Uniquely great shops in NYC

[Simon]

Thank you, everyone, for the wealth of suggestions!  So much to explore here

[Sneakeater]

[mispost]

Edited February 20, 2024 by Sneakeater

[MitchW]

On 1/24/2024 at 5:50 PM, small h said:

Di Palo's

I was quite low on Parmigiano, and went to my favorite place specifically to restock.

They usually have 2 varieties, as they did last week.  One was a winter, younger cheese, not quite as crumbly as many are used to; it was delicious.  He also had on offer Vacche Rosse, 24-month cheese, produced with the milk from a heritage breed of red cow (and quite delicious as well).  

Interestingly, he had priced both the same - I even questioned the pricing, thinking maybe they'd made a mistake, but they had not. 

They were both under $25/lb. The vacche rosse is like a loss leader.

 

[small h]

Okay, I need to get over there. I need mozzarella, at the very least.

[Simon]

On 1/24/2024 at 10:12 PM, Orik said:

The Japanese fish counter @ Wegman's. Use it while it lasts, these are some terrific fish at very fair prices. 

The chidai (crimson sea bream) I got today from Wegman's was outstanding.

[small h]

I just had some fantastic madai sashimi at Japan Village. Must be the season.

Edited March 14, 2024 by small h

[MitchW]

I posted the La Boîte purchase I made over on the mail order topic, but I guess he also has a tiny brick and mortar shop?

[bloviatrix]

1 hour ago, MitchW said:

I posted the La Boîte purchase I made over on the mail order topic, but I guess he also has a tiny brick and mortar shop?

He does. It's on 11th Ave opposite DeWitt Clinton park. I've been several times. It's nice because you can sniff sample blends.

[Wilfrid]

Worth knowing, thank you.

[relbbaddoof]

Living within walking distance of spice shops is not the blessing it may seem, speaking as one who can walk to the excellent Curio Spices from his cosmopolitan Cambridge pad, and to La Boîte from his country pad in Hell's Kitchen. You may walk to these shops and sniff, but every sniff leads to a buy. Quickly reaching into my cabinets (and not even their innermost recesses) I find the never-opened:

among others. Then the opened once or twice for a pinch: 

and then the more-often used:

The Lucknow Fennel, as you can see, has flown too close to the sun of my gas flame.

Edited July 20, 2024 by relbbaddoof

[StephanieL]

We briefly had an outpost of Oaktown Spice Shop right near us.  Now we have to drive to Oakland or head over to Menlo Park to the Penzey's store.

[MitchW]

Probably a few people here who know what this is...

The first time I had one of these, a friend had brought me a six-pack, on her visit from London.  Then, I'm walking around the neighborhood, and spot this place on Broome Street!

https://shieurasia.com/

It was in another (unknown to me) location previously, and now practically around the corner!

[small h]

Pretty sure it was on Orchard.

[relbbaddoof]

On 3/4/2024 at 2:41 PM, small h said:

Okay, I need to get over there. I need mozzarella

Don't rush. Six years ago it was possible to get mozz there so fresh that milk dripped down your chin. I've had such in the past. No more.

I was there last week after a 6+ year hiatus, and the only mozzarella on view were huge ovoids wrapped in plastic. I asked for fresh. I was told those were fresh. I asked for ones made today. I was told those were made today. I asked for a ball in brine. They produced another ovoid from the back. I asked where the brine was. They said, wait a minute, then returned with the same ovoid in a plastic container with liquid. At this point one of the owners got worried and hurried over. He said "You better put salt in it because there ain't no salt, because it's fresh."

How the mighty fall.

I also got a bunch of salamis and their relatives. I usually avoid truffled anything, but their truffled ham had whole truffles embedded in it and was quite good. So was their silky mortadella. The spicy soprassata could have been spicier, but the finocchiona was nicely fennely.

I then turned to the favorite cheese of my wife's clan. Provolone. It's a cheese much maligned in cheese circles (I believe Jenkins called it oily and unpleasant) but I stand with them on this one issue (and, just one). Where is the tongue-tickly provolone of the past, almost as if infused with red pepper? This one was sharp and fine but without challenge.

