Amaing Rice Ball's at Faicco's Italian Specialties

 

     I discovered Faicco's Italian Specialties while on a Greenwich Village Foods of NY Tour. If you haven't heard of this thing called a "food tour" you need to sign up for one the next time you go to a major city. Food tours have become one of my favorite hobbies over the last few years and every time I go somewhere new I look for one. For more information on the New York Foods of NY Tours click here (The Chelsea Market Tour is awesome as well!).

If you are looking for the perfect old school butcher for all of your Italian needs you will be sure to find it at Faicco's Italian Specialties. They have an assortment of  Italian meats as well as a wall full of tomato sauces, olive oils, bruschettes, pastas and much more. Anything you need to cook an Italian feast, you can find right here in this tiny shop. 

My favorite part of the shop are the Rice Balls. Its a small round ball of creamy rice dipped in bread crumbs and lightly fried and served warm. So, so delicious. Its the perfect little Italian snack and they only cost a dollar!

Faicco's Italian Specialties is located in the West Village at 260 Bleeker street NY, NY 10014. You can also reach them at (212) 243-1974. Now... go have a snack!

Me, Oh, My, Sugar Ain't Shy: Dylan's Candy Bar

     Dylan's Candy Bar in NYC is the largest candy store in the world. Taking up 15,000 square feet and filling the space with nearly every candy know to man is no problem for Dylan's. The first Dylan's Candy Bar opened in 2001 and since then Dylan has expanded her business in Houston, East Hampton, Los Angeles and Miami.
 
     When you walk into Dylan's Candy Bar on 3rd and 60th street, you instantly feel like you are in candy heaven. The main floor is all bulk candy. You are encouraged to grab a bag and add whatever you love to it. They also have really cool containers, like a giant gummy bear, to put your candy in if you want to get really intense. The main floor has hundreds of candies to choose from ranging from sour to sweet to chocolate to salty. Obviously, my favorite section are the chocolates. I love the dark chocolate covered cashews, chocolate covered almonds  and chocolate covered cake bites, but sometimes I need to balance out all that chocolate so I add a few Sour Patch Kids or Swedish Fish. On this floor they also have a chocolate fountain where a friendly staff member will dip you a chocolate dipped rice crispy treat, marshmallow or strawberry. 

Sour Candies Galore

The chocolate wall!

My favorite section!

 

 

Chocolate Fountain. Yum!

     When you venture down the candied stairs you are walking into another fabulous part of this candy heaven. Downstairs is where you can dress yourself and your baby in a full on Dylan's Candy Bar ensemble, while eating fudge, candy bark, color coordinated candies and looking at the "Famous Favorites" wall to find out celebrities favorite candies. Oh and when you are done with all that, you can buy some treats and candies for your dog. I'm telling you...this place rocks!

Don't you wish you had these stairs in your house?

I'll take one of everything!

"Famous Favorites"

Pooch Palace

     We still have one more floor to go! On the top floor you can sit in a life-size cupcake booth and munch on some of their delicious cupcakes or grab a Sundae from the Candy Cafe. If you are having a rough day and candy and ice cream just won't cut it- don't fear!- you can also get pizza and a candy cocktail from the Cafe.

This Dylan's Candy Bar is located at 1011 Third Ave at 60th Street NY, NY. To find other locations click here.  Sweet treats are waiting, go visit already!

Pizza Roma

   
"To most New Yorkers, square pizza is a Sicilian slice with a heavy crust. But now, from Pizza Roma, comes a different kind of slice: the first, authentic artisanal Roman style pizza in New York, also known as “Pizza al taglio” (literally “Pizza by the cut”). Made from a unique pizza flour imported from Rome, the dough is allowed to develop over the course of 96 hours, thus resulting in a lighter crust that is easier to digest" That statement right there straight from the Pizza Roma website sums up exactly what kind of delicious pizza is made.

Throughout this blog you will learn all about the things in life that make me smile and Food Tours are one of them. I discovered Pizza Roma while on the Food of NY Food Tour of Greenwich Village. The pizza is so unique and the toppings paired together are amazing. The pies are made with local and organic indigence and in the shape of a rectangle. Oh and they slice it with scissors just like in Italy! My favorite is the zucchini mozzarella pizza.

The food here not cheap by any means but it is well worth it. A pie for two people ranges from $30-$35.  Pizza Roma is located at 9 Barrow St  New York, NY 10014. For more information check out their website here.

Carlo's Bakery

Next time you want to get out of the city for a afternoon, head on over to Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken, NJ. Carlos's Bakery fuels Hobokens with cakes, pies, cupcakes, cookies, wedding cakes and much more.Its just a train ride away and you better believe it will be worth it. Carlo's has been serving up delicious baked goods since 1910 and recently received National recognition on the reality show "Cake Boss" where the fourth generation baker-decorator Buddy Jr. and his family star in the series about Carlo's Bakery.

Since watching the show "Cake Boss" my friends and I just had to go to the bakery and see what all the fuss was about. When we arrived we looked at the bakery, saw the line outside and thought "OK that's not so bad!" Then we looked in the other direction and saw the other half of the line across the street and then we knew we should get cozy for the rest of the afternoon.

We waited in line for a few hours and when we finally entered the bakery it was complete chaos. Talk about a panic attack. You get a ticket with a number on it when you walk into the overwhelmingly crowded shop and try and see through people to decide what you want to order. Oh, and if you don't hear your number you just wasted your afternoon. So I listened closely and ordered my $12 worth of personal pastries. Once we walked out of the shop we sat and enjoyed the sweet treats, then contemplated if all the chaos was worth it...and it was.

