Mangia Memoirs has transferred to the Big Apple and our first stop was to The Meatball Shop in Williamsburg.  A restaurant where the meatball is King. Different meat / non-meat varieties, as well as a spectrum of sauces, make this joint a place that all can enjoy.  Meatballs make people happy.

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):  

After a whirlwind week of moving from Miami to NYC (like some real crazy fast shit), Weber and I took a break from the cardboard box graveyard known as our apartment, and ventured to Williamsburg for a St. Patty’s day celebration at the apartment of a friend of a friend (Have we lost you yet?).

Anyways, after knocking back a couple of green beers, meeting some new folks and dealing with the shocked expressions of everyone as we explained  “Oh, we just moved here….Ummm, yea about 3 days ago”, we could use a little comfort food. And what better comfort food than rolled up balls of meat?  Clearly, nothing.  As we walked back to the subway stop, The Meatball Shop lured us in.  I have  a feeling it won’t be the last time we go there!

My personal decor favorites:

1. Meat grinders as wall art = legit
2. Dry-erase menus that let you check the box to build your feast.  Brilliant.
3. T-shirts with a giant cow/bull looking thing that says “We Make Balls” –classy and sassy

Grilling it Up!

Don’t let the sushi name fool ya! – it’s Korean grub!

What is more fun than sitting around a table of fiery flames grilling your own meat?  I mean, seriously….not much. Knowing our love for culinary adventures, Kelvin found Shilla Korean Restaurant that offers a Korean BBQ table that you get to man yourself!

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember): 

Driving our asses to Doral in the rain was well worth it for this meaty treat! Dan and his bf Andrew, Vince, Kelvin and Adam and I went back to our caveman roots, conquered fire and grilled our own meats. So much fun!  (Aside from being worried about cross-contamination of chicken juice into the beef and pork).    Did we mention they have Karaoke with a full band?!?  When we asked our waitress when they have karaoke, her response was “Karaoke? Oh we have Karaoke any time. You want to Karaoke?”.   Dreams really do come true.  Unfortunately, our crew was ill-prepared, but we WILL be back to dominate!

The Verdict:

• 5 out of 5 stars
• FOOD: awesome. We got the Korean BBQ table and a Dolsot Bibimbab (traditional Korean dish).  The meat was seasoned well and our caveman instincts allowed us to cook the meat to perfection.
• SERVICE: our waitress was the bomb.  She was prompt, made great recommendations and had an awesome sense of humor. We loved her.  Wish we took her name, so we could give her a “shout out”.
• AMBIANCE:  has a very laid back, cafe feel.  Not pretentious at all. The decor is Asian themed, but there is sports paraphernalia in the  bathrooms, remnant of probably a former sports bar.  Definitely gave it some character!

Items Ordered: 

The BBQ table is meant to be shared, so we ordered a bunch of meat items and got grilled, forking out meat onto each other’s plates as it was finished.

• Bibimbab: stone pot creation with fresh vegetables, rice, meat and a fried egg on top.  Very delicious and our waitress was kind enough to mix it all together for us table-side.
• Korean BBQ items:
• Daiji Bulgoki: shredded marinated pork
• Bulgoki: shredded marinated beef
• Another Beef Dish which happened to be our favorite!!  I wish we remembered the name.
• Dak Gui: marinated chicken
• Fried Dumplings
• Complimentary Sides – include a lot of veggies, like kimchi, marinated mushrooms, sprouts, broccoli, etc.

1st Course - Tuna Tartare

Quite possibly, our worst restaurant experience in a LONG time. 

If you’ve been reading this food blog, you’ve probably noticed that the overall ratings tend to be pretty “above average”.  Is it because I’m nice… eh maybe.  Is it because I try to find the positive in each dining experience…perhaps.  Is it because I don’t want to ruin a restaurants’ reputation based on my one experience…probably.  For instance,  what if I went on bad night, ordered the wrong thing, or just happened to get the only cranky waitress? No need to have a foul review living on the internet for all eternity, right?   Yes, in most cases…but my friends, this is NOT one of them!

