What is your favorite Italian grocery store in NYC? Is there something you always pick up, even if it’s not on your list?

In the book, I talk about a place called Di Palo’s, on Grand Street, which is the corner of the beginning and end of what remains of Little Italy. And inside are two brothers and a sister who operate the business that they grew up in, operated by their parents. And when I say to you I would literally buy anything in that store, I mean don’t ask me to pick because every last thing …

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There are shelves of dried pasta and anchovies, all the pantry staples that you can buy. And then when you walk deeper into the store, and it’s not huge, then you get into the case with the cheeses and the meats and all the antipasti. They do pre-made things like eggplant parm and lasagna. That’s delicious. I literally wouldn’t know what to tell people to buy. It’d be easier if I told you what not to buy, and the answer is nothing.

Where do you buy fresh pasta in NYC?

I like the fresh pasta at Eataly. They have a really good counter there with ravioli, so they have filled pastas and they have just tagliatelle and fettuccine and things like that, so you could really get anything there. And they sell it by the pound, or even the half-pound.

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Are there certain pastas you usually buy fresh instead of dried?

That’s hard because it depends on what I’m making. I don’t have a hard and steady rule. Sometimes I like [pasta] fresh, sometimes I like it dry.

[There is] a page in the book where I pair certain pastas with sauces, because there is a lot of confusion about that. [But] I’m just offering suggestions, because I feel like people get really emotional about this stuff. People are like, “No, I’m not using penne for that. Are you crazy?” It’s kind of kooky.

On the one hand, I offer my thoughts and suggestions, but I leave it there because people have some serious ideas, and they’re pretty passionate. I’m getting some handwritten letters. You know what I’m saying?