Luzzo's

In the mood for thin crust pizza with fresh ingredients in a rustic setting? Stop by Luzzo's in the East Village or check out their new location also in Chelsea. Met up with some friends a few weeks ago and were seated in the basement dining area which makes acoustics somewhat difficult especially if you're surrounded by two children's birthday parties, but order a bottle of red stat and nosh your teeth into a few slices of bruschetta, insalata di rucola (arugula, shaved grana, cherry tomatoes, delicious vinaigrette) and order a few large pies (note they don't do half-and-half anymore) so we ordered the Tartufata (tomato, mozzerella, truffle oil) featured above, and the Piazza Michele (prosciutto and mushroom). Deliciouso!

Luzzo's
http://luzzosnyc.com
211 First Avenue (b/tw 12th and 13th Sts.)
New York, NY
(212) 473-7447

La Boite en Bois

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of seeing Carmen and had a somewhat difficult experience of choosing a restaurant that had the following criteria: w/in walking-in-heels distance of Lincoln Center, quiet & intimate ambiance and either French, American or Italian food. After some serious menupages.com perusing, I found La Boite en Bois and booked a reservation tout de suite. La Boite en Bois is indeed a wooden box - I arrived wearing heels (a modest 2 inches which put me at 6'1) and I felt like I was in Honey I Blew Up the Kid. The space looks like a homey French country kitchen "made for ants" though despite the cramped seating and very low ceiling, the food absolutely makes up for any initial discomfort. My friend and I elected the prix-fixe menu: we both had superb arugula, endive, goat cheese & beet salads with that classic tangy lemony vinaigrette to start, followed by the roast chicken with potato gratin and I the perfectly prepared horseradish crusted salmon filet with a buttery saffron sauce with again perfectly sauteed bright spinach greens and wild rice. Service was slow for us but not for others so we wolfed down our tres delicieux creme brulee and creamy ricotta cheesecake and happily headed off to hear the Habanera.

La Boite en Bois
www.laboitenyc.com
75 West 68th Street at Columbus Ave.
New York, NY 10023
(212) 874-2705

Artichoke Basilles Pizzeria: A gigantic slice of heaven

If you think jumbo slice is good (at 3am post the Reef in DC good), sink your teeth into undeniably one of the best slices in the city. Imagine a delicious, perfectly textured crust, deep-dish style but still has a good bite to it...then slather on one of the best artichoke (or spinach & artichoke, or sicilian, or crab) concoctions (am guessing onion, garlic, oregano, butter) followed by an extra thick bubbling layer of parmesan and mozzarella and you have, quite honestly, one of the most divine slices of New York pie. Artichoke Basilles Pizzeria is at 328 E. 14th Street between 1st Ave and 2nd Ave. They recently opened a Chelsea location at 114 10th Ave @ W. 17th Street which I am thrilled to be going to tomorrow night, so will take pix and report back but in the meantime, check out their story here: http://www.artichokepizza.com/

WTSO.com

A good friend and fellow gourmand told me about this amazing wine online discount store, WTSO (Wines That Sell Out), which features Robert Parker/Wine Spectator reviewed wines of usually 85 points or higher for discounts from 30-70% off. In addition, they offer free shipping if you purchase the minimum amount which is usually 2 or 4 bottles. It's super convenient and fun to buy smaller quantities so you can try out different kinds. It's also a fair selling scheme in that no one person can order a case even though you may want to considering today's deal was a fantastic Tempranillo for just $8.99. Sign up for their daily deals so you don't miss out on any wines...that sell out.

Cucumber Gin

Hard to believe it's been a 4-month hiatus but thought I'd kick it off again with a recipe for party favourite, fresh Cucumber Gin. It's quite easy to prepare and gets rave reviews from all of your guests. You might want to warn them though that despite the absolutely refreshing taste, it is pure gin. I find it best to use large, thick cucumbers but don't forsake size for taste, you still want to find the freshest, juiciest cucumbers available.

Ingredients:
1 1.5L of dry gin (Beefeater's, Gordon's London Dry or any clean, dry gin)
1 large cucumber (seedless is fine too), peeled every other peel and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds so you get the pretty green ridges

Directions:
Place the cucumber slices in a large pitcher (enough to hold one handle or split into two) and pour in the gin. Cover with plastic wrap and let it infuse in the fridge for 12 hours or overnight. See, it's that simple! In case you have house guests or roommates, you might also want to post a note saying it is in fact gin, and not water as one poor unsuspecting friend of mine discovered.

Serve with club soda or tonic and fresh limes, or serve shaken not stirred. Cheers!