Fornino Pizza

Today I'm just going to review a pizza place, because it was fabulous.  The question I am probably asked the most as a tour guide is "where can I get the best piece of pizza in NYC."  I've always been at a loss of how to answer this question.  First of all, pizza is a very personal thing.  Some people like thick crust, some like thin, some like lots of grease and others prefer a lighter taste.  Personally, I find pizza delicious but no slice has ever emerged as king pizza to me - until now!

I took a group of 15 to Fornino Pizza at Pier 6 in DUMBO, Brooklyn.  First of all, we sat on the rooftop of the restaurant which provided spectacular views of lower Manhattan, the East River, Governor's Island, and even the top of the Statue of Liberty.  You really couldn't ask for anything more picturesque.  We order Caesar and Pear and Gorgonzola salads and the freshness of the cheese immediately stood out.  When the pizza came, every single person in our group agreed it was the best pizza they had ever tasted. We order truffle pizza, which achieve a magical mix of flavors where the truffle taste was not outweighed by the cheese, pepperoni pizza which had the most flavorful and fresh pepperoni I've ever had, and the traditional Margherita pizza which was delightful.  What made all of the pizzas especially spectacular was the crust. The owner of Fornino came over talked to us about their wood burning oven.  It heats to 800 degrees Fahrenheit, which means each pizza pie only has to be cooked for about 3-4 minutes.  The high temperature and quick cooking gives each pizza is crispy on the outside but soft on the inside thin crust.  It's perfect.  If you wish to get a beer to go with your pizza, never fear, there is a bar at Fornino.  There is also the best soft serve ice cream in Brooklyn for dessert.  EAT HERE!  It a delightful, unique, and truly New York experience.  

Here are some photos that showcase the view, the pizza, and the owner showing me how to use to wood burning oven!

Side note - for anyone thinking - wait that pizza is in Brooklyn not NYC!!!  Brooklyn is one of the 5 boroughs of NYC so there you have it!:-)

Awesome things happening in NYC this weekend.

Every weekend, New York is full of awesome things.  Awesome things that are unique to the city and truly personify the city.  Like anything in the city, they can be frustratingly difficult to find.  I realized there aren't enough websites that help you seek out these awesome things.  I would like to fix that. I'm talking about real New York-y things, things you can only find in New York that will give you a unique experience and help you understand the city a little better.   I do not know if I will have enough discipling to make this a weekly "column" in the blog, but I certainly think I should try. This weekend has THREE AWESOME THINGS HAPPENING IN NYC that fit this bill. Here they are!

The first AWESOME THING HAPPENING IN NYC is the DUMBO Arts Festival.  This is a FREE arts festival celebrating art, music, and performance in DUMBO, Brooklyn.  The festival's official mission statement is "to highlight Brooklyn's commitment to and presence in the arts community by presenting the best local, national, and international art amid the breathtaking backdrop of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Skyline."  The DUMBO Arts Festival is one of the most diverse in the world.  Highlights this year range from  "The Ship of Tolerance"  which currently sits out in the East River and contains over 500 drawings by school children expression their interpretations of tolerance, to Theatre of the Oppressed presenting "Concrete Justice" which addresses the issue of homelessness in the city, to "Bubbles of Hope" that lets wishes and dreams parade and dance the the street.  There is is really something for everyone of every age and background to enjoy at the DUMBO Arts Festival.  The above listed projects are just a tiny sampling of what you will see.  The Arts Festival contains work from over 400 artists being shown over the course of three days, September 27-29th.  The arts festival is celebrating its 17th year!