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):

Our pal Irmaliz was celebrating her birthday and her handsome boyfriend, Ignacio, planned a small gathering at a local restaurant on the water, for his beloved.  Very thoughtful and well orchestrated by Iggy.   He even negotiated a group discount and bringing in some of her favorite wine. Irmz was surrounded by close pals and a promising menu of delightful food.  Unfortunately, the menu did not stand up to the good company.  ALLLLL ABOARD!  There is a trainwreck-a coming!

The Verdict:

• 1 out of 5
• FOOD: Tasting Menu specifically – probably the tiniest portions ever.  It was almost comical. After 5 courses, we left hungry. Needed a double-cheese burger from Mickey-D’s.  “A for effort” in terms of creativity, but c’mon… yes, we know what a “tasting menu” is, but it was taken waaay too literally here.  We came to eat.  Sorry chef – food was good, but increase the portions, please!
• SERVICE:  started off bad and got progressively worse.  Remember that “group discount” Iggy organized? Yea, well that took 45 minutes to figure out.
• AMBIANCE:  standard attempt at a luxury Miami restaurant. Probably would have had a different feel if the experience wasn’t so bad.
• Would We Go Back?:  NOOOOOOOOOO

La Chouffe Beer (aka Gnome)

With a name like this, it HAS to be good.

The DRB touts 500 beers from around the planet.  How could you possible contest that? You can’t and that’s why on one perfect summer Saturday evening, Tony, Adam and I decided to venture in to downtown to try it out.

Alisa & Adam

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):

Saturday night is a big night at DRB, but we got lucky.  Ad

am and I “did a lap” around the block, while Tony hopped out and snagged a table.  We sat outside at one of their sidewalk tables, directly across from the Adrienne Arsht Center, which happened to just let out a show.  We were greeted by all of the acrobats of Cirque Eloize.  How amazingly fit those guys were.  Kinda makes you feel like shit, when you are slammin’ a gallon of beer and plate full of sliders!

The Verdict:

• 4 out of 5
• FOOD: The food was surprisingly good. My expectations were pretty low, because it’s a “beer joint”, but we really enjoyed everything we ordered.  They have a very diverse menu to compliment the variety of beers.  It’s nothing hoity toity, but definitely a solid menu.
• SERVICE: despite being completely packed, our server somewhat attentive.  He was nice enough, not over the top oozing with joy, but did what he had to do.  I was expecting a little more assistance with beer selection, since they have…well….500 beers to choose from.
• AMBIANCE: we sat outside and never even saw the inside, so we’re probably not a great judge for ambiance. The sidewalk seats were fine for us, but could be annoying if you weren’t in the mood for a high traffic spot.
  

  Beef Sliders & DWNTWN Miami fries

Items Ordered:

• Volcano Shrimp: they’ve got a little heat on them, but a really great flavor. I’d definitely order this again.
• DWNTWN Miami Fries:  cheese sauce and I don’t get along, but these were still pretty good. I liked the addition of tomato
• Beef sliders: who doesn’t love sliders of any kind? These were flavorful and so yummy, Tony ordered round 2.
• Chicken sliders: the breaded chicken version of the beef sliders and equally as delish.
• La Chouffe (beer): 8% alcohol and served in basically a chalice. Enjoyed.
• Peroni (beer):  Peroni, Peroni, the Italian beer. Tony’s go-to.
• Leffe

Tony & Alisa

Margherita Pizza

Rated #1 Pizza – Cincinnati Magazine!

If you love pizza, Betta’s Italian Oven is a must-visit.  And you don’t just have to take my word on it…they got a very well-deserved award from Cincinnati Magazine – Best Pizza in the Queen City.

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember)

Now…I have a very special place in my heart for this hometown pizzeria.  And in the practice of full-disclosure – I was the first waitress at Betta’s Italian Oven.  Yes, the first waitress. Ask Will, the owner, he’ll vouch for me.

I went to Xavier University, just down the street, and would stop by every few

Will DeLuca, owner

weeks after class (while Willie was still prepping the restaurant to open).  I bugged the living hell out of that poor man, reminding him that I’d love to work there and to call me when the restaurant was ready.  I suppose my persistence paid off, because I was rewarded with a job and access to the best pizza outside of Italy!

