Manhattan, New York: Salume

I had gone back and forth a lot on my first Italian Food Find in New York. New York is known for its authentic Italian community so the stakes were high, and I didn’t want to disappoint. I decided that my Italian Food Find in New York must be as always, affordable, rooted in Italian heritage, and so delicious I’d have full faith in this review.

Michele Colombo, a former Italian advertising executive recently opened a panini cafe in SoHo bringing authentic Italian to trendy SoHo.

Colombo, a new resident to Manhattan, arrived five years ago with one intention, to teach New Yorkers the fundamentals of Italian food. Interestingly enough, these fundamentals coincide with the fundamentals of organic food. (Win-win for you organic readers)

According to Colombo, Italians, are all about fresh, locally grown food. Food should look and taste similarly on your plate as it did in the ground.

Colombo warned me that a true Italian Panini from Salume would not come squashed, but rather toasted on baguette-like bread, and due to this preparation I could appreciate the flavors of the panino better. (Another fact from Colombo, pannini, is Italian for plural sandwiches. Panino, is a singular sandwich. So to order a Panini makes no sense to Italians!)

I enjoyed the Langhirano, a classic Italian-American sandwich consisting of Prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and Tomato. I would also recommend the Valtellina a serving of thinly sliced lemon and brie on crusty baguette type bread available only at Salume. The thin sliver of lemon almost goes unnoticed but creates a fresh mist in between the bread and cheese.

To test Colombo I asked which panini was his favorite. Proving to be impartial he could not pick one, but let me know that my favorite, the langhirano, was his best seller.

They are indulgent sandwiches, at over ten dollars a sandwich, but worth every cent, and still cheaper than a trip to Italy.

$| 330 West Broadway at Grand St. New York, NY |212.226.8111

New York, NY: Indigo

My experience with Indian restaurants in New York City has taught me two things. One, never judge a book by its cover, some of the best Indian food I’ve had came from a restaurant with the ambiance of a pizzeria. Two, if you think the Indian restaurants in Manhattan are good try one in Jackson heights.

But in order to be a Food Find you have to be centrally located, fabulous and frugal!

I am especially critical when eating Indian food, as I’m half Punjabi. Finding an Indian restaurant that featured good food, a fabulous atmosphere and location, as well as low prices is tricky but I found it. It’s called Indigo, and it’s located in East Midtown Manhattan.

Indigo is a fairly small sized restaurant, but because it is off the beaten path, (all the way on 1st ave.) it is usually fairly empty.

Dishes are about ten dollars a plate, more or less, and the servings are very generous. The tandoori chicken, at twelve dollars features a large plate of parts of a whole chicken with a bowl of rice. Indigo pleased me with their ability to create a broiled, juicy tandoori chicken. A rookie mistake I’ve found at other restaurants is they bake their chicken leaving it too dry to appreciate. I’ve enjoyed just about everything on their menu at this point, but I couldn’t mention Indigo without suggesting their tandoori chicken, samosas, and chicken tikka masala.

Their service is superb as well. It is quick, friendly, and generous. I can’t mention generous enough when reviewing Indigo. The last two times I went they offered a free plate of Indian vegetable fritters, called Bhajias to get us started.

One appetizer, entrée, and dessert could easily serve two. So the more people you bring the more you can share. They also offer a buffet at lunch for seven dollars and fifty cents. Indigo is a win-win. I’ve gone twice in two weeks, and I plan on coming back many more times.

$ | Indigo | 357 East 50th Street, New York, NY 10022 | (212) 421-1919 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting              (212) 421-1919      end_of_the_skype_highlighting‎