Little Italy – A meal you can’t refuse!

On the final night of our trip we had our reservations for Angelo’s on Mulberry Street in Little Italy.  We rode the subway from our hotel to Canal Street at the edge of Chinatown.  As you walk up the street a drastic change takes place from the Orient to southern Europe. 

    I have never been a big gangster movie buff.  I have seen The Godfather, and a few bits and pieces of others, but never really a follower.  Yet when we turned off of Canal Street onto Mulberry Street, a rush of gangster, mobster, and “offers I couldn’t refuse” came rushing at us. 

                           

        As we walked down the street and passed the dark sedans with driver’s sitting in them or on them reading the NY Post, I wondered if anyone was stuffed into the trunk of any of them!  I swear Guido and Luigi were peeking out behind the shadows of the sidewalk restaurants. 

    This young “family business” man (pictured above) asked me repeatedly to have a seat at a table and he would serve us.  He was actually starting to get annoying when Steph mentioned that we already had reservations.  Calling the bluff he looked at me and shrugged and asked, “Where do you have reservations?”  I simply said, “Angelo’s”, and it was as if I said a magic word.  He immediately stepped aside and said, “Enjoy your meal sir!”  This goes on the list of “Things that make you go – Hmmm.”

     We arrived at Angelo’s and were immediately greeted, asked our name, checked off the list, and seated. (Glad we were checked off and not – RUBBED OUT.)  The restaurant was very narrow when you saw it from the street, but seemed to go back forever inside the building.  The atmosphere was as if we stepped into an eatery in Italy itself. 

   


 Our waiter was obviously of Italian decent, accent included, in his white jacket and his hair slicked back like the rest of the wait staff.  He was very prompt, very polite, and very knowledgeable of his trade.  He made reading the menu seem as if we were actually sampling the dishes as he described each one. 

     He also took the time to discuss with Natalie what she would like to eat.  He explained to her that they did not have a child’s menu at Angelo’s.  The chef himself would make her something special that was not even on the menu!  That did the trick for her!  Spaghetti with a special made meatball on the side would be coming from the chef to her.

    Stephanie decided on the chicken marsala – the dish I had the night I proposed to her I might add.  Deciding for me was difficult at Angelo’s.  I love seafood, and they had mussels, calamari, crab and shrimp in one dish with a light sauce, and in another with a spicy marinara sauce.  They had white fish, lobster, and many other seafood dishes as well.  It was so overwhelming.

   












In the end I decided on something I had never tried before - Cannelloni Ripieni Amalfitani.  This is a homemade large pasta filled like a jelly roll with meat (pretty sure it was veal), spinach and cheese.  It is all covered with a marinara sauce with many spices and bits of spinach in it.  Of course then we had to top it with fresh parmesan cheese when it was served!

 *Sorry my pictures are not the greatest.  The light was very low in the restaurant, and Guido kept looking at me funny when I would take a picture.

This meal was awesome!  Thanks Michelle for the recommendation!

After dinner we stepped back on the street.  Next door to Angelo’s was the Cannoli King’s at Caffé  Palermo.  This little restaurant has been in business for over 25 years on Mulberry Street and has been featured in several magazines, and the newspapers as the Cannoli King.  This was our first cannoli experience, and I can assure you it will not be our last!

All in all our final night of Spring Break was a never “fuh get about it” evening!