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Apart from being a neighborhood where it's always possible to stumble upon a delicious meal at a sidewalk café, Little Italy is also a vibrant district filled with an old-world atmosphere and sporadic bursts of street life. Little Italy is at its very best in mid-September when the Feast of San Gennaro comes to town. During this celebration, the shrines and relics of this saint are paraded through the streets. Italians started emigrating here as early as the 1800s. Today, fewer than 5,000 Italian-Americans remain. As a result, Little Italy gradually shrank and portions were absorbed by Chinatown. Today, the section of Mulberry St. between Broome and Canal, lined with Italian restaurants popular with tourists, keeps the Little Italy tradition alive. With more than 50 restaurants, there are far too many to credit just one with serving up the best Italian dishes. What follows is a sampling of some of the most exciting features of Little Italy awaiting your discovery.
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Lou DiPalo runs DiPalos, a fourth-generation cheese and specialty-foods shop on Grand Street
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Best Cheese Story
"Before you can understand what makes the cheese so special, you need to know the story of the family," says Lou DiPalo, who runs DiPalo's, a fourth-generation cheese and specialty-foods shop on Grand Street. It is one of New York City's exceptional sources for Italian cheeses -- offering more than 300 varieties. He makes regular trips to Italy to select the store's products. "This is a shop from Italy transported to the United States," he says.
The history of DiPalo's began with Lou's great-grandfather Savino DiPalo, who immigrated to New York from the Basilicata region of southern Italy. In 1910, he opened up an Italian dairy shop - Latteria -- on Mott Street that manufactured ricotta and mozzarella. DiPalo's grandparents later opened up another dairy store in Little Italy and started importing cheese to sell, specializing in varieties from south of Rome, such as provolone. DiPalo's parents and uncle later added salami and prosciutto to the product mix.
Since the fourth generation took over DiPalo's in the '90s, the gourmet shop has offered an assortment of Italian specialties from the country's 20 regions. "We've continued the business," says Lou, who works with his brother, Sal, and sister, Marie, at the current DiPalo's on Grand Street. He is 54 years old and likes to say that he has worked behind the store's counter for 55 years. (His mother stayed at her post at the cash register until shortly before giving birth to him.) DiPalo hopes that his son will want to take his place someday and keep the business in the family.
DiPalo's
206 Grand Street
(212) 226-1033
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José Valerio tap dances, sings, and always shoots out a winning smile to encourage passersby to eat at Fratelli Ristorante
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Best Maitre d
Stroll along Mulberry Street and you will surely hear calls of "Ciao bella," "Mangia, mangia," and "Buona Sera" from maitre d's trying to catch your attention and entice you into their restaurant, or at least tempt you with the menu. By far, the most enthusiastic of the bunch is José Valerio. He tap dances, sings, and always shoots out a winning smile to encourage passersby to eat at Fratelli Ristorante.
Valerio, who hails from the Dominican Republic, began working there as a busboy more than five years ago. When business was slow, Valerio would stand outside giving his predecessor tips on how to get more people inside. "I was born a hustler," Valerio says. One day, his former boss noticed Valerio in action and told him, "You are it!" From then on, Valerio hung up his apron, donned a green suit, and assumed his new post out front.
As a result of his promotion, business boomed at Fratelli's. "They call me number one, because I bring in the most people," he says. Valerio is so good at what he does that his picture can be found on the restaurant's business card. He says it takes his psychic powers, good luck, and intuition to do what he does. And for those diners who happen to ignore his efforts, Valerio said he's no longer bothered by it.
José Valerio at Fratelli Ristorante
115 Mulberry Street
(212) 226-5555
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Enzo Triolo and the plastic chef give Sal's restaurant a thumb's up
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Best Plastic Chef
On the corner of Broome and Mott, passersby will find two plastic chefs, giving their thumbs up with one hand and holding up a menu with the other. Stationed outside of Sal's restaurant for the past five years, these guys are something special to look at. The identical twins each have pretty blue eyes matching the blue stripes on their shirts, a red-and-white polka dot scarf tied around their necks, a puffy white chef's hat, dirty apron, and arched eyebrows.
"They're good because they don't answer back," says Enzo Triolo, who works at the restaurant with his brother Max. When first asked about the story behind the plastic chefs, he jokes that it's what he did to his brother. The Triolos are hoping to find a musical gadget to place inside the chefs so they can sing Italian arias. Enzo and his brother saw the pair of chefs at a store and thought they would be great for business. "Everyone loves them and takes pictures of them," Triolo says. As for increasing sales, he adds, "People go where they see the chefs with their thumbs up."
