Restaurants

Yeah, I grew up in Brooklyn, the epicenter of Italian-American food. But it wasn’t until I moved down South that I learned to truly appreciate the stuff.

It starts with free wine samples, endless breadsticks, and keeping my expectations low.

Jason Hochman, Larry Zakarin, and their friends have been coming to this iconic NYC Italian steakhouse for 15 years and counting.

After quietly rising through the unsung ranks at local icon Gene & Georgetti, one ambitious cook opened his own classic Italian steakhouse.

There’s nothing quite like that “muzzadelle” feeling.

How summers at the Jersey Shore expanded my definition of red sauce.

How Alex Pemoulie of Mean Sandwich rediscovered her favorite cuisine at Restaurant Machiavelli in Seattle.

Welcome to Murph’s, where the Guinness is plentiful and the Bolognese is perfect.

Prepare for a red-sauce baptism.

Welcome to a night at Philly’s prime spot for carb-loading, reckless drinking, and trying on adulthood.

Over dairy-doused cutlets at La Famiglia Giorgio's in Boston, I started to imagine what family might look like for me.

The hardest reservation in New York is Rao’s, a one-room red sauce joint in East Harlem. Co-owner Frank Pellegrino Jr. gives us a peek through the hallowed red door.

Some red sauce joints serve a side of spaghetti. Tommaso serves a side of crooning Italian ballads.

This mostaccioli haven was not just my introduction to Italian-American food. It was my introduction to restaurants, period.

The longer I live in Los Angeles, the more I try to find places where I feel like a thread in the fabric of something bigger than myself. Enter: Little Dom's.

Zeppoli in Collingswood, New Jersey, sets the bar.

From chicken parm to clams casino, this is our celebration of the Italian-American restaurants we love.

Nothing drowns my sorrows like a bowl of lemony pasta.

Pop over for a popover; stay all day for the chill vibes.

Their artful Japanese milk bread toasts are almost enough to turn me into a morning person.

At Benchwarmers Bagels, the menu is a study in the number of textures and flavors you can cram in one bite.

Imagine a mashup of all the chocolate dessert greats (brownie, soufflé, flourless cake) nestled in a buttery, crisp crust.

San Diego’s Las Cuatro Milpas puts flour tortillas in a whole new light.

Feed me the mix-and-match small plates!

Only Ho Foods can satiate my cravings for the Taiwanese staple.

Go to Charleston’s Chubby Fish for the kitschy-fun caviar service. Stay for the perfectly grilled b-liner snapper.

Better than a hot shower, better than an icy-cold Gatorade, better than any other carbohydrate in all of New York.

At chef Ori Menashe’s temple to hummus and pita, this tender, smoky meat dish steals the show.

I’ll take one of everything, thank you very much.