Angoletto's Pizza

Angoletto's Pizza.

A beautiful sunny Friday lunch spent with my girl RM at Angoletto Cafe. This place is up the corner from my house and has been around for as long as I've been born. Consistently good pizza. None of that light cheese fluff. Delectable down to the dough.

I couldn't choose between pasta and pizza, so I decided I'd have both with the Baked Ziti slice. RM needed some more meat on hers, so she got Chicken. And the ricotta on the White looked so melt-in-your-mouth hot that we had to go for that, too.

Also recommended: Spinach pinwheels, Mozzarella and Tomato Squares, Primavera Fusilli, Linguini with White Clam Sauce. The Penne a la Vodka isn't bad, though it's more cheesy and perhaps less refined than Mama Theresa's.

Top to Bottom: Baked ziti slice, Chicken slice, White slice.

Poking Our Nose Around the Poconos

Corned beef hash with two eggs sunnyside up and home fries.

This entry originally took place on July 11.

Destination: Poconos, Penn.

Ham and Egg in a Pan really deserves a longer, more thorough shout-out, but due to time constraints, I'll just touch on its main strengths. My family and I have been visiting the Poconos almost every summer since I was eight or nine years old. Sometimes we'd rent a house for a week and engage in outdoor sports; other times we'd go on a day trip for good eats, The Crossings and antique shopping.

But no matter what, one of the highlights has got to be the the food. There's the Pocono Cheesecake Factory, and then there's Ham and Egg in a Pan - a family-owned restaurant selling breakfast food all day long. Think of your local diner - but better. Ham and Egg delivers with its signature pumpkin pancakes, famed corned hash and gracious service. The hot chocolate's not bad, either (whip is an absolute must).

Dripping with bacon anticipation.

My sister generously allowed me to snap a shot of her bacon before it became a mere crumb on her plate. And yes, it tasted as good as it looked...

Farmer's omelet.

I ordered the Farmer's omelet, comprised of three eggs, peppers, mushrooms, home fries (inside it) and - by request - cheddar cheese. It was the heartiest omelet I've ever tasted. The omelet could have used more cheese (c'mon, bring on the cheese!) to off-set the dryness of the home fries, but otherwise it was plenty fulfilling. I just squeezed a zigzag of ketchup on top for moisture.

American Candle.

We like American Candle for its freshly ground White Russian coffee, banana nut bread mix and, of course, the candles. So many to choose from! Everything from the floral, the fruity, clean laundry and lemon meringue pie (not edible, though). You could get lost in the pursuit of scent. Just don't sniff them all at once - you might reel with the intensity.

New York-style Pizza.

After an afternoon of shopping, we settled on New York-style Pizza to see if the restaurant would live up to its name. We ordered a regular pie with mushrooms. While the flavor was right on and the ingredients were fresh, somehow this Poconos version was missing a certain hefty 'chew' to the crust. Less than an hour later, we were all left with hunger pangs. The dough lacked substance, but for the price ($12! a steal), it wasn't too shabby.

Astoria: Star Pizza

Star Pizza.

This entry originally took place on June 25.

I found myself wandering Astoria in search of a friend of a friend's house for a pre-screening of the human trafficking documentary Not For Sale. After pulling a bit of a corn maze trick and mistakenly transferring to the W train instead of the R train, we finally arrived at the right spot.

As always, I was hungry. Halfway during the documentary - which detailed the bleak plight of runaways, prostitutes and children sold as sex slaves - I heard a distinct growling noise. Embarrassed, I peeked furtively to my left and my right, but it wasn't coming from around me. Rather, it was FROM me. My hand dropped to my stomach, as if to reprimand the whining monster. The sound reminded me of pet hamsters running forever in circles, except it was occurring in my stomach. The light ramen lunch I had earlier didn't help either.

Pork-broccoli slice.

After the screening, we stopped by Star Pizza on Steinway. I scanned the rows of colorful pizza and settled on a plump pork-broccoli slice ($3.25). Three minutes later, I was chowing down on that sucker.

The Great Outdoors.

We took a seat on the outdoor patio chairs in the back where it was less crowded and we could escape the grueling 80 degree heat. This Italian restaurant seems to remain a local neighborhood joint and is unfettered by the masses residing outside the 718 area code.

Greenery.

The Sun Also Sets.

By the way, if you are located in the New York Metropolitan area, please support the grassroots efforts of Not For Sale by coming out to the documentary screening at Astoria Park on Friday, August 14. Help raise awareness of this real and imminent issue that is currently gripping the world. You can also join the Facebook campaign and learn more about the event.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. My slice was thick and juicy and thoroughly satisfying, without being too oily. The dairy did not settle too heavily in my stomach.

