TravelsinTaste.com recently sat down for a scrumptious meal at Marc Forgione in New York, where we were mesmerized by all the choices, each of which sounded better than the next. Very luckily, we had Chef/Owner Marc Forgione to personally guide us through the New American menu. And guide us he did. Not only did Chef Forgione help us decide what to order, but he also told us the stories behind his creations, as well as some surprising secret ingredients. We previously discussed his "Iron Chef" battle, which you can read about here, and discussed his inspiration, style, mentors and favorite neighborhood eats, which you can read about here. Otherwise, please continue to read about our delectable meal.

We began our meal with a new item on the menu -- the Braised Short Rib Tortellini -- because Chef Forgione told us he used a "really cool product," a truffle-infused balsamic vinegar with extra virgin olive oil, a pierre poivre pepper blend, shaved white cap mushrooms, parmesan cheese and crispy parsley. "You know, it's funny: A lot of chefs come from the world of never throwing anything out," Chef Forgione explained. "When you trim short ribs so they look perfect on the plate, you're left with the end pieces, which are still just as good as any other piece; they just don't look as good. So we've turned the leftovers into beautiful little tortellini. It's basically short ribs mixed with a little mascarpone, a touch of truffle oil, some fresh herbs, parsley and chives. I always like to put a little minced raw shallot in there, too, because it gives a nice aromatic when it cooks. Then we just wrap them up. I get the balsamic from this young Italian kid; his company's name is Paq. It's this beautiful balsamic vinegar that they infuse. It’s a bought product, but it's phenomenal. We mix that with a little bit of olive oil, some garlic and a little bit of salt. That's it."