Foods of New York Tour - Greenwich Village

Earlier this year we went to New York for @mkmaddox's work and extended it into a long fun weekend for both of us. One thing we love to do on our trips is take a food tour. You learn so much about the food/history of the area, try restaurants and shops you would never know about, and get a full authentic meal in the process! We had heard great things about the Foods of New York tour. They offer six different tours of various boroughs, and we opted for the "Original Greenwich Village Food & Culture Walking Tour".

We bought our tickets and were given exact directions where to meet in the Village. Our tour guide, R.J., met the group, and we did a little meet & greet with everyone before starting our journey. Our first stop was Joe's Pizza. Authentic. New York. Thin Crust. Joe's has been a Village institution since 1975, so they must know how to make a slice. It was the perfect ratio of crust, to sauce, to cheese. If you want to try a true NY slice, you can't go wrong here!

Our next stop was Oliviers &Company (O&CO.) - a boutique olive oil shop! YES, PLEASE! The company was founded in France in 1997 to share the tastes of the Mediterranean. It opened its first boutiques in the U.S.A. in early 2000. At this stop we learned about various types of olive oils and balsamic vinegar. We tried various grades of olive oil as well as several flavored oils. Our favorite was the lemon! We bought some to cook with and have used it on everything. Head to the website to try your favorite flavor! 

 

From here we moved on to Faicco's Italian Specialties (Pork Store). I would classify it as a deli/butcher shop. It's been open since 1900. Yes, 1900! Some say it's the best sandwich you'll find in the city. We got to try some meats, but we would definitely come back for a Italian sandwich masterpiece!

 

Next stop on our Italian food journey was Trattoria Pesce Pasta. The talk and rave here was all about the meatball. Unfortunately our picture does not do the ball justice, but stop the press. It was amazing. This stop is exactly why we do food tours. We would never have had this restaurant on our radar, but if you are in NYC, add this one to your list. So authentic, so good, and reasonably priced.

 

We walked off the "main street" learning history along the way heading toward Rafele Restaurant. Even though we were able to sit down at our last restaurant, this was advertised as our sit-down, order a drink, portion of the tour. Rafele's menus is authentic Neapolitan flavors. Fresh ingredients, fine wines....our kind of place.

We loved the layout of this restaurant. It was very open, and indeed had an "open kitchen". There was a chef's table we sat at as they were preparing our tastes.

Have you ever hard of Melanzana? We hadn't. It's layers of eggplant with cheese, basil, buffalo mozzarella, and homemade tomato sauce. It was perfection. You could not tell you were eating eggplant. It tasted like a pasta dish. (And the homemade focaccia bread was the perfect complement!)

We were definitely getting full, but we had a few more stops on the tour! It was sweet treat time! Right off Bleeker, in the middle of what seemed a residential area, is Milk & Cookies Bakery. It's owned by Tina Casaceli who is a pastry instructor at the French Culinary Institute. Let me tell you. She knows her cookies. I'm not sure if it was tour magic or just perfect timing, but they were pulling a warm pan of cookies out of the oven when we walked in.  

        

When they said the next stop was all about cheese, we got our second wind! Bring us ALL the cheese. Welcome to Murray's Cheese Shop. Founded in 1940, they have some of the world's best cheese. They bring new and undiscovered cheese from around the world to the U.S., so that we can try the best of the best! We each got to try three different kinds of cheese, a cheese puff, and some dried apricots. They were so creamy and smooth. It would be the perfect place to pick up some cheese and bread for a picnic!

 

Last but definitely not least was the final stop on our food journey, Pasticceria Rocco.  Family owned since 1974, this is the place for pastries and coffees and all the perfect endings! One thing in particular that they are famous for are their cannolis. It literally was the perfect ending to the perfect food experience! Look at that cream!

 

What an AMAZING journey. We can't recommend the Foods of New York Tour enough. If you can, try to schedule your tour early in your visit, so that you can come back and visit all of the restaurants and shops they recommend! It's a three hour tour, and there's no doubt you will leave full! Do this instead of a dinner one day - you'll get to try the best of the area, and learn more about the history and charm of the neighborhood!

Bon Appetit!