoy thin crispy crusts, topped with fresh tomatoes, veggies, and yummy yummy cheese (mozzarella di bufala - my favorite!). Upper Crust on Charles Street in Beacon came to be pretty good but the setting lacked Italian flair. I liked Todd English's Figs next door too, but the pizzas were small and a bit pricey I recall.
Now New York -or Brooklyn should I say- is a different pizza universe altogether. I've met people who come from all over the country on extensive pizza tours. I kept my ears open for good pizza joints and started trying a few here and there. Grimaldi's pizza in Dumbo always has a lengthy line of hungry visitors, so I went there to see what all the fuss is about. I wasn't very please that I had waited that long. I didn't think the pizza was that great. I also sampled some pizza at Una Pizza Napoletana, which is now closed. It was delicious, but didn't as many toppings as I would've liked, and is had more crust than tomato and cheese.
Back in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, I tasted some pizza at Fornino. Ah, this was without a doubt the best pie I had had in a while. The chef there grows the toppings in his garden and greenhouse. Can't get much fresher than that! And a wood-burning oven cooks the pizzas just right. I was smitten. However, 2 weeks ago, I met my sister for pizza at a little hole in the wall just a few blocks away from my house called Lucali. The decor is minimalist with a few tables and a wood-burning oven in the back where everyone can see the pizzaiolo at work. The only decorative things are a few plump heirloom tomotoes, elephant garlic, and bouquets of basil adorning the chef's work station.

The smell that permeates the small simple dining room is of ripe tomatoes, chopped garlic, and golden crusts. There are no menus here as the toppings depend on what's in season. One can choose between a calzone or pie and add on toppings to the tomato-mozzarelle-basil base. I went with fresh portobello and garlic. Mmmmm... simply the best pizza I've had in the Northeast thus far.

Buon Apetito!
Lucali - 575 Henry St., Brooklyn, NY 11231 nr. First Pl.
nearest subway: Carroll stop on F-train]
718-858-4086

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