Inside Rao's

There are lots of "exclusive" joints in this town but there's one place that's so exclusive you can't get in unless you know someone. That place is Rao's, the legendary Italian restaurant in East Harlem (114th street and Pleasant Avenue). There are only about 12 tables that a few - very few - people "own" one night a week or a month. And if these people and their guests don't show, no one is seated there. You can't make a reservation and you certainly can't just walk in. You gotta know someone who owns a table and that person's gotta like you. Otherwise, tough. As Dick Standen wrote on City Search, "you can't really say you've arrived in this town until you've scored a table here." (An example of a person who owns a table: Ron Pearlman. It's also a celebrity hangout.)

Needless to say, the food is great. Rao's is famed for it's great sauces and lemon chicken and meatballs. Plus they have great cheesecake. And how do I know this? 'Cause Mr NYC has eaten there!

A friend of a friend of a friend was my source and we went several months ago. It was glorious. There's no menu. The owner and proprietor, Frank Pelligrino, sits at each table, tells you what they're serving, and takes your order. The meal is basically "customized" for each table. My table had the pleasure of being served wine by the legendary Nicky the Vest who regaled us with this stories about serving celebrities like James Caan (Nicky got his nickname since every night he wears a different vest jacket with a distinct insignia). The bread was served with a delicious oil and garlic and we had the great lemon chicken and meatballs (best meatballs I've ever had). The restaurant is covered with photos of the famous clientele and the atmosphere is raucous. We also had the pleasure of seeing Rao's most famous regular, legendary detective Bo Dietl, holding court at his big table. (I overhead him say that back in the day, on hot summer nights, they would open the front doors and people would eat by the stairs.) The nice thing about Rao's is that whether you're rich or famous or not, they treat you like a star. Because at Rao's, the biggest star is the food and fun.

PS. Check out the following link about how to get in:

So You Wanna get into Rao's?

PPS. If you can't be one of the 0.000001% of the population that scores a table at Rao's, you can find the restaurant's sauces and pasta in your friendly neighborhood grocery store.

Classic Mr NYC

One of the most popular blog posts that I ever wrote was about Rao's, the super-exclusive East Harlem Italian joint that yours truly has eaten at -- twice.

This month Rao's turns 125 years old, bragging rights that few eating establishments in NYC or anywhere in this country can brag about. For more about the history of Rao's and what its anniversary means, go here -- and also get the recipe for Rao's famous Sunday Gravy.

To Live and Eat in NYC

Walk down any street in our fair city and you'll find food options a plenty. Chinese, Indian, Italian, Mexican, seafood, fast food, diners, etc. etc. -- all the usual culinary suspects are present and accounted for ad infinitum all over town. Even some of the more obscure, off beat, less obvious choices -- like Korean Cajun or Afghani food -- can be found here as well. To live in NYC is to eat NYC, if you catch my drift. 

One thing that NYC does very well, even our city's biggest detractors would agree, is deli. This is a town where you can get all kinds of great soups, "sammiches", and other tasty Jewish inspired fair. Some delis, like Katz's, are world famous -- even infamous. (The food at Katz's is so good that it made someone have an orgasm in a movie.) Another revered deli is the Carnegie, also made famous in a movie (Woody Allen's Broadway Danny Rose). And yet, like so many old-school institutions in NYC these days, the Carnegie is fated to close. On December 31st it will shut its doors. 

Now this blog is nothing if not nostalgic. I harp on and on about how this town has become gutted by money, the old and wonderful being replaced by the new and cheesy. But I cannot include the Carnegie Deli on this list. First, the Carnegie is not a victim of gentrification and rising rents -- the owners simply wish to close it. Second, even its biggest fans agree, the Carnegie long ago stopped being a real grubby New York joint and became a complete tourist trap. Third, and this is just my humble opinion, the Carnegie was never really that good to begin with. Yes, it had NYC "cred" (for a while at least); yes, the great comics and writers and showbiz types hung out there; and yes, the sandwiches were huge. But really, it was overrated. The tables were cramped, the waiters were rude, and, while the meat in the sandwiches was first-class, the bread was bad and the lettuce was cheap. Even though the meat was good, there was so much of it that eating the sandwiches was more of an ordeal than a pleasure. Who in their right mind can or wants to each that much meat in one sitting? It was ridiculous and not charming. So while I'm sad, in theory, that the Carnegie is closing, it does not mark for me, at least, a great loss for the NYC culture.

That said, Rao's, the historic East Harlem Italian restaurant, is a great piece of the NYC food culture. The impossible-to-get-into "joint" serves some of the best Italian grub that I've ever had -- the lemon chicken, the meatballs, and the cheesecake are outstanding. The original NYC Rao's is 120 years old but now there are locations in LA and Las Vegas that are very popular, and you can also buy their sauces in grocery stores and their cookbooks online and in bookstores. Vanity Fair has a huge article this month about the history and lore of Rao's and it's worth checking out. I've eaten there twice (one of the lucky few) and it really is a fun place. If this place ever closes, I'll actually be sad.

Frank Pellegrino, Sr. RIP

One of my most popular blog posts, from more than ten years ago, is about my first visit to famed East Harlem Italian restaurant Rao's (yes, I've gone more than once!).

