The Lowdown
Fudgie the Whale, Turkey Clubs, Melon Sbagliatos, Crispy Hot-Honey Shrimp, Thin-Crust Pepperoni Pizza...
Welcome to The Lowdown, a regular Paid Subscriber exclusive featuring what (and where) I’ve recently been eating and drinking.
On today’s The Lowdown…
Not one, not two, but three
cameos!Behind the scenes at Steak & Shrimp Night at The Long Island Bar
Dante’s delicious Melon Sbagliato
A Tale of Two Turkey Clubs
A leisurely lunch at Lillo Cucina Italiana
Kicking off my Fudgie the Whale Summer
And more!
Eating
Friday Pizza Night (Emmett’s On Grove)
39 Grove Street, New York, New York 10014
My dear friend
was back in NYC for two weeks and while he’s always in high-demand amongst friends and fans, packing most hours of his day exploring favorite shops, restaurants, and bakeries (a lot of bakeries), on this trip I was fortunate to spend some quality time over food and drink on three different occasions.We each suffered a senior moment miscommunication concerning a scheduled dinner reservation at Smithereens (our text thread did indeed say Wednesday, May 28, but the Google Calendar invite was for Thursday, May 29) and when he called me on that rainy evening 40 minutes into the appointed time to ask of my whereabouts I was in my play clothes at home watching Jeopardy! hunched over a bowl of cereal. Thankfully he was free on Friday night and when he said he was really craving one last pepperoni pizza before heading back to France, I did some back-channel communication to secure us a table at a prime time last Friday night at Emmett’s On Grove.
Emmett himself was holding court with friends out front at a single cafe table set up on the sidewalk. We hung there for a bit and had a nice chat with Tinx and her friend). David is often sensitive to the noise level of restaurants and as it was a Friday night, when we walked through the bar to the dining room the clatter and chatter of the girlypop-packed room was off the charts (when David later asked Tinx why all the young women in the restaurant were shouting, her answer was: “They’re having fun!”) We were led to the dining room where we were seated in the back against the wall with a roomy four-top table all to ourselves (Emmett stopped by at the end to join us).
We started with a round of Manhattans, and though I knew we would definitely be getting a pepperoni pie but when I’m at Emmett’s On Grove I get pleasingly overwhelmed with other options like Pigs in a Blanket with spicy mustard, Chicken Parmesan, and the Baby Back Ribs. David wisely encouraged me to hold back (though he did want to double-down on sharing a pizza and a Dry Aged Burger, though I wasn’t feeling it). Instead, we compromised on partnering the pizza with an order of Spaghetti and Meatballs. It was easy to agree on the excellent Caesar Salad as a starter, though the croutons were a little softer than usual though that didn’t stop me from eating them. During the salad course our wonderful server brought a plate of meatballs for us to enjoy before realizing we had meatballs coming with our spaghetti, but I stopped her before she could take the plate away. An abundance of meatballs is never a problem. I topped my salad with a saucy meatball a la Lucali’s Meatball Salad. To make up for the “error” she later sent out an Eggplant Rollatini appetizer to add to our lineup.
David was thrilled with his Chicago-style thin-crust Pepperoni Pizza, cut into little squares and curved triangles (Emmett once told me he calls this “popcorn pizza” as you’re sitting there snacking on it, piece after pice, until you realize you’ve eaten the whole pie). And having a pizza and spaghetti and meatballs to alternate between as entrees was a solid move and I highly recommend it.
We were likely pushing our allotted time at our coveted table, but Emmett encouraged us to order dessert. Between a slice of Chocolate Cake (which is excellent) and their Key Lime Pie, we went with the Key Lime Pie, whose tartness would help cut through all the pepperoni, meatballs, and red sauce consumed (as would the round of chilled Amaro Averna I ordered to accompany it). I respect and love the generous girth of the graham cracker crust (once in a while they offer a strawberry cream pie on that same crust and if you ever see it on the menu I encourage you to order it).
Full and lacking the energy to press on to Katana Kitten for a nightcap, but David had to pack for his flight so we wisely said our goodbyes and parted ways.
Chinese with Friends (Sal Tang’s)
521 Hicks Street, Brooklyn, New York 11231
