Kadeem Lundy

In the midst of townhouses and storefront lofts in Manhattan’s Upper West Side sits a small new Italian eatery called Osteria Accademia. In Italy an “osteria” is a small restaurant that serves wine and a simple food menu. Accademias are places of education and learning with collections on display. In the case of Osteria Accademia the collections on display are books that are lined up on floor-to-ceiling stacks along the walls of the restaurant. Another key to the ambiance of the restaurant is the low lighting, with candles at every table.

At Osteria Accademia wine is indeed a specialty. Some of the main wines at the restaurant are Valle Reale, Occhipinti, Versante Nord Rosso and Scopetone red wines as well as Tramin, Feudo Montoni and Bisci white wines. Upon deciding to order the braised short ribs with mashed potatoes as the main course, I asked about which wine would complement the meat well and was advised the red wine Valle Reale would be best. The Valle Reale was smooth with fruity notes of berries like blueberries with hints of licorice. Before the main course was brought out a basket of crostini bread which consisted of toasted and untoasted pieces was brought to the table. The toasted crostini’s were crisp and had umami flavor of cheddar herb toast with hints of garlic and oregano. Also sampled was the oven fresh garlic bread which had a good buttery, garlic taste with each bite.

For the appetizer I tried one of the ravioli options from the pasta menu, ordering the Cacio E Pepe Ravioli. the ravioli has Parmigiano butter, and is topped with Black Winter Truffles. While the taste of truffles can sometimes be overpowering, the Parmigiano was the prominent flavor that stood out also lending to a creamy filling within the dish and the ravioli itself had the right amount of doneness and lightness. Although the dish was an appetizer it was quite filling.

When the main course the braised short ribs with mashed potatoes arrived, the potatoes were served with the short ribs on top, both covered in a red wine reduction sauce. The sauce was a contrast of sweet and savory. The Valle Reale wine that was sipped alongside the short ribs which are braised for eight hours helped bring out the savoriness in the short ribs while having similar flavor nods to the wine in the braising reduction sauce that was served with the meal. The short ribs were fork tender and the mashed potatoes were hearty and smooth without potato skins blended in.

Lastly for dessert I ordered two cannoli pastries. The crust was crisp and flaky while the ricotta filling seemed to have a citrus flavor which is also thanks to candied fruit slices within the cannolis.

The staff were also of great service. I was introduced to Rinor who shared some interesting details about the restaurant and menu offerings. He also pointed out that currently the restaurant is only open for dinner but will begin to expand to lunch, and brunch and delivery as the restaurant grows. The restaurant opens at 5pm each day and closes at 10pm or 10:30pm and it is recommended that reservations are made in advance as the restaurant only has indoor seating for less than 35 people, but they do offer a small outdoor seating area as well.

Although the restaurant has a library study hall setting, and would seem to cater to a quiet dining experience the experience is an warm environment to engage in chat while also learning about the importance of osterias and diversity within Italian cuisine.

Osteria Accademia is located at 646 Amsterdam Avenue in New York City.

Photos By: David Gaillou and Kadeem Lundy

The Root has unveiled its 13th annual Root 100 list. The list celebrates Black Americans between the ages of 24 and 74 who have played a major influential role during 2022 in shaping culture, entertainment, the arts, activism and politics, and business. This year’s list includes Shonda Rhimes, Solange Knowles, Dominique Morrisseau, Quinta Brunson, Mike Gauyo, and Michelle Obama who earned a spot at the top of the list. The Root Editor Vanessa K. De Luca explained that the media company determines the list “By using a unique algorithm, we calculate each honorees’ REACH — the people they touch through media along with Twitter, Instagram and TikTok followers — and their SUBSTANCE — the impact of their work, graded on a scale of 0 to 10 — to discern their INFLUENCE, which determines their ranking. Ultimately, we consider hundreds of candidates to compile the final The Root 100 list.”

Next week on December 8th, this year’s honorees will be celebrated at a gala to be held at New York City’s Apollo Theater. The usually private invite only gala which is open to the public to attend for the first time this year will feature performances from Naomi Raine, Sammus and Candice Hoyes, as well as special appearances by Questlove and Chloe Bailey. Loni Love will be on hand to serve as hostess of the event.

After finding great success with his hit Starz crime drama series Power and BMF, Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson is exploring real-life homicides within the hip hop industry in a new docuseries for WeTV and AllBLK called Hip Hop Homicides. Jackson serves as executive producer of the series along with Mona Scott Young and Vanessa Satten. Van Lathan hosts each episode during the eight-episode first season. “Hip Hop Homicides” explores the murders of popular hip-hop artists.

On Thursday (November 10th), The Knockturnal attended a screening for the upcoming third episode of the docuseries which focuses on the murder of Magnolia Shorty. Prior to episode three the first two episodes explored the murders of Pop Smoke and King Von. Jackson, Young, and Satten were in attendance at the screening which took place at New York City’s Crosby Hotel.

