Ahoy NY Tours Virtual Italian Lunch Hour

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I wanted to share with you a lovely experience I recently had with our friends at Ahoy NY Tours which was a Virtual Italian Hour Lunch. It is so important to support small businesses at this time, and when they are also great people, it makes it very easy.  For the class, they send you the ingredients you need to make the recipe and then you get together on a Zoom call for a delightful afternoon/evening. We did some fun games as well on the call and chatted with each other which is so nice for those who have not seen many friends and family. 

I really LOVE the idea of the Holiday Cookie class, that would be great with a family and friends  group. 

Ahoy NY Tours has added quite a few virtual classes for you to enjoy and are great for getting your family together safely in this year of COVID 19. 

Virtual Experiences Holiday Cookie Class

Virtual Experiences Italian Lunch Hour

Virtual Experiences Italian Happy Hour and Party Games

Cookies from Ferrara Bakery in Little Italy are provided as your dessert 

They are probably some of the best cookies you will ever enjoy 

Pecorino Romano cheese which smells AMAZING right to your doorstep! 

Italian brand spaghetti is always the best kind, you will taste the difference 

There is our wonderful Chef, Liz, along with my Cacio E Pepe, which was so darn tasty. I learned a few things with this class even though I cooked with my Italian Mom all my life. I took the class on my Samsung tablet as am in need of a new laptop, but you don't need a laptop to do the class if you have a tablet. A phone works also but may be a bit small to watch the video. 

Ahoy NY Tours in person are just really so wonderful and they are now taking reservations for 2021 dates. It's so great to have someone take you around Little Italy and Chinatown, then you can go back on your own and explore more! 

Ahoy NY Tours also have available Food Kits and Snack Packs which make great holiday gifts. They are also wonderful for those like me who are missing their trips to NYC and would love to enjoy some delish food from the folks in Little Italy and Chinatown. It is great to support those businesses as well as they are all hurting with the tourists not being around as they normally would. 

I hope you enjoyed this little taste of a virtual tour, and consider giving it a try. It really is a fun time especially with family and friends you have not seen in a while. 

Please all be sure to stay safe and healthy. 

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Disclosure: I was provided a ticket for this virtual cooking class by Ahoy NY Tours and Tasting. There has been no monetary compensation for this post. I only recommend products that I feel will be of interest to my readers, and that I am truly impressed by. All opinions are my own. Thank you!! 

A Taste of Italy Meal Kit

Hello everyone! Hope you are all doing well and staying home. It is so important for us to listen to the local and federal government, only go out when necessary. Limit your grocery shopping and do not gather in groups. The quicker we do this, hopefully the quicker this virus will go away. 

I don't know about you, but I have been having my grocery order delivered so I don't have to deal with the lines and social distancing. I am getting spoiled with the delivery service! 

THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST 

Our friends at Ahoy New York Tours and Tasting are having a wonderful meal kit available for purchase and delivery. This is a great way to help (2) small businesses, Ahoy NY Tours and DiPalo Fine Foods. DiPalo Fine Foods has been in business since 1925 and has the most AMAZING Italian foods available.  

Here is the information on what is available: 

Dreaming of NYC & its cuisine? Receive our delicious Ahoy NY recipe book & some amazing ingredients from Di Palo's- right to your doorstep!

Enjoy a traditional Roman dish found in our Ahoy NY recipe book and delicious ingredients from DiPalo’s Fine Foods, located in Little Italy, NYC. Let us send these treats straight to your doorstep!

Kit includes: imported pasta & Italian cheese to make the recipe & our very own Ahoy NY recipe book with recipes from the Ahoy staff & more. Learn how to make a simple yet delicious Italian meal and feel as though you are visiting Little Italy and Rome vicariously. Shipping is included in the cost, shipping is done only in the continental United States. Expect your delivery within 2 weeks of placing your order.

A standard kit serves 4-6 as a starter course, or 2 to 3 as a main course. A deluxe kit serves double.

