MB a spleen special??
with horse cheese??
Ferdinando's Focacceria Ristorante (151 Union Street, Brooklyn; 718-855-1545)
Most of us think we know what focaccia is. But when we step into Ferdinando's Focacceria, the homey, nearly century-old Sicilian café on a preserved-in-time strip of Union Street in Carroll Gardens, we find no trace of the customary square of seasoned pizza bread. A focacceria, says Sicilian-born chef-owner Francesco Buffa in a catchy, singsongy accent, is where you'll find "any sandwich you make with bread, a hot, round shape." The name focacceria, in this sense, may come from the Palermitan street-food snack sometimes called focaccia but more commonly known as vastedda or guastedde, which is a soft, round bun filled with calf's spleen and cheese (sometimes caciocavallo, or "horse cheese"). It's no surprise that vastedda in any dialect or by any name -- including "spleen sandwich with horse cheese!" -- is an acquired taste. "You gotta fell in love with disa kinda taste," says Buffa, and unless you look like you spend a lot of time in the park playing boccie, the restaurant's well-intentioned waitresses will steer you away from the organ meat on a bun. Panelle -- deliciously nutty deep-fried chickpea-flour fritters -- are another story. Buffa serves his traditional "panelle special" ($3.50) slathered with fresh, buttery ricotta and salty pecorino romano shavings on an excellent, toasty house-baked semolina roll. Comfort-food libertines and carbo-loaders request the works, the "panelle and potato special" ($4), which adds a couple of mind-bendingly tasty potato croquettes to the mix, a combination more satisfying than any other in the sandwich world. "Anybody try the panelle or the potato, they gonna come back for sure, that's 99 and 3/4 percent," says Buffa. The killjoy quarter of a percent who abstain must be die-hard Zone Dieters.
Foccaceria on 1st Ave between 7th St and St. Marks makes a killer Vesteddi sandwich. With spleen or without. $2.50
They also do a very tender cold octopus and celery salad $9.75
One of my favs is the "pizza" - Foccacia covered in a sauce of carmalized onion, tomato, anchovy and bread crumbs $2.50
The rice balls are nice, filled with a little ground meat and peas and served with marinara sauce $2.50
Too bad there aren't more places like these around :o(
Another noteworthy tidbit. Next time you go to Ferdinando's or Focacceria and ask for a vastedda, the sandwich without meat is ordered by Sicilians as "schietta" (single-not married) -or- with meat as "maritatta" (married). I think it's a sexual 'inuendo' (no pun intended).
Order it this way and watch the owner's eyes light up being in the presence of one of the cognescenti of vasteddi.
when i was a kid,focacceria was on first avenue between 11 and 12 streets.vasteddi were 10 cents.there was a back room and i ate trippa bianca there.later on price went to 25c for vasteddi.10 cents price was about 1935and i lived on e 13st bewteen a and first.good old days.
They were still up on that location when I first started eating there. I think they moved to 7th/St. Marks in about 1984 or 85?
I miss that place. Was just talking about it yesterday.
Caciocavallo is not "horse cheese", did anyone ever try to milk a mare? It's made of cow's milk and is called so because the shape of the cheese is a ball with a knot at the top. The two knots are then tied together (like horse saddle bags) so they can be hung to dry.
(like horse saddle bags) right!
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- Skinny 10-04-2001 12:20 am
with horse cheese??
Ferdinando's Focacceria Ristorante (151 Union Street, Brooklyn; 718-855-1545)
Most of us think we know what focaccia is. But when we step into Ferdinando's Focacceria, the homey, nearly century-old Sicilian café on a preserved-in-time strip of Union Street in Carroll Gardens, we find no trace of the customary square of seasoned pizza bread. A focacceria, says Sicilian-born chef-owner Francesco Buffa in a catchy, singsongy accent, is where you'll find "any sandwich you make with bread, a hot, round shape." The name focacceria, in this sense, may come from the Palermitan street-food snack sometimes called focaccia but more commonly known as vastedda or guastedde, which is a soft, round bun filled with calf's spleen and cheese (sometimes caciocavallo, or "horse cheese"). It's no surprise that vastedda in any dialect or by any name -- including "spleen sandwich with horse cheese!" -- is an acquired taste. "You gotta fell in love with disa kinda taste," says Buffa, and unless you look like you spend a lot of time in the park playing boccie, the restaurant's well-intentioned waitresses will steer you away from the organ meat on a bun. Panelle -- deliciously nutty deep-fried chickpea-flour fritters -- are another story. Buffa serves his traditional "panelle special" ($3.50) slathered with fresh, buttery ricotta and salty pecorino romano shavings on an excellent, toasty house-baked semolina roll. Comfort-food libertines and carbo-loaders request the works, the "panelle and potato special" ($4), which adds a couple of mind-bendingly tasty potato croquettes to the mix, a combination more satisfying than any other in the sandwich world. "Anybody try the panelle or the potato, they gonna come back for sure, that's 99 and 3/4 percent," says Buffa. The killjoy quarter of a percent who abstain must be die-hard Zone Dieters.
- Skinny 10-04-2001 3:24 am [add a comment]
Foccaceria on 1st Ave between 7th St and St. Marks makes a killer Vesteddi sandwich. With spleen or without. $2.50
They also do a very tender cold octopus and celery salad $9.75
One of my favs is the "pizza" - Foccacia covered in a sauce of carmalized onion, tomato, anchovy and bread crumbs $2.50
The rice balls are nice, filled with a little ground meat and peas and served with marinara sauce $2.50
Too bad there aren't more places like these around :o(
- steve 10-04-2001 4:01 am [add a comment]
Another noteworthy tidbit. Next time you go to Ferdinando's or Focacceria and ask for a vastedda, the sandwich without meat is ordered by Sicilians as "schietta" (single-not married) -or- with meat as "maritatta" (married). I think it's a sexual 'inuendo' (no pun intended).
Order it this way and watch the owner's eyes light up being in the presence of one of the cognescenti of vasteddi.
- Vincenzo (guest) 4-13-2005 5:23 am [add a comment] [edit]
when i was a kid,focacceria was on first avenue between 11 and 12 streets.vasteddi were 10 cents.there was a back room and i ate trippa bianca there.later on price went to 25c for vasteddi.10 cents price was about 1935and i lived on e 13st bewteen a and first.good old days.
- nick (guest) 6-12-2013 9:27 pm [add a comment] [edit]
They were still up on that location when I first started eating there. I think they moved to 7th/St. Marks in about 1984 or 85? I miss that place. Was just talking about it yesterday.
- steve 6-13-2013 2:16 am [add a comment]
Caciocavallo is not "horse cheese", did anyone ever try to milk a mare? It's made of cow's milk and is called so because the shape of the cheese is a ball with a knot at the top. The two knots are then tied together (like horse saddle bags) so they can be hung to dry.
- Vincenzo (guest) 4-13-2005 5:18 am [add a comment] [edit]
(like horse saddle bags) right!
- bill 11-17-2007 9:59 am [add a comment]