Latest news with #Neapolitan
CairoScene
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CairoScene
Rino's Pizza Debuts in Diplo Al Sahel and Cairo is Up Next
Rino's Pizza Debuts in Diplo Al Sahel and Cairo is Up Next 'It all started in my backyard,' Ramy Rainer, founder of Rino's Pizza, tells SceneEats. 'Inviting friends for pizza nights over candle-lit dinners.' For the past three years, Rainer has been buried deep in the world of Neapolitan pizza - reading, researching, even building his own brick oven. What began as a series of cultish Cairo pop-ups has now, somewhat tentatively, found a home. This summer, Rino's is taking up seasonal residency at Diplo 3, Sahel's sun-soaked, see-and-be-seen summer playground. The pop-ups, Rainer admits, always lacked one thing. 'People got the pizza, but not the mood, the full experience of being in the place, feeling the heat of the oven, the energy of the kitchen.' The Diplo branch is an attempt to fix that. 'People have been asking for a 'Rino's place' for so long. I wanted to give them a space, but just for the summer. After Sahel, we'll open in Cairo.' The Diplo space is deliberately pared back: an open-air terrace beneath a vine-wrapped pergola, with Rino's signature terracotta red wrapping the facade and framing the open kitchen - both the physical and emotional centre of the operation. With just six seats, the layout is built for intimacy. A spot for true pizza devotees. Rino's forthcoming Cairo branch, by contrast, will be an entirely different stage. At its centre: a single, hulking brick oven, designed as a kind of live-performance altar where pizza-makers work like theatre actors - flipping dough, coaxing flames, drawing in diners as their audience. 'It's like a movie,' Rainer says. A Neapolitan shrine, of sorts. What's the secret to the perfect Neapolitan dough? Rainer doesn't hesitate. 'Two things,' he says. 'First, fermentation, very specific temperatures, really longgggg time. That's how you get the dough so airy, so light it's almost a cloud.' And the second? 'It's all about the sweet spot, when the crust is just about to burn, but not quite. That's where the flavour lives.' It's not something you time. 'It's in the hands.' And what kind of community does he hope to build at Diplo? 'I just want people who really love Neapolitan pizza, people who get it. It's not about being fancy. It's about quality. The magic is in the details.' That rigour goes far beyond technique. 'We always thrive to use the best ingredients we can get, from the flour, salt, and water in the dough, to the toppings on each pizza. Everything is top-notch. That's what makes the difference.'
Eater
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
3 Houston Restaurants to Try This Weekend: May 30
Each week, we'll provide a trusty list of recommendations to answer the most pressing of questions: 'Where should I eat?' Here are three places to check out this weekend in Houston. And if you need ideas on where to drink, here's our list of the hottest places to get cocktails in town . For Detroit-style pizza: Gold Tooth Tony's 1901 North Shepherd Drive, Suite 4, Heights 5225 Bellaire Boulevard, Bellaire 2010 Waugh Drive, Montrose Pizza is always an easy, no-cooking way to end a long week, and while ordering delivery from a chain might seem easiest (Domino's is my go-to lately), sometimes it's good to treat yourself to something special. Fortunately, Houston is brimming with different styles, including Neapolitan; ironclad, a newer-Texas style; and my personal kryptonite, Detroit-style. Anthony Calleo, the pizza mastermind behind Gold Tooth Tony's, has spent a long time working on his craft, starting with his days at the now-closed Pi Pizza to slinging pizzas at Rudyard's and consulting at Betelegeuse Betelgeuse, where the round ironclad-style pizzas have his fingerprints all over them. Now, Calleo has three pizzerias of his own where he dishes out some of the best cheesy Detroit-style pizzas in town, built on a base that offers a pillowy combination of focaccia and sourdough with crispy edges and generous lines of tomato sauce. Diners can build their own pizza with a selection of toppings, but the signature combinations cover all the bases, with classics including pepperoni and cheese pizzas and more adventurous renditions, like the carb-loaded Mac Attack is Back with macaroni and cheese and bacon. Favorites include the Detroit Supreme, which is covered with a mixture of meats and veggies, and Sebastian's Big Idea, a pie that hits all the notes of sweet and salty with