Having been raised by Italian women, food has always been the center of everything. And it didn't help that my own parents, who declare themselves foodies, graciously added my sister and I to nearly every adventurous reservation eating in their restaurants of choice-- both in the city and wherever we traveled. Needless to say, I've always enjoyed going to new restaurants, trying food, and of course, eating it. I love good food.
Fast-forward to my 20's. Of course, there was first my epic move to Manhattan. Fresh out of the nest. And so it began: The dating, the dinners with friends.... and the overwhelming feeling of there being hundreds of restaurants, and not knowing where to eat!
One cold night a few years ago, cheeks red, I plopped down on a stool in one of my favorite cozy bars on the Lower East Side, and met The Bottomless Pit. A few whiskey drinks in, I learned of her affinity for food... good food... really good food... and during my weekly time there, about her desire to begin food blogging.
And so, soon after, she declared herself the Bottomless Pit, and began to write.
And so, soon after, she declared herself the Bottomless Pit, and began to write.
A true Manhattan foodie, The Pit features her "food-scapades"around New York City-- and also those when she travels to places like Nashville, and most recently (and also most excitingly!), Spain. The bottom line? I have followed her blog ever since, as I immediately loved her selection of restaurants, and her reliability to be sent to the yummiest-- and also most fun-- places. Not to mention, her cutting to the chase to tell you the "good" things to order on the menu.
Oh, and I can't forget! My favorite part of her blog? Her posts read like a story. You see, everybody brings a pal along to their meals. And so you can imagine, the "Pit" brings her friends as well-- only The Pit likes to call them, her "freaks" (food freaks that is). Each of her meal-mates has an alias and character, all listed on her blog, tagged with funny and personable descriptions. Knowing a few of them now myself, I have to say that this only adds to the delight of reading her posts, and makes the Pit's blog stand out amongst other food blogs.
Oh, and I can't forget! My favorite part of her blog? Her posts read like a story. You see, everybody brings a pal along to their meals. And so you can imagine, the "Pit" brings her friends as well-- only The Pit likes to call them, her "freaks" (food freaks that is). Each of her meal-mates has an alias and character, all listed on her blog, tagged with funny and personable descriptions. Knowing a few of them now myself, I have to say that this only adds to the delight of reading her posts, and makes the Pit's blog stand out amongst other food blogs.
Being that I am still in food coma mode from Thanksgiving, I couldn't find a more appropriate time to post this little interview with Bottomless Pit!
Instagram @foodfreaknyc
Photo Credits Below, all Bottomlesspitnyc
Photo Credits Below, all Bottomlesspitnyc
MF
Your earliest memory involving food?
Bottomless Pit
When I was fifteen years old, I lived in Rome for a year. My mom came to visit and we found a little restaurant near Piazza Di Spagna and out of all the courses, I just remember the risotto. It was the best! I went back to that restaurant often during my year there.
When I was fifteen years old, I lived in Rome for a year. My mom came to visit and we found a little restaurant near Piazza Di Spagna and out of all the courses, I just remember the risotto. It was the best! I went back to that restaurant often during my year there.
MF
Your favorite food as a child?
Your favorite food as a child?
BP
Mom's Sloppy Joe, Brisket & Lasagna.
Mom's Sloppy Joe, Brisket & Lasagna.
MF
Your favorite restaurant as a child?
BP
The Bistro Garden in Beverly Hills. They have the best chicken burger and chocolate souffle!
The Bistro Garden in Beverly Hills. They have the best chicken burger and chocolate souffle!
MF
The last thing you ate:
MF
What makes a good meal?
BP
Good company. If you're with a good group of people, the meal will usually be good. Also sharing lots of dishes.
MF
A good restaurant?
BP
For me, a lot of it is about ambiance and a warm and friendly staff, of course. Obviously good food too, but if the ambiance and/or staff suck, then the food isn't enough!
MF
Why did you decide to start up Bottomless Pit? What sparked your interest in food blogging?
BP
I always secretly wanted to be a writer, but didn't have the confidence to try it. One drunken night out with one of my best friends, we started talking about how much I love food and how fun it would be to start a food blog. The next day I was hungover- but! The day after that, I started it. My favorite thing to do is go out to eat, so I figure why not tell the stories about my amazing food experiences in one of the best food cities in the world?
MF
I love that you have given character "aliases" for your friends who you share meals with. What gave you this idea? Where do you see it going?
BP
I sort of have a weird thing about anonymity! I didn't feel comfortable revealing other people's lives/identities if I couldn't reveal myself, hence the "aliases." I also love Sex & The City, and one of the things I found fun about the show was that all the men were given nicknames. It's fun coming up with "names" for my friends. Not sure where it's going, but people seem to really like guessing who is who!
