Italian food in NYC is better than Italy!? ft. Babish

Hello, I'm josh. I'm Ollie. I'm bandrew. I mean, Andrew Babish. Andrés Babish. Andrés Babish Rea. And we're here to try the best Italian

food

in New York. Let's do it. Hello guys, welcome to Marini. Wow. Thank you. So we'll start with... This is my kind of welcome. It's very traditional to start this way, where we have some sliced ​​meats, mortodella, prosciutto and we also have a little bit of parmesan, a little bit of blue. This place looks incredibly legit. And that's how you know it's perfect Italian-American

food

. One location is here in Manhattan. One is in New Jersey and the other is in Long Island.

This is where Italians live. One of my favorite things about Italian food is that it's several meals in one. This is lunch right here. Yes Yes Yes. We're just getting started. It's the beginning. Yes, that's so true. We're just getting started. That's very true. In England you come to an Italian restaurant. You order a pasta and that's your meal. You and I jumped in before there were dishes. Yes, why do we need plates? What are these for? I was so desperate. A little bit of lardo here, this is just whipped pork fat. Wow. Mixed with pesto.

And bacon. Wow, look at that. While you eat it, you should also have some mio cofrito when you come here. So again, a little similar in context. You get these little hot buns and then you put that ham on it. The fat begins to melt a little with the heat. Thank you very much for making these. This is what I used to order every time I came here. You seemed very excited when he pulled this out. So it's a very, very light and fluffy fritter. It's all in the center. You've got a nice little steam action there.

You go straight in. You can see, like you said, the fat around the edge of the prosciutto. It's like it's almost melting into the bread. Nice and warm, light and crisp. Incredible. As for starters, how can you top this? That's already one of the best meals we've had in New York. That is incredible. This is like a very traditional Emilio Romana meal. I really don't know of any other place in the city that makes Nyoko Frito. Luke, man, you have to try this. It's like an Italian sausage roll. In fact, it's crispy on the outside. It's like pastry and bread.

But yeah, it's like a kind of pastry shop. Yes. It's almost a little flaky. Maybe his appearance in this episode will encourage them to bring him back. When we arrived Andrew asked if they had it on the menu and they said, "Oh no, they actually took it off the menu." I don't know what you told them. I begged them and cried a little. Well. A grown man crying makes almost anything happen. Yes Yes. Oh, wow. Alright, now we have some friti. We always eat some friti, right? So this is a little bit, there's some zucchini in there, mostly, you know, squid.

This is a little spicy little pepperoncini. And these are our classic Emilio Romana meatballs. That? I feel like I've never tried Italian food before. This is incredible. It's fried. Free tea in the UK is something you give to your plumber on a cold day. Free tea. You're an Idiot. Oh now I understand. I'm sorry. I understand. I'm sorry. I had to say it phonetically in my head because I thought, "What the fuck do you give a plumber?" What are you talking about? Friti simply means fried. So this is really squid friti. Well. Oh my God. Alright, a little participation here.

This is our brodo, our zoopa. Fantastic. Thank you so much. One of my favorite things about Italian food in restaurants that is virtually impossible to recreate at home is handmade pasta. They find this texture to be clearly al dente, almost chewy, but not dense or too hard or crunchy or anything like that. Just satisfying in the kind of chewiness. It's really very difficult to do it at home. Oh my God. Okay, wow, you're getting stuck. This is what totally turned an in-bretto into my favorite dishes, especially on a cold day like today. That's so good. The broth, they just put everything in it and it has so many flavors.

The broth is super rich. It's very buttery. Well, they add a little bit of butter just to... It's definitely very different from the Sainsbury's Basics tortellini, which is my go-to. Well. I don't even know what that is. It is cheap. That is what it is. In blissful ignorance, I would say. In fact, we are lucky enough to do a little food tour in Amelia Romagna with our friend, an Italian chef, who took us to try some amazing food. This is as good as anything we've had out there. That is fantastic. Which is absolutely crazy. I mean, you have to be good at New York City.

Do you know how many Italian restaurants there are in New York City? I have no idea. Including pizzerias, there are about 3,800 Italian restaurants. About 1,600 of them are pizzerias, so call them 20, that's about 2,000 Italian restaurants. You could eat at a different one every day for more than 10 years. That's basic math. Good job. I'm proud of you. And when 10 years pass, 500 would close, 500 new ones would open. You couldn't even do it. Keep doing it exactly. You would have to do 10 a day. And then you could do it in a year. You're an Idiot. Yes. You have this kind of encyclopedic knowledge and infectious enthusiasm for food.

