Italian comfort food?

[starlucia]

I have always found it odd that in a city so proud of its Italian heritage, I have yet to see any of the following dishes on a restaurant menu: chicken cacciatore, pasta e fagioli, sausage with peppers and onions, eel, fried radicchio, zeppole, or rum cake. Can anyone recommend a restaurant serving this type of homestyle Italian food (read: items beyond pizza, fideos, or ravioli) and doing it well?

 

[Davidglen77]

What I would do for a plate of pasta y fagioli, strufoli, canolis, escarole, italian wedding soup, real italian ices, and good lasagna. Apparently since a good part of the italian population was from north of Rome, these things are not known of in Argentina. When I went with my partner to New York City (where I come from) last year, he being of Italian and Spanish descent, he never tried these things we mention before, and thought they were awesome. Unfortunately they are nowhere to be found here.

 

[YanquiGallego]

I would also kill for better pizza (and yes, I know there has been an entire discussion about this alreadY)

 

[Crema Americana]

North Italians? Is that what it is? I always wondered what got lost in the middle of the Atlantic as they crossed the equator... with so many Italians here, you'd think they would have developed a similar cuisine to that of New York.

I think a lot of the foods I miss and consider "Italian" are probably Italian-American.

 

[Davidglen77]

North Italians? Is that what it is? I always wondered what got lost in the middle of the Atlantic as they crossed the equator... with so many Italians here, you'd think they would have developed a similar cuisine to that of New York.

I think a lot of the foods I miss and consider "Italian" are probably Italian-American.

Yes, apparently that is what it is. More than 50% come from the Piamonte region of Italy. And in the USA there are a lot more Italians from Cerdeña, Sicilia, Calabria and Napoli. Hence the differences in the food. And of course the availability of ingredients and mix of existing cultures that were already established when the Italians arrived as immigrants has something to do with it also. For example dishes here that contain green leafy vegetables usually use Acelga (Swiss Chard) here in Argentina and in the USA Acelga is few and far between and dishes with green leafy vegetables almost always use Spinach. In Argentina Acelga grows like weeds in any open space and in the US 25% of California is covered in green spinach.......remember Popeye?

 

[nikad]

There are many descendants from Calabria and Napoli here. People cook these dishes mainly at home. If you go to a good Cantina you can easily get pasta e faggioli, etc. Some dishes under different names though. YOu are not looking for a restaurant but a Cantina. I myself have Italian ascendance from both Piedemonte and Calabria.

There is a bakery store in the downtown that specializes in cannoli, cannot remember the address but will post later. Ok, check the bottom of this http://www.la-pastafrola.com.ar/especial_europea.html#

Have not tried these but the author of the article is an expert in hidden gems http://blogs.viaresto.clarin.com/alamesa/2009/11/30/la_pompeya_panadera_italiana/

This one is out of the city http://www.e-dulces.com/home/home.htm in Temperley

Now for some real italian cantinas> http://www.cantinachichilo.com.ar/

http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/restaurantes/Il-Matterello-376

http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/restaurantes/La-Cantina-de-Arnoldo-384

http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/restaurantes/Cantina-Don-Corleone-2843

 

[ghost]

Yes, apparently that is what it is. More than 50% come from the Piamonte region of Italy. And in the USA there are a lot more Italians from Cerdeña, Sicilia, Calabria and Napoli. Hence the differences in the food. And of course the availability of ingredients and mix of existing cultures that were already established when the Italians arrived as immigrants has something to do with it also. For example dishes here that contain green leafy vegetables usually use Acelga (Swiss Chard) here in Argentina and in the USA Acelga is few and far between and dishes with green leafy vegetables almost always use Spinach. In Argentina Acelga grows like weeds in any open space and in the US 25% of California is covered in green spinach.......remember Popeye?

Hold it there. Both Northern and Southern Italy have fabulous cuisine. [distinctly different, but each is famously wonderful] Neither of those cuisines are here in Argentina. Even the high end Italian restos in BA are marginal at best.
Something was definitely lost in the crossing.

 

[starlucia]

North Italians? Is that what it is? I always wondered what got lost in the middle of the Atlantic as they crossed the equator... with so many Italians here, you'd think they would have developed a similar cuisine to that of New York.

I think a lot of the foods I miss and consider "Italian" are probably Italian-American.

Nah, when I think of "Italian-American" food, I think of... like... Olive Garden My grandparents were straight-off-the-boat-from-Sicily/Naples, and I grew up eating cacciatore, fagioli, stewed peppers, arancini, and "Sunday gravy." I would just try to make those dishes myself, but I'm pretty sure the chances of finding marsala wine, swordfish, eel, fresh clams, turkey sausage... even San Marzano tomatoes... in BA are slim-to-none

At least the North Italy --> Argentina diaspora explains why none of the Italians I know down here have never even heard of the dishes you can find in pretty much any house or bakery in South Jersey.

 

[nikad]

Sunday gravy = tuco con estofado. You can find all of those ingredientes failry easily except for the San MAnzano tomatoes Starlucia. Marsala at any wine store, swordfish most fish stores, eel chinatown, clams any fish store, turkey sausage la granja converso... Are you really looking for these items? Come on!!!

 

[starlucia]

Sunday gravy = tuco con estofado. You can find all of those ingredientes failry easily except for the San MAnzano tomatoes Starlucia. Marsala at any wine store, swordfish most fish stores, eel chinatown, clams any fish store, turkey sausage la granja converso... Are you really looking for these items? Come on!!!

Nah, I must admit I was approaching the task with a defeatist attitude