It's the hardest table in town and I've gone there twice (including a visit after this original post).

The food at Rao's is amazing, the vibe friendly, and the atmosphere "old school" and funky. The restaurant is over 100 years ago and, for years, was run by a man named Frank Pellegrino, Sr. who died on Tuesday. This heartwarming tribute to the man and his restaurant is a must read. It tells you everything you need to know about this NYC institution and the man who kept it going for so long.

I was honored to twice have my order taken by Mr. Pellegrino, who couldn't have been nicer. The restaurant has no menus, he tells you what they're serving and you make your selections. This is the kind of place that makes NYC great, and Frank was reason for it. 

Rest in peace, Frank. I'm sure your table in heaven is ready for you.    

If New York's Politicans Were Restaurants ...

Rudy = Rao's
Mike = Per Se
Hillary = Union Square Cafe
Chuck = Empire Szechuan (take your pick)
Eliot = Barney Greengrass

per se

Mr NYC has been fortunate to eat at some of this city's finer restaurants -- Nobu, Le Perigord, Rao's, Peter Lugar's. Many of them I've written about here. There are still many great restaurants here that I hope to go to one day. This past weekend, however, some friends and I went to per se, considered by many the best restaurant in New York and one of the best in the world.

Did it live up to the hype? Could it possibly? At first I was skeptical. But four hours, two bottles of wine, and nine courses later -- my palette and head overloaded with succulence -- I was sold. Oh man, was I sold!

First: the location. High-up in the Time Warner Center on 59th street and Columbus, per se overlooks Columbus Circle and the lower expanse of Central Park. Needless to say, the view is beautiful.

Second: the door. As you can see here it's got a lovely blue door but it doesn't actually open. Instead, the glass sides slide open, activated by motion detectors and ushers you in.

Third: the service. Perfect. Friendly. Makes you feel like a millionaire. My water glass was always full. Each course was explained (even telling us where the fish and foul and meat was imported from). You really feel taken care of.

Fourth: the wine list. Huge. An oenophile's delight. If it's been bottled, they got it.

Fifth and most important: the food. Transcendent. Amazing. Delicious beyond comprehension. per se doesn't have an a la carte menu, you order one of two tasting menus, the Chef's or Vegetarian (it changes everyday and costs $275 per person). We had the Chef's menu and it consisted of:

"Oysters and Pearls" (i.e. caviar)
Salad of Sacramento Delta Green Asparagus
"Torchon" of Moulard Duck "Foie Gras"
Grilled "Pave" of Hawaiian Big-Eye Tuna
Pan Seared Maine Sea Scallop
Four Story Hills Farm's Poularde Rotie en Cocotte
Sirloin of Blackmore Ranch's Australian "Wagyu"
Blackberry Farm's "Trefoil"
"Shirley Temple" (ginger sherbet)
Clafoutis (puff pastry)

Some of the dishes were tiny, other's were standard size. The meal includes hor'dourves (some kind of delicious cheese balls and salmon bites), bread, and a variety of exotic salts. It's good to start with a white wine and then move into a red for the heavier courses.

After our meal, the waiters took us on a tour of the kitchen where we thanked the chefs and I, nerd that I am, shouted "God bless you all!" Then they gave us copies of our menus in white folders and boxes of chocolates as we went back out the sliding glass doors.

Afterwards, sated like never before, my beloved and I walked home along Central Park South, a full moon shining down on us below, the night air crisp and cool. And on this night, my beloved and I truly felt like we were living at the end of the rainbow.

Ten Years of Mr NYC

Well, it had to happen sometime: ten years ago today, yes, a full and complete decade, Mr NYC debuted here on the interwebs. 

Can you believe it? Neither can I.

If you'd like to read the first, inauspicious blog post, you can go here to get all nostalgic. 

I could get all boring about this so I won't. I could go on and on about what ten years of Mr NYC "means" but I don't kid myself -- it probably doesn't mean all that much. I will, however, note the following ten things about this blog in its ten years of existence:

1. Most blogs don't last very long but this one has lasted a decade -- not a bad achievement.

2. This blog has been viewed over 300,000, more than a quarter of a million, times. That's roughly the population of Iceland. Pretty cool, huh? (Pun intended.) The blog is regularly read by over 1,100 a month. That's a good "traffic" jam."

3. There have been more than 1600 posts all written, for better or worse, by yours truly.

4. This blog has been read all over the world -- the United States, Germany, France, Ukraine, China, Russia, the UK, Australia, Brazil, South Africa, Poland, Turkey, Canada, and others.

5. This blog has survived three presidents, three governors, and two mayors.    

6. We have done interviews with all sorts of NYC characters like Kenny Kramer, Kurt Anderson, Rachel Kramer Bussel, Richard Bey, and others. 

7. Since this blog started, I got married, had two kids, and bought a house.   

8. The most popular blog posts around about Alison Steele, Film Forum, and Rao's. I've never been able to figure out what makes a popular post.

9. Readership for this blog seems to spike in the middle of the month for some reason. Still don't know why.

10. I've made some money from this blog but still need a day job.

So I hope you've enjoyed the ten years of Mr NYC. I hope they'll be ten more.

To be continued!