During a panel discussion following the screening, Jackson, Young and Satten spoke about developing the series. Young stated about the mission of the series was, “To find a way to not only maybe uncover new leads or provide some measure of answers, if not closure for family, friends, and fans, but also find a way to keep those memories and to get to know them as 50 cent in different ways.” “I love hearing everyone laughing along because I felt like you guys kind of got to know her [Magnolia Shorty] in a different way. Right? And so a big part of our commitment was one keeping their legacies alive, preserving it and also allowing their fans and their loved ones to express themselves. We also heard at some points from moms that their voices were silenced. And everyone knew the headline, they knew the marquee name, but they didn’t know the person. They didn’t know who they were. And so all of those things went into our thinking and our crafting as we put the show together. But it was very important for him to be told by us, right and because I think we care in a much different way. And we wanted to do something that would again be a legacy project.” Young added

“We don’t really want to have a bunch more seasons because it means more deaths, but at the same time, you want to be able to shine a light on it and talk about the artists that were lost and their legacies. The biggest thing was the families were excited that we were able to tell the stories that they thought hadn’t been told or that people hadn’t been celebrating accurately. Unfortunately, working in hip hop media we are watching these cases over and over happen synchronously. We just saw PNB Rock and TakeOff [gunned down]. We actually had this show premiere the week that Takeoff passed, which was a very hard thing to figure out how to celebrate when you’re dealing with that tragedy at the same time. So it really is an odd situation because you don’t want to keep covering these stories. Some will be focused on some of the older ones I don’t know. But at the same time without these stories, you don’t have a show like this existing,” Satten commented.

Jackson pointed out that there are over 600 homicides connected to hip hop. “And each one of those stories is interesting as going into this, it’s someone’s entire life at that point and them putting their energy and everything into music and some of them have one foot in the street one foot is in the music [industry]. But it happen and it’s interesting to see the aftermath of it and how people handled it”, Jackson explained.

“Hip Hop Homicides” airs on WeTV on Thursdays and streams on ALLBLK on Mondays. The episode focused on Magnolia Shorty will air on November 18th.

Photo Credit: WeTV/ AMC Networks

After the North 3rd Street Market in Brooklyn was closed in 2020, a new food hall operated by the hospitality group Moonrise Ventures called the Williamsburg Market has recently opened in its place. The Williamsburg Market features food options from 17 vendors which include: Alidoro Italian Sandwich Shop, Chef Bill Kim’s Urbanbelly, Malai Ice Cream, Harlem Seafood Soul, Ivy Stark Mexology, Paper Plate, and more. The concept of the Williamsburg Market offers guests an intimate ‘French country farmhouse meets Brooklyn industrial’ aesthetic. The space also features a gorgeous 360-degree brass and marble bar, an indoor/outdoor dining room, and kiosks for each vendor. The Knockturnal was in attendance at the market’s grand opening celebration in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

While at the opening, The Knockturnal sampled Paper Plate’s signature chicken sandwich and fries which was served with a mini vanilla Oreo milkshake. Prior to opening in it’s permanent location at the market, Paper Plate debuted as a vendor at the Smorgasburg outdoor food market. The Knockturnal also sampled the chicken and waffles from Harlem Seafood Soul. Harlem Seafood Soul was originally established as a food truck in Harlem by Chef Tami in 2016. Aside from their seafood offerings Harlem Seafood Soul is known for their fried mac and cheese balls.

“It is truly a unique opportunity to bring together such a talented group of chefs and operators under one roof here in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, one of New York City’s most exciting and dynamic neighborhoods,” said Cameron Schur, Managing Partner of Moonrise Ventures, who also calls Williamsburg home.

Photo Credit: Lexi Lambros

Just in time for Halloween, Madame Tussauds New York unveiled their Icons of Horror exhibition in collaboration with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment and New Line Cinema. Warner Bros. Icons of Horror features wax figures that depict characters from Warner Bros/New Line Cinema horror films Annabelle and The Nun from The Conjuring film universe, Pennywise from It, and Regan from The Exorcist.

The immersive experience offers visitors the opportunity to feel the terror that the horror icons evoke through not just the figures itself but with added special effects such as sound. Guest descend down stairs which serve as a replica of a New York City subway station, before they find themselves in Annabelle’s room complete with shaking tea cups on the table. Guest then enter The Exorcist room where Regan levitates above her bed without any strings as the sound of floorboards creek. The next stop on the horror experience is again stepping back into The Conjuring Universe where The Nun Valek is located, finally after leaving The Nun, guests see missing children posters and doors (which one has Pennywise from It) before coming face to face with a life-sized recreation of Pennywise and the sound of balloons pop in the background in a recreation of the Neibolt House from the It film series.

“The horror genre has one of the most dedicated fan followings and we can’t wait to send a chill down visitors’ spines when they immerse themselves into these iconic scenes featuring terrifying wax figures,” said Madame Tussauds New York Head of Marketing Tiago Mogadouro.

Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Discovery Global Themed Entertainment/Madame Tussauds

The African American Film Critics Association honored Black Hollywood talent who have not just made an impact in film and television but also in Broadway theatre at the inaugural Salute to Broadway awards lunch. The ceremony was held in New York City at the Lambs Club and honorees included John Douglas Thompson who received the Distinguished Achievement Award, Wendell Pierce who received the Beacon Award, Latanya Richardson-Jackson who received the Vanguard Award, Jordan E. Cooper who received the Breakout Creative Award, and the revival of Suzan Lori Parks play Topdog/Underdog which received the Spotlight Award. AAFCA President and co-founder Gil Robertson presided over the ceremony.

Guests at the ceremony were served a three course meal which included a choice of steak and fries or salmon, chopped salad and strawberry cake for dessert.