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shell43 Jun 12th, 2006 07:46 AM

Fresh Mozarella NYC
 
Where can I purchase fresh mozarella in Manhattan other than Balduccis? I will be staying near Macys and Penn station. Thanks

ekscrunchy Jun 12th, 2006 08:19 AM

My favorite place to buy it is DiPalo on the corner of Grand and Mott Streets in Little Italy. Another top place is Joe's Dairy in Soho on Sullivan Streets between Houston and Prince. Uptown, Agata and Valentina, on First Avenue and 79th Street. I buy lots of this product and I have found these places to have the best quality; the cheese is made fresh on premises daily, unlike the cheese sold at places like Whole Foods.

Dohlice Jun 12th, 2006 09:06 AM

If you're in Grand Central Station you can also get it there at Grand Central Market.

ekscrunchy Jun 12th, 2006 09:36 AM

Yes, Murray's Cheese has a small shop in Grand Central but they buy it from Joe's Dairy and it is not as fresh as at the other places I mentioned.

shell43 Jun 12th, 2006 09:42 AM

You guys are great-Thanks!

otto Jun 12th, 2006 11:13 AM

grand centrals cheese isn't so great, murrays will probobly have a better selection.

mclaurie Jun 12th, 2006 11:55 AM

There's a Whole Foods at 7th ave & 25 st.

ekscrunchy Jun 12th, 2006 03:22 PM

The cheese shop in Grand Central is a branch of Murray's. I do not recommend that, or Whole Foods, if you are looking for the freshest mozzarella.

mbockman Jun 12th, 2006 05:01 PM

If you take a quick train ride to Hoboken, NJ you will find the best Moozarella ever at Vito's on 8th and Washington St. Hoboken is a nice town to visit anyway with spectacular views of NYC.

nessundorma Jun 12th, 2006 05:19 PM

Near Penn Station you should go to Manganaro's on Ninth Avenue between 37th and 38th.

http://www.manganarosheroboy.net/

Dohlice Jun 13th, 2006 04:16 AM

Ceriello has fresh mozarella at Grand Central Market.

Rachele Jun 13th, 2006 10:27 AM

This suggestion is a bit out of your way, but I think it's worth it! If you are going to be in the East Village, there is a little shop with only Italian provisions on 11th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenues (nearer to 1st Ave.) called Russo's. It's tiny, but it has the best fresh mozarella anywhere, IMHO. They also get great fresh semolina bread. And it's right next door to Veniero's and around the corner from Di Robertis if you want old school Italian cookies or pastries.

MFNYC Jun 13th, 2006 10:52 AM

Check out DiPalo's on Grand Street. They make their own right behind the counter.

bill_boy Jun 13th, 2006 11:12 AM

I know that there are some stores (DiPalo?) that imports them daily from Italy.

I'm thinking of the REAL buffalo mozzarella. Not the ones that are made behind the counter with cow's milk.

Anybody here knows where in NYC metropolitan area?

MFNYC Jun 13th, 2006 11:25 AM

DiPalo's imports the real thing as well. Read this:
http://www.ericademane.com/05spr/cheeses.html

mp Jun 13th, 2006 01:05 PM

Buonitalia in Chelsea Market; the Fairway on Broadway and 75th Street; Citarella all carry imported bufala mozzarella. Zabars on Broadway and 80th Street, too.

ekscrunchy Jun 13th, 2006 01:55 PM

Bufala mozzarella is easy to find although I doubt if any shop gets delivery every day. Ideal Cheese and Agata and Valentina are two East Side sources.
As I wrote earlier, DiPalo is THE place to buy fresh cow's milk mozzarella; many other places carry it but few of these places make it fresh every day. You need to eat it before it has been refrigerated to enjoy the cheese at its peak. At DiPalo it is kept on the counter. I would rather eat DiPalo's freshly made cow's milk mozz than the imported bufala, mainly because the bufala cannot be as fresh.

nessundorma Jun 13th, 2006 03:48 PM

I love Russo's, and that whole tiny area for Italian eats.

As for real "bufala" from Italy? Fuhggedahbahtit.

Mutzie should NOT be refrigerated before eaten. Turns into rubber. Any imported mutzie has been refrigerated. Use it to play tennis.


klr6773 Jun 13th, 2006 04:29 PM

When you're home, it's really very easy (and cheaper)to make fresh mozzarella yourself. You just need to buy the curd.(I get mine from Italian deli for less than half of fresh mozz price)Cut up the curd, put it in water as hot as you can possibly take(using vinyl gloves helps) and work the curd until soft and smooth. I usually change the water or add some more hot water if I'm making a large batch.(keep tea kettle heating next to you) Generally you make balls,braids,or logs. Drop into iced water after shaping. Store it in water( sea or kosher salted water adds flavor)and change the water every day or two. Also easy to flatten it out like a pizza dough and top w/ proscuito, fresh basil,roasted peppers,sundried tomatoes...etc roll it like a log and wrap it in plastic wrap before putting in cold water..wrap in aluminum when cold...don't store rolls in water,though.

ekscrunchy Jun 14th, 2006 05:55 AM

Thanks for taking time to post the recipe, Kir. Will keep it in mind but here in NY it is so easy to find great fresh mozzarella at places such as DiPalo. One thing I wonder about is how long it is possible to keep it unrefrigerated? I often do not finish the whole ball the same day on which it is made; I refrigerate the unused portion and the difference between one-day-old and fresh in staggering....

Dohlice Jun 14th, 2006 06:10 AM

One of the great things about living in Brooklyn is the answer to "where can I find fresh Mozarella" is "where can't you"! When you buy it on Saturday night for Sunday it's still warm. Thanks for that recipe, I really think I'll try it.

ekscrunchy Jun 14th, 2006 09:20 AM

Just thought I would pass on this information given to me this morning by one of the owners of DiPalo on Grand Street:

DiPalo makes mozzarella in the back throughout the day. Mozzarella should be eaten within 8 hours of being made for optimal taste. It may keep unrefrigerated for one night if maintained in a cool place...not on a hot kitchen counter. Refrigeration completely changes the taste and texture; after refrigeration the cheese is best used for cooking and it will keep a few days for this purpose if left in the frig. For anyone unfamiliar with this place, run, don't walk! Among my current favorites there, in addition to the mozzarella, Reggiano parmigiano, prepared eggplant parmigiano, Sicilian blood orange juice, and roasted imported artichokes is their aged pecorino with black truffles...they sell three varieties of pecorino with truffles..the longest aged version is the best in my opinion. They have the most amazing selection of imported cheeses and Italian and Italian-style meats in Manhattan at wonderful prices.


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