Posts Tagged ‘Italian Food’

Isabella Italian: The East Village Spot for Homemade Italian on a Student Budget

Tuesday, September 14th, 2021

Isabella Italian offers fresh, homemade, and, best of all, affordable Italian food in a charming space on St. Mark’s Place between 1st Avenue and Avenue A. The menu features top-notch pasta, pizza, sandwiches, and other classic Italian entrees. 

Isabella was originally scheduled to open in March of 2020. Owner Daniel (Danny) Rivera had to wait over a year to debut his solo venture, but the team at Isabella has managed to persevere and is now fully operating. The restaurant is clearly a personal project for Danny; you can see the care he has for the place, from the details of each dish to the name​​—Isabella is named after Danny’s 2-year-old daughter. Danny is also a partner of David’s Café next door (one of my favorite brunch spots), so you often see staff crossing back and forth between the two restaurants.

I visited Isabella on a Thursday evening, feeling extra hungry after spending the day wandering through the rainy East Village streets. It’s the perfect spot to catch up with a friend you haven’t seen in a long time while nurturing a glass of wine and debating which pasta to order. I had a glass of the Pinot Noir, while my friend had a glass of the Pinot Grigio. I don’t normally order wine, but I’m glad I did. The Pinot Noir was lovely, perfectly complementing the cozy space.

Isabella is secretly a great spot for students. Unlike many other Italian restaurants in the area, Isabella won’t charge you $25 for a small bowl of pasta that will leave you wishing you could ask for seconds. You can get just about any pasta you like for under $15, and the portions won’t disappoint. All the pasta is from the Greenwich Village establishment Raffetto’s, probably THE fresh pasta destination in NYC. My friend and I agonized over the menu, but we eventually settled on two pasta dishes. I had the Cacio & Peppe, a bucatini gloriously drowned in butter and cheese, topped with ground pepper. My friend had the Rigatoni Medici. She is allergic to dairy, so she had the dish with their standard tomato sauce instead of the tomato cream sauce. In addition to the sauce, the rigatoni comes with peas, chicken, chopped tomato, and shallots. My friend generously shared a few bites with me, and it tasted like the homemade sauce my late Italian grandpa used to make on Sundays. Just delightful. 

Isabella also offers a variety of pizzas. Many of the pizzas feature a buffalo mozzarella—a richer, creamier, and more flavorful alternative to cow’s milk mozzarella. However, with my friend’s dairy allergy, we had the Marinara pizza, which, although cheeseless, features that delicious homemade tomato sauce and basil pesto. I devoured the pizza with such eagerness that I honestly didn’t even miss the cheese.

So students – make your reservations as soon as possible for this affordable, high-quality Italian restaurant. Whether it’s your birthday dinner or a first day, Isabella Italian will not disappoint. Students receive 10% off anytime with our coupon and student ID. 



By: Marisa Bianco

Marisa graduated from NYU in May 2020, summa cum laude, with degrees in International Relations and Spanish. She grew up in Nebraska, but she is currently living in Córdoba, Spain, where she works as an English teacher. You can find her eating tapas in the Spanish sun while likely stressing about finding her life’s purpose.


For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the Official Student Guide, which encourages them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing, and services.  

At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful e-books, we give them a platform to teach others. Check our website for more student savings and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during the Welcome Week of 2015.

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Student Foodie: Visit Vapiano with a Group for Fresh Italian Offerings

Wednesday, August 17th, 2016

If you are a New School or NYU student you may have already tasted Vapiano’s simple and tasty Italian offerings at a catered school event. If you’ve traveled around Europe, it’s also very likely that you walked into a Vapiano – the international chain has over 130 restaurants worldwide. Their New York outpost is a large, two-story restaurant on the corner of University and 13th street. The space is airy and open with red globe decorations hanging from tall ceilings and big windows. Don’t be put off by the large air-conditioning rig coming out of one of the windows when you walk in.

Vapiano’s Interior photo credit: http://bit.ly/2b1oNiR

Photo by Tamar Lapin

Photo by Tamar Lapin

What’s most unique about Vapiano is their card system. When guests walk in they are automatically asked if they’ve been to the Italian chain before – that’s because their ordering system may seem unusual at first but is pretty simple once you get the hang of it. You’re handed a Vapiano card, which is similar to a credit card but just for the restaurant. Every time you order, your card is scanned and when you are ready to leave, you hand the card in at the front desk and pay based on the card’s balance.

The idea is upscale cafeteria-style. You don’t order at a table, but rather walk to stations offering different options (pasta, antipasti, pizza, salad…) with a tray. At the pasta station, dishes are sautéed up before your eyes and you scan your card by tapping it against a machine after ordering. If you decide to go for a personalized pizza, you’ll be given a little buzzer which rings when your dish is ready. Pasta and pizza dough are made fresh, in house daily.

Vapiano's pasta bolognese and margharita pizza. Photo by Tamar Lapin.

Vapiano’s pasta bolognese and margharita pizza. Photo by Tamar Lapin.

Le Ludwige, the manager at the New York location says that this system is meant to encourage guests to roam the restaurant freely. “We wanted to give our guests the option to walk around,” he said.

Ludwige added that this system does slow down the ordering and paying process slightly but they are working on streamlining. As of now, lunchtime can be a little slow, as business-lunch people in the area want something they can sink their teeth into more quickly. But if you’re a student with a big break in between classes, Vapiano is perfect. You can also order online through Chow Now and come pick up your meal all ready to go.

This option is also great for families, and on a Friday afternoon, the restaurant is filled with European tourists and groups of young people. You and your friends can each go to a station and meet at one of the high lightwood beige tables with your steaming dishes.

For a touch of simplicity, try the pasta bolognese, a traditional Italian dish- made with Vapiano’s classic beef and pork tomato sauce, with sliced carrots as a delicious and surprising addition. The dish is well-seasoned and filling. All pasta dishes are served with two slices of homemade bread and each table is outfitted with little marble containers holding spicy olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The pizza is less of a highlight, the classic margarita I ordered was a little greasy but the European-style thin crust redeemed it slightly. All the dishes are priced reasonably at $10.00 to $13.00.

If you’re in the mood for a drink, Vapiano has an extensive wine selection showcased on tall mirrored shelves behind the bar. Glasses of wine are priced at $9.50 and the beer is $6.50.

Visit Vapiano to satisfy all of your fresh pasta cravings and bring your classmates for a tasty meal in a fun, low-key environment that is guaranteed to have you leave as friends.

by Tamar Lapin


 

For an extra student discount use this Campus Clipper coupon below:

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For over 20 years, the Campus Clipper has been offering awesome student discounts in NYC,  from the East Side to Greenwich Village. Along with inspiration, the company offers students a special coupon booklet and the NYC Student Guide, which encourage them to discover new places in the city and save money on food, clothing and services.  

 At the Campus Clipper, not only do we help our interns learn new skills, make money, and create wonderful ebooks, we give them a platform to teach others. Follow each new blog post to read a chapter of our various books and to learn how the Campus Clipper can help you follow your dreams!
Check our website for more student savings on food and services and watch our YouTube video showing off some of New York City’s finest students during last year’s Welcome Week.
 
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Joey’s Acquedolci

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

Check out Joey’s Acquedolci at 181 Grand Street, NY, NY.

Get an awesome STUDENT DISCOUNT for Joey’s Acquedolci HERE!

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