The place used to serve american dishes.  It serves authentic Indian food.  It is inexpensive and is really good for 12 bucks for all you can eat buffet.  It is very simple but the food is not entirely fresh.  It is fresh only if they make it and eat it after its out.  The place is a definite go to place for the first time.

I was very happy we went to Maharaja Sweets because I had planned on visiting this Indian dessert shop. I am familiar with Indian food and I love their desserts. I didn’t like the ones we tried on the tour that much but I went back after class and picked different ones. I loved all of them. Most Indian sweets contain spices such as cardamom, curry, and anise. They are often made with nuts and condensed milk.

The “donut” on top left is pretty much a soft donut soaked in syrup. The square next to it has a texture resembling baklava – it sheds thin layers when you take a bite. The almond-topped piece is a traditional Indian cookie that I believe is made of chickpea flour, nuts, and spices. The last piece is a soft mixture of nuts with condensed milk.

One of the stop we made last week in the Lower East Side of Manhattan was Lombardi’s Pizza which is located at 32 Spring Street. It first opens its doors as a pizzeria in 1905 but what you may not know is that it started of as a grocery store in 1897. The grocery store was located at 53 1/2 Spring Street and began selling tomato pies for lunch to feed local factory workers. When they acquired a licence to sell pizza, they became a pizzeria and a loyal clientele followed. in 1984, Lombardi’s closed its doors but reopened at its current location 10 years later. Today it holds the title in the Pizza Hall of Fame as the worlds first Pizzeria in the United States and has been reviewed as “The best pizza On the Planet”. Unfortunately we were not able to sample the pizza Lombardi’s had to offer during our tour last week but based on reviews and some friends i know that went there to eat, the pizza does in fact live up to the hype.

As far as New York Pizza vs. Pizza from Italy, they are in fact very different from one another. New York Pizza is know for having a very thin Crust with Sauce, Cheese and if you want, a various choice of toppings ranging from Pepperoni to Pineapples. Italian pizza on the other hand is very different, it is actually know for having a thicker, bread-like crust. In fact, when the Italians first came to the U.S. the pizza they introduced did not have tomato sauce at all, it was just dough, herbs, garlic, cheese and oil. It more closely resembled what we know today as Foccacia. It became popular because it was easy to make, cheap and it could feed a lot of people which is exactly what the Italians needed, living in the LES. Eventually people started experimenting with adding sauce and toppings and it evolved into what we know today.

It is located at  2 Rivington St, New York, NY 10002.  The ice cream parlor was very interesting.  The place has interesting flavors that is not normal.  The Dorian banana ice cream was very different then old and ordinary ice cream.  The ice cream tasted very vulgar in like a onion taste then it has a little sweet taste of sweetness to it.  The pricing of the ice cream is not to expensive and the parlor is clean and looks like its a old style ice cream shop.  I overall like the place and I would go back if i have time.

Di Palo’s

I decided to write my post on Lou because I admired his stories and enthusiasm about his fifth generation ownership of Di Palo. I learned a lot from what he told the class about how his business came about. Also, it is great to hear about family helping one another. It’s rare to see family help each other without getting greedy, especially in my experience. Culinary tourism is expanding diversely and it will continue to grow as fast it can soar. Di Palo’s mission is great and their products are authentic and cheeses are made in-house.

He will have his own book coming this fall too about his family’s storied establishment and a guide to the most beloved elements in his cuisine.