i love little italy

For my 30th birthday last October, Agnese, the housekeeper of our Tuscan villa, made my birthday dinner including the most delicious tiramisu I've ever devoured. I posted the recipe a few blogs ago, and went on a mad search for PAVESI brand Pavesini biscotti. They're these little cookies that are similar to the french langues de chat, and they're used in authentic tiramisu in Italy -- not the Savoiardi or lady fingers which are too thick and spongy. Looking everywhere online, I finally found ONE U.S. supplier, in North Carolina, selling for a "discount" at $5.99 a package. Forget it. I saw them for less than 3 euro in Italy. I went on a trek today to Little Italy in NYC. The first italian grocer's I went to, "Italian Food Center" on the corner of Grand and Mulberry Streets had a package -- the last package -- for $2.99. Perfect. I picked up my cookies and I'll head back next week to buy the mascarpone. I'll keep you posted how the tiramisu turns out. I love that you can get just about anything in New York City, especially in Little Italy and Chinatown without having to pay all those damned gourmet prices!