LITTLE ITALY , Think food!
Written: Nov 30 '04 (Updated Jan 28 '09)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Over 40 Italian Restaurants.
Cons: It's now down to only three blocks.
The Bottom Line: This is a place to find your favorite restaurant.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Little Italy NY |
So you want the taste and smells of good food in a place that gives a sense of history of the Italian culture in the US. Then come to down-town Manhattan's Little Italy.
My wife and I love going to our favorite restaurant every year or so but it's more than just the food. There is a special atmosphere that, unfortunately is slowly disappearing in NYC streets. The fact is the heart of Little Italy is now down to three city blocks on Mulberry Street between Canal Street and Houston Street. But in the little area it covers, there is much to experience.
A TOUCH of HISTORY
At the turn of the century a great Italian immigration period brought hundreds of thousands of Italians to NYC. My grand parents on my mother's side were part of this massive movement. I found a copy of the original manifest from the ship that brought my grandfather over in 1901. On it he answered that the address he will be living at is 60 Mulberry Street. That happens to be the main drag of what is now Little Italy.
The language and culture brought the Italian people together until the next generations would break out and move away on their own. Little Italy was always the place where they returned to their roots. It is now a place where millions of tourists go to sample that bit of history.
In the fifties and sixties this area became home to mobsters. In 1972 Crazy Joe Gallo was "whacked" while eating at the then new Umberto's Clam House. In later years Little Italy became home to John Gotti's social club. He's now locked up and the place is now a small store.
If you are interested you can find tours that explain much about the history and the "dark" times of Little Italy.
Every year Little Italy is home to the San Generro Feast that attracts over three million people. All the streets are closed and parades and processions are held. Street vendors line the area and of course the most important part of the ten to eleven day feast is the food. You won't see more sausage and peppers sandwiches anywhere. Fresh fish dishes and pastas abound.
Don't forget to bring some extra money for games of chance and possibly a chance to dunk a clown.
IN SOME FILM
In the blockbuster movie the Godfather it was on Little Italy Streets that the Don Corleon was gunned down at a fruit stand. In Godfather II when DeNiro played the younger Vito Corleon it was in a depicted Little Italy store that he worked and finally after doing the famous stalking rooftop scenes, makes his first killing and then gets the taste of power as he becomes more and more involved in the "Olive Oil" business.
It's a fact that noted actor Robert DeNiro actually grew up on the streets of Little Italy. But Little Italy isn't about gangsters and movie stars, it's more about a culture that has close knit families and celebrations that center around good talk and food.
STROLLING The STREETS
What I like about Little Italy is strolling the streets. It isn't really a large area so once you are there you won't even be doing too much walking, that is unless you decide to do a few blocks of the encroaching Chinatown while you are there. I do suggest taking in at least a few blocks of that culturally rich area too.
Mulberry Street is the main drag of LI but be sure to walk up and down a few of the side streets of Grand, Hester and Spring too. There are times that we have been there and the streets were closed to traffic. That was nice and added even more to the festive feel this area always evokes. My wife and I were in Little Italy again just a week or two ago. We took my mom and her good friend to dinner for her birthday. When we were walking it was noted by her friend as to the exact spot that Crazy Joe Gallo was shot. (Ha, back to gangsters), The original Umberto's closed and relocated a couple of blocks down the street. The restaurant that now does business in the infamous spot is Da Gennaro and right across the street from it is Caffe Napoli e Trattoria. This happens to be our favorite place. The problem we have is that we cannot pull ourselves away to try someplace else. When we were in Little Italy last year we stopped at my brothers favorite place and my brother-in-law's favorite place. They looked great, but we still could not stay away from our favorite. That happens to be the charm of Little Italy. Everybody has their own favorite place and there happen to be over forty restaurants to claim as your own. Some of the very familiar names are Vincent's, La Bella Ferrara, Paesano of Mulberry St, and Umberto's. There are so many choices and each one of them wants your business. Walk inside, you may be very surprised at what you see. Some are simple little places and others open up into grand rooms that are well hidden by the small store-front doors. Recently, Jan 2009 we went to La Nonna. A small little Italian restaurant on Mullberry Street. We enjoyed our evening there. Good food and service.
Part of the fun of choosing a restaurant is talking to the hawkers who work outside the restaurants. They know how to charm the gals. They stand there looking good, dressed in their suits or tuxes and ties with a menu and speaking with their Italian accent. Most workers in the restaurants are Italian but I have found that more and more other ethnic groups are doing the busing and food serving.
