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116 West Houston Street between Thompson and Sullivan
888.6.BEFANA
about $50 for two, without drinks, without tip
Set-up like a deli, only more classy with beautiful tilework on the floor, “la befana” is the Italian version of Santa Claus. What we know as the feast of the Three Kings is celebrated by Italians with good food to close out the Christmas season. How do they know how to do everything right?
Immaculate counters
Chef Daniele Baliani opened My Befana as a nod to his childhood in Italy after successfully establishing Pantheon Adventures, a tour company which leads small groups throughout the Mediterranean in search of gastronomic and cultural delights. Now he’s in a spotless space on West Houston serving pork chops with cranberries, flank steak with caramelized shallots, duck with soy, ginger and honey sauce and lamb in tzatziki sauce.
Tuna sandwich
Broccoli rabe
Lunch is a steep $12 for an entree and one side. Dinner is a better deal for $18 for an entree with two sides. If you are too busy to make it to their SoHo space, you can call the 888 number and get their Mediterranean food delivered to your apartment, your office or the gym. If I could eat stuffed grape leaves everyday, I would.
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139 North 6th Street between Bedford Avenue and Berry, Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718/302.4441
about $50 for two, without drinks, without tip
Brought to my attention by that stand-off with Bobby Flay, the Hurricane Hopeful Surf Bar claims to have the best clam chowder in New York City. It was ninety degrees but that didn’t stop us from tasting and judging them for ourselves. We ordered the crab and corn chowder and the popular haddock chowder for about $6 each.
Corn and crab chow-dah
Now, I don’t really know anything about chowder. I’ve had several during multiple visits to Maine and Boston and I’ve tasted them watery like broth and thick like bisque–I just don’t know what proper chowder is like.
At Hurricane Hopeful Surf Bar, my ignorance didn’t matter because they are all really good. The consistency is in the middle and I liked them that way. But skip the other items on the menu when you go. The conch fritters were mostly made of batter. The red snapper ceviche was very watery and tasted of sweet orange juice.
Soupy ceviche
The space looks miniscule from outside but it extends all the way at the back to an outdoor garden decorated with small paper lanterns. The sand on the floor takes you as far away as, well, some beach in the Northeast but the service is exceptional. For a busy Saturday night, our waiter treated us like real ladies, making sure we were okay with everything during that one balmy summer night.