I love it. Good thank you. I don't know anything about encyclopedic. But yeah, there are so many subtleties within the spectrum, and this one I really feel like ticks a lot of boxes because it's an old school Italian red sauce. It is the traditional Roman Emilia. There are new twists in things. Some more pasta here. Wow. So this is capelletti, or something like our little hats. Little hats. I love it. And then this is a pork shoulder ragout. This is my favorite because whenever I go to most restaurants I like to order something that is supposedly boring.

Then pasta and tomato sauce. Good. And see how they work within that medium. Try this here. Ah yes, friend. That's crazy. That's as good as I remember. And this too, just as rich, so meaty. And then the little bit of Robiolina cheese. Oh my God. Exactly what you need. Just a little flavor. It's almost like cream cheese. Like Italian cream cheese. And these guys are super soft and creamy and like... That's disgustingly good. The first part of that sentence worried me. No no. She took it home. She said it was whipped ricotta or something with whipped prosciutto.

They hit everything. I just want to blend all my food from now on if that's how it's going to taste. I have already eaten much more than I told myself I was going to eat. That's the problem. Good sign. I want to take this opportunity to ask you about my favorite episode you've done, one of my favorite episodes of any YouTube show. Oh, wow. That's high praise. It's the tortilla hat. Oh yeah. That. That's a great video. This is a great video. Magnificent. What I love about this is that when you start, I know you're going to do it.

I've seen the thumbnail, but I don't think you're going to do it either. It's such an impossible dream. We are two now. It's an impossible dream. People were asking for that for a long, long time before I actually tried it. Luckily, I have this amazing cooking producer, Kendall Beach, who says we are perfect partners in the kitchen. He tried many different ways to fry something. We knew we couldn't fry something that big because it's crazy. And also how to make it keep its shape. Yes, it ended up working. It ended up being something that broke and that you could actually eat.

It wasn't too thick or hard. It worked. That's very, very rare in my kitchen. It must have been a lot of experimenting. I appreciate that it's your favorite. This is a paid partnership with BetterHelp. Now I know what you're thinking. Looks like that guy needs therapy. And you would be right because I firmly believe that everyone would benefit from therapy. Stress can have a big impact on our mental health and talking to a professional therapist can help relieve some of that pressure. But starting therapy can be overwhelming, and with BetterHelp, the entire process is quick and easy.

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help.com/jolly to get 10% off your first month. You have a small plate of meat here. Oh my God. Just a little snack. This is our battle axe. Oh, we're in America. We are not in Italy. For a second I thought we were in Italy, but no, you brought us back. Land of the free. Check it out. I mean, it looks like a mammoth tusk. Boys, boys, boys. Wow. Look at that meat. Oh, it's so cute. It's so cute. Oh my God. I love this.

This is fantastic. This is crazy. This is definitely one of those videos where you have to stop with a bite of food, pinch yourself, and say, "This is our job. How the hell can we do this? This is the best thing ever." You have earned it. Wow. I have seen your videos and your repertoire. And these potatoes are illegally crispy. Oh my God. That is incredible. I don't even know what this is. I'm diving in, but... A little fiber just to... Just to keep things level. Oh dear sir. Wow. You saved all the juice. That's all that matters.

I think... Didn't you hit your pants? Somehow I managed... That was a magic trick. Here we have... Avoid all splash damage. Oh my God. I honestly think we just witnessed a miracle. We hold on to that. I think we just witnessed a miracle. Yeah, that was like in Pulp Fiction when the guy shot six times and didn't quite hit it. Yes Yes. What just happened. I'll drain it again. I don't mind. Well. Oh, wow. That's risky. You just have to decant it and that's it. Wow, that's the move of a guy who spilled a lot of shit back in his day.

That meat is ridiculous. What the hell? I must say it's strange sitting next to you, Andrew, and hearing your beautiful baritone voice in my ear. I have to say it's strange sitting next to you and hearing you say that. Well, I mean, I would say you have one of the most iconic voices on YouTube. As someone with a fairly high-pitched and somewhat effeminate voice... Do you have a British accent? You have a British accent that puts you above any voice in the United States. Covers a multitude of sins. But I was thinking beforehand that you're not making the most of your voice.

I want to introduce you to a new channel. Well well. Bedtime with Babish. I actually have a podcast called Bedtime with Babish. I haven't... I'm sorry. Wait. That? Wait, is he dating? No no no. I just haven't done it in years. I just haven't done it in a long time. But look, he's still alive. Are you serious? We didn't... We didn't realize. That's crazy. I want to bring him back. Oh, you have to bring it back. You literally have bedtime with Babish's podcast. And he read things like Leaves of Grass and Corduroy Rabbit. That's my favorite children's book.

