Thursday, February 23, 2012

La Palina








While Parm seeks to recreate "old school" " red sauce" Italian, La Palina has been serving it since 1930. A dining room that is packed with big tables and comfortable chairs that look the same since dining here with my family as a child. The spot and it's food is reminicent of other beloved joints like "Carolinas" in Coney Island with good food and great local bread. The bread comes with cold butter and garlic bread. This bread is authentic and delicous and something about cold butter on fresh bread. Good garlic bread with garlic and parsley. Went with baked clams and escarole soup to start. Baked clams were spot on 7 for $8 and so tasty. Escarole soup with al dente escarole was soothing. Best pasta was the simple spaghetti and tomato sauce whose tomato sauce tasted exactly as it had when I was a kid. Full of tomato bits, same great flavor- loved it. Chianti added a little Italian flavor to this classic "old school" joint.
GO!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

La Boulangerie






Authentic French boulangerie where the baguette is warm and crunch outside and soft inside. Owned by a Frenchman, the newish Forest Hills spot brings breads, pastries and some savories to this carb starved hamlet. Prices are reasonable @ $2.50 for a baguette this good and warm. A madeline $1 is lemony and add a little fresh preserves kept at wooden farmhouse table is pretty perfect. Only downside to this spot is lack of a loo. Otherwise.......
MUST GO!