Betta’s is the type of Italian restaurant that you WANT to go to.  Family owned. Family operated. Family recipes. Catching a theme?  Yes, FAMILY.  There are even little kiddos running around.  It’s the way a family owned Italian restaurant should be.

Tile Mosaic

I have fond memories of my time working at Bettas –  constantly busting Willie’s chops, listening to the Italian CDs on repeat, laughing with Cheryl (Will’s wife) and sneaking back to kitchen to chat with my girl, Clara (Will’s sister).  I even got my best pal, Tony, a job there as a “pizzaiolo”, where he learned the craft of making amazing wood-fired pizza.  It really is an art-form and Tony will tell you any day of that week, that maneuvering that pizza peel is a GIANT. PAIN. IN. THE. ASS.

My family has come to love this place.  It’s a go-to spot for a relaxing night with good food.  Uncle Joe and Jane had out-of-town guests (their old neighbors that moved to Canada), so decided to have some folks up to Willie’s to enjoy some pizza pie and a few good laughs.

The Verdict

• 5 out of 5
• FOOD: Wood-fired pizzas are what speak to my soul, but they also have a wide variety of Italian favorites like homemade lasagna, Chicken cutlet Milanese and a signature Chicken Filo.  If you go though, you gotta get a pizza, at least to try.
• SERVICE:  this night, our waitress was personable and assertive – 2 things that are nice to haves when trying to herd cats…also known as waiting on the Pitocco family.
• AMBIANCE:  Filled with Italian paraphernalia. Kitsch with class. My favorite is the Betta’s logo woven throughout the restaurant. It’s carved into the back of each chair and I adore the tile mosaic on the pillar.  The logo is inspired by the town from which the DeLuca family is from in Italy – Pietramelara   

Items Ordered:

• Margherita pizza: Perfect in it’s imperfection – the way a good pizza should be. A non-uniform shape, some “burnt” edges and a flavorful crispy crust. The simplicity of the fresh mozzarella cheese and tomato is beautiful.  I order this every time.
• Councilman’s Favorite pizza: Sausage, pepperoni, green olives and onion.  Satisfies those meat cravings, while still allowing the wood-fired char to shine.
• Betta’s Super Sub (baked): Mix of Italian cold cuts and cheese. Can be accompanied by hot relish, Italian dressing, mayo.  Order it the “Pitocco” way, with Betta’s marinara and get it baked.  This was my standard order.

Lobster Pad Thai

A yummy good time at Mr. Yum

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember)

Well, for this “date night”, I think we were looking to get the Senior Citizen Discount, because we definitely got to Mr. Yum for the early bird special.  There was not a single other person beside the staff in the restaurant, when we arrived.  We wanted to hit the new Woody Allen movie “Midnight in Paris” (which we loved), at the Tower Theatre down the street.  By the time we completed our meals, all the “cool kids” had arrived in their swanky attire.  Glad we missed that.

The Verdict:

3.5 out of 5

• FOOD: The menu is fun, the food is perfectly designed – almost too beautiful to eat.   They implemented a modern twist on a lot of classic Asian fare, mostly via the actual dish construction & plating.  Overall, this was effective, but there were a few instances where the “twist” actually interfered with the overall taste of the dish.
• SERVICE: our waitress was very personable, attentive and even went out of her way to find out where they bought their wine glasses.  If you are interested, they are from IKEA  (I was shocked…they looked pretty classy).
• AMBIANCE: very put together. great lighting and attention to detail, but not over the top.

Items Ordered:

• Tuna Tartar: Tuna mixed with Toro sauce topped with Avocado and Cucumber.   This was my favorite thing we ordered.  It was light, fresh and very very flavorful. Adam and I were having a chopstick war over the last few bits of this.  I would definitely order this again.
  

  Tuna Tartar

• Dragon Roll: Tempura Shrimp and Masago topped with Avocado and Eel Sauce.  The plate was beautiful and the tempura shrimp was perfectly battered and crispy.
• Lobster Pad Thai: Crispy Lobster Tail Sautéed Rice Noodles with Scallions, Bean Sprouts covered with Egg.  I enjoyed it over all, but the “deconstructed” way it was presented, kinda messed with the traditional flavor of Pad Thai. For instance, you might not be able to tell from the photo, but the egg is actually the container for the rice noodles.  Pretty cool as far as visual appeal, but I do enjoy the flavor of the egg in Pad Thai and this set up made it kind of difficult.  I’m glad I ordered this though.  It was pretty cool.

