All gilded and ready to party, a new sardine store, “The Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardine,” has opened in Times Square. Ovalor do Tempo, the company that owns Comur, an artisanal maker of Portuguese tinned fish since 1942, has many such stores in Portugal to promote the canned fish; this is their first in the United States. M&M’s in Times Square we understand, but sardines? For New York, tuna would be more like it. Though the company cans that fish, too, they’re known for their sardines, which come skinless and boneless, or not, and with flavors like lemon and hot pepper. All are packed in extra virgin olive oil. Stacked floor to ceiling on two levels, the colorful tins are for sale, about $13 and up. And for gift-giving there are commemorative tins marked with various years stretching back (though recently canned), and even a goldtone one for $44. Other varieties of seafood in tins like cod and octopus are coming.
“The Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardine,” 1582 Broadway (48th Street), portuguesesardine.com.
An Italian Market Grows in the West Village
Have dessert first. That’s how it’s being done in what promises to be a varied Italian market called Travelers Poets and Friends in a series of connecting storefronts in the West Village. Pamina, a gelato and dessert shop named after the princess in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” opens Wednesday. It will be followed in October by the Mercado, a cafe and store with a bakery, a pasta counter and pantry ingredients. Then will come Alaluna, for wine, cocktails and pizza, with a wine cellar for private events. The velvet, rainbow-hued gelati and sorbetti, in flavors like pistachio, hazelnut, fior di latte, coffee, tropicale, cantaloupe and cannolo with cannoli crumbs and dried fruit, rely on ingredients from local purveyors as well as imports like pistachios from Sicily. Some flavors are plant-based. There are cookies, a lemon-almond cake and other desserts. The complex, which will serve no meat, only vegetable and seafood preparations, is the work of Emanuele Nigro and Riccardo Orfino of Osteria 57 and Alice, both nearby, with partners Wael Deek and Mickey Bosco.
Pamina Dolci e Gelato, 461 Avenue of the Americas (11th Street), 212-895-4797, paminadolcegelato.com.
A wearable way to lock in the rich flavors of summer is a charming bauble on a chain, a tiny tomato for the Tomato Girl in your life. Made by Haricot Vert, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, it’s just one of that company’s charms fashioned in polymer from collages often of food and drink. It comes on a 16-inch gold-filled chain and is sold at Big Night, the dinner party store in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and online.
Tomato Girl necklace $88, Big Night, 154 Franklin Street (Kent Street), Greenpoint, Brooklyn; 236 West Tenth Street (Hudson Street); bignightbk.com.
Pasta by Grand’mère
At Pasta Corner, a new Midtown spot, the grandmother whose recipes are on display is French, but more than a dozen pasta dishes to take home or eat on the spot speak Italian. Penne marinara, spaghetti cacio e pepe, rigatoni with mozzarella and pomodoro, tagliatelle alle vongole and lasagna alla Bolognese give you some idea. They’re sold at counters up front, along with fresh pastas, sauces, condiments and baked goods, including croissants. Vincent Benoliel, who owns Michelina, a bakery and caterer in the Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles, went into partnership with Matt Pokora, a French pop star, to open in the market. The recipes are from Mr. Benoliel’s grandmother, or should we say grand’mère, Lisou Dahan. The two then expanded with outposts in Paris and Lille in France, and now New York. Ms. Dahan had restaurants in the South of France, which explains the tilt toward Italy. There are tables in the rear of the space for dining in, but no waiter service.
Pasta Corner, 9 East 53rd Street, 212-381-1355, pastacorner.com.
Pastel de Nata Straight From Brazil and Portugal
Pastel de Nata, a compact custard tartlet, is Portugal’s signature dessert. Some bakeries, notably the Paris Baguette chain, sell them. But now to have at home, they’re available frozen, made in Portugal (Vila Nova de Gaia near Porto) and Brazil (Rio de Janeiro). Ten minutes in the oven is all it takes. For now only the plain, or original flavor, is available, but variations like passion fruit, chocolate, mixed berry and salted caramel are on their way.
Pastel de Nata, four for $8.99 at Zabar’s, $5.99 at Union Market, natapura.com.
A New Guide to White Wine
A wine book organized mostly according to grape varietal might sound daunting and unwieldy. But as they did successfully in a 2017 volume covering red wine, Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen have produced a practical grape-by-grape guide in the new “White Wine: The Comprehensive Guide to the 50 Essential Varieties and Styles.” The writers, who call themselves “the World Wine Guys,” arranged things alphabetically and explain history, styles depending on region, and price, with labels listed as “bargain, value, special occasion and splurge.” Notable producers are quoted. Even if you think you know chardonnay or sauvignon blanc, the book is worth exploring and consulting. And if you don’t know grillo, dive in. There’s also a section covering blended whites like Gavi and Champagne. It’s nit-picking to note that Monbazillac, Sauternes’s little cousin, has been omitted.
“White Wine: The Comprehensive Guide to the 50 Essential Varieties and Styles” by Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen (Countryman Press, $35).
Follow New York Times Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest. Get regular updates from New York Times Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice.