The second AWESOME THING HAPPENING IN NYC is the New Amsterdam Market!  From 11a.m.-5p.m., there will be a "fantastic food market" at the South Street Seaport.  The New Amsterdam Market is "leading the redevelopment of the South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan by revitalizing the historic Old Fulton Fish Market as a Public Market."  The poor South Street Seaport has been undergoing some hard times.  It was very badly hit by the infamous Hurricane Sandy, and Pier 17, the Seaport's main attraction in many people's eyes, was just closed so that is could be torn down and then rebuilt better than before.  (This is a much more controversial topic than I care to explore at the moment since I am blogging about awesome things to do this weekend and not Pier 17.)  The New Amsterdam Market will be taking place once a month for the next four months.  If you venture into its den of deliciousness, you will find the sidewalks paved will all sorts of local food vendors.  Think of it as a greenmarket on steroids.  The event, that was originally starts in 2005, aims to promote a thriving society of small businesses, responsible agriculture, regional economies, fair trade, and equitable access to real food.  So if you are visiting New York and want "real New York food," this is the place to get it.  All food at this market is grown and made locally.  Sure, get a pastrami sandwich at Carnegie Deli, but then check out the New Amsterdam Market as well.

The third AWESOME THING HAPPENING IN NYC this weekend has a slightly bittersweet undertone.  It is actually the last weekend that Governors Island is open to the Public.  This year, for me, has been the year of Governors Island.  I went out there for several events including the Jazz Age Lawn Party, Fete Paradiso, and the Unicycle Festival.  There are several events happening on Governors Island this weekend and you can read about them all here: http://www.govisland.com/html/visit/calendar.shtml  If you get a chance, get yourself over to the Governor's Island Ferry.  It's free.  It's lovely.  Enjoy the last day of summer on this quixotic island just off the southern tip of Manhattan.

Ship of Tolerance in the East River!

Bloomberg's Plans for the Waterfront

Today is another cheat blog.  I'm linking you to two articles about Mayor Bloomberg's plans for the Brooklyn Waterfront.

The thing is, whenever people walk through an area of Brooklyn known as DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass), they notice a whole bunch of abandoned red brick buildings and always ask what they are. They are actually old Tobacco Warehouses and Empire Stores.  They date as far back as 1869 and have been deteriorating since being abandoned in the 1970.  The buildings are currently owned by New York State and are landmarked.  Developers have seemed at a loss about what to do with the large, spacious, and beautiful buildings.  Many ideas seem to come and go - shopping malls, artist colonies, restaurants.  

One idea that has stuck is St. Ann's Warehouse  that will be presenting pieces such as Julius Caesar presented by London's Donmar Warehouse and New York City Opera's production of "Bluebeard's Castle"  this year.  It has grown a lot since its inception in 1980, diversifying it's programming form all classical music to include cutting edge theatre, blues musicians, and performance art, and raising over $4 million for the building's restoration.

Mayor Bloomberg plans on revitalizing the Brooklyn waterfront.  It's odd, in the boroughs of New York, waterfront property has never been the coveted property.  The reason for this is it used to be all industrial warehouses.  The old Tobacco Warehouses were where tobacco goods were imported and exported, as well as coffee, sugar, molasses, and illegal immigrants from Africa, South America, and The Caribbean. (The "hides" would hide in the cargo and get off the boat at the warehouses.)  This did not make it coveted residential space.  Now that the buildings are no longer used for that purpose, there is no reason to not make the waterfront a bustling vibrant residential area.  It started with Brooklyn Bridge Park and is continuing to grow throughout other areas of DUMBO and Brooklyn Heights.  Here are two articles outlining Bloomberg's plans for the Brooklyn Waterfront.  They do a better job of explaining it than I ever could, so I give you to the New York Times and the Gothamist.  

The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/26/nyregion/brooklyn-takes-another-pass-at-revitalizing-an-abandoned-waterfront-warehouse.html

The Gothamist

http://gothamist.com/2013/09/04/photos_bloomberg_announces_develope.php#photo-1

VON STEUBEN DAY! PROST!

Today we have our very first GUEST BLOGGER!  My beautiful, talented, German-American friend Loralee Tyson agreed to write about her experiences celebrating Von Steuben Day in New York City.  Please enjoy!

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Though I don’t speak any German aside from “Guten Tag” or “Gesundheit” I will happily state that I am of German-American heritage! My father, in a bout of intense scholarly passion, researched the Tyson or Theissen family all the way back to our roots in Crefeld-om-Rhine in Nordheim Westfallen, Germany in 1683!

