British food is delicious!

[Tutkun Arnaut]

They say New York/New Jersey pizza is the best in the United States (not in the world), mainly because of the water here.

True! Because all ingredients are imported from Italy! Canned sauce from Italy, cheese from Italy, flower from Italy and water is imported from Canada

 

[Salento]

True! Because all ingredients are imported from Italy! Canned sauce from Italy, cheese from Italy, flower from Italy and water is imported from Canada

Are you saying that the city water in New York comes from Canada?

 

[Tutkun Arnaut]

Are you saying that the city water in New York comes from Canada?

some of it! The cities reservuars are close to Canada

 

[TardisBlue]

If you eat "foreign", as in Indian, Chinese, Italian, etc. I think it can be good, so long as you keep away from the chains. I tried Zizzi when I was last there. It's like Olive Garden if it was 50% worse.

I don't know Olive Garden but Zizzi is an abomination. I ate there once in London - we were really hungry after a 3 hour walk around the city and wanted Italian food. Unfortunately, the small authentic-like restaurant we were aiming for was full, so we settled for Zizzi. Big mistake… the pizza dough was undercooked, all floppy and soaked by the "tomato sauce" (which tasted almost like ketchup), and when you lifted the edge of it, all the topping would slide down.

As for British food, I don't know much about it, but I love some of their desserts - crumbles, Eaton mess… and the Scottish shortbreads are to die for. I love cheesecakes too, but apparently it's Greek.

 

[Angela]

The water doesn't come from anywhere near Canada, which is about 300 miles away. It comes from the Catskills and the Delaware catchment area, which are maybe an hour or an hour and a half north and northwest of the city. It's a beautiful part of the country.

It's true that the best Italian restaurants and even pizzerias import canned tomatoes, romano and parmigiano cheese (hard cheeses), olive oil, etc. from Italy. However, some neighborhood pizzerias don't. Mozzarella, which spoils very quickly, is almost always locally sourced.

One of the reasons Italian American cooking is different from Italian cooking is precisely because a lot of ingredients weren't frequently available in the early years. I think I remember that when we first came we couldn't get prosciutto, for example.

 

[Angela]

I don't know Olive Garden but Zizzi is an abomination. I ate there once in London - we were really hungry after a 3 hour walk around the city and wanted Italian food. Unfortunately, the small authentic-like restaurant we were aiming for was full, so we settled for Zizzi. Big mistake… the pizza dough was undercooked, all floppy and soaked by the "tomato sauce" (which tasted almost like ketchup), and when you lifted the edge of it, all the topping would slide down.

As for British food, I don't know much about it, but I love some of their desserts - crumbles, Eaton mess… and the Scottish shortbreads are to die for. I love cheesecakes too, but apparently it's Greek.

Olive Garden is terrible, but Zizzi is infinitely worse. Like I said, my British renters think our chains like Applebee's are great so that tells me all I need to know.

Did you see that plate of pasta I posted? It looks like an abomination we have here called Chef Boyardee; it's canned pasta. Some poor children I knew actually liked it. It's soupy, the pasta is flaccid and soft, and the stuffing tastes the way I imagine dog food tastes. YUCK!

Yes, I like British baked goods; I'm a devotee of the tv show "The Great British Bake Off". The best desserts are still, however, imo, the French and German ones. The Italians are rubbish at desserts in comparison so far as I'm concerned. The parents of one of my close friends came from Bavaria after the war, and her mother and grandmother taught her how to bake. Wonderful, wonderful recipes, and great technique. I learned a lot from her, but I'm not a baker. It's very, very, precise, and you need lots and lots of practice, as you do for making your own pasta, and I don't like desserts enough to put in all that time. I save the calories for pasta.

Love cheesecake too. New York cheesecake is famous and very good, but I still have a place in my heart for Sicilian cheesecake made with ricotta, which I infinitely prefer to American cream cheese. The Sicilians and the Neapolitans are the only Italians with a feel for sweets.

My favorite sweet comes from Napoli: sfogliatelle

The only sweet dessert that I really love from my own area is sweet rice torta.

 

[Duarte]

I know London very well. It is a beautiful city. I am not going to talk much because Jovialis is there now and is describing places I've been through that are, in fact, very interesting. It's delightful to see someone else's impression visiting a place you've been to. I agree with everything Jovialis has said so far except for the food. I stayed hosted near Euston Square Station and the best place I ate was at a family Italian restaurant, not so far from the hotel. I discovered a snack bar that served Brazilian food and even had drinks made in Brazil. Talking to the owners, I realized from the accent that they were Portuguese. I asked where they were from and they said they were from the Azores. But the food was good and really Brazilian. Liked it. But most of the time when I was hungry, I solved my problem at Pizza Hut or McDonalds. At night it was always a problem. Everything closes from 10:00 PM. Only a few pubs are open. In Brazil, at 10:00 PM the nightlife is just beginning, at least in Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Maybe now that Jovialis is there, I can have better references of restaurants and dishes and can, on another occasion, better enjoy the local cuisine.

 

[Salento]

I was a blood donor since forever.

