Steve Schirripa Has No Problem With Little Italy, Steaks
In his new cable cooking show, Steve Schirripa’s Hungry (Lifeskool network, debuting December 6), Uncle June’s faithful manservant Bobby Baccalieri tours his favorite New York Italian kitchens and takes some sauce-splattered pointers from pals like Rao’s Frank Pellegrino and Peasant’s Frank De Carlo. Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld asked the man Tony Soprano immortalized as a “calzone with legs” to expound on his favorite pastime — eating on and off the set.
There are a lot of cooking shows out there these days. What distinguishes yours from the competition?
This is a real guy going into a real kitchen; I think after you watch this, you’re really going to learn how to make the meatballs from Rao’s. It’s a combination of talking, comedy, and how-to.
Who does the cooking at home?
My wife; I eat, she cooks. Which is why I’m doing this new show. They’re teaching me how to cook.
In one episode, you spotlight the Mulberry Street restaurant Il Cortile. Do you think that Little Italy gets a bad rap?
I think it does. First of all, it’s a lot of fun down there. There’s a lot of tourists, but Il Cortile is as good an Italian restaurant as any in the city.
The Orange Line
Riding the V Line: Manducatis Is the Antidote to LIC LimboWe’re riding the B and V from Coney Island all the way to Forest Hills, jumping off frequently to rave about our favorite restaurants and food stores near the subway.
Dreary, desolate, bereft of even the corner delis that make other postapocalyptic industrial zones livable, Long Island City doesn’t offer you much to look at as you walk from the four or five blocks from the Ely Avenue stop to Manducatis. But that’s the beauty of the V train: It drops you in barren areas that are home to supremely warm and welcoming restaurants.
Neighborhood Watch
Late-Night Cookie Delivery Seeks Disciplined Help in the East VillageClinton Hill: The laundromat space on Greene Avenue near Grand has been leased to a gourmet store that will offer charcuterie, cheeses, and fresh flowers. [Clinton Hill Blog]
East Village: Insomnia Cookie specializes in late-night sweets delivery and wants a vehicle-equipped employee who can make it to NYU dorms without eating the booty (or trying to get some). [Eat for Victory/VV] Neighbors of Le Souk want the bouncers to stop chatting up girls and rein in the noisy crowds. [Villager]
Long Island City: The owners of Italian restaurant Manducatis may be opening a 5,000-square-foot gourmet marketplace on Vernon Boulevard and even bringing gelato to the ice-cream war. [Joey in Astoria]
Midtown West: The Copacabana closes its doors tomorrow night to make way for the number 7 subway line. [NYDN]
Prospect-Lefferts-Gardens: One can only dream that the now-closed Access Point space could be taken over by a falafel purveyor. [Across the Park]
Soho: Provence has just introduced brunch service sweetened up by items like cherry mimosas and chocolate-bread French toast. [Restaurant Girl]
