Walking and Eating Tour of Greenwich Village (New York City)

One of the most interesting and historic neighborhoods in New York City, Greenwich Village possesses a reputation as a hangout of writers, artists, and other non-establishment types. Today, though it is highly commercialized, it has successfully resisted the gentrification that has befallen the neighboring Soho - Mom 'n Pop stores, funky shops, and family-owned restaurants still dominate the main thoroughfare, Bleecker St., and around.

Visitors to Greenwich Village are charmed by its quaint looks and European "feel" - the small, winding streets are lined with row houses and brownstones dating from the 1800s, in constrast to most of Manhattan which follows the grid street pattern. Where else can one find oneself at the intersection of West 4th St. and West 12th St.? Moreover, today it is a food lover's haven - numerous ethnic restaurants and specialty shops are tightly clustered in this small neighborhood, some of them family-run businesses handed down from one generation to the next.

To explore beneath the surface of Greenwich Village and sample some of the area's vast culinary delights, I signed up for the "Greenwich Village Food and Culture Tour" offered by a well-reviewed company called Foods of New York Tours. This is a 3-hour walking tour with tastings at several specialty food shops and a history lesson thrown in for good measure. Our guide was Mike, a rotund, wise-cracking man in his 50s with a gentle, easy manner and a long-time resident (over 20 years) of the Village. He has been leading this tour for two years, and is so ingrained in the daily life of the neighborhood that from time to time people would come up and say "Hi, Mike" to him, or he would trade banter and friendly insults with the butchers and service staff at our stops.

Starting out from the meeting place, Murray's Cheese, we headed down on Bleecker St. for a couple of blocks and then turned right on Carmine St. where Joe's Pizza awaited. This small pizza joint boasts a reputation of serving the best New York style pizza (thin crust) in town, and best of all, they sell by the slice (not at all common). I found the regular cheese pizza to be hot, fresh, and delicious, unencumbered by any extraneous toppings to weigh it down (a subtle reference to the "Which is better?" debate with the opposing camp, lovers of Chicago-style deep dish pizza). Sensing the initial discomfort of the tour members to be the first to dig in, Mike sarcastically commented, "I see no one here is a native New Yorker."

For dessert, we ducked around the corner into Rocco's, a Southern Italian pastry shop, for some freshly-filled cannollis. They were filled right before our very eyes, which was apparently the secret to their taste. Right beside Rocco's is another pastry shop, Pasticceria Bruno. In contrast, it offers more of the Northern Italian style (heavier) of pastries, although of course there is some overlap between the two establishments' offerings. I pressed Mike for some specific recommendations from each shop, and although he was initially loath to do so, he accommodated my request and told me to come back for the mousse desserts and marzipan from Bruno's, while for Rocco's their specialties were biscotti and cookies.

Right across the street is the leading purveyor of pork and sausages in the Village, Faicco's, an Italian specialty food shop. The sausages are made daily right in the store in spotless facilities. Other homemade treats include mozzarella cheese, sopresatta, prosciutto balls, and rice balls. Mike came out with a trayful of the latter and we all stood on the sidewalk munching contentedly. I heartily recommend it as a filling snack, and would definitely come back to try their other specialties.

While most of the action is centered around Bleecker St., more and more people are discovering the various restaurants sitting side-by-side on quiet Cornelia St. While the tour did not include tastings in any of them, Mike discussed each one at some length. These are: Po (Mario Batali's first New York restaurant); Cornelia St. Cafe (with a downstairs lounge for music, poetry and spoken word performances); Home, serving good ol' Midwestern food ("Great Wines and great ketchup") and well-known for their Vahlrona chocolate pudding; Le Gigot, an intimate French bistro for romantic dates; and lastly, Palma. This Italian-French restaurant sits on the site of an old farm. We went inside, made our way past the kitchen, and out into the rustic back house which the owners use as their residence. Looked straight out of "Little House on the Prairie", I must say.

Our group then crossed Seventh Ave to the area which is now popularly referred to as the "West Village". After giving a brief historical background of the area's origins as an Irish settlement, and noting the architectural details of several attractive row houses, Mike brought us to what was the most renowned speakasy during the Prohibition era - Chumley's. Virtually impossible to find, we walked into an ordinary-looking courtyard and opened the unmarked door into this landmark, whose walls were adorned with pictures of a veritable who's who of American literature - Hemingway, Steinbeck, O'Neill and Fitzgerald, among others. All of them made Chumley's their hangout while drinking a cold one - we followed in their footsteps to seek refuge from the bitter cold wind. I chose the Captain Brennan's Irish Red from the nine different beers on tap, and took in the laid-back atmosphere of the place. Mike regaled us with the tale about the apartment on top of the bar - Chumley's owner was canny enough to rent this out to the chief of police. Thus whenever a crackdown on illegal speakeasies was in the offing, the chief would send a warning by calling Chumley's, speak the words "Eighty Six" into the receiver, and immediately hanging up. All the great literary writers would then file out through the secret door hidden behind a fake bookcase into the streets, beer in hand.

As the tour was winding down, we retraced our steps back to the starting point, Murray's Cheese. This Greenwich Village institution was established in 1940 and has evolved into the nation's leading cheese purveyor, carrying a wide selection of exotic cheeses from France, Italy, Spain and other countries. Moreover, they have an assortment of oils, canned meat, olives, and other cold cuts - it takes a strong will to resist the temptation to buy everything in sight. There is a classroom facility on the 2nd floor used for cheese tastings and instructional courses, and it was in that classroom that we capped off the tour with a platter of olives, smoked ham, spicy sausages, and three varieties of queso: aged goat's milk cheese (Netherlands), Poda Classico (Italian sheep's milk cheese), and Piave (Italian cow's milk cheese). As a parting shot, a semi-sweet almond tart from Pasticceria Bruno served as the perfect complement.

In all, the walking and eating tour was a great way to explore the nooks and crannies of Greenwich Village, sample some of its gourmet food establishments (a return trip is in order!), and gain some knowledge of its history. I heartily recommend it to all visitors who seek an authentic, non-touristy experience - it will surely provide some of the fondest memories and interesting conversation from your exploration of New York City.

Appendix of Establishments Mentioned:

Foods of NY Tours
http://www.foodsofny.com
212-209-3370

Joe's Pizza
7 Carmine St.
212-463-9653

Rocco's Pastries
243 Bleecker St.
212-242-6031

Pasticceria Bruno
245 Bleecker St.
212-242-4959

Le Gigot
18 Cornelia St.
212-627-3737

Cornelia Street Cafe
29 Cornelia St.
212-989-9319

Palma
28 Cornelia St.
212-691-2223

Faicco's
260 Bleecker St.
212-243-1974

Chumley's
86 Bedford St.
212-675-4449

Murray's Cheese Shop
254 Bleecker St.
212-243-3289