Do you see all those people!?

Yay! I have a number!

Enjoying our treats on the street!

For more information on Carlo's Bakery and to see everything they can make you, check out their website here. Carlo's Bakery is located at 95 Washington Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030.

Serendipity 3 is The Place For Me

Serendipity- the art of making happy discoveries, or finding the unexpectedly pleasant by chance. That definition pretty much sums up what happens to every person who walks through the Upper East Side doors at Serendipity 3.

Serendipity 3 has been enticing taste buds for over fifty years. And over those years it has quickly become a favorite among celebrities and New Yorkers alike. It's a small Upper East Side gem with a huge  waiting list almost every night. Don't worry though, as long as you have a few hours to spare they will get you in and you can experience serendipity for yourself.

Although Serendipity 3 has a full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu, what I want to focus on is their sweet treats. Let's start with one of there most talked about items: "The Original, Outrageously Divine, Frozen Hot Chocolate." Its made up of chocolate pieces, hot chocolate mix, milk, sugar, whipped cream and chocolate shavings- and probably contains your calorie intake for the day. For the exact recipe click here. This tasty treat makes Oprah want to "dance on the chandeliers!" It can be all yours for only $8.95

Next is something so delicious it needs to be shared. The "Can't Say No" Sundae is a tower of humble pie, ice cream, banana, hot fudge and whipped cream. After the two hour wait, my best friend Annie and I were ready to feast! Again, all these calories can be yours for only $15.

Lastly, I want to tell you about the most expensive sundae that money can buy. This sundae is so intense that they need 48 hours notice prior to you ordering it. It's called the Golden Opulence Sundae. It's so fantastic that holds a Guinness World Record. I mean if you can afford to eat gold you might as well enjoy it at Serendipity 3. 

Serendipity 3 is located at  225 East 60th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues New York, NY 10022. They are open Sun-Thur 11:30am to midnight, Friday 11:30am to 1:00am and Saturday 11:30am to 2:00am.





Some photos from: Table hopper and Emloves

PF CHANG'S Bangs

     I have been to PF CHANG'S a few times over the years and it never disappoints me. It is the perfect place to go if your sick of cheap corner store Chinese food and are seeking a classier experience. PF CHANG'S has been winning people over for years with influences of Chinese and American culture not only in their appearance but in their tasty dishes as well. You might be intimidated at first because of the 11ft tall horses at entrance that symbolize the original Forbidden City in China, but fear not and proceed, they're just statues. They don't bite!

"The elements showcase the cuisine and create a stylish, comfortable, upbeat dining experience for our guests," says PF CHANG'S and I couldn't agree more. I love the place!

As an appetizer I had Egg Drop Soup. Its a traditional soup with egg, carrots and green onion. It was pretty simple but flavorful for sure.

Next up was the main course which for most of the dishes you have a choice of brown rice or white rice. I had Orange Peel Chicken with brown rice. The chicken is tossed in a mild chili sauce with fresh orange peel. Alex indulged in the Mongolian Beef dish. It's flank steak wok-cooked tossed in scallions and garlic. Freaking amazing.

Orange Peel Chicken

Mongolian Beef

Now those of you who really know me know that it's hard for me not to have dessert. So naturally we ordered the  Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Sweet Treat to finish off the wonderful meal. It was made of peanut butter crunch, caramel, milk chocolate, brownie and chocolate sauce.

Now, I know what you're thinking. Is it something along the lines of "damn this Olivia eats a lot of food"? Well if that's what you're thinking (and its okay, I still love you,) I can assure you that I do in fact eat a lot, however, I run. And I don't just mean I go on casual jogs to the mailbox and back. I'm training for the Baltimore Marathon right now actually. Five weeks down, 25 weeks to go!

For for information and to find locations near you, check out the PF CHANG'S website here. YAY for fancy Chinese food!






Some photos from: certified construction and Urban Spoon.

Lower East Side Italian: Via Della Pace

     When I want to go to a new spot to eat, I usually  do a quick Google search to find the best of what ever I'm searching for like: "best pizza in Brooklyn." Other times I get really creative and ask random people "What's your favorite place to eat in the city?" But every now and then when I want a full on adventure- and Alex hates this- I take us to a completely random area of the city and we end up walking around for at least an hour, till we've looked at all the restaurant options within half a mile. I find it thrilling, Alex says its exhausting. And that my friends, is how we found Via Della Pace.

     We met up with my pal Angela and headed into the Italian restaurant. As soon as we entered we were immersed in a world of large groups of people packed like sardines, enjoying their pasta with loud music and conversation. The lighting was low and the staff was quickly moving about to please all their guests. Since it was so full we sat at the bar until a table was ready. Alex order a Italian Coffee and we were all impressed with the presentation.

 

We were seated about a half hour later in a corner booth and quickly got to ordering. I indulged in pesto pasta with fresh mozzarella, Alex had pasta with baby clams and Anglea had Gnocchi.

Pesto Pasta With Fresh Mozzarella

Pasta With Baby Clams

Gnocchi With Pecans

Everything was so delicious! I really liked the atmosphere and I cannot wait to try other things on their menu. Via Della Pace is located at 48 East 7th Street and 2nd Avenue New York, NY 10003. For more information check out there website here. Go carbs!