What to Expect

When your kit arrives, you will have the ingredients to make a delicious yet simple classic Italian meal. We are working with our tasting partner in Little Italy, NYC – DiPalo’s Fine Foods, to supply you the ingredients and they have given us permission to share their family recipe. Enjoy making this recipe at home, sharing a traditional Roman meal with your family. The recipe book also includes other Ahoy NY favorites, for example our founder’s family Sicilian cookie recipe, or our marketing manager’s family go-to soup. We hope to bring you more of these kits so that you can enjoy both Little Italy and Chinatown from the comfort of your own home.

Sales are final and non-refundable. Price includes shipping but does not include taxes

Once you have good Italian cheese, you will never go back! 

The quality here is just above and beyond! 

 .

A Taste of Italy Meal Kit from Ahoy NY Tours and Tasting 
INFO & QUESTIONS CALL:
 info@ahoynewyorkfoodtours.com
 (518) 332- 4386

I am sorry to say a cannoli is not included in the meal kit 

You will not be disappointed in the items you receive and what a great meal to enjoy while you are staying home. Thank you for your continued support of this blog. It is much appreciated.  Be safe and stay healthy. 

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Throwback Thursday "Little Italy"

This cool shot of Little Italy in the 1900's make you wish you had a time machine, doesn't it? I could stare at this photo for hours just to see all the little details. What a change this area has had in the last few centuries. In 2015, Little Italy is shrinking daily, due to high rents and cultural conflict. It will be shame if this part of New York City is no more, and all we have left are these wonderful memories from a bygone era.

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Strolling Through Little Italy

After my tour with Ahoy New York Tours of Chinatown and Little Italy, I strolled around a bit on my own. I haven't been to the area in a while, and felt the need to explore. 

I just loved this sign, it really says it all 

The colors of the Italian flag of course 

If you are looking for homemade cigars, look no further. 

A great gift for the special man in your life! 

Angelo's is a classic restaurant, and everything is quite yummy! 

Prosciutto and fresh mozzarella just melts in your mouth 

My Mom loved calamari and I quite enjoy it as well, as long as it is cooked properly 

The next few photos were Italian cookies being sold on Mulberry Street. Everything looked and smelled so good, and they are available every weekend. 

Turrón, torró, torrone, turrone, torrão, turon or nougat is a confection, typically made of honey, sugar, and egg white, with toasted almonds or other nuts, and usually shaped into either a rectangular tablet or a round cake. It is really a most wonderful treat especially if freshly made! 

I could eat biscotti every day. I am so glad I can make my own at home thanks to my Mom! 

I had to end the post with a cannoli, chocolate covered shell just makes them extra special! These are from the famous Ferrara Bakery! 

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Ahoy New York Food Tour 2017

I was very thrilled to work with Alana from Ahoy New York Tours and Tasting this month! I took her tour back in 2012, and was just blown away. Chinatown and Little Italy are some of the BEST places for totally tasty treats. Many of these places have been in the same location for over 100 years. I find it sad that Little Italy has shrunk so much, but these places that you will find are just foodie magic! 

The tour starts at Ferrara Bakery and Cafe. Pure Italian pastry heaven. 

We were taken upstairs, which is nice if you are having a family gathering, to enjoy our cannoli. 

There is nothing like a good cannoli to start your day! We heard about the history of Little Italy, which is truly amazing. 

This area welcomed hundreds of thousands of Italian immigrants during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These newcomers imported many of their customs, traditions and fantastic cuisine.

Once an area that encompassed 50 square blocks of Lower Manhattan, the enclave is now almost entirely located on the three-block stretch of Mulberry Street between Broome and Canal Streets. It is still a fabulous place to check out on your trip to NYC! 

Alleva Dairy is right across from Ferrara Bakery and calls itself the oldest cheese shop in the USA! I am a HUGE lover of cheese, my Mom is probably at fault for that, and I thank her big time! 

