Harrisburg, PA 56°F
It was the weekend before Christmas. I should have stayed home to put up the tree and wrap presents. After my Thanksgiving Trip to Philadelphia (See Philadelphia Pilgrimage in Food and Dining) I had vowed to forsake travel and occupy myself at home with domestic pursuits. But then Hubby and my teen daughter concocted a plan to go to New York City. Even though I knew the city would be mobbed with tourists and I should be baking cookies, I couldn’t resist. I left work on Friday at noon and off we went.
The drive there was quick and uneventful, but once in the city, as we expected, it was mobbed. Luckily hubby had booked a very reasonably priced suite on the Lower East Side, which was out of the fray. That evening my daughter even talked my husband into venturing up to Rockefeller Center, at about 8:30 p.m. The trip up on the subway was very cost and time efficient, and although it was still crowded we had no problem getting to the plaza. I hate to admit it, as I usually avoid such over the top type attractions, but seeing the tree lighted up and the skaters and people was magical.
Saturday morning we got up and walked over the Brooklyn Bridge. 
Again, the sights were amazing, spectacular, not to be missed. I felt like I was flying in a plane, and we enjoyed the best views of the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn imaginable. And....it is FREE! I would definitely recommend this walk, as its something you don't want to miss. If you go, be sure to check on the map where the entrance to the bridge is, as it is set quite far back into the city and we had a hard time finding it last year.
After walking over the bridge, we went to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Again, another gem in New York. The admission price for all three of us was only $25 ($10 for adults and $5 for students) and although the outdoor greenery was somewhat subdued at this time of year, we enjoyed the indoor exhibits, gift shop, and the quiet walks in the exhibition gardens. It was a nice break from the city and was quite rejuvenating. There is a subway stop within a block of the entrance. The Brooklyn Museum is right there too, and we plan on going there on our next visit.
After several hours of walking, we were craving true New York thin crust pizza. The kind that's cooked in a 1000 degree coal oven, and has big bubbles and slabs of fresh mozzarella on top along side whole basil leaves. We were dead-set on visiting one of the classic New York pizza joints. We had walked past the famous Grimaldi's in Brooklyn, but there was a line out the door before it even opened. We took the subway back to little Italy, and went up to Lombardi's, (which has been making killer coal oven pizza since 1905),...and lo, another long line to get in the door. While they both serve fantastic coal oven pizza, our aching feet and rumbling bellies would not tolerate an hour wait. Our spirits were temporarily crushed.
So we went to the Mulberry Street Bar to rest our feet and regroup. We sat beneath the tin ceiling and pictures of Frank Sinatra at the tables in the back with the other tourists to re-energize over two pints of the italian beer Peroni and a shirley temple. After restoring our strength, we forged on. A few blocks on our quest, felt the urge to stop in Alleva's Cheese Shop. I could not resist going in to score some hot Soprasetta and smoked Mozzarella to take home. As I started heading in the door, hubby yelled "ask someone in there for a suggestion for a different pizza place around here!!!!"
And I did. The New Yorker behind me in line suggested L'asso, which was just a few blocks away on Kenmare Street. The guy slicing my Soprasetta confirmed that was a good suggestion. So we headed over. L'asso's is a colorfully decorated restaurant with a more modern feel than the old-time classic pizza restaurant. They have a wood oven, not coal and much more trendy decorations. But the place was not crowded and the hostess was hospitable. We were skeptical but hungry. We hobbled in the door hungry dinner and ordered a margherita and a snow white.
And.....it was fantastic! We ordered a large margherita. Their large pizzas are shaped like elongated rectangles, which at first I found odd, but then considered brilliant when I bit into the center, which was crispy, not mushy as is often the center of a large round pie. The pie was adorned with whole basil leaves and slabs of authentic imported bufalo mozzarella. It was huge, I would say about 29" long, and it was just what we were craving and the three of us finished it off. Then came the small Snow White pizza. It was topped with ricotta cheese, shredded cheese and tons of fresh garlic, an excellent finish to the meal which went well with the top-notch beers they offered on tap such as Weihenstephan. We managed to plow through about half of the Snow White before we admitted defeat. The suggestion was a success. And to top it off our bill for the three of us was less than $60!
We trodded back to our hotel, with blistered feet, but full happy bellies. The day had ended a little different than we planned, but it looked like a little flexibility and open minds had lead us to yet another foodie find!!! By the way, the Snow White was awesome heated up the next day too!
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