A self-proclaimed foodie, I was so excited to join a food-centric walking tour of Little Italy and Chinatown. While I’m no stranger to either of these neighborhoods, I was confident that Alana from Ahoy: New York Tours & Tasting would lead me to pastures yet to be grazed by my palette.
On what was probably the hottest day of this summer’s heat wave, we met in front of a Chinatown grocery store. Those of you familiar with the displays of fish, octopus, and other sea urchins that lurk in front of the neighborhood shops can catch my drift when I say it was the HOTTEST. DAY. OF. SUMMER. Our senses were on overload, and we were ready to dash into the world of Little Italy where the less potent-smelling gelato lines the streets.
Ahh, Little Italy. Our first stop was the oldest cheese shop in NYC, Alleva Dairy. We tasted in-store made unsalted mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto. And for me, a double triple serving of mozzarella. How lucky are us vegetarians?! The next stop was Di Palo’s Fine Foods, where we got to indulge in some imported cheese this time. Oh. My. Goodness. The Piave cow’s milk was a love affair at first bite. Even though Little Italy is a healthy subway ride away from my apartment, I’m certain I’ll be returning back for blocks of this goodness, like, all the time.
Stops were also made at Grand Appetito for my favorite food in the world (pizza, although there should be no need to mention the obvious!), as well as a delectable little cannoli at Ferrara’s Bakery and Cafe.
In case you’re wondering, “Jess, did you just stuff your face this entire tour?!” The answer is yes no, it was actually filled with quite a bit of history, trivia, and interesting little stories involving the mafia and shootings. Lots of shootings. But let’s get back to the important part: the food.
After finishing up with Little Italy, we headed back into the far east…the heart of Chinatown. Thai food at Pongsri, dumplings at Tasty Dumpling, and the Original Egg Roll at Nom Wah Tea Parlor.
Guys.
While I’m sure the friendly folks from North Dakota didn’t notice the giant “C” on the window of Nom Wah, my trained New York eye certainly saw it and I gave pause to trying anything in the restaurant. However, the fabulous foodie Alana hadn’t steered us wrong yet, so I squeezed my eyes shut super tight (like that’s going to help), and took a big bite of my veggie rice roll.
Jessica Tiare Bowen lives in the juicy Big Apple with her adorable pink-nosed chihuahua, Gillman. He’s the inspiration for her first published children’s book, “Park Avenue Pound Puppy.” The book is the combined result of her two greatest passions: pooches and penning stories.
Her passions include art, urban hikes through Manhattan, drinking coffee with 3 creams and 6 sugars, making extremely detailed itineraries and traveling to far away places, singing along to Broadway shows, Netflix movie nights, discovering incredible treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores, and listening to stories from little people under 7 and big people over 70.
She started her career as New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching elementary school and theater arts at a special education school in the South Bronx for 6 years. She is now a Special Education School Improvement Specialist working in public schools throughout New York City. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the online New York City travel magazine, Used York City. The magazine focuses on finding the best of New York…as used by New Yorkers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an ASPCA Ambassador.
