This summer we did a lot of traveling, and we showed you some of our recommendations for all the cities and towns we visited, but in this new season we’re going closer to home.  Today we’re going to feature two restaurants from here in New York – specifically, from the Upper East Side.  These places are less than half a mile from each other, but their location is the only thing they have in common.  One is an old school spot rooted in the Upper East Side’s past immigrant heritage, while the other is a newer restaurant serving up a much different cuisine.  Both were places we enjoyed, and we’re going to show you some of the great food we got, but you should be warned that there’s one image of meat here.

We first went to check out Heidelberg, on 2nd Avenue and 85th Street, which (as you might be able to guess) is a German restaurant.  It’s been around for more than a hundred years, reflecting the fact that the Upper East Side used to be a hub of German immigration.  While we were there we decided to go all out and do the käsefondue, which is made from gruyere and emmenthaler cheeses simmered right at your table with Riesling wine and Kirsch brandy.  It’s a meal for two so we split it – it’s served with raw vegetables, apple slices, cubed bread, and some sausage (it’s a good idea to ask that they put the sausage on a separate plate).

Since this is a pretty big meal in itself, we decided to try just one other thing – the potato pancakes, which come with a side of applesauce.

Now if you head over to 3rd Avenue and 80th Street, you’ll come across Parma Nuova, which is a new iteration of Parma, a restaurant that was an Upper East Side staple for several decades.  Here you can try some Italian food, specifically from the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy.  We were happy to discover that we could put together an entirely vegetarian meal, so we started with an order of the cucuzielli fritti – these thin, crispy strands of fried zucchini.

We also shared the insalata parma, made with arugula, endive, radicchio, mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, and roasted peppers, all topped with slices of shaved Parmesan.

Then we tried two different pasta dishes:  the mezzi rigatoni alla norma, with tomato sauce, eggplant, and shredded ricotta salata …

… and the gnocchi di parmigiano e tartufo, in a Parmesan cheese and black truffle sauce.

We’ll admit, we don’t get out to the Upper East Side often – the neighborhood has a reputation for being a little snobby, and that extends to the restaurant scene there, where many people wonder if there’s good food or just fancy food.  We think these two places show that there’s some interesting and creative things on offer, where you have your choice of cuisines and can dine in old or very new spots.  We liked getting some fondue in a very classic space, and we also liked trying all-vegetarian Italian offerings in a newer restaurant.  We have a few more Upper East Side spots on our list of places to check out, and we’ll report back on what we find!