spam, togarashi-roasted pineapple, and furikake seasoning. Be sure to look at some of the menu's other items, which include doughy garlic knots, pizza tots, and an assortment of wings served with two styles of homemade ranch (appropriately listed on the menu as the Nectar of the Gods). For a cinematic experience: Haii Keii 3300 Kirby Drive, Suite 9-A, Upper Kirby If you or someone you know would love to dine on what feels like the set of Kill Bill , this one is for you. This new Japanese restaurant in Upper Kirby will make you feel like you're in a movie, with dark and moody interiors illuminated by neon signs, sultry two-person booths separated by red ropes, a bar with an overhanging upside-down bonsai tree, and an LED display of mysterious, shadowy figures floating through the dining room. Go for a few cocktails or stay awhile to soak in the ambiance and dine in. The food and cocktails are captivating, too, with purple-hued ube espresso martinis, soft-shell crab fried rice, and a menu of sushi. Aside from its standout vegetarian nigiri made with delicate slivers of eggplant and bell pepper, Haii Keii also offers the most decadent Murimake roll, which is stuffed with king crab and topped with A5 wagyu and kaluga caviar. The touch of gold leaf on the roll is nice, but the best part is the accompanying crackling crab butter candle. Made from a boiled-down and molded combination of crab and butter, the lit candle sits at the end of the plate in a hunk of wasabi to keep it steady, dripping butter for your dipping pleasure. For a seafood splurge: Little's Oyster Bar 3001 South Shepherd Drive, Montrose One of the newest additions to the Pappas Restaurants catalog has recently switched up its menu, reminding me why we named Little's Oyster Bar the Best New Restaurant in 2023. From start to finish, the menu bedazzles, with quality cold bar offerings, refreshing appetizers like the delicate Local Greens salad, which is paired with a honey dressing and the creamiest goat cheese, and a tender grilled octopus (arguably the best in the city) served with a luxurious zhug you'll want to sop up with the marbled potatoes. Aside from its fresh catches, including a standout Gulf Grouper (ask for the heirloom tomato sauce vierge), the lobster gnocchi is the dish that captivates, with an herbaceous sauce composed of blistered cherry tomatoes with bits of crunchy potato chips for added texture. Dining here, however, will cost you a pretty penny. Most dishes will run you over $20, with entrees priced at $43 and up (and that's not including sides). But you could also pop in for oysters and a martini, or a heart-warming bowl of cioppino with buttery sourdough and a side of Pappas's irresistibly crispy fries. Little's is one of those restaurants you should treat yourself to every once in a while. Sign up for our newsletter.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Italian chef reveals how you've been cutting your pizza wrong - and the surprising tool you should be using instead
An Italian pizza master has revealed that you've likely been cutting your pizza all wrong. Davide Argentino, who previously won the 'best pizza dough in the world' accolade, says you wouldn't catch anyone in Naples using a pizza cutter. The renowned chef, who works at Forbici, a new Neapolitan pizzeria in Manchester, also says that cutting a pizza into regular slices isn't a traditional method. In fact, he explains using scissors to cut pizza is much more common in Italy than we might think, particularly in Naples, the birthplace of pizza, and for good reason. 'In Naples, how you eat pizza is as important as how it's made,' he told HuffPost. 'Traditionally, pizza is served whole, quartered with scissors and folded - never sliced with a pizza wheel. 'The pizza wheel is something invented in America - it's not Italian. You'd struggle to find a pizza wheel if you travelled around Naples.' A classic pizza cutter features a round blade attached to a handle, to be pressed into a pizza and pushed across the surface to cut through it. Davide Argentino, who previously won the 'best pizza dough in the world' accolade, says you wouldn't catch anyone in Naples using a pizza cutter However, they tend to drag toppings across the surface and shred the crust if you have to go over a cut multiple times. In Forbici - which translates to 'scissors' - Davide has banned the pizza cutter and instead provides every guest with a pair of scissors at the table to cut into their own meal. The method is said to protect the integrity of the pizza dough, which is made using a 12-hour fermentation process that helps to create a sponge-like structure in the dough. This light, airy dough results in a soft and flavourful crust once it's been baked. Davide added: 'Cutting with scissors preserves the delicate, airy crust created through a long fermentation process. 