But ‘cause of British beef and cows:

Last time I went to donate blood, I was told that I can't give it anymore ‘cause of Mad cow disease.
It's been years now, and they still don’t want it.

I don't know if it’s still the case, but anyone who spent a certain period of time in the UK (about 1 year in my case) can’t donate blood in the United States anymore.

... so much for British food, cuisine, and ... grrrr!


@Duarte Nobody knows London better than me,

I went to England to better my English, but I got Really Good at Snooker instead (a billiard game), going from pub to pub ...to pub .. to pub ... LOL

I spent so much time in the pubs, that I got very fluent in Cockney

 

[Duarte]

I was a blood donor since forever.

But ‘cause of British beef and cows:

Last time I went to donate blood, I was told that I can't give it anymore ‘cause of Mad cow disease.
It's been years now, and they still don’t want it.

I don't know if it’s still the case, but anyone who spent a certain period of time in the UK (about 1 year in my case) can’t donate blood in the United States anymore.

... so much for British food, cuisine, and ... grrrr!


@Duarte Nobody knows London better than me,

I went to England to better my English, but I got Really Good at Snooker instead (a billiard game), going from pub to pub ...to pub .. to pub ... LOL

I spent so much time in the pubs, that I got very fluent in Cockney

LOL I believe that by walking from pub to pub, you were able to learn local English. You have learned to speak as the singer Adele. Cool. LOL. :grin:

 

[Salento]

LOL I believe that by walking from pub to pub, you were able to learn local English. You have learned to speak as the singer Adele. Cool. LOL. :grin:

I don’t remember any Adele (could be), but in so many of her songs, she just won’t stop complaining about me :grin: LOL

I can say with confidence that Adele loves Brits Cuisine, and the French, the Italian, ...

 

[Duarte]

I don’t remember any Adele (could be), but in so many of her songs, she just won’t stop complaining about me :grin: LOL

Hummm. Indeed, I suspected you were the guy she talks about in her songs. LOL. :grin:

 

[TardisBlue]

Olive Garden is terrible, but Zizzi is infinitely worse. Like I said, my British renters think our chains like Applebee's are great so that tells me all I need to know.

Did you see that plate of pasta I posted? It looks like an abomination we have here called Chef Boyardee; it's canned pasta. Some poor children I knew actually liked it. It's soupy, the pasta is flaccid and soft, and the stuffing tastes the way I imagine dog food tastes. YUCK!

My daughter had pasta at Zizzi, and it looked like the pic you posted. Yes, yuck!

Yes, I like British baked goods; I'm a devotee of the tv show "The Great British Bake Off". The best desserts are still, however, imo, the French and German ones. The Italians are rubbish at desserts in comparison so far as I'm concerned.

Are they? I wanted to taste Cannoli, but I've never had a chance to try them out. They don't seem to have that in France (I don't live in a big city). I admit I have a sweet tooth, though I know it's not good for health and I'm trying to avoid sugar, except when I go to a restaurant (which seldom happens). I had a Neapolitan cake in London, it was good but not exceptional. Oh, and I forget: tiramisu is delicious!

 

[Angela]

My daughter had pasta at Zizzi, and it looked like the pic you posted. Yes, yuck!



Are they? I wanted to taste Cannoli, but I've never had a chance to try them out. They don't seem to have that in France (I don't live in a big city). I admit I have a sweet tooth, though I know it's not good for health and I'm trying to avoid sugar, except when I go to a restaurant (which seldom happens). I had a Neapolitan cake in London, it was good but not exceptional. Oh, and I forget: tiramisu is delicious!

Well, everything is relative. Taken as a whole, I don't think Italian desserts compare favorably with French and German desserts. However, certain specific areas have good desserts. Cannoli are a bit heavy, but good. Sfogliatelle are, I think, really good, as our our version of cream puffs. Really, all Neapolitan pastry is quite good, and certain Sicilian desserts as well. Yes, tiramisu is delicious, although not terribly original. Sort of like an English trifle, I think.

If you're ever in New York City, you should go to Ferrara's Bakery. It's in what's left of Little Italy.

Also, the Lidia Bastianich market, Eataly, has a decent assortment...

 

[davef]

If you eat "foreign", as in Indian, Chinese, Italian, etc. I think it can be good, so long as you keep away from the chains. I tried Zizzi when I was last there. It's like Olive Garden if it was 50% worse.

I mean, look at this monstrosity:

[
English food itself I don't like, nor do food critics rate it very highly. I can't stand pub food, for instance, as the pastry at the ones I've tried was stodgy and tough. Nor do I like kidneys. I'm not a fan of the vaunted "full English" breakfast, either. Black pudding??? Also, the worst baked beans I've ever eaten in my life. So long as you stick to bacon eggs and toast it's O.K.

I rent out my condo to a lot of British people over the summer. How they can stand Florida in July and August I don't know, but I'm happy to have them. They're always thrilled by the food, they tell me, by which they mean places like Applebee's and Chico's etc!

It's gotten better over the years, though. When I was in England for my honeymoon, I stuck it out a week and then started crying over dinner one night, so we went back to France to finish up our trip.