Thanks friend. Because I wanted you to read it to me. Well, I'm happy. Can? Are you ready for a little nap here? What is happening right now? Well, here we go. This was not planned. The very hungry caterpillar. Oh, it's a good voice. It's a good voice. By Eric Carlé. In the moonlight, a small egg lay on a leaf. One Sunday morning, the warm sun came out and a tiny, very hungry caterpillar emerged from the egg. Wow. You should bring that back. It's like watching Michelangelo paint. I mean, it's amazing. Incredible. There is more. Well. We're almost done with the appetizers.

This is our chocolate grievance. Basically chocolate on chocolate on chocolate on chocolate. There's a little bit of hazelnut praline in there. Oh dear sir. There is a butter milk ice cream. Oh my God. There's chocolate ganache. This is our version of our tiramisu. Wow. With our M for sea food. And this is our bambaloni. Our donuts. Donuts too. There are also cute little squeeze bottles with salted caramel. Oh my God. You can hop on or inject inside and have some fun. Thanks for that idea. That is incredible. That's a very good idea. I didn't know you could improve a happy meal.

But they have done it. They have done. I'm happy, we eat, it makes sense to me. This is the happiest food. Well. Andrew, this is amazing. Thank you so much. Thanks guys for inviting me. I wouldn't have come... I don't live here anymore, so I rarely come to this area. This is ridiculous. I thank you for asking me out. Here, I'm going to fill one of these. Well. I'm sorry. I'm going to fill in one of these things. This Friends. Wow. That really works. Something naughty. Something very naughty. Here, do your worst. That's crazy. Oh. Oh, that freshly baked dough.

Hell yeah. Balls of the gods. I'm a chocolate fan so this is what I really like. I love chocolate. And with the hazelnut, the whipped hazelnut filling. This is basically a Nutella. I mean, look, can you see the inside of that pie? Check it out. Ridiculous. If that makes you feel more comfortable,Yeah. Oh my God. Oh my God. There's like a layer of salted caramel on the bottom too. There is something, yes. It tastes good. There's a lot of mmm's in this episode, guys. I think people are going to believe us. This is, yes. This is.

Wowzers, pants. Again. Is it a common saying or did you just make it up? It's not so common. Andrew, besides Bedtime with Babish, I was also thinking what other areas could you explore? I have some suggestions for spin-off channels. Well, it's ok. Can you tell me if you think any of these have potential? Can I take them if they do? 100%. These are all yours. On camera. You can't sue. This is my gift to you to thank you for this meal. Wow, that's lovely. Well. First, beekeeping with Babish. I understand they are kind creatures if you don't piss them off.

So I agree with that. Just a warning. I have a lot. Oh, I thought you meant bees. I was like, are you a? No no no. I received many suggestions. Bare Knuckle fights in the backyard with Babish. Tanning with Babish. Tanning channel. Balloon rides with Babish. Growing beets with Babish. Or perhaps the alternative name would be radish with Babish. Yes. I don't have rhymes. Not bad. Give birth with Babish. Breakdancing with Babish. It got weirder. Barometric pressure readings with Babish. Depositions with Babish. Wow. Bagpipes with Babish. Bikinis with Babish. Well. Beard trimming with Babish. Hey. Hey, now you speak my language.

The last one is to scrape the bottom of the barrel with Babish. Well. What do you think? I think you just reviewed my entire career. It feels like that's exactly my... Flash before your eyes. Yes. Wow. Normally you have to wait until death for that. But today. This has been absolutely incredible. Thank you so much. I had a lot of fun. It was a great pleasure to meet you and share this meal with you. It's so much fun to eat with people who really love food. And you guys really love food. I love it. And that is my favorite experience.

Now, I think I saw in a video you mentioned that you're not the biggest fan of cheddar cheese. And it may have been in the context of pizza. Yes. Specifically, yes. I love cheddar cheese alone. Well ok. Because I brought you my favorite cheddar cheese from the UK. Oh my God. It's an award winning hotel... Literally the day before our flight. All the way from the UK. There was a cheese market held once a month in London. Oh my God. And I think the best cheddar cheese. The great character on my channel is Tiny Whisk. Well.

I thought I'd bring some for you guys. Mini whisk set. Thank you so much. Oh, amazing. I love it. For now... See you very soon. See you.