Prepared Food Paradise
in sex and the city 2, carrie tells big that he won't find her in the kitchen, only ordering delivery. well, if i had the fantasy life that is sex and the city, i'd probably order in every day from agata and valentina, the upper east side version of zabar's, albeit with its own sicilian slant. what pristine produce! what perfect prepared foods! and happily, one can stroll through the aisles without being part of a human conveyer belt of shoppers. sure, things are a wee pricey, but not what you'd expect, given the locale.
my torta pasquelina ($4.50) was a bargain. this pie slice of spinach and egg quiche in bread crust was more lunch than snack-and more spinach than egg, for popeye fans. i also ordered one-third of a pound of garlicky roasted red potatoes ($8.99/lb) and ate both in the cozy corner coffee bar/caffe, with fixtures and floor tiles imported from agata's hometown of catania. according to ed levine in new york eats, you can still see cat paw prints in a few tiles. a and v notably creates everything on the premises, including the mozzarella cheese you can watch being made every half hour. entertainment and delicacies: maybe big should have come to a and v instead of watching tv.
-- agata and valentina 1505 first ave. at east 79th street 212-452-0690
got a snack attack to share? contact nbrand@aol.com