Italy: Street Eats at Italian Saint Giglio Festival via Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Giglio Feast Italian Street Eats in Williamsburg, Brooklyn

Subway: Bedford Avenue stop  

Location: Havemeyer Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211

New York loves its parades and festivals. And the most popular ones, as you’d expect, have a lot to do with eating and drinking!

Short: Name some, Bald. 

Bald: There’s the St. Patrick’s Day parade, the 9th Avenue International Food Festival and Fair, the German Oktoberfest in Bear Mountain.

Short: And don’t forget the Puerto Rican Day parade, International Restaurant Week, and the Brooklyn Lebanese Food Festival.

Bald: And, of course, the annual Tasmanian-Devil’s-Food-Cake-Eating-contest.

Short: Haven’t heard of that last one…

Bald: You haven’t lived till you’ve tried Tasmanian Devil’s Food Cake. It’s an Aussie classic! Oy, oy, oy!

Then every year, for two weeks in early July, Williamsburg hosts the Giglio Festival, more formally known as the Cooperative Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and San Paolino di Nola. It’s a big, noisy Italian festival with food, wine, music, and an 80-foot tall, three-ton statue of a saint, which is lifted and carried several blocks by 131 men. Yes, you read correctly. We’ll have photos of it in our next post.

As you can see, the intimate, backstreets of Williamsburg get very crowded and very “Italian” (in a very good way) when the festival reaches its climax, but leading up to this moment, there’s a lot to see, do and EAT along the way.

Short: Did someone say eat?

Bald: Absolutely! Did someone say drink?

Short: No, but since when did that ever stop you!

The St. Giglio Festival takes place in a few, small blocks surrounding Our Lady of Carmel Catholic Church right up against the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE).

Short: Apparently, Padre Pio was an Italian Catholic priest who developed stigmata on his hands and eventually became a saint.

Bald: Nice work if you can get it.

But first up, drinks!

Nothing says “Italian religious festival” like a pina colada! Actually, pina colada is a rum-based Spanish creation, which is now the “official drink” of Puerto Rico, but who’s arguing – it’s a pina colada! Right on the street!

And they come in crazy shaped cups that are every color of the rainbow!

Bald: I’ll have one strawberry daiquiri, three Hail Mary’s, one How’s Your Father and a Pina Colada! I also like the fact that alcohol can only be sold on church grounds.

Bald: That’s one helluva communion cup!

Short: You know where you’re going after this, don’t you.

Bald: Straight to Hell, I know.

Short: No.

Bald: Where?

Short: The deep-fried Zeppoles and Calzones stand!

We decided to start our Italian Feast off with some deep fried snacks. First off, Calzones!

In Italian, calzone means “drooping sack” or “stocking.” In English it means “deep-fried, cheesy deliciousness.” A calzone is basically an Italian turnover. The pocket, made out of pizza dough, is pumped full of mozzarella and Ricotta cheese, salami, ham or other ingredients like vegetables and eggs. Once sealed, the calzone is salted and fried, then served with olive oil infused with parsley and garlic, and marinara dipping sauce.

Bald: A calzone is like a stromboli, but it is shaped into a half-circle instead of a rectangle. And spelt differently…

Here’s a fresh calzone cooling on a tray. We were going to have one, but we got distracted by it’s little cousin, the Zeppoles, which were being made in front of us.

Over the course of the two-week festival, thousands and thousands of Zeppoles and Calzones are made and sold. Hence, the ENORMOUS tub of batter and the long line of huge frying vats.

A Zeppoli (or Zeppole for plural) is a golf-ball sized, deep-fried, ball of dough.

It’s like a cross between a doughnut and a fritter. Most often it’s sprinkled with powdered sugar but it can also be filled with jam, honey, custard or cannoli-style cream.

Short: Doesn’t matter how you fry it, it’s delicious!

In they go! That’s hot, so they’re done before you can say Jack Robinsonini!

First they need a minute to cool. As you can see, they come in all shapes and sizes, so you can have fun guessing what each one looks like. You know, like the “cloud game”.

Bald: That one looks like your nose.

Short: That one looks like yo momma!

Bald: Zing!

And when they’re cool and dry, the icing sugar! Closely followed by the fight.

Short: You’ve already had your six!

Bald: Step away from the Zeppoles!

Eat them while they’re hot. They’re moist, doughy, a little bit oily, and sweet. What more could you ask for in a street-side snack?

Next!

Bald: Wotcha feel like, Short? Some barbequed chicken breasts?

Short: Hmmm…maybe. But it looks a bit too barbequey and chickeny…

Bald: Some barbequed sausages?

Short: Well, looks nice, but…. Too barbequey and sausagey…

Bald: Some Rancho Mateo grilled, smoked steak?

Bald: With roasted corn?

Short: Doesn’t sound very Italian, Bald…

No matter what type of street festival you visit in New York, you’re inevitably going to come across one stall that sells roasted corn and another offering French crepes. You’ll also probably find some heavy, knitted, bright colored cardigans from Central America that have a faint smell of diesel.

Bald: Wouldn’t be a New York street fair without them!

At last, some good, old-fashioned Italian!

