My friend and I took the Italians of Greenwich Village Food Tour. We thought it would be something fun and different for us. I get up to NYC pretty often but never thought of taking a food tour. Greg was a terrific guide. My friend and I turned out to be the only two in the group for this particular tour. I was surprised that Greg did not cancel on us because of the small size and he told us that he hardly ever cancels his tours unless absolutely necessary. Being from the neighborhood, Greg told us a lot about the area. He used his Italian quite a bit when speaking to the shop owners. We got to sample S-cookies and slices of prosciutto right from the start of the tour. Delicious! I liked that we got our own personal tour. Greg was so fun to talk to. He answered our questions and even asked us questions as we walked along Greenwich Village. I felt like I could sit and talk to him for hours over drinks or coffee. He was THAT fun! I always appreciate people who can carry on open-minded and interesting conversations. The stories he told us about the family owned business were very interesting. He walked us into two churches, which were very cool to see given that Easter Sunday was quickly approaching.
Along the tour we stopped at a local coffee shop, which was perfect given that the wind had put a chill to a beautiful day. We got to try a pastry filled with spinach and cheese. I wrote down the name of this shop for future reference. I will definitely be bringing friends to try the panzerotti (sp?). We got to sample a deep fried rice & cheese ball which was so incredibly tasty. It was a good thing we only got a sample! :) He also arranged for us to sample a meatball from the same shop. So delicious! To compliment the savory bites, Greg took us to a bakery and got us these little Lady-Finger -like pastry with whipped cream and fruit on it. It reminded me of a fruit & cream eclair. What was really nice of Greg was that he discovered we had never had this particular macaroon cookie that was covered with pine nuts. So he got us each one to try. He did not have to do that but it was incredibly nice of him to do so. I would recommend bringing a bottled water on the tour or be ready to purchase a drink at one of the stops. The samples were all so delicious. The shop keepers were so nice and fun to interact with. After all the samples, you are not very hungry. Our tour was in the afternoon, so dinner was a bit later for us.
Response from Host
Apr 2018
hello Sporty Spice
WOW - thanks for such a great review! I'm glad that you had fun because eating and touring has to be fun! I always start the tour with a sample in the first 15 min to wet your appetites. The lady finger desserts were fruit-a-misu and Mr Panzerotto is on MacDougal St.
So glad you enjoyed and have a great SPRING
GRAZIE
Greg