One thing I can assure you though, the food IS Italian and it's the best in the world. Do I dare say better than in Italy. Yes I DO!
What is nice is that in comfortable weather many of the restaurants have tables outside on the sidewalk. It's a great place to people watch. It's also fun walking by the tables and watching people slurping those last pieces of spaghetti between their lips.
When walking the streets what you see at first are the cloth covered tables outside. These are at the foot of five and six story tenement buildings with fire escapes, flower boxes and A/C units. During the warm weather you'll see an occasional older male resident leaning out the window, wearing a white T-shirt, people watching from above. If you look carefully you can also distinguish the Italian residents walking and talking on the streets from the tourists. Dress in Little Italy is casual, casual chic and dressy. It depends on where you are going or maybe more where you are coming from. Many of the restaurants stay open till the wee hours of the morning.
The streets take on a whole different look at night. Many of the restaurants and building owners have little white lights strung across their area. The place is truly festive. Eat outside on a warm day or hunt down just the place you like indoors. Some, but not all places, have air conditioning.
I suggest that no matter where you eat, have coffee and desert somewhere else in Little Italy. That is unless it is peek time when there can be a long wait for the finer restaurants. I think it's fun to try a slightly different atmosphere. Another option that we have done a couple of times is to have Gelato. Yes, there is a place on one of the side streets I believe it may have been Grand in front of Ferrara Bakery & Cafe that serves it. It's pretty good stuff. They even have some outside tables you can sit at first come first served.
While walking the streets you can't help but see all the t-shirts printed with "Parking for Italians Only", "Please don't get on my bad side, I'm runnin' out of places to Bury the Bodies", "Kiss me I'm Italian" and such. One place was doing business selling photos from mob movies. Al Paccino was probably most represented with DeNiro a close second. Shots from the Godfather series, Goodfellas, Scareface, and many more were availably in glossies.
MAKING A SCENE
We happened to be at the Gelato stand when we suddenly heard loud voices. Two guys in white aprons and pronounced Italian accents were confronting a couple who had some kind of accent themselves. The Italian fellow is shouting. "You must pay the bill!! We don't walk out of places in America!" The couple, easily recognized as foreigners by their dress and accents, sheepishly handed over a wad of cash. While I'm talking about this confrontation I must also quote the words of a woman I recently read about when talking about crime in Little Italy. She said with confidence. "There is no safer place in the city" That I believe. You're not going to get mugged on Mulberry Street. "That would be bad for business". Now I may not say that about some of the surrounding area. Do know where you are especially at night.
GETTING THERE
Parking is pretty difficult to find in the area. If you are there early in the day you may be lucky but don't count on it. There are public garages around. Be prepared to spend $20-$30 for this privilege.
Subways and buses do have stops about three blocks from Little Italy so public transport is very possible and safe. You'll have to walk a few blocks for a cab on Canal or Houston.
NEARBY
I already mentioned that Chinatown is just half a block away. If you are interested in the history of immigrants in America The Tenement Museum is about a ten-fifteen minute walk away. I do advise calling ahead or getting there in the morning. The tours fill up early.
For the adventurous and healthy you can walk to Greenwich Village, Soho, The South Street Seaport and more. Get your maps and check it all out just be sure to fill up with some energy in Little Italy where the food is best. As with any major city I do suggest you know where you are and be aware of your surroundings at night. The city is very safe during the day.
After you are all finished eating and strolling through Little Italy, be sure to be walking home with a white bakery box, tied with string and filled with fresh Italian pastries to go.
This is one of the many great NYC sites found in this book
The Great Sights of New York: A Photographic Guide
The Lower Manhattan Tenement Museum See how immigrants lived when they first arrived. Ten-Twelve minutes from Little Italy. Early reservations a must!
Caffe Napoli Our favorite in Little Italy
Vincent's of Mott Street A long time tradition
Chinatown Just steps from Little Italy
Downtown Manhattan reviews by Popsrocks All within 1.6 miles of Little Italy.
The New WORLD TRADE CENTER Construction has begun on the Freedom Tower
The Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
Castle Clinton National Memorial
Battery Park Home of the temporary 9/11 memorial.
SOUTH STREET SEAPORT
NY WATERWAY Tour NYC by boat.
Federal Hall National Historic Site
Fraunce's Tavern George Washington ate here. You can too!
Jewish Heritage Museum
St Paul's ChapelA living Memorial to 9/11
Greenwich VillageIt's Hip and Happening
Millenium Hilton Hotel, directly across from the New World Trade CenterAn excellent location to all that is downtown.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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