A Taste of Italy in New York: Tony's DiNapoli at Midtown Manhattan

When one hears the phrase "Italian-American", what would most likely come to mind first are the Mafia, groups of crime syndicates who first emerged in a part of Italy called Sicily who eventually made their way to parts of the US, particularly New York. These mafia groups, called "families", are known for engaging in rackets, and have been popularized by movies such as The Godfather, and TV shows such as The Sopranos. 

Of course, it may be quite easy to forget that Italian-American culture isn't just about the seemingly-grandiose mafia culture--food also plays a big part in giving the Italian-American culture a sense of "identity". Italian cuisine has gained so much popularity in the United States that we now have restaurants that serve "Americanized" Italian food, such as Pizza Hut, Domino's, Shakey's, and the like. However, the menu items of these popular food chains have been altered to suit American tastes. Note that the ever-popular Spaghetti and meatballs is rarely found in Italy and is believed to have been popularized by Italian-American immigrants in New York in the 1920s.

For something a bit more "authentic", you might want to pay a visit to Tony's DiNapoli, which has been serving up Southern Neopolitan-inspired cuisine to New Yorkers since 1959. Conveniently located along West 43rd street close to Times Square, it is just a stone's throw away from the major tourist attractions in Midtown Manhattan. You might want to give this place a try if you happen to be in New York City.

The restaurant facade 

We were guided to our table by our friendly waitress Maria, who would constantly check up on us during our stay to make sure we had everything we needed. 

The restaurant was pretty busy, given that it was lunch time and it was a Saturday, too.

The bar area

A miniature bridge greets customers upon entering 

A large menu board posted on the wall

The menu

For starters, a complimentary bread basket was placed on our table. For our appetizers, my uncle ordered Calamari Fritti and Mozzarella en Carozza, which is basically Mozzarella cheese with a golden-crusted coating ("en carozza" means "in a carriage"). 

Complimentary bread basket

A bowl of pre-packaged butter to go with the bread

Calamari Fritti

Mozzarella en Carozza--loved the sauce!

The appetizers were followed by servings of Caesar Salad, as well as the main dishes. Tony's DiNapoli has a pretty wide selection of meat and pasta dishes, with each platter serving between 2-3 people (or depending on the size of your appetites, really). Our main dishes consisted of Linguini with Seafood, Sausage and Peppers (considered as one of their specialties), and Chicken Parmigiana. Though I'm not really much of a seafood lover, I still did get to try the pasta which was actually pretty good, though there could have been less seafood and a bit more pasta on the platter. The Sausage with Peppers had a hint of spiciness to it that goes well with the taste of the bell pepper and the sausage, and is very much appreciated.  I actually mistook the parmigiana for lasagna at first--Tony's DiNapoli is actually quite generous in putting cheese and tomato sauce on the chicken. This is easily one of my favorite among the dishes we ordered.

Caesar Salad

Linguini with Seafood

Sausage and Peppers, one of their specialties

Lasagna? No, this is Chicken Parmigiana

While the restaurant may seem a bit pricey, remember that this is New York, after all. Food (and pretty much everything else) will be expensive. I would say that the price was really worth it, though, and we all left the restaurant with very happy tummies. I hope to be back soon!

Tony's DiNapoli
West43rd street between 6th and 7th Avenue, New York City
http://www.tonysnyc.com
Hours of operation: Tuesday to Saturday: 11:30am-12 midnight, Sunday and Monday: 11:30am-11pm