MF
If you could only eat three foods for the rest of your life, what would you choose and why?
BP
Oysters, Bacon Cheeseburgers and The Chopped Chicken Salad from Fred's at Barney's New York.
I seem to start a lot of my meals with oysters, and it always leads to a good night! I also can eat them when I'm not hungry(which is rare), when I'm out just for drinks, or even for dessert.
Fred's Chopped Chicken salad is perfect. It has bibb lettuce, avocado, onions, tomatoes, string beans and pears tossed with a dijon mustard balsamic dressing. I guess other than the fact that this salad tastes amazing, I only eat it when my family is in town. Fred's is our go-to lunch spot when they come to New York.
MF
The one food you couldn't live without:
BP
I think it would have to be oysters. I don't know what it is about those slimy little suckers, but I just love them!
MF
The ultimate snack food is...
BP
PB & J with bananas. (You can never go wrong with this sandwich!)
MF
You recently traveled to Spain and wrote a handful of posts on your food adventures there. What was that experience like?
BP
It was amazing. I hadn't been to Europe (or anywhere new for that matter!) for a while, and I just loved the feeling of walking out of my hotel and not knowing where the day would take me. And Spain had been my dream for a long time, so finally getting there was truly inspiring. It really made me want to get back into traveling. Also, ordering lots of small plates is my favorite way to eat, so a country that is all about tapas is my heaven. The food, the wine, the culture, the architecture- simply put, DIVINE!
MF
What other countries and/or cities are on your list for more food adventures?
BP
I'm dying to go to San Francisco/Wine Country. So many chefs who I admire who are based there! I plan on having that adventure next year, if I can get a reservation at French Laundry. I would also love to go to Greece, and to re-visit Italy and France.
MF
Best city you've eaten in thus far and why:
BP
New York, of course. I have lived here for over fifteen years, and I never get sick of it! You can get any type of food, and at any time of the day- or night. I wouldn't want sushi at 4am, but if I did, I could get it.
MF
How do you go about picking which restaurants to feature on your blog?
BP
I don't really have a real system when it comes to picking restaurants. A lot of times I'll go to a restaurant through hearing about it through a friend! And sometimes it's through The New York Times, or New York Magazine.
MF
If you could share a meal with anyone throughout history, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
BP
I hate to say the obvious answer… but I would love to have a meal with Paul & Julia Child! From all that I have read about them, it seems that they would be wonderful dining companions, not only for their love of food, but their love of each other and life.
MF
The best dinner soundtrack would feature:
BP
A mix of old soul and classic rock. From Etta, Ella and Nina to Steely Dan and The Stones. Add some Sinatra, Black Keys and Beatles and I'm a happy girl.
MF
Your absolute top five favorite restaurants in NYC:
BP
1-Blue Ribbon Brasserie
2-The Spotted Pig
3-Joe's Shanghai
4-Northern Spy
5-Ippudo
---
Best slice of pizza in NYC: South Brooklyn Pizza
Best burger in NYC: BLK MKT
Best dessert in NYC: Chocolate Layer Cake at Blue Smoke
Best cocktail in NYC: The Ward Eight at Little Branch or the French 95 at Death & Co.
A dish you ate a restaurant that you wish you could re-create at home: The mustard mashed potatoes I had at Gresca in Barcelona.
Share a recipe with us: here you go!
Your ultimate goal in life: To be able to make a living eating.
Artists that inspire you:
Ferran Adrià , Pablo Picasso, Nina Simone, Alice Neel, George Hurrell, Helmut Newton, Alexander McQueen and Karl Lagerfeld
Your last "oh my god" moment (could be about anything):
Eating the Patates Pfaffenhofen (gratin potatoes) I had at a wine & tapas festival in Barcelona. This rich, decadent plate of potatoes was crisply browned on top, and creamy with a hint of spice throughout. (I just quoted myself from one of my blog posts)
Your life philosophy in three words:
Eat, Laugh, Appreciate
Good company. If you're with a good group of people, the meal will usually be good. Also sharing lots of dishes.
MF
A good restaurant?
BP
For me, a lot of it is about ambiance and a warm and friendly staff, of course. Obviously good food too, but if the ambiance and/or staff suck, then the food isn't enough!
MF
Why did you decide to start up Bottomless Pit? What sparked your interest in food blogging?
BP
I always secretly wanted to be a writer, but didn't have the confidence to try it. One drunken night out with one of my best friends, we started talking about how much I love food and how fun it would be to start a food blog. The next day I was hungover- but! The day after that, I started it. My favorite thing to do is go out to eat, so I figure why not tell the stories about my amazing food experiences in one of the best food cities in the world?