Tony Danza is part owner in this cheese heaven, which is pretty cool. Danza’s partner is Karen King, who was married to the unofficial mayor of Mulberry St., John (Cha Cha) Ciarcia. Ciarcia was Danza’s boxing manager when the actor used to duke it out in the ring and was best man when Danny DeVito married Rhea Perlman. He died of cancer in 2015.

Our tour guide passing out some tasty prosciutto and homemade mozzarella. Once you try fresh mozzarella, you will not eat anything else!  

Heaven on a napkin! 

Selection of Tony Danza items for sale  

These are so good, if you have never tried a rice ball or Arancini, you need to ASAP.  

Piemonte Ravioli Company is right next to Alleva Dairy. This is quite a happy street, foodies would love to just move here.  

We had the pleasure of enjoying gnocchi for breakfast. It was so good, sauce was perfect too. I made gnocchi with my Mom, and am looking forward to trying it on my own. My favorite pasta.  

You can find some wonderful fresh pasta here, and it takes only seconds to cook.  

I picked up this one for myself, love prosciutto and cheese together. The small size is just too darn cute as well!  

I also picked up the carrot pasta with peas as it was a unique flavor. I cooked some of each to try and then froze the remainder. There is nothing in the world like fresh pasta.  

The next stop was DiPalo's Fine Foods which has been in Little Italy since 1910. When you do something right, it doesn't need to be changed. I would love to take one of those cheese wheels home!  

Our tasting here was (2) different kinds of cheeses with olives. Happy dance!  

I never met an olive I didn't like!  

We are now moving to Chinatown, and the oh so famous Nom Wah Tea Parlor.  

Lines to get in this place. This tour is worth walking past all the folks in line, and going in to enjoy your dim sum! The parlor has been in business since 1920, and isn't a very big place.  

I found out, not that I was surprised, it is worth the wait!  

This was a type of dumpling with shrimp inside.  

We were lucky to try as well their egg roll and pork bun.  

Their egg rolls are unreal. The filling is awesome and the dough around it is very thin. I really wish we had a whole one to enjoy!  

My first taste of a pork bun, it went down very well. So darn tasty!  

We then tried a different dumpling at Tasty Dumpling on Mulberry Street. These were the kind I see more often, and had lots of filling inside. My tummy was quite happy!  

Our last treat for dessert was a chinese almond cookie from Nom Wah Tea Parlor. I really love chinese almond cookies, this one was okay. My local chinese place has them and they are quite yummy. I need to find a recipe to make these!  

As you can see, this tour offers lots of food and history of two classic parts of New York City. Because of the demand for workers, many immigrants came to these areas in droves. For .17 cents a night, they received a bath, food and warm bed. They made what we have today possible. Visiting the areas of Chinatown and Little Italy give you an insight into our ancestors world. Ahoy New York Tours and Tasting does that in a most fantastic way. Be sure to check our this tour when you visit, you will not be disappointed at all. You will learn history, and enjoy some tasty treats along the way! 

Ahoy New York Tours & Tasting does its best to accommodate any dietary restrictions and allergies (i.e. diabetic, vegetarian, gluten). Please let them know upon booking your tour. Tours run rain or shine, wear comfortable walking shoes. French and Spanish speaking guides are available. On our Chinatown and Little Italy Food Fest tour, we walk no more than ½ a mile, and at a moderate pace. During the three hours, there are many standing breaks, so we aren’t always walking. There are a few opportunities to sit throughout the tour. 

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Disclosure: I was provided (2) complimentary tickets for this tour. There has been no monetary compensation for this post. I only recommend products that I feel will be of interest to my readers, and that I am truly impressed by. All opinions are my own. Thank you!!

To be assured not miss a post, sign up for each one to be emailed to you HERE. Be sure to check for your Feedburner confirmation email, or your subscription will not be processed. Your email is not sold or shared with anyone. Thank you so much for visiting! 

Would be thrilled if you gave me a follow here: 

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