'It's about protecting the craft, respecting the dough, and inviting guests to experience pizza as it's truly meant to be.' Pizza fans on social media clearly understood his pain, with Reddit users extolling the virtues of using a pair of scissors instead of a cutter. 'Rolling the cutter is messy, usually ends worse for the toppings and is more work than scissors that cut through whichever kind of crust you prefer,' one user said in the thread r/unpopularopinion. 'If you want a crispy crust, it's like the pizza cutter is a wrong tool for it.' Another wrote: 'Once you go scissors you can never go back. I have a specific pair of pizza scissors.' A third chimed in: 'I have pizza scissors!! People make fun of me, but I love them. Way easier than a pizza cutter and you can use them right when the pizza comes out of the oven instead of having to wait for it to cool. 'They also fully cut through the crust and cheese whereas a pizza cutter sometimes doesn't and you end up pulling globs of cheese from other slices or breaking the crust at weird spots.' But many were sceptical of those who used scissors to slice their pizzas. 'Clearly you either can't use a pizza cutter properly, or it's as sharp as a bowling pin,' one person jeered. Others claimed the author of the post just wasn't using pizza cutters 'right' or that they simply needed a new, sharper one. Cutting pizza with a pair of scissors - sometimes known as 'pizza shears' - may not be that popular outside of parts of Italy, but the method has certainly had its moment in popular culture. In the 1986 film Cobra, starring Sylvester Stallone, the actor retrieves a box of cold pizza from a fridge and sits down at a desk to eat it. But instead of just grabbing the singular slice left in the box and eating it like that, Stallone picks up a pair of office scissors and proceeds to cut a section of the pizza with them. He then snacks on the smaller slice he snipped off while watching TV and tending to his gun. The memorable moment may have had fans of the film scratching their heads at the time - but it turns out Stallone was right all along.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Here's Why Coffee Pros Love a Moka Pot — and How to Make the Perfect Cup
Making coffee doesn't have to be costly or complicated. The inexpensive stovetop moka pot should be a leading contender for an easy, top-quality brew. Invented in the 1930s by Alfonso Bialetti in Crusinallo, Italy, this modest coffee maker has become an archetypal symbol of efficient design around the world. Moka pot devotees have flooded social media with adoration and brewing tips. And top coffee professionals have joined in to share step-by-step tutorials. Renowned coffee expert James Hoffmann has dedicated several videos to the best practices and science behind the moka pot. He even sliced one in half to show its structure and inner workings. Related: Why the Best Coffee Is Made in a Moka Pot 'The moka pot extraction concept is based on speed, simplicity, and intensity of flavor,' says Simone Amenini, head of quality control and education for Ditta Artigianale and the Scuola del Caffè Firenze. 'It took the place of the cuccuma, the Neapolitan coffee pot — which isn't actually Neapolitan — widely used in Italian homes starting from the mid-1800s.' The moka pot could create a stronger-flavored brew, as it extracts the coffee grounds under pressure. 'This decidedly breaks with the trend in other European countries that continued to prefer a softer and smoother coffee on the palate, using infusion-based extractions like coffee pots, French press, syphon, and pour-over,' says Amenini. Moka pots were always present in the homes where Amenini grew up. 'For a long time, it represented the ideal of coffee at home,' he says. 'It represents the morning coffee that my parents prepare when I am at their house. It represents the after-meal coffee at my grandmother's house when we had the whole family gathered together.' A moka pot harnesses steam to push water up through ground coffee and into the top chamber where the completed brew sits. The boiler at the bottom of the pot is filled with water. As the water heats up, it begins to steam and expands the air to press the water up through a funnel and into the middle section, where the ground coffee sits in a basket. The liquid is then pushed through the grounds to the top chamber. The brewed coffee's journey is the opposite of the many drip coffee machines or pour-over methods which rely on gravity. These techniques allow water to drip down over grounds and into a pot below. Morgan Eckroth, drink developer and 2022 U.S. Barista Champion, prefers a moka pot to make coffee without the bells and whistles of a high-powered espresso machine. 