Food Adventuring Around NYC
Brian Hoffman is a classically trained actor who is now a full-time tour guide, blogger, and food obsessive. He leads food and drink tours around New York City, which not only introduce tour-goers to delicious food, but gives them a historical context. He has written food articles for Gothamist and Midtown Lunch in addition to overseeing this blog and a few food video series, including Eat This, Locals Know, and Around the World in One City. His latest series is an international cooking show with his son which can be found on this site.
SADLY, ROSERIO’S AND ROCKET JOE’S EAST ARE BOTH NOW CLOSED. Pizza and beer. Well, probably more accurately, beer and then pizza. There’s nothing better to indulge in after a late night of bar hopping than a greasy slice of NY’s treasured pizza. And I feel like there’s no better neighborhood in Manhattan to experience both …
Even self-proclaimed foodies like myself have been known to make mistakes. They don’t happen often, but most of my mistakes come from ordering food. That’s probably why I’m so neurotic when it comes to choosing an entree. I want to make sure I try the best option on offer. “Live today like it’s your last, …
SADLY, RAY’S PIZZA IS NOW CLOSED. You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension of many pizzerias all claiming to be the original and famous Ray’s. A journey into a wondrous city of entrepreneurs who have no imagination. That’s the red font up ahead and the aroma of cheesy grease – your next stop, the (Pizza) Pie-light …
Unless you inherited one or were grandfathered in, it is illegal to own and use a coal-burning oven. It’s bad for the environment and it’s competition for the likes of Grimaldi’s and Lombardi’s. We don’t want any black lung or broken knee caps. You can imagine whenever a coal-burning pizzeria closes, many budding NY pizzaioli …
According to dictionary.com. “pizza” is defined as: –noun, a flat open-faced baked pie of Italian origin, consisting of a thin layer of bread dough, topped with tomato sauce and cheese, often garnished with anchovies, sausage slices, mushrooms, etc. So there we have it folks, an actual definition of one of our favorite foods. Now, I …
Things are constantly changing in this city. It feels like more so than the rest of the world. There’s always a new fashion, a new restaurant, a new Apple Store, a new cockroach tormenting my roomates. The art and science worlds are two that never seem to stop evolving. Technology is constantly surpassing us to …
According to their website, the owners of Serafina were lost at sea and swore if they ever got rescued, they’d open up an Italian restaurant. Can you imagine Tom Hanks in Cast Away telling Wilson the volleyball that all he wants to do if he is rescued is open up a chain of Red Lobsters? …
It’s the dream of every foodie to discover a secret unexploited gem. Something that people will be talking about and will push the business to the next level. Of course, that and to be a contestant on Supermarket Sweep. (Is that show even still on the air?) I want to announce to the world (wide …
“Here try this slice while you’re waiting.” “You only ordered one slice? Have this one too.” “Since you’ve never been here before, I wanted you to try this.” These are not statements you hear at a New York pizzeria. Free pizza? Generous employees? These would make sense if I was in some Italian grandmother’s dining …
No Slices, no slices!!! Every time I had heard about John’s of Bleecker, this is what I was constantly reminded. Okay, fine, the place doesn’t serve slices. Maybe this was a big deal at one point, but nowadays most of the great pizza places have the same mantra. But for some reason, John’s seems to …
Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I especially love walking around the city and watching all the freaks come out and flaunt themselves. It’s a campy, spooky surreal evening. I’m not one to dress up though – partly because I’ve been an actor for so long, so I only do it when I get …
I am sad to report, at this time, I can not include Totonno’s in my search for the best pizza in the city. Totonno’s might be the second official pizzeria in NY. Anthony “Totonno” Pero was the first master pizziaolo of Lombardi’s. The original Totonno’s opened on Coney Island in 1924 and shut down in …
One of the most fascinating new food trends is the molecular gastronomy movement. Chefs have begun playing with science and chemicals to change our traditional ideas of food. It’s a neat concept. That’s how you get such unexpected flavor combinations as peanut butter vodka and fried mayonnaise. Basically, it’s food magic. Molecular gastronomy, as far …
There are lots of pizza chains all over the city. You’ve got Ray’s, Two Boots, Famiglia. Then many of the big guys have more than one location (John’s, Nick’s, Totonno’s). I’ve already talked about the Patsy’s and Angelo’s empires and Grimaldi’s has spread out onto Long Island and New Jersey. And I’m not even mentioning …
It’s so nice when food brings families together. And I always think of Sunday nights as being family night. Whether I came kicking and screaming to the dinner table (because I was about to beat Mega Man 3) or I was cooking for my parents, Sunday dinner was always family time. I still get that …
SADLY, NAPLES 45 IS NOW CLOSED. If you’re going to announce your authenticity to the world then you better have the authentic product to back it up. And I want what I pay for. If I go to a Journey concert, I want to see Steve Perry, not some second-rate stand-in. And if I go to …
Di Fara is far-a but good-a I did it. I finally made the journey. I trekked out to the mecca of all pizzerias! Di Fara, out in Midwood, Brooklyn is required traveling for anybody who is even attempting to call themselves a NY pizza connoisseur. There is a level of mystery and intrigue to Di …
If I was on Family Feud and the question was “Name A Place with A Bouncer,” I imagine “pizza place” would not be among the top 5 answers on the board. I’d like to think I’d do well with “strip club” or “dive bar”. But if any of those 100 people surveyed had ever waited …
SADLY, FRANNY’S IS NOW CLOSED. A new day is upon us. Who would have thought a few years ago that you could walk into a pizza place and find out where every single ingredient came from and on what farm it was grown? And I’m not even talking about the required San Marzano tomatoes (which are …
When I get pizza, I want it to be made by people who know what they’re doing. I guess that’s obvious, but how many times have you gone into a generic NY pizza joint and the pizza is being cooked by Mexican line cooks or Bengali entrepreneurs? Nothing against those guys, but do you think …