Lombardi's

NoHo
32 Spring St. @ Mott St.
(212) 941-7994
http://www.firstpizza.com/

Lombardi's, America's first acclaimed pizzeria, was a great dinner spot for a rainy Friday night. Bare in mind, against the palates of many pizza connoisseurs, brick oven is not style. Even when visiting Napoli, the locals shot me evil eyes for peaking at the bottom to check out the burnt crust. How dare I oppose authenticity! The black crisps just taste carcinegenic to me.



Despite desiring a little more cheese (a pizza can never have too much cheese), the toppings are what make this pie. The spinach was so garlicky and delicious, even the biggest baby of them all, Tim, loved eating his vegetables. The Rosa Grande pepperoni were smaller in size than your typical pizza pepperoni. The small circles packed more flavor and the petite dimension allowed for even more in volume!

Burnt spots or not, I'm excited to go back to try other toppings, including their Clam Pie.

Go or No Go? Go

Spitzer's Corner

Lower East Side
101 Rivington St. btwn Essex & Ludlow St.
212-228-0027

Now, when embarking in my restaurant selection process, I often have to take into consideration restaurants that will keep my boyfriend happy. Far from a foodie, finding something on the menu he'll actually eat is a challenge. A rare beer offering is usually what impresses him most. That's what brought us to Spitzer's.

While the beer options are comprehensive and cool, my scallop ravioli had no semblance of scallops. Both the texture and the content were off. The dish could have perhaps earned some points with a tasty sauce. Is any sort of flavor too much to ask?


Yum! Chocolate chip cookies. Pretty hard to mess those up. Disappointingly, once their warmth faded, so did their appeal. You know if I didn't finish a cookie sitting right in front of me (esp. given I was still hungry from my lacking scallop ravioli), it must have been a pretty sorry cookie.


Spitzer's Corner is a decently legit place to swing by for drinks (primarily draft beer only), but eating there is a different story. In fact, with all the other great places in the neighborhood, missing a visit altogether wouldn't be a tragedy.

Go or No Go? No Go

Kingswood

West Village
121 W. 10th St. btwn Greenwich and 6th Ave.
(212) 645-0018

My cultural attache, Jared, informed me of a new hot spot in the West Village. When I walked in, I immediately sensed the cool New York City vibe, but this place was not new. In fact, the scene was overwhelmingly familiar. Apparently, Kingswood (though, not Kingswood at the time) was the place of Miranda's wedding reception in Sex and the City. You more likely remember the part when Samantha reveals to her gal pals she has breast cancer.

Other than the noticably uncomfortable seating, the place was something worth raving about. Pathetically, for a shorty, like myself, the height of the table almost surpassed my chin. Fortunately, they left just enough room for my lips to reach my fab Kingswood Collins (Tom Collins). Featuring a different fruit every night, this particular evening was blackberry flavored. Who knew gin could be so good?

The food was solidly above average. My salad with pleasingly moist chicken and soft boiled egg was better than the wild mushroom risotto that followed. The risotto was too runny for my style, but to make up for the consistency mishap, the ricotta was super fresh. Perhaps the cuisine is nothing to write home about (or extensively elaborate on the blog, either), but Kingswood is surely a place I can see myself making repeat visits.




I'd be happy spending any Thursday night at Kingswood.

Go or No Go? Go