I first heard about the Von Steuben Day celebration in NYC my freshman year of college (Fall of ’06 for you sports fans keeping track). I accompanied the German club from Drew University to the parade AND got to march in it. Sadly, I was a mere 18 and couldn’t participate in the beer garden festivities.

Oh, how times have changed!

 This Saturday September 21 marked this year’s Von Steuben Day Celebration. Von Steuben Day is considered THE event for German-Americans. It’s basically the equivalent to our St. Patrick’s Day. Traditionally celebrated in mid-September to commemorate Baron Friedrich von Steuben’s birthday, Von Steuben Day is filled with traditional German music, dancing, food and OF COURSE beer!

A little history: Baron von Steuben (born Friedrich Wilhelm Ludolf Gerhard Augustin von Steuben) of Madgeburg, Germany served as Major and Inspector General of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary war. It is said that he spearheaded the tactic and drill training of the Continental Army (insert joke about German rigidity and punctuality here). He penned the Revolutionary War Manual (buy your own copy for $6.99 from amazon!) which was the US drill manual until the War of 1812. Von Steuben was General George Washington’s chief of staff during the final years of the Revolutionary War. The Pennsylvania legislature made von Steuben an American citizen in March 1784 (recognized by NY in 1786).

Von Steuben

Back to the actual event! Von Steuben Day begins with a parade (beginning at 11:30AM sharp, we are a punctual people) filled with German clubs, dancers, bands and floats. People wear traditional dirndls, lederhosen and other costumes associated with Deutschland.  People throw candy; distribute free swag and German flags! The parade route is Fifth Avenue between 68^th and 86^th Street.

Following the parade is Oktoberfest in Central Park. This is a hugely popular event and usually sells out within days of tickets going on sale. But don’t despair; scalpers usually have tickets to spare right outside the line! The beer tents are located near the entrance into Central Park on Fifth Ave and 72^nd Street near the Mother Goose Statue!  After waiting in line with several hundred unruly and beer thirsty Germans we were allowed entry to the tents. Pitchers of beer are sold for both cash and tokens and don’t expect to find any Miller or Budweiser here. Only German and Oktoberfest beers are served and everything is draught! Make sure to grab a platter with German potato salad, sauerkraut, a pickle and a brät or a pretzel with mustard!

Live music is played throughout, with breaks for dance performances or traditional polkas. Renditions of Ein Prosit are heard at least twice an hour, so if you aren’t already familiar, I recommend listening  to the traditional drinking song!

"Ein Prosit "

With Beer stein or glass in hand

A Salute to Your Health or Well-being!

Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, der Gemütlichkeit
Ein Prosit, Ein Prosit, der Gemütlichkeit
(Cheer!) Eins, zwei, drei, g'suffa!

Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke,

hoi, hoi, hoi
Zicke, zacke, zicke, zacke,

hoi, hoi, hoi
 

Prost!!!

As pitchers are emptied, it is a tradition to stack them to see which tables are drinking the fastest. Our table was pretty impressive with

in less than 45 minutes. Tables start to combine pitcher stacks until there are only 2 HUGE stacks of pitchers racing towards the top of the tent. This may seem a bit silly, and dangerous, and it is, but it is TRADITION. And it’s fun.

Pitcher Stacking 2012

Pitcher Stacking 2013

Oktoberfest in Germany began on Saturday (the 21^st) and will continue until Sunday October 6, so if you didn’t celebrate this weekend, have no fear! You still have 2 weeks to drink your fill of German draught beer and eat piles of sausages!

I recommend Bohemian Beer Garden (29-19 24th Ave  Long Island City, NY) for those Queens dwellers like myself.

In Manhattan:

Reichenbach Hall: 5 West 37^th Street

                  They have shot-skis and a sausage platter that is AMAZING!

Zum Schneider: 107 Avenue C

                  So much fun! This location is a little smaller than some of the others but has an amazing            selection of food and brews.

Prost!