I will possibly post the rest of my cheeses elsewhere -- is there a cheese thread?

But, to switch back to salami., Il Buco Alimentaria is turning out some great stuff right now. I went there last week after Di Palo's. They were out of their testa ("head cheese"ish for those of the masses who follow this), but had a pig in for this week and testa to follow in two. Line up. It's worth it.

Alidoro (multiple locations as the NYT likes to say) has very good, if non-standard, hot soprassata.

[relbbaddoof]

1 minute ago, relbbaddoof said:

I stand with them on this one issue (and, just one).

I didn't when I had to circle from group to group of these "people" as they were talking of -- switching to allegory now, not fact -- a fantasy scenario when (WHEN mind you not IF) their beloved orange chimpanzee "returns manufacturing to America".

But, I plied them with food and drink (a case shipped from Chambers) and held my tongue. I had to to.

[small h]

12 minutes ago, relbbaddoof said:

the only mozzarella on view were huge ovoids wrapped in plastic

That has always been the case. I've been going to DiPalo's for 20+ years, and they've never served mozzarella in a brine-filled pint container. I can't think of many places that do - not Russo's, nor Raffetto's (I was just there). Formaggio Essex might, or I'm thinking of the burrata.

[relbbaddoof]

7 minutes ago, small h said:

I've been going to DiPalo's for 20+ years

Wrong days? I've had fresher Mozz there.

[relbbaddoof]

Speaking of mozz dripping with milk  (I confess, I never thought of *that* as an essential till this discussion), outside Italy the only place I've had it is in farmers's markets in the US where, yes, it has come in plastic wrapped ovoids, and, yes, it has been milky on opening. The Di Palo's version was not up to that standard.

At Il Buco they had similarly wrapped ovoids. I asked if they were fresh. They said "yes". I asked when they were made. They said, honestly, 2-3 days ago.

[MitchW]

Formaggio Essex carries a fair amount of salumis from Fra' Mani (and others).  Mortadella from California and Italy.    And a couple of really nice mozzarellas.

I never have any problem with the (admittedly few) cheeses I buy from Di Palos, most of which are used for grating.

 

[small h]

1 hour ago, relbbaddoof said:

 I've had fresher Mozz there.

That may be, but you're wrong about the brine thing. Note multiple images of wrapped mozz. And zero images of mozz in brine. 

[relbbaddoof]

2 hours ago, MitchW said:

Formaggio

Ah, they. Back in the day (1980s, Cambridge) they carried vats of local Mozz. There was also a local buffalo operation and they carried their stuff for a while. No more.

 

 

[Anthony Bonner]

It's not actually milk that comes out of the mozz. It's butterfat getting washed out of the curd 

[StephanieL]

21 hours ago, relbbaddoof said:

Speaking of mozz dripping with milk  (I confess, I never thought of *that* as an essential till this discussion), outside Italy the only place I've had it is in farmers's markets in the US where, yes, it has come in plastic wrapped ovoids, and, yes, it has been milky on opening. The Di Palo's version was not up to that standard.

At Il Buco they had similarly wrapped ovoids. I asked if they were fresh. They said "yes". I asked when they were made. They said, honestly, 2-3 days ago.

Years ago, I went on a food walking tour of East Williamsburg, and one of their stops was Tedone Latticini, where Georgie Tedone DiPalma, the "Mozzarella Lady", had been making mozzarella at her family's store for literally decades.  She made some right in front of us, and she advised/warned us that we'd have to eat it that day or it wouldn't be good anymore.  She's long since passed away.

Edited June 5 by StephanieL

[backyardchef]

4 hours ago, StephanieL said:

Years ago, I went on a food walking tour of East Williamsburg, and one of their stops was Tedone Latticini, where Georgie Tedone DiPalma, the "Mozzarella Lady", had been making mozzarella at her family's store for literally decades.  She made some right in front of us, and she advised/warned us that we'd have to eat it that day or it wouldn't be good anymore.  She's long since passed away.

In the mid 90s and early naughts I lived nearby her shop and went frequently. She definitely gave that advice to me and many others. She also told me that she used cardboard to make her smoked Mozzarella. It was delicious and I never believed her. 

Edited June 5 by backyardchef