I missed the Jackson Heights tour with the class but I went on my own to Dera’s Restaurant and bought 5 little desserts for $5. On first impression, the smell of the food was great and it was getting busy for dinner service. I went to the dessert section and pick 5 random desserts that I have no idea what they are called. I came home and tried all of them and honestly did not like any of them, except the brown one which tasted a little like coconut and nuts.the green one tasted like milk and mint, the one that is shaped like a ball tasted like oil, and the rest tasted like milk and nothing else. I was not impressed with the desserts, but that is just me. I think I will go back just to taste the food.

I was excited to go on this tour more than any of the other tours. This was because I grew up in the Lower East Side which is close to Little-italy/ chinatown. If i can be honest i truly never dwelled or explored Little Italy/china town as i should have. This tour would give me the opportunity to do so. We visited Lombardi’s for some fresh Italian margarita pizza which put all other $1 pizza to shame. Next we visited the infamous Umberto’s clam house which was were mobster Joseph Gallo was gunned down by fellow mobsters. Lastly we visited chinatown to explore its rich history and visited its famous supermarket.

The Flatiron district is mostly known for the famous Flatiron building. Flatiron gets its named from the triangular building which looks like an old school Flatiron. Besides the building Flatiron can also be known for their food selections. On our trip to the Flatiron district we visited Maison  Kayser, Eataly, and union square food market. I don’t think the area had a specific nationality but more of an influx of all different cultures but also with an upscale feel. Maison Kayser had a lot of French Pastries as the store was originally from France. Eataly which is a heavily Italian food market contains a little of everything from produce, dairy, meat, spices, and sauces.

Dera Restaurant and Sweets

7209 Broadway

Jackson Heights, NY 11372

During a trip in Jackson Heights, Queens. We made a last stop at a restaurant called Dera. 

Dera is a Pakistani restaurant that offers home style cooked foods and a caseline of sweet treats. There weren’t many customers at the time; perhaps they were  opening for lunch. Inside the restaurant had an oldish atmosphere with wooden tables and chairs and looked very authentic based on the staff that worked there and the customers they served. They were all of Indian decent and watched a soccer game while dining on their meals. 

There was a display of different foods and an assortment of treats such as fudge, haleva, gulab jamun, barfi, jalebi and ras malai. I did have an opportunity to sample some of the sweets, which included jalebi, gulab jamun, barfi and ras malai. I didn’t like the jalebi because it was sugarless with an unpleasant taste of oil. The barfi which is a dense milk based fudge had somewhat of a peach like flavor, but not too sweet and the ras malai pretty much tasted like a cake soaked in milk. 

Overall, it was a decent experience and I can say I got to try it. 

The Patel Brothers grocery store was very authentic to me. They had fruits and vegetables ive never seen before which made me take my phone out and google them. Towards the back of the store the wall was covered in spices most of them iv’e also never heard of or they were just called something different but once I translated them I kind of knew what they were.  Finding things that I never seen or heard of was easy. I believe out of all the grocery stores we went to this semester this was the most authentic one. The labels on all the products seemed like they received all the items from India itself. I don’t believe I found that many items that we can get in any American grocery store. One interesting thing I found was something called Ghee or what we call clarified butter. It stood out to me because they were on large glass jars and had a weird yellowish color to it. Iv’e cooked with clarified butter before but never seen them sold like that. I learned that ghee is used a lot in Indian cooking. Over all I enjoyed the grocery store.

ocal spot for Manhattan’s residents., we are able to visit various locations and we were fortunate to learn a lot about Italian cuisine . Di Palo’S was a great experience of a local spot which is distinguished to a specific area and specific nationality. This store is specializing in Italian meats and cheeses. In order to get some fresh “HOMEMADE” sausages or mozzarella cheese, you have to spend good 15 to 20 minutes in line, and < in my opinion, it will worth it. As for me, I loved their variety of cheeses and homemade meats. the only downside, is a wait time.

Di Palo’s
200 Grand St
New York, NY 10013
Mulberry St & Mott St
Little Italy

Di Palo’s is the one stop store for all your authentic Italian goodies in Little Italy. From fresh cheese, to curated meat, to all the dry pasta shapes you can think of, Di Palo is there for you! This is not just any Italian specialty store, Di Palo has been a family business for over a hundred years. All the products in the store are imports. On a lucky day you may be able to find some space to peruse around, but most likely the small shop will be packed with locals and tourists. Next door to the specialty shop is their own wine shop. With a large selection of Italian wines with prices that range from very affordable, to something incredibly fancy for a special occasion, the man behind the counter, Sam, will be able to guide you to the perfect bottle. Both store fronts were impressive in terms of their authentic product selections, but the wine store was exceptional in their service and selection.

I think the concept of  Lombardi’s being the first pizzeria in America is great.This place has a lot of history being right in the middle of little Italy.  While i was sitting there waiting for the class to arrive i noticed a lot of tourist looking for the pizzeria and taking pictures in front of the pizzeria. With that said, being born and raised in New York Lombardi’s is not a place where i would recommended the best pizza in NYC is. i feel as if you want the experience of going to America’s first pizzeria than this is where you need to go, but for taste wise it is not.  it was very cool that they still use the traditional coal oven. The thinness of the crust was just right but to me the crust had a salty taste to it. The tomato sauce had a bit of sweetness to it that was kind of over baring. On a good note i think the amount a mozzarella cheese and fresh basil that was on the magherita pizza was perfect

Ferrara Bakery & Cafe

195 Grand Street

New York, NY 10013

212-226-6150

New York City’s Famous Italian Bakery & Café Ferrara, was established in 1892 by Antonio Ferrara, whom was a known opera lover and a showman. Ferrara is owned and operated by the family’s fifth generation of bakers. Located in the heart of Little Italy, this famous landmark offers a variety of Italian delicacies such as cakes, cookies, pastries , desserts and gourmet items that are house-made, hand crafted and made fresh daily from secret recipes. In addition, it also imports over 200 superb Italian specialties and offers private event spaces and wholesale goods.

Upon entry of the bakery, to the right are dark mahogany walls with mirrors and tables to dine while enjoying lunch or dessert. To the left, the showcases are adorned with bright festive colors of hand crafted pastries, cookies and gelato. I wanted to purchase one of their gelatos and cannoli, but the line was long and seemed to be moving slow. However, I was able to try their Pignoli cookies. This delicious traditional Italian cookie is made with almond paste, sugar, flour and pine nuts. It is lightly golden in color on both the top and bottom. The cookie was light in weight, soft but very chewy and had a balanced amount of sweetness. I plan on returning to purchase their king cannolis and gelato.

Ferrara

OddFellows Ice Cream Co.

175 Kent Ave,

Broolyn, NY 11249

A former pastry chef from wd~50, Sam Mason, opened OddFellows with Mohan and Holiday Kumar. This ice cream shop is not an ordinary ice cream shop; this ice cream shop creates the most unique ice cream flavors. It all started when Holiday Kumar was pregnant and she was experiencing the unique cravings on ice creams like fried chicken ice cream or coconut water ice cream. These unique flavors started from Holiday’s cravings. Sam Mason have already created more than 200 flavors between their opening day (2011) until 2016. OddFellows are constantly changing their ice cream flavors, having different flavors every day.