Here at Lo-Down Headquarters, we’ll be enjoying a Thanksgiving turkey this year roasted Chinatown-style. Rather than toiling over a hot oven on Thursday, we’re letting J.J. Noodle, a Cantonese roast meat specialist on Henry Street, do the work. As we wrote in 2010, the restaurant is among several establishments in Chinatown that offer the service year round. You bring them the bird — they do the rest for about $2 per pound. The result is similar to “soy sauce chicken,” a familiar dish in the neighborhood’s Chinese restaurants. The skin is extra crispy, while the meat remains tender and flavorful. if you want your turkey prepared this way, you’ll need to act fast. The restaurant needs your turkey TODAY.
Oddly enough, we first learned of the Chinatown turkey miracle from Mark Bello of Pizza a Casa on Grand Street. He lives just a few doors away from the restaurant. This year, Mark’s opting for a more traditional approach. He’ll be roasting a turkey from Heritage Meats in the Essex Street Market. But the pizza-making guru did not let us down when we asked what else he cooking up this year. Have you considered making your stuffing with pizza crust?
Mark shows you how in this video:
One other Pizza a Casa-related item. On December 14, they’ll be hosting an evening with Lou Di Palo of the legendary Little Italy shop Dipalo Selects. You’ll get a copy of his book, Di Palo’s Guide to the Essential Foods of Italy. Also included: a tasting of cheeses, salumi and wine and, of course, pizzas made using DiPalo’s favorte ingredients. The event costs $75. More info here.
