Red Foods

Kings Crimson

by Kelly White

Velluto Rosso is Italian for red velvet. It's also the lady in red in the display case at La Golosa. Rich layer cake is dressed in a thick coat of cream cheese frosting. Pair yours with a cup of Rooibos Chai, a red tea with spicy notes. Yum in Italian? Just yum.

You don't have to put on the red light when it comes to the gravy at Villa Di Roma. Get the thick tomato don't-call-it-a-sauce to go by the pint or the quart, because you'll never get your hands on the original recipe. (We've been told it involves fried and crumbled meatballs.)

Who orders a beet salad in a gastropub? We do. Regulars at the Standard Tap can't get enough of the burgundy-hued roasted beets served atop fresh greens, sour cream on the side. While most beet salads are more purple than red, this version comes bloody close.

Stop knocking back those black and whites and suck some color in your life. At ABC, the red bean milkshake is a thick, rosy treat that could pass for strawberry if you didn't know better. But if you do know, you're in on the secret that the adzuki bean is traditionally used in sweet treats like sticky buns.

You can get red bean ice cream at a number of spots, but Shinju takes it a step further by adding a tempura crust. The creamy stuff gets a coating of Japanese bread crumbs before being deep-fried to golden. But don't let the shell fool you — the treat blushes on the inside.