Happy Birthday to Tony! This was made with L-O-V-E!

I don’t know if it was like this in your house growing up, but when your birthday rolled around, that meant you got to pick your “Birthday Meal”.  I can tell you my husband’s —pork chops, apple sauce, Mrs. Weber’s famous Mac & Cheese, and baked beans. BAM! And who says I don’t listen!

Well, I’ve also heard Tony’s.  And Tony’s is a pain in the ass.  He always wanted either homemade spaghetti and meatballs (nothing like rolling raw meat for a good 2 hours) OR he wanted stuffed cannelloni (nothing like trying to fill a tubed pasta and having the damn pasta break).

I decided it was worth the hassle for my dear friend, especially since I will be out of town on his actual birthday.

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):

Tony was closing at JCrew and Adam was out of town, so Irmaliz and I decided to have a little girls night in.  I mentioned that I wanted to surprise Tony with a pre-birthday meal and she was down for some fun in prepping it.

I made the spicy marinara before Irmaliz got here, so we could concentrate on making the homemade pasta.  Yes, the old way. We did the infamous dough “well” and used a pasta crank that is older than God. Irmaliz was quite the kneader too.  She even managed to look super fine while grinding the hell out of dough.

It was fun to make everything from scratch.  I’d never made fresh pasta sheets (like lasagna size) before. We usually just make the dough and it turns immediately in to ravioli.  It was pretty scary.  The sheets just kind of undulate in the water, folding and unfolding –almost dancing.  Beautiful.  But beware, when you take those things out, they are hotter than hell, especially when you are trying to get them to lay flat on the paper towels.

Ingredients

• 1 lb cannelloni store bought or homemade
• Spicy Marinara sauce store bought or homemade with addition of red pepper flakes
• 1 lb shredded chicken
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne
• black pepper to taste
• salt to taste
• small container of ricotta cheese
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup parmigiano
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• black pepper to taste
• salt to taste

Directions

1. Have the sauce pre-prepared and simmering.  Take the cooked shredded chicken and add to the simmering sauce, so it soaks up the flavor.
2. If you are making homemade pasta, prep the dough and let it sit for 20-30 minutes.
3. In the meantime, prep your ricotta cheese with the seasoning above. Be sure to mix well.  Let sit for half hour.
4. If making homemade dough, roll out the dough into lasagna style sheets.
5. Strain chicken from the marinara sauce (be sure to reserve the sauce), then add the seasoning above and mix well.
6. If using homemade pasta sheets, cook in boiling water for about 30 seconds or until al dente.  If using, store bought, follow box instructions.
7. Line the pasta sheets out on to damp paper towels and start assembling the cannelloni.
8. Add the spoon full of chicken, followed by ricotta and roll the lasagna sheet 1-2 times to create a tube shape, then cut the tube from the rest of the dough sheet. Place tube into casserole pan seam side down and repeat for remaining.
9. When casserole in filled with tubes, laddle spicy marinara over the top and shred a layer of parmigiano on top.
10. Bake in over 350 for approximately 30 minutes.

The All-American food goes “fancy” and super delicious at Senate

Having been absent from the Cincinnati-scene for over 2 years, it was inspiring to see some of the unique new restaurants that are now available in historical neighborhood of Over-the-Rhine.

Our Mangia Memoirs (what we’ll remember):

Zack, my awesome brother in-law, and I decided to meet for lunch.  The day was absolutely GORGEOUS. Perfect late-summer, early autumn weather…the sun was shining (yes, I’m sure we were in Cincinnati). We popped in to Senate , had a pretty damn awesome meal and then decided, since the day was so perfect to scope out Findlay Market just for fun.

Their menu changes often and they have “daily dogs” so be sure to become a fan of Senate on Facebook for all the latest and greatest.