'I've always found the tactile and methodical nature of the moka pot to be very grounding,' she says. 'I think, for many folks, moka pots hold a lot of nostalgia, and while I don't necessarily have those same memories, there's something about the brewing style that transports me back. It's a coffee maker that requires you to be present for every stage of the brew in a way that's pretty rare nowadays.' Eckroth loves to travel with a moka pot. Her go-to is the six-cup Bialetti Moka Express. 'It's a brewer that doesn't require the same level of gear that others typically do. A moka pot, grinder, heat source, and coffee are really all you need,' she says. 'A strong, hot cup of coffee from a moka pot while camping is my ideal scenario.' Many award-winning baristas gravitate to detailed brewing recipes with intensive focus on grind size, gram measurements, and water temperature. But the moka pot has been known to inspire a more intuitive process. 'While I'm a huge proponent of utilizing repeatable and trackable coffee recipes, I typically find myself reverting to simpler brewing with the moka pot,' says Eckroth. 'I fill the bottom chamber with preheated water up to the pressure valve and add enough medium-fine coffee to fill the basket. Following these two steps will usually result in a 1:10 ratio of coffee to water.' Eckroth recommends to put an AeroPress filter atop the grounds for an extra level of filtration. 'I start the brew on medium heat, and as soon as the first coffee rises into the upper chamber, I turn the heat down to low, and let it brew slowly,' she says. 'At the very first signs of sputtering, as the lower water chamber empties, I cover and remove the brewer. The coffee should then be served immediately.' Francesco Sanapo, co-founder of Ditta Artigianale and three-time Italian barista champion, feels a deep connection to the moka pot. 'The moka pot is a cultural symbol of Italy,' he says. 'When I was young, I would wake up for school to the smell of moka in my house. Moka plays an important role not only for me, but for all Italian people.' Sanapo uses a moka pot at breakfast every morning with his family. 'My best advice to is always use good, filtered water.' Los Angeles chef Royce Burke, the host of the Carpetbagger podcast, brews coffee in a moka pot daily. Burke's love of the moka pot is also sentimental. 'It's so simple, and the tradition of unscrewing it, tapping out the spent grinds, rinsing, filling the water chamber, grinding the beans by hand, pouring them in, screwing it back on, igniting the burner and listening for the gurgling sound of morning, it makes me so happy,' he says. Fill the bottom chamber with filtered water up to just below the safety valve (the pros often suggest to begin with boiling water for ideal extraction). Add medium-ground coffee to the filter basket. Level the grounds. Do not overfill or press down. Add an AeroPress filter over the coffee grounds for extra filtration (optional). Screw on the top of the moka pot and place the brewer on medium heat. Open the top of the pot to watch for the beginning of extraction. Keep an eye on the pot to see when the coffee begins to fill the top chamber. Take the pot off the heat before it begins to sputter with bubbles. Be careful in case the handle becomes hot on the stove. Close the top and wait a few minutes for the coffee to finish brewing. Most moka pots are not dishwasher safe, so clean them by hand. After you make coffee, rinse with hot water only, and dry thoroughly. When coffee oils build up, add vinegar or citric acid to water in the bottom chamber and brew normally to allow the mixture to enter the top chamber. Then rinse with fresh water. Read the original article on Food & Wine
USA Today
a day ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Sarah Jessica Parker tells us about her head-turning 'cloud hat' in 'And Just Like That'
