A new dessert craze hits the Staten Island Mall, and Bay Street’s Restaurant Row expands

By Jessica Jones Gorman

TIME TO GET SCHOOLED
Casa Belvedere will continue its “In Cucina” Culinary Classes this fall, offering a variety of recreational and educational courses on its Grymes Hill campus. Held in the cultural center’s state of the art Cucina Colavita, participants can expect to expand skills, learn new techniques, and gain confidence in the kitchen. Classes cater to all levels from the novice to the experienced and its lineup of recipes includes everything from traditional and regional Italian dishes to innovative variations on everyday meals.

Classes are held every Tuesday evening at 6:30 P.M., and the fee is $85. A few noteworthy dates include October 16: Gnocchi with Autumn Flavours; November 28: Turn Leftovers into Turkey Dinner Strudel; and December 11: Christmas Desserts Traditions & Twists. 79 Howard Avenue, casa belvedere.org

Rolling in the dough
The newest dessert craze, edible cookie dough, officially reached the forgotten borough when Dough Life opened in the Staten Island Mall this past August. Made without eggs and with a heat treated low microbial wheat flour, the raw delicacy comes in 12 flavours, like Classic Chip, Brownie Batter, Red Velvet, and S’mores. Customers can add a selection of toppings to their treat (anything from M&M’s to sprinkles) and the shop caters events, too, with buckets of dough and an assortment of dough bites.

The business, which was hatched in Buffalo by Joe Franca bandiero, has more than 40 franchises throughout the country. The new borough location is the eighth local (New Jersey and Staten Island) franchise, joining successful sister stores in Freehold and Menlo Park Malls, among other storefronts. To view the full menu, visit edibledoughlife.com.

A SHORE THING
A Mediterranean and seafood specialty experience has opened on the North Shore, adding to Bay Street’s blossoming Restaurant Row. Taverna on the Bay is now luring patrons with its fresh raw bar and inventive apps. Formerly Tapas, a Spanish eatery, the new business serves its shrimp cocktail with fresh ginger, guacamole, and homemade cocktail sauce. Mussels are sautéed with capers, garlic Dijon mustard and a white wine sauce, goat cheese is served fried with sliced tomatoes, roasted peppers, and fresh basil, and grilled Portobello mushrooms are topped with melted mozzarella, roasted pepper, and a balsamic reduction drizzle. There are also plates of cured meats, cheese and olives, several varieties of brick oven pizza, and gourmet entrees like skirt steak with peppers and onions, grilled pork chop with melted manchego cheese, and oven braised lamb shank with fresh herbs over a saffron risotto. 661 Bay Street, tavernaonthebay.com