We were able to get right in to La Pizzeria Fresca Ristorante without a reservation.  We were seated at a comfy table against the exposed brick wall with a view of the wood-burning pizza oven.

We started by sharing the Insalata di Rucola when wild arugula and  endive was topped with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and the Insalata  Mista.

We paused to pinch ourselves as we had only been in New York for a couple of hours and then proceeded to sample the Ruastica Pizza where pancetta was  sauteed with onions and covered with fresh bufala mozzarella.

The special pizza that evening was as sophisticated as our surroundings-a savoury asparagus pie.

I couldn’t resist the Linquini Voncole e  Zucchine-a trillion fresh baby clams and slivers of zucchini steamed in Pinot Grigio.

We were appropriately tempted by the sorbetti, tiramisu and panna cotta but managed to resist.  Instead we enjoyed the stroll to our temporary home (with a detour to shop at Union Square).

Our compliments to chef Alessandro Cargiolli from Liguria,  Italy.  I loved the cuisine of his home region when we visited Riomaggiore last fall, one of the Cinque Terre villages.

Kath’s quote: “You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I’m not hungry enough to eat six.” Yogi Berra

On this my third visit to New York City I was so pleased to once again find affordable accommodation in the Flatiron/Union Square area.

A beautiful stroll down E 20th took us to Park Ave. and the famed locked Gramercy Park.  In this case the journey was as pleasant as the destination as the elegant brownstones and town homes in the area are a indication that the gentry of New York is alive and apparently still thriving.

La Pizzeria Fresca Ristorante boasts the certification of “Verace Pizza Napoletana” (Original Artisan Neapolitan Pizza) which is a Italian organization headquartered in Naples which upholds the ancient traditions of pizza making in a response to the frozen and fast food industry making false claims to the consumer.  The chair states: “The pizza secret lies all in the dough rising.  The recipe?  It doesn’t exist and I can tell you that because I’ve learned since I was a child that dough rising changes according to the weather…it is the experience that refines the art.”

The little shop in Naples where pizza was invented is still serving them up today.  My husband and son are of the few that can boast of visiting its doors and tasting its wares, having backpacked Europe together in 2006.  D can still vivdly remember the taste of the Margherita pizza they sampled that day.  Named after Queen Margherita of Savoy, the ingredients display the colours of Italian flag and was invented to honour her visit.

Kath’s quote:

“We live in age when pizza gets to your door faster than the police.”- Jeff Marder

The other day I got a call from my friend Osani asking if I would like to go out for Ethiopian food. Loving both Osani and adventurous eating, I said yes. We, along with his Mom-my friend Moneca, and my Quebec summer student, made our way to Yenat located at 330 Ellice. Osani insisted we order the Kokeb Bayeynetu which is a huge crepe covered with sampling of various meats, beans, relishes, chick peas, potatoes, cabbage, salads and even hard boiled eggs.  It comes with a big plate of extra crepes. You just tear off a piece of crepe and use it to gather up a tasty sample.

In African dinning it is very important to ONLY use your your right hand, which my dinner host Osani was sure to inform me.  It was a fun way to have dinner, but I must say not the tidiest thing to eat with a very hungry 11 year old.

It is great to see a kid who is so open to trying new food and enjoys sharing what he finds with his friends.

Kath’s quote: “They say fingers were made before forks, and hands before knives.”-Jonathan Swift

This summer I have been host mother to Emilie, a lovely student from Quebec who is here perfecting her already very good English.  It has given me a chance to show her around and be a bit of a hometown tourist myself.  This weekend we had what I would consider the perfect Manitoba day. 

We started with brunch at Rembrandt’s Bistro just outside of Lockport.  Only 20 minutes outside of Winnipeg, this lovely sunny restaurant provides a great Sunday Brunch at only $15.95 a person. Your brunch starts with a creme brulee that features Red River cereal and dried blueberries, how very Manitoban!  Emilie and I each had the Eggs Benedict, which you can have with smoked Arctic char if you so desire.  Another friend enjoyed the Salmon Wellington with sweet potato fries.  The coffee was hot, the juice was cold and both kept coming as the service was great!  http://www.wellink.ca

Next we were off to Lower Fort Garry.  www.pc.gc.ca/garry We had lots of fun wandering through the fort and chatting with the people playing the characters of the time.  After a lovely stroll and lots of learning we took a leisurely drive down River Road to Captain Kennedy’s House to walk through the gardens along the river bank.

A perfect Manitoba Sunday!

Kath’s quote:  “One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” ~Luciano Pavarotti

We’ve attempted to order Atlantic lobster ourselves and steam up a pot for friends.  The process is rather traumatic and the shells an enormous mess.  We’ve had all the neighbourhood cats hanging around our trash cans.  It is much easier to let the experts take care of things.

Our youngest who is still not into fish per se is developing a taste for shellfish.  She has begged me all summer long to take her to The Keg for live lobster.  Tonight I agreed.   We are geographically situated almost equal distant between all three Winnipeg Kegs.  We chose to head south to the Southside Keg on McGillivray Ave.

We’ve come a long way from the times when we would take the kids out for dinner with us and I would have to hide my whole lobster under a linen napkin and perform surgery on it to remove the flesh for consumption.  They didn’t mind my eating it-they just didn’t want to see the process take place.

The Keg makes is easy by cracking the claws and splitting the tail.  I showed her my technique of running the legs between your teeth to remove the tender morsels of meat from there.  We split one lobster and ordered a second entree of chicken topped with shrimp, lobster, asparagus in a tarragon cream sauce.  We brought a doggie bag of half a tail home from my husband and were still stuffed to the brim.  Amazing value at $32 per person.

Kath’s quote:  “A woman should never be seen eating or drinking, unless it be lobster, salad and champagne. The only true feminine and becoming viands.”-Lord Byron