Rick and I made our way down to the Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy this past weekend. I was really pleased that despite fabulous weather, it was relatively quiet. I say relatively because last time we went, it was so jammed I was seriously concerned that if anything happened, we would not be able to get off Mott Street. People were shoulder to shoulder and belly to bum that day. This day you could see sunlight between you and the people around you :) We walked from the Canal Street station over to Mott Street and started north searching for a nice place to eat. There are more than 30 restaurants which open sidewalk seating for this event, and I can't say as I've ever had anything but amazing Italian food in Little Italy. So we stopped at the first locale which had open seating, Puglia, and ordered a nice bottle of chianti. We had a few sips and fresh Italian bread appeared - warm and inviting. Not too crusty, and perfectly poofy! The waiter came by, and we ordered dinner. He asked us if we wanted an appetizer, and I asked him how the antipasto was. Very good he said - and seriously, this was the best antipasto I've ever had. There were rolled meats like capicola ham, salami and some other kind of mild ham. Then slices of pepperoni, pieces of fresh mozzerella and imported provalone which was almost the texture of aged cheddar (so amazingly delicious)! This all laid on a bed of fresh lettuces, cucumbers, tomatoes and roasted red peppers dressed in a fabulous fruity olive oil and a smooth sweet balsamic vinegar. Sprinkled on top were black olives and pepperoncini and a stuffed cherry pepper. You all know I don't love all this stuff, but all together, in the beautiful weather, with the gorgeous wine, and fresh bread, it was heaven!Rick's chicken parmesean roll was really good - they used fresh mozzerella, and the marinara sauce was to die for - simply fabulous! I had the lobster ravioli with vodka sauce - it was very good, but that marinara out shown everything during the entrees! Next time I'll be diving into the spaghetti and meatballs!!