What's the ooze covering the pasta supposed to be? I never had pasta that looks like that

 

[davef]

My daughter had pasta at Zizzi, and it looked like the pic you posted. Yes, yuck!



Are they? I wanted to taste Cannoli, but I've never had a chance to try them out. They don't seem to have that in France (I don't live in a big city). I admit I have a sweet tooth, though I know it's not good for health and I'm trying to avoid sugar, except when I go to a restaurant (which seldom happens). I had a Neapolitan cake in London, it was good but not exceptional. Oh, and I forget: tiramisu is delicious!

I'm going to cross this zizzis off my list. This is due to my dad's description of Olive Garden as the "McDonalds" of Italian restaurants and I'm no fan of McDonalds and it's cheap poison Big Mac fatburger

 

[Salento]

I'm going to cross this zizzis off my list. This is due to my dad's description of Olive Garden as the "McDonalds" of Italian restaurants and I'm no fan of McDonalds and it's cheap poison Big Mac fatburger

I tried the “impossible whopper” couple of weeks ago @ Burger King. (Curiosity) LOL
The fake meat was too dry. It was just one time event.
I'll order the real thing next time

 

[Carlos]

I love everything you've put, everything. I make these chocolate, cream and angel hair cakes to my family. I do everything, the cake to fill, the custard, I put the cream, less angel hair and cherries is completely homemade. I get rustic and homemade, I do not seek perfection because I am more coarse than a plow making cakes, I like that they remain rustic and coarse.

 

[Boreas]

Not their beans dish, the sauce is heavy for me.

 

[Maciamo]

Yes, I like British baked goods; I'm a devotee of the tv show "The Great British Bake Off". The best desserts are still, however, imo, the French and German ones. The Italians are rubbish at desserts in comparison so far as I'm concerned.

Really? I quite like Italian desserts, especially panna cotta, tiramisu, tartufo and zabaione (pictured below). Gelato could also be considered a dessert.

For my part I think that variety is the key to enjoyment, but I am relatively selective for desserts in each country.

Among British desserts I like cheesecakes, carrot cakes and crumbles, but I am not a fan of fudge, shortcake or trifle.

In Belgian/French desserts, nothing beats a good homemade mousse au chocolat with Belgian chocolate, but I also love a good charlotte aux framboises (pictured below), crème brûlée, fondant au chocolat, profiteroles or mille-feuilles.

Regarding German desserts, I'd go for the baumkuchen, Black Forest, and my favourite of all Rote Grütze, a speciality of North Germany and Denmark, which I discovered in Berlin.

Here is the Rote Grütze with vanilla sauce.

 

[Angela]

Really? I quite like Italian desserts, especially panna cotta, tiramisu, tartufo and zabaione (pictured below). Gelato could also be considered a dessert.

For my part I think that variety is the key to enjoyment, but I am relatively selective for desserts in each country.

Among British desserts I like cheesecakes, carrot cakes and crumbles, but I am not a fan of fudge, shortcake or trifle.

In Belgian/French desserts, nothing beats a good homemade mousse au chocolat with Belgian chocolate, but I also love a good charlotte aux framboises (pictured below), crème brûlée, fondant au chocolat, profiteroles or mille-feuilles.

Regarding German desserts, I'd go for the baumkuchen, Black Forest, and my favourite of all Rote Grütze, a speciality of North Germany and Denmark, which I discovered in Berlin.

Here is the Rote Grütze with vanilla sauce.

I like all those Italian desserts except for panna cotta, which I can take or leave. However, I was really talking about baked goods. In that realm, as I also mentioned above, virtually all Neapolitan pastry and Sicilian sweet baked goods as well are, imo, delicious, as is tiramisu.

There are very few offerings from other places in Italy which can compare with, especially, Austrian and German baked goods. I think it may be because there's not a real tradition of eating sweet pastries, etc. after every meal, except if you're in a restaurant. In my own part of Italy, it's strictly for holidays, and, as I said, perhaps in restaurants. I never saw it offered after a normal meal. Even then, most of them are rather dry and uninspired.

My mother was a stupendous cook, better than either of the uncles in my family who owned very successful restaurants, and yet she had to learn how to bake here, because her mother and aunt never baked when she was growing up.

My friend's Bavarian mother and grandmother, on the other hand, baked a sweet every single day, as well as sweets to be eaten at breakfast, and she told me this was very common.

It's just different customs leading to a different cuisine, perhaps, or maybe we just don't have as much of a sweet tooth. I certainly don't. Give me some salami and cheese any day.

Btw, Zabaione I never eat, not because it doesn't objectively taste good, but because I associate it with my mother force feeding the more liquid version into me as a child because I had pneumonia two winters in a row when I was three and four. She was deathly afraid of tuberculosis, but couldn't get me to eat eggs. I would gag and run from the room. That was her solution. I'm sure foreigners would be aghast at a mother giving her child something with a bit of alcohol and coffee in it, but no one thought anything of it, just as no one thought it odd that a lot of children were given mixed wine and water at meals. As I said, different cultures.