Bald: O.K., Short. I know you like hot and spicy. How about a Francesco’s Italian sausage with peppers and onion?

Short: Now you’re talkin’!

Francescos has been coming to this festival for years. As well as hot, spicy Italian sausage, they serve Brasciole (flattened steak stuffed with seasoned breadcrumbs and cooked in a tomato sauce), all-beef hot-dogs and a bunch of other Italian style fast food.

The sausage is fresh and smells great! As you can see, they have several, curled up, in various stages of cooking, at the same time. And there are varieties of pork, beef and chicken, too.

And there’s a veritable mountain-ridge of onion and pepper simmering away ready to pile onto every bun.

Short: Take a deep breath! The aroma was really beautiful.

And here’s the final result!

Bald: It really is as spicy and tangy as it looks. The sausage itself had a good kick to it, so when you pile on the onions, pepper and hot sauce – look out!

Short: Pretty hot for Italian. And for a bald Aussie. But for a red-hot, spicy Korean? This is child’s play! But still pretty scrummy.

Making our way along the crowded streets, we passed some more great, street food options.

Bald: Much as I’m a fan of Lou, I just don’t feel like deep-fried clams today.

Short: I won’t tell him we didn’t stop. You know how he gets…

Beautiful, fresh, colorful vegies! The Italians really love bright colors, especially red, in their cooking.

Short: And tomatoes are so good for you, too. I like a fresh tomato juice mixed with yoghurt every morning. Especially if Bald makes it…

Bald: Look over there! Carmine’s Pizza! It’s the Official Pizza of the Yankees!

Short: Yes, Bald.

Pizza! It’s as Italian as…pizza!

Pizza! Lots of different pizza!

We opted for Hawaiian pizza. It’s as Italian as…Hawaii! Don’t you love living in the 21^st Century! All the world’s your oyster, on a pizza.

Bald: Hawaiian pizza, for those who have had their eyes closed, their fingers in their ears, while humming for the last few decades, is ham and pineapple. Sweet and savory. That wonderful contrast that’s found in so many great dishes. Like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Like sweet and sour pork.

Short: Like Short and Bald!

Bald: And which one is sweet?

Short: Look over there! Aunt Butchie’s Famous Homemade Fresh Cannoli!

Bald: Yes, Short. 

Yes, Aunt Butchie might make great cheesecake, and chocolate mousse cake, but this is an Italian festival, so, by law, we have to try her freshly made Cannoli.

We were lucky enough to catch Aunt Butchie squeezing the creamy filling into her Cannoli using a pastry bag.

Cannoli is a dessert, which originated in Sicily. It means “little tube” in Italian, and that’s exactly what it is. The tube is formed from a dough of sugar, flour and butter which is flattened into an oval shape then fried.

The creamy, sweet filling is made from ricotta cheese (some people also use mascarpone) and powdered sugar, mixed with various flavorings such as vanilla, chocolate, Marsala, or pistachio.

And here’s the finished product! The green and red toppings are crushed pistachio and candied cherries. Some people also use candied citrus fruits.

Bald: I really liked these. The tube shell is not as crunchy as it looks, as it takes on some of the moisture of the filling, so it’s dense and moist. And very sweet. A great traditional Italian (or should I say, Sicilian) dessert.

Short: This wasn’t really my favorite. Honestly, it tasted a bit boring to me.

Bald: Boring? Well, lucky for you, Aunt Butchie and her Sicilian familia have a long reputation for welcoming debate on issues of cultural difference. The many movies featuring Sicilian family “debates” make this point admirably, for example, Clemenza has that great line in The Godfather, “Leave the gun. Take the Cannoli.”

Short: O.K. Now we’ve had the Cannoli, let’s go find dessert!

Short: Marshmallow on a stick! Yay!

Short: Candied apples on a stick! Yay!

Short: Chocolate, nut, and sprinkle-covered apples on a stick! Yay!

Bald: All right, Short. Which one is mine?

Short: I’m glad you asked. That’s mine on the left, and the one on the right is mine.

Bald: I see… so the one on the left?

Short: That one’s mine.

Bald: And the right?

Short: Mine. (Pause) Any questions?

Bald: No. I must say, you’re looking very Sicilian all of a sudden.

Short: Yeah? Well, leave the gun. Take the chocolate-covered marshmallow on a stick!

Bald: Whatever you say, Aunt Shortinino!

Our Overall Opinion of the Italian Food at the Annual Saint Giglio Festival:

1. You can find some traditional Italian dishes here served “street style” from vendors, but it’s generally fast food, which is exactly what you need for a crowded festival.

2. It’s all well priced, around $4-$5 for a good-sized dish.

3. You can drink and eat to your hearts content without sitting down.

4. You’ll see some great characters at this festival! It’s really a great New York tradition.

Well, all this way, and we still haven’t shown you the spectacular images of the St. Giglio Festival itself! There were a lot of distractions here as you can see. We’ll include our pics of the 80 foot tall statue, and the rides and other fun and games in our next blog. But for that, you’re gonna need your metrocard-passport. Is it current, valid and ready to rumble? If so, let’s go!