Sarah Jessica Parker tells us about her head-turning 'cloud hat' in 'And Just Like That' Show Caption Hide Caption Sarah Jessica Parker on new 'And Just Like That' season Sarah Jessica Parker reveals why audiences are rooting for Aidan and Carrie in new season of "And Just Like That." Spoiler alert! The following story contains minor details about the Season 3 premiere of "And Just Like That" (first episode now streaming on HBO Max; new episodes on Thursdays). NEW YORK — It's been 27 years since 'Sex and the City' first strutted onto HBO, but Carrie Bradshaw is still turning heads. Whether she's braving a snowstorm in a Moncler puffer gown or giving bridal chic with a taxidermied bird headpiece, the authorial fashionista has never shied away from an over-the-top gown or accessory. Her audacious style moments continue in Season 3 of sequel series 'And Just Like That...,' following Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) and friends as they weather another Manhattan summer of romantic misadventures. On an afternoon stroll through Washington Square Park, Carrie's friend Seema (Sarita Choudhury), recounts how she nearly burned down her apartment while smoking in bed during a bad FaceTime date. The courtship horror story is amusing, yes, but it's impossible not to take your eyes off Carrie's humongous headwear in the scene: a floppy gingham hat designed by Maryam Keyhani. She pairs the colossal chapeau with a brown, pink and cream-colored dress from Ossie Clark, which she ties together with Dr. Scholl's white slides. After nearly three decades of working together, executive producer Michael Patrick King has learned never to question Parker's trend-setting choices. 'I saw the hat and wanted it on my head,' Parker says. 'At this point, there's no pretend dilly-dallying around. We pretty much just put stuff on my head and photograph it, and hope that Michael Patrick is hospitable to the idea.' The Ossie Clark dress reminded Parker of Neapolitan ice cream, which neatly combines chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavors side by side. Without a headpiece, Parker adds, the scrumptious frock would feel 'incomplete.' Over the years, "once you've put a lot of hats on your head, you feel like it's missing its punctuation point,' Parker says. 'So there was that hat. It was going to be a lovely summer day, and it just felt like the period at the end of the sentence. I loved it and (King) agreed. I feel we've really worn him down. His eyes have adapted to large-scale things on heads now, so he's pretty generous about how often they can appear.' The Maryam Keyhani design is frequently called a 'cloud hat,' although King jokingly refers to it as 'the Hindenburg hot-air balloon.' For him, it felt like a brazen fashion statement to help usher in the comedy's new season. 'It's like, 'Hey, everybody, we're back! Here's a hat that Carrie would wear eating sherbet in Washington Square Park. Why not?'' King says. 'I've learned over the years that sometimes logic is not as good as a hat. It makes people say, 'I love it. I hate it. Oh, my God, what was she thinking?' 'It'll be a meme,' he continues. 'It'll be a thing. People will wear it at Halloween. It's always fun, but with that (hat) particularly, I had to call up some of the writers and say, 'Get ready. Once it's on the head, it's not coming off.'' King teases more delectable style ahead in 'And Just Like That...' Season 3, including a 'stunning' vintage Vivienne Westwood piece that Carrie dons in the final two episodes. ('It is quite special,' he says. 'It's an event.') A midseason episode also begins with a montage of Carrie sporting roughly a dozen different heels as she sashays through her new Gramercy Park townhouse. Although her face and torso aren't visible for the minute-long sequence, Parker wore every unique outfit on display. 'The shoe montage made everybody salivate,' King says. 'It's all her. Nobody else walks in Carrie's shoes – Sarah Jessica is a purist. There's not one part of Carrie Bradshaw that's ever been filmed by any other actor, especially not her feet. She was adamant she wanted to get in as many different shoes as possible.' Meanwhile, Seema flaunts a braided white dress in the Season 3 premiere, as she accompanies her film-director paramour, Ravi (Armin Amiri), to a dusty shoot. Choudhury recalls how fastidiously the crew worked to ensure it never got dirty. 'It looks like string or thin rope bound together,' Choudhury says. 'It's made in Colombia by many people. I wear it with Ravi when he's directing a scene and it's the dirtiest terrain. Everyone was super worried (about) this dress. It was my favorite because it's not a name brand, and yet there was more care and love for that dress than anything I've worn in the show.'