Location:
Star Pasta & Pizza Inc.
3151 Steinway St
Astoria, NY 11103
718.274.4250

50 Cent Gelati, Italian Slices & Cannolis @ Rizzo's, Astoria

This just in: Rizzo's Fine Pizza in Astoria is celebrating its 50th Anniversary with new 50 cent specials over the next few months. All Gelati, Italian slices and cannolis are just 50 cents until May 29. Choices vary by day, but daily selections include: lemon sorbet, coconut, cherry, piña colada, Dutch chocolate, pomegranate, Mandarin orange, apricot-mango. Promotion valid in-store only.


Location:
Rizzo's Pizza
3013 Steinway St
Astoria, NY 11103
718.721.9862
www.rizzosfinepizza.com

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

1. Red Velvet Cupcakes, made by Emily for our coffeehouse in April. And it was her first time baking them! These were my far the best dessert of the night. Look at all that homemade love.




2. Ban-chan. Because a true Korean meal just isn't the same without it. You've got your choice of black beans, kimchi, dried squid, sausage & asparagus, silky tofu and the requisite leafy salad with ginger dressing. (I think I may be secretly Korean.)




3. Pork Gopdol (stone bowl) Bibimbap. Please excuse the blurriness, which was due to all the hot steam rising from the dish. This version was lacking in the sweet and spicy department (Chef - what happened to your taste buds tonight?) but it didn't fail to fill me up. Gotta love that grub! (Han-gang; 34 West 32nd St; New York, 212.736.0099).

Note: I ate this pre-Swine Flu, so I had no problems with the pork.




4. Tomato soup, made in my very own kitchen. You, too, can make it yourself. Adjust the black pepper to your liking. Also, I find this soup pares well with grilled cheese-bacon-mushroom sandwiches. A wonderful meal on a rainy day, just like the ones Mom used to make.




5. New York mushroom slices. Take a look at the middle slice - big love! Generous New York portions.

Day 3: North End -- Earnest for Ernesto's

Ernesto's.

Tread down the cobblestone path from Maria's and you'll pass by Ernesto's Pizzeria. My friend Joe suggested the place, as it's known for its thick, meaty slices for just $3.75 each. One slice is equivalent to two New York-style slices (if you know what I'm talking about, that's huge).

There's retro appeal aplenty. On the walls you'll find black-and-white Frank Sinatra portraits, including my personal fave, Sinatra's mugshot. Green and red Christmas lights blink next to green, wine and white frescoes, which add an old-world flair to this pizza parlor.

Sausage slice.

Joe eyes the sausage slice in a face-off before he swoops in for the kill...

While we were waiting for our slices, Joe recounted the story of how he was hit on by a homeless guy on the T earlier that day. The homeless guy, who introduced himself as Tommy, took Joe's hand and kissed it, saying, "I lahhhve you."

Followed by: "Do you have blue eyes?"

Joe: "No...."

Tomato-basil slice.

The tomato-basil combination was a little too tomato-heavy, adding to the "droop" factor. When I bit into the slice, the watery tomatoes slid down onto my paper plate, creating a puddle of soup. Otherwise, the basil was right on the money. I personally prefer more cheese, but this was great for the lactose-intolerant or people who aren't too keen on dairy.

Chicken-bacon-onion slice.

Yes, that's all one slice. Almost resembles butt buddies, no? Missy ordered this one and we split it three ways. Love the bacon, could do without the grease. This was very oily, but for a non-onion fan, I have to say that the ingredients worked well together.

Two children, a girl and a boy around 2 or 3 years of age, sat behind us and kept me on my toes. The girl shouted to the boy: "Let's PLAY!!! Understand??" The little boy (bless his heart) bobbed his head noncommittally. The girl then proceeded to scream hysterically.

At the counter, Grandma raised her head in alarm and her eyes dilated into fierce mode as her retina zeroed in on the little girl. No auditory command was necessary to shut her up. Finally, Grandma came back with two plain slices. The girl munched on her pizza happily, and all was well with the world again.

Skull Candy.

As we were wandering the pebbly steps of the North End, we ran into a skull.

Well, let me explain.

Someone dropped their cell phone on the ground and the skull decal is what I saw first. I snapped this shot before Missy called the owner and tried to arrange a meet-up to give it back to her. We later dropped it off with the waitstaff at the restaurant she was last seen with it in. My friends joked that I was more excited about taking the picture than returning the phone. Ermm, typical photojournalist behavior.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. I love cheese. I love big slices. Thus, I love Ernesto's.


Location:
Ernesto's
69 Salem St
Boston, MA 02113
617.523.1373
www.ernestosnorthend.com