Sal's
369 Broome Street
(212) 925-0440
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Mulberry Street Bar is the set for many movies
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Best Movie Set
Mulberry Street Bar still shares a lot in common with its predecessor, Mare Chiaro, which was notable for its wise-guy clientele and sketchy decor. This is the same bar where Johnny Depp meets Al Pacino in Donny Brasco. It was also featured in the Pope of Greenwich Village, 9 1/2 Weeks, Godfather III, and several other movies -- not to mention many episodes of the Sopranos. They all came for the old social club feel and Little Italy atmosphere of a place that's been open since 1908.
The bar's name changed with the shift in management about two years ago. But the jukebox still croons with Louis Prima and Frank Sinatra, unless there's a Yankees game on. Karaoke fans flock here Thursday through Saturday nights. And movies in the making will still be drawn to this storied spot in Little Italy to shoot some scenes.
Mulberry Street Bar
176 ½ Mulberry Street
(212) 226-9345
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Odea's conversation dens are the best for a first date
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Best First Date Spot
Enter this candlelit lounge with an amber onyx bar stretching to the back area to find the perfect conversation dens. These are sleek, black leather banquettes screened off from the others with sheer drapes and illuminated by votive candles. The industrial-chic space, designed by New York firm AvroKO, is a mix of high ceilings, exposed wooden beams, and brick walls painted black, softened by old-fashioned touches like vintage gilded mirrors.
The cool under-lit bar offers champagne cocktails, inventive mojitos, and other delicious cocktails. Chef Einat Admony's eclectic menu of snacking dishes, such as foie gras kebab with tahini and dates, are perfect for sharing. Odea opened in August and already has created a buzz in the nighttime scene. The elegantly designed place has been featured in magazine shoots and served as the site for fashion parties and exhibitions. Its name is inspired by Shakespeare's enchanted island of Oda in "The Tempest." Indeed, Odea has magical feel of its own that would be good luck for any first date.
Odea
389 Broome Street
(212) 941-9222
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Lombardi's legendary brick oven a standard temperature of 900 degrees
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Best Crispy Crust
The legendary brick oven at Lombardi's is one of only a few left in New York City heated by coal, and the only one south of Houston Street. While most pizzerias cook and reheat their pies in 500- to 700-degree gas ovens, Lombardi's hits a standard temperature of 900 degrees. The extreme heat, typical of bread-baking rather than pizza-making, reduces cooking time for a pie to as little as three-and-a-half minutes and burns the crust a delicate black, making for a crispy outer shell. "When we found this place, we knew it was right because of the oven," says owner John Brescio.
Along with the tasty crust, the fragrant basil and thick mozzarella toppings also make up Lombardi's pizza, which has been consistently ranked as one of New York's best since 1905. Founded by native Italian Gennaro Lombardi, the shop was originally located at 53½ Spring Street and began as a grocery store. Soon after, its proprietor began to sell bread baked with tomato sauce on top. When he started to add mozzarella and other toppings, he was not only establishing the first licensed U.S. pizzeria, but also setting high expectations for the perfect slice.
Lombardi's
32 Spring Street
(212) 941-7994
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Ferrara's "Holy Cannolis" are made from the original 1892 recipe
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Best Holy Cannoli
For four generations, the Ferrara family has been delighting Little Italy -- and the rest of the country -- with its trademarked "Holy Cannoli," still made according to the original recipe. What makes their Italian pastry so sacred is that the thick cream made of imported Italian ricotta cheese is triple drained, giving it a smooth consistency. The crispy hand-rolled pastry shells are made fresh daily, and the chocolate pieces are imported from Italy. And the chocolate cannolis are hand-dipped in dark sweet chocolate until they're fully coated. Both varieties come in miniature sizes, good for dunking into a steaming cappuccino.
The cannoli, stogliatella, gelati, and more have been made here since 1892, when America's oldest pasticceria was opened by Antonio Ferrara. Over the years, the business has expanded and sells it products to distributors and through a mail-order catalogue. Not sure what to send your uncle in Toledo for the holidays? Try a "Holy Cannoli."
Ferrara Café
195 Grand Street
(212) 266-6150
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The New Yorker" sandwich is chock full of Italian meats
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Best Tourist Sandwich
When tourists come into the Italian Food Center looking for the best Little Italy sandwich, the guys behind the counter serve up the #1 Joey's special sandwich. Dubbed "The New Yorker," this sandwich, served on Italian semolina bread, is chock full of Italian meats, including prosciutto, Genoa salami, and mortadella, and topped with mushrooms, provolone cheese, and roasted peppers -- all for $6.50. But the local secret is that only the mortadella (which is cured with peppers and pistachios) and provolone cheese are imported from Italy -- the other products are manufactured in America.
More than 50 years ago, Joseph Demattia opened this food center, offering up imported Italian foods, homemade mozzarella, and sweet and hot sausages. In 1966, in order to accommodate his growing clientele, Demattia moved to larger quarters diagonally across the street to the store's present location.
Italian Food Center
186 Grand Street
(212) 925-2954
To view a slide show of Little Italy, please click here.
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