The Verdict:

• 4.5 out of 5
• FOOD: Everything I put in to my mouth was mischievous, but in a very delicious way.  My only complaint would be that I looked like a damn savage when I was done eating.  The hot dogs are served on these  tiny wooden cutting boards (super cute), but they aren’t very large, so I had Hello Kitty remnants all over the place
• SERVICE: we were greeted with warmth (which is the polar opposite of Miami restaurants, so that was refreshing).  Our waiter was acceptable.  Not overly friendly, but knew his stuff and did a solid job.
• AMBIANCE: exposed brick, no nonsense. chill.  Zack wanted a decorative mirror or something to add a little pizazz.  The place is small, with one row of tables along the wall, with an open kitchen and bar area.

Items Ordered:

• Hello Kitty (hot dog) – all beef frank, with wasabi mayo, crushed wasabi peas, wasabi slaw and slab of smoked bacon.
• It was hot, sexy and delicious.  The combination of all the wasabi toppings definitely cleared out my sinuses, but the sweetness of the slaw helped counter it.  You’ll never hear me complain about too much bacon, but honestly this dog didn’t even need it.  Would have been fine without.  WARNING – it’s messy, like reeeeal messy, so if you are trying to impress that sexy man/woman across the table from you, they better like the look of destruction.
• Lindsay Lohan  - arugula, caramelized onion and bacon.
• Duck Fat Fries – yes and yes please.  Crispy, crunchy, just enough salt and how damn cute do they look in their little frie containers?
• Truffle Fries – double yes and yes please.  If I had to choose to only get one order of fries, I’d get the truffle fries. There is something about the aromatic POW!!! of truffle that really gets me going.

Looking  for a new Happy Hour concoction? Look no further.

Tony’s Lip Smackin’ Mango Basil Bellini

• 1 extra ripe mango
• 1 bottle Prosecco
• 6 basil leaves
• pinch salt
• Cut mango into small, manageable pieces. Place a pinch of salt, along with 4 torn basil leaves and mango into container and muddle to a fine puree.  Pour puree into serving glasses and top with chilled Prosecco. Garnish with basil leaf.

Our “Mangia Memoir” (what we’ll remember)

It’s 4:00p on a Friday. Tony and I both happen to be home.  We sadly look at the mango that Kelvin bought us from a local farmers market and realize we didn’t eat it in time. It’s gone to mush.  But do we fret…NO! When life gives you lemons, errrr….too ripe mangos…make lemonade…I mean…Mango Basil Bellini!  We step outside to our balcony garden, pinch a few basil leaves, turned on some Adele on Pandora and got to work.  We waited for hubby to get home to toast to the weekend!

Southern-style cooking finally hit South Beach at Yardbird

Yardbird Southern Table & Bar just opened on South Beach.  This is something we had long anticipated.  For months, they’d had their storefront windows covered with brown paper — teasing phrases like “Run Chicken Run” and Southern lingo.  Miami can get to be a bore, so seeing something on it’s way that looked “different” than the usual swanky ultra lounge was exciting.

Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):

Tony and I arrived (without a reservation) and waited at the bar until Jillian arrived.  Luckily, we weren’t in any hurry, because we waited well over 2 hours.  Goes to show everyone wants t o be the first to try a new spot!  This little blessing of extra time at the bar allowed us to try out their signature cocktails –one of the highlights of the evening.  Each is rooted in Bourbon…a nice change from the usual “mojito” flare of Miami.

The bartender, Joshua, was super friendly and obviously very “in” to what he does.  You could sense the passion he had for what and how he created the signature drinks on the menu.  He even offered to make us something “off the menu”, something he called “Run Passion Run” (omg, delicious…ask for it!)  Tony and I merrily sipped our cocktails, as our eyes moved from one piece of their Southern decor to the next.  It was like being kids in a candy store.  Every single glass, light fixture, tables-cape was part of their intricately designed creative staging for the restaurant.   Kudos to the peeps that implemented that. All of the attention to detail really created an atmosphere, rather than just decor.

My personal decor favorites:

1. The bar tap handles.  J’adore!  They were rustic items like a fork, knife, hammer, etc.
2. The lightbulbs covered with glass jars
3. The chicken-wire in the storage cabinets by the bar
4. The tiny flip-top glass containers and glasses they used to store their fresh herbs at the bar
5. The canning jars filled with actual fruits and veggies along the walls
6. BONUS – try to find the bathroom… there is no door handle, just a blank wall (see photo)