Italian Comfort Food

Nibbles & Bites Issue #8: Shrimp Fra Diavolo & Lily Kwong's Orchird Show

I have lived in New York for nearly my entire life (minus the 4 years I went to college) and I have made zero trips to Arthur Avenue until this weekend, and oh boy, let me tell you - it was phenomenal and I will be back to eat at one of the many red sauce restaurants again.

For those of you who, like me, have been thinking about going to Arthur Avenue but haven’t made the trek, let me suggest that you make a trip out of the excursion and go to the New York Botanical garden while the Orchid Show is still in open (until April 23rd). 

The landscape artist, Lily Kwong, designed this year's show with tributes to her Chinese heritage and Chinese landscape paintings. As always, the orchids are over the top in a dazzling range of white, pink and yellow. The sheer variety of orchids (and micro orchids), floating mossy installations, and contemplation pools are enchanting. While you’re walking through, it’s impossible not to reflect upon the extent of the orchid’s possibilities and its eccentricity of form.

Let me temporarily dazzle you with a quick parade of orchids, even though I know you came here for some food writing. I promise you’ll learn where to get the best bowl of spaghetti on Arthur Avenue afterwards!

Triumphant! There is no greater pairing than walking through the greenhouses on a lazy, rainy Saturday morning and enjoying a big bowl of pasta, right? Correct! So we waltzed right over to Arthur Avenue right as the clock struck noon to beat the weekend lunch crowd, and sat down at a red-checkered table at Tra Di Noi. I have never witnessed so many “regulars” with preferred seats by the window and specific wine orders at lunch on a Saturday than I did there.

Tra Di Noi has a rather short menu that includes classics like lasagna bolognese and carbonara, but they also have a stellar and extensive specials board, which included pork chops with red peppers, pesto gnocchi, stuffed artichokes, swordfish, and a slew of other dishes. The waiter who came to our table was practically gushing over each dish on the list as we ordered, and of course corrected my pronunciation of “shrimp fra diavolo” even though I guarantee you it was spot on.

I have never had a stuffed artichoke so perfectly and delicately stuffed with even more artichoke hearts and breadcrumbs before. It was steamed and drizzled with a generous amount of olive oil before being baked for a short period of time. The artichoke was so tender that it fell apart on the plate right in front of me with the slightest touch. This dish had me fascinated and slightly uncertain of the order of operations in the kitchen. I just know that attempting to recreate it at home wouldn’t yield the same result, which made it all the more special.

Here’s my shrimp fra diavolo, which was delicious and had rather large slices of garlic throughout. The red sauce itself was mild and not quite as spicy as other versions of the dish that I’ve had, but I’m certainly not complaining. Milo had fettuccine carbonara and a slice of cheesecake. I don’t think the boy can walk into a restaurant, see the word “cheesecake” and not order it off of the menu. It’s a true talent.

After our very indulgent lunch (otherwise known as dinner at noon), we walked down Arthur Avenue and picked up some porcini and ricotta ravioli from Borgatti’s Ravioli and Egg Noodles, and then went to the Calabrian Pork Store, which smelled very intensely of cured meat. I had to immediately turn around upon entry. In my opinion, this place has one too many hanging meats and not enough ventilation, but it’s definitely worth a visit, and the sausage and pancetta we got was delicious.

All in all, I highly recommend knocking a trip to Arthur Avenue off of your list. Come for the extensive variety of fresh pastas, tomato products, cheeses and cured meats - it’s a truly delicious journey.

Look forward to some recipes hitting your inbox next week!

- Kristen