A paradise of pizza and pasta at Meals Community’s NYC Wine & Meals Pageant

The New York Metropolis Wine & Meals Pageant hosted by Meals Community took diners on a tour of town’s finest Italian institutions with their Peroni’s Style of Italy occasion, hosted by Iron Chef Alex Guarnaschelli and chef Gabriele Bertaccini. 

Dozens of tents lined up towards the Hudson River supplied a myriad of pasta dishes, antipasti, pizza, cannoli, tiramisu and extra whereas friends walked via the pier sampling every merchandise, voting token in hand. On the finish of the night time, the restaurant with probably the most tokens would win the Peroni’s Individuals’s Alternative award — and a prize of $2,500.

I used to be fortunate sufficient to strive almost all the things on the three-hour-long occasion, strolling between the tents and the large soundstage blasting music all through the pier. It was robust to select only one dish from the a number of top-tier choices, however ultimately my token went to Portale’s truffle and mushroom arancini. 

Nonetheless, if I may return and stroll the occasion with 4 extra tokens, there are a couple of locations I do know for a reality I’d vote for. Subsequent time you’re craving some genuine Italian bites, listed here are the perfect of the perfect from Peroni’s Style of Italy.

Greatest chunk: Portale Restaurant’s arancini

126 W. 18th St., New York, NY 10011

Portale Restaurant, a up to date eatery in Chelsea, served up probably the most creamy, well-balanced arancini I’ve ever had. Based by namesake and government chef Alfred Portale, the restaurant affords dishes impressed by Italy’s seasonal method to cooking. The menu focuses on contemporary market meat and greens, together with dishes starting from each area of Italy.

The arancini — an appetizer of breadcrumb-coated fried risotto — was flavored with wild mushrooms and topped with a truffle aioli. The feel of the arancini is what gained me over; the risotto was completely cooked to be creamy however not stodgy, which is a tough factor to grasp. The crispy breadcrumb coating supplied the right distinction to the risotto filling, and the small measurement of the arancini meant they have been crunchy with out being oily. I used to be a bit apprehensive in regards to the truffle-mushroom filling, nevertheless it hit the perfect stability of being punchy and earthy with out being perfumey — making these arancini win my token.

Greatest pasta: Violette’s Cellar’s shrimp and lobster cappellacci

2271 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10306

A really shut contender for my token, and the winner of our WSN’s Digital Director Kevin’s, Violette’s Cellar’s shrimp and lobster scampi was an explosion of taste. Situated in Staten Island, the get together venue and restaurant is a part of a household of 5 eating places and bars serving quite a lot of cuisines from Italian to Mexican.

Cappellacci is a sort of stuffed pasta folded within the form of a hat, and it was the perfect vessel for the sunshine seafood filling. The primary chunk I took was a burst of lemon, adopted by the ethereal seafood style of the lobster and saltiness from the capers. The pasta had sufficient integrity to carry the filling collectively however was delicate sufficient that it melted in my mouth. It was a superb resolution to function such a lightweight dish as a result of it contrasted the heavier meaty pastas and completely matched the waterside venue. The remainder of the attendees agreed with Kevin as a result of this cappellacci gained the Peroni’s Individuals’s Alternative award on the finish of the night time.

Greatest pizza: Fornino’s wood-fired truffle and mushroom pizza

A number of Brooklyn areas

Fornino, a wood-fired pizza joint with three areas in Brooklyn, served their signature charred pizzas all night time lengthy. Whereas there have been a number of different pizza locations on the pageant, a number of of the opposite slices have been too doughy or flimsy. Fornino’s truffle and mushroom pizza supplied the right stability between a slice that packed a punch and nonetheless held up below the entire toppings.

I had the identical concern with this pizza that I did with the arancini, however the truffle didn’t overpower the slice. The creaminess and slight spice balanced every out completely and created flavors that lasted for a number of minutes after I took my final chunk. I’m somebody who’s choosy about pizza crust — as somebody who considers it an important a part of the pizza, I used to be extraordinarily glad with the crunch of the crust and the charring from the wood-fired oven.

Greatest dessert: Settepani Bakery’s nutella panettone

196 Lenox Ave., Harlem, NY 10026 & 602 Lorimer St., Brooklyn, NY 11211

Situated in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Settepani Bakery has been a part of the neighborhood since 1992. One in every of their specialties is their panettone — a sort of Italian sweetbread that may be a combine between fruit cake and bread. Though it’s sometimes served through the vacation season, Settepani serves their panettone year-round — and with good purpose.

It’s laborious to explain how lovely the primary chunk of the Nutella panettone was. The pillowy cake mixed with the Nutella and espresso made it extraordinarily wealthy. Nonetheless, the inclusion of a copious quantity of whipped cream — a stable half the peak of all the slice — balanced out the heaviness from all of the chocolate, making it a heavenly dessert.

Greatest story: Nonna Dora’s orecchiette in rabbit ragu 

606 2nd Ave., New York, NY 10016

I used to be positively a bit apprehensive to strive rabbit for the primary time, however Nonna Dora’s story made me extraordinarily curious. An skilled in Puglia-style pasta incomes herself the nickname “The Pasta Machine,” Nonna Dora herself sat on the entrance of the station, hand-cutting and rolling each particular person piece of pasta that made it to our plates.

The pasta was then tossed in a spiced tomato ragu sauce with shredded rabbit. The meat was just like hen, however barely gamier, and the sauce had an incredible mixture of spice and basil. I appreciated watching the group make each portion of pasta individually in a pan as an alternative of in giant batches — it added a pleasant private contact to the dish, a giant theme on the restaurant itself.

Contact Naisha Roy at [email protected].