6 Things I Highly Recommend — September Edition

A walk-in-only pizza joint, a wine comedy sketch show, + an easy recipe from my friend Chris Bianco.

1. Chris Bianco’s tomato pasta, the way he makes it—My old friend Chris Bianco, of Pizzeria Bianco, texted me recently one of his easiest and best-tasting pasta recipes that he makes using his own organic whole peeled tomatoes (I like how there’s a pinch of sea salt in them). And given there’s a storm brewing here on the East Coast, it might be a nice moment to make it.

Chris Bianco’s Tomato Pasta

One can, one box pasta (1lb), serves 4, takes 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

• 1 lb good dried spaghetti

• One 28 oz can whole tomatoes

• Sea salt and black pepper (to taste)

• 2 to 4 basil leaves

• A handful of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

• 1 tbsp butter (optional)

The steps:

1. Boil a big pot of well-salted water.

2. Warm the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about one minute. Cook the spaghetti for about 9 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes to the garlic oil and crush them with a wooden spoon. Cook down for 7 to 8 minutes, breaking them up as you go. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Drain the pasta a minute early and finish it in the sauce with the basil (about one minute) until al dente. Take off the heat, toss, top with some micro-planed parm, and serve.

Find this recipe + more in Chris’s cookbook, Bianco: Pizza, Pasta, and Other Food I Like

2. Yes Chef Guides on Substack—A new newsletter from Jack Goldburg’s Yes Chef crew (Jack’s Dining Room), who just landed a nearly $25 million deal with 101 Studios for scripted and unscripted content. It covers where to eat, drink, and what to order in NYC (and now LA), plus dining dilemma solves and CPG finds.

+This C train food crawl they ran earlier this month was a fun idea:

How to romanticize NYC’s C train into the ultimate food crawl

They’re also hosting the Yes Chef Food Fest Weds 9/30 at Citi Field. Last-minute tix up for grabs. See the full lineup here ⬇️

3. Papalote Salsa—Recently discovered and already a new favorite, especially when paired with Zack’s Mighty tortilla chips.

4. Lucky Charlie in Bushwick—A friend of mine took me out for pizza recently, and we tried this spot. It’s no reservations (IE: walk-in only) and was top-notch. Worth adding to your list of places to try in the city if you haven’t been.

5. House of Leon Backgammon Board—I’ve always been a backgammon guy, and this set feels like a work of art (it’s a mix of walnut, leather, and marbled resin). A great gift with the holidays coming up, too.

6. The Wine Store Show—I’m a big fan of what these guys are making, and I had the pleasure of having lunch with them last week. I got to find out more about how this all came to be, and their backstory is the fun part: four friends, all with very different backgrounds. The director (Matan Zrachia) is an international actor/director who also works in the industry and hates it; the main character/writer (Dave Ahdoot) is an NYC comedian who’s been featured on The Tonight Show; the cinematographer and producer (Nadav Pessach) created the look of the show; and its wine consultant (Nico J. Snyman) is a sommelier who double-checks each script to make sure the wine facts are on point. He’s the inspiration for the main character and the exact type of person the show makes fun of.

Have a great weekend, everyone. —John/OTH