MF
I love that you have given character "aliases" for your friends who you share meals with. What gave you this idea? Where do you see it going?
BP
I sort of have a weird thing about anonymity! I didn't feel comfortable revealing other people's lives/identities if I couldn't reveal myself, hence the "aliases." I also love Sex & The City, and one of the things I found fun about the show was that all the men were given nicknames. It's fun coming up with "names" for my friends. Not sure where it's going, but people seem to really like guessing who is who!
MF
If you could only eat three foods for the rest of your life, what would you choose and why?
BP
Oysters, Bacon Cheeseburgers and The Chopped Chicken Salad from Fred's at Barney's New York.
I seem to start a lot of my meals with oysters, and it always leads to a good night! I also can eat them when I'm not hungry(which is rare), when I'm out just for drinks, or even for dessert.
Bacon Cheeseburgers just make me happy. As a serious carnivore, a burger is the food to which I judge a lot of restaurants.
Fred's Chopped Chicken salad is perfect. It has bibb lettuce, avocado, onions, tomatoes, string beans and pears tossed with a dijon mustard balsamic dressing. I guess other than the fact that this salad tastes amazing, I only eat it when my family is in town. Fred's is our go-to lunch spot when they come to New York.
MF
The one food you couldn't live without:
BP
I think it would have to be oysters. I don't know what it is about those slimy little suckers, but I just love them!
MF
The ultimate snack food is...
BP
PB & J with bananas. (You can never go wrong with this sandwich!)
MF
You recently traveled to Spain and wrote a handful of posts on your food adventures there. What was that experience like?
BP
It was amazing. I hadn't been to Europe (or anywhere new for that matter!) for a while, and I just loved the feeling of walking out of my hotel and not knowing where the day would take me. And Spain had been my dream for a long time, so finally getting there was truly inspiring. It really made me want to get back into traveling. Also, ordering lots of small plates is my favorite way to eat, so a country that is all about tapas is my heaven. The food, the wine, the culture, the architecture- simply put, DIVINE!
MF
What other countries and/or cities are on your list for more food adventures?
BP
I'm dying to go to San Francisco/Wine Country. So many chefs who I admire who are based there! I plan on having that adventure next year, if I can get a reservation at French Laundry. I would also love to go to Greece, and to re-visit Italy and France.
MF
Best city you've eaten in thus far and why:
BP
New York, of course. I have lived here for over fifteen years, and I never get sick of it! You can get any type of food, and at any time of the day- or night. I wouldn't want sushi at 4am, but if I did, I could get it.
MF
How do you go about picking which restaurants to feature on your blog?
BP
I don't really have a real system when it comes to picking restaurants. A lot of times I'll go to a restaurant through hearing about it through a friend! And sometimes it's through The New York Times, or New York Magazine.
MF
If you could share a meal with anyone throughout history, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
BP
I hate to say the obvious answer… but I would love to have a meal with Paul & Julia Child! From all that I have read about them, it seems that they would be wonderful dining companions, not only for their love of food, but their love of each other and life.
MF
The best dinner soundtrack would feature:
BP
A mix of old soul and classic rock. From Etta, Ella and Nina to Steely Dan and The Stones. Add some Sinatra, Black Keys and Beatles and I'm a happy girl.
MF
Your absolute top five favorite restaurants in NYC:
BP
1-Blue Ribbon Brasserie
2-The Spotted Pig
3-Joe's Shanghai
4-Northern Spy
5-Ippudo
---
Best slice of pizza in NYC: South Brooklyn Pizza
Best burger in NYC: BLK MKT
Best dessert in NYC: Chocolate Layer Cake at Blue Smoke
Best cocktail in NYC: The Ward Eight at Little Branch or the French 95 at Death & Co.
A dish you ate a restaurant that you wish you could re-create at home: The mustard mashed potatoes I had at Gresca in Barcelona.
Share a recipe with us: here you go!
Your ultimate goal in life: To be able to make a living eating.
Artists that inspire you:
Ferran Adrià , Pablo Picasso, Nina Simone, Alice Neel, George Hurrell, Helmut Newton, Alexander McQueen and Karl Lagerfeld
Your last "oh my god" moment (could be about anything):
Eating the Patates Pfaffenhofen (gratin potatoes) I had at a wine & tapas festival in Barcelona. This rich, decadent plate of potatoes was crisply browned on top, and creamy with a hint of spice throughout. (I just quoted myself from one of my blog posts)
Your life philosophy in three words:
Eat, Laugh, Appreciate
2 comments:
i loved this interview!! so fun to read =)
i loved this interview! So fun to read =) i still have such fond memories of cooking at your place earlier this year! miss you.
Post a Comment