Adopted By Pasta

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Every good adventure needs a name—and in our family, we call them Skriventures. From Rome to the streets of Sicily, we love discovering new places and new flavors together. But this weekend, we didn’t need to cross an ocean. We found something special just a drive through the Holland Tunnel… in New York City.

Now, this wasn’t just any weekend. We were celebrating Maria’s birthday (a week late). And while we could’ve gone out to dinner somewhere nice (and predictable), I had something else up my sleeve—a Secret Food Tour of Greenwich Village. Maria had no idea. That’s right. Our friends kept the secret. Our kids kept the secret. And, against all odds, I kept the secret. Not too shabby!

A Tour of NYC… Really?

You might be wondering why someone from New Jersey would book a food tour of New York City. After all, we’ve been there dozens of times. We’ve walked Times Square, wandered the Met, and had our fill of overpriced pretzels and bagels from carts. But ever since discovering Secret Food Tours on our trips to Rome and Palermo, we realized that these experiences give you a perfect mix of history, culture, and most importantly—flavor. They’ve become our favorite way to start off a trip, and now? Even a way to rediscover places we thought we knew.

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Falafel and Beat Poets

Our small group of adventurers—Maria, me, our friends Warren & Ivana and Erica & John—met up with our guide Lauren, who might just be one of the most fun, knowledgeable guides we’ve ever had. First stop? Mamoun’s Falafel, an NYC staple since 1971. But this wasn’t your average chickpea falafel—these were fava bean falafel, Syrian-style. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and packed with flavor. It was the perfect street food to kick off our walk through MacDougal Street, which, back in the day, was the beating heart of the Beatnik scene. Dylan. Ginsberg. Kerouac. All here. And now us.

Right next door is Caffe Reggio, home of the first cappuccino ever served in America. The espresso machine from 1902 is still there. Of course we stopped in. (Yes, it was after 11am. No, we didn’t tell any Italians.)

Bagels, Cupcakes, and A Birthday Surprise

Next was Father Demo Square, a charming little park with a big story—and the perfect place to enjoy an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese from Bagels on the Square. Classic NYC.

From there, we took a grueling hike (12 steps across the street) to Molly’s Cupcakes, home of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars champion. This place is whimsical to the core—swings at the counter, vintage school desks, and lunchboxes everywhere. Lauren surprised Maria with a cupcake and a candle, and the whole group sang Happy Birthday. It was a little moment, but one we’ll remember forever.

Side note: Shoutout to the girl behind the counter wearing a headwrap made out of the bakery twine. That’s some next-level cupcake couture.

The Secret Stop That Stole the Show

Every Secret Food Tour includes a “secret” bonus stop—and wow, did this one deliver. Taco Mahal, founded by the incredible Danikkah Josan, fuses her Indian and Latin roots into tacos like you’ve never had before.

We had a Roti Chicken Tikka Masala taco—sweet, spicy, herby, bold. It may have been the best Chicken Tikka Masala or taco I’ve ever had. This place isn’t a gimmick; it’s the real deal. And it was the crowd favorite of the day.

A Little History and a Lot More Food

We wandered through quiet residential streets—yes, even NYC has those—and stumbled across:

• Aaron Burr’s house
• The Cherry Lane Theatre, the oldest continuously running off-Broadway theatre
• Marie’s Crisis Café, once the scene of the Thomas Paine bar fight that killed him, now a dive bar dedicated to show tunes (because NYC, of course)
• The Friends apartment building, where your job’s a joke, you’re broke, your love life’s DOA
• The Stonewall Inn, with the national park across the street temporarily closed due to the government shutdown, but always open in spirit

And just when we thought we couldn’t eat another bite…

Pizza and Cookies to Seal the Deal

We wrapped up with a slice from Two Boots Pizza, a tribute to NYC’s culinary diversity and LGBTQ history. The slice? The Duchess: sausage, marinara, jalapeño pesto, sweet red pepper pesto, basil pesto, all on a thin, crunchy crust topped with Murray’s Cheese and Faicco’s sausage. It was a rainbow of flavor in every bite.

And because no adventure is complete without dessert, we ended with cookies from Chip City. I got the Blueberry Crumble. It was warm. Gooey. Perfect. (Yes, I ate the whole thing.)

One City, Many Flavors

After nearly four hours, full bellies, and sore feet, we said goodbye to Lauren and our new food-loving friends. We laughed, learned, and ate our way through a neighborhood we thought we knew, but clearly didn’t.

If you’re looking for a fun, delicious, slightly unexpected way to spend a few hours in a city—any city—check out Secret Food Tours. They’ve yet to let us down.

Visit Secret Food Tours at http://www.secretfoodtours.com

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Stay tuned for next week’s post—back to recipes from my own kitchen. But for now, this week’s Skriventure was the kind of birthday surprise that makes a memory last a lifetime.

🍕🥙🧁❤️
#Skriventure #SecretFoodTour #NYCEats #AdoptedByPasta