Italian Cuisines
MAMO – First Bite
I’m not going to lie. I had high hopes for the opening of MAMO in SoHo. I mean it’s hard not to get excited about a glamorous French Riviera import taking root right here in New York, and a wildly popular one at that. So I dragged a crew down to the newly minted eatery on a recent Friday night…
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First Bite of Italian Revamp – Contrada
Calliope in the East Village was quite well liked; earning high praise from the New Yorker, as well as a starred review from Pete Wells in the New York Times. And yet, it ended up closing after only two years. Fortunately, all is not lost at the gorgeous corner space on East 4th Street, which was quickly transformed into the sunny Italian-bent Contrada…
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A Michelin-Starred Chef Breathes New Life into A Voce Columbus
For all intents and purposes, the Time Warner Center is really a shopping mall. But that hasn’t stopped some of the highest-end restaurants in New York from flocking to the glass-fronted tower overlooking Central Park; notably Thomas Keller’s three Michelin-starred Per Se and Masa. And while the sophisticated, seasonal Italian A Voce seems positively provincial by those standards, it’s also made its mark on Columbus Circle — drawing talent to the kitchen as well…
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Santina – Review
You might say the Major Food Group is on, well, a major roll. It all started with Torrisi Italian Specialties, a deli by day, ambitious tasting menu destination by night, which redefined Italian-American cooking and then some. It was here that Mario Carbone, Rich Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick single-handedly made red sauce joints cool again…
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Masseria Dei Vini – First Bite
Come winter, I start craving pasta. (Not that I don’t in the spring, summer, and fall, too. It’s just that my cravings get more serious.) When the wind is whipping frigid air, slush is everywhere ,and cabs are few and far between, a warm bowl of pasta is a magical thing. If you’ve ever had one of Michael White’s renditions, like spaghetti with sea urchin and crab, or fusilli with octopus and bone marrow, you know exactly what I’m talking about…
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Marco Canora’s Brodo is Good for What Ails You
Even New York’s most celebrated chefs are getting into the fast-casual game. All’onda’s Chris Jaeckle has a takeaway sushi spot. George Mendes specializes in sardines at his Madison Square Eats stand. And now, Marco Canora, the award-winning chef and owner of Hearth & Terroir, has joined the fast food fray, erecting a makeshift takeout window…
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Q & A with Petaluma’s CJ Bivona
Taking the executive chef position at Petaluma, the recently revamped, 30-year-old Italian institution on the Upper East Side, might seem an odd move for CJ Bivona, who, previously, was perhaps best known for cooking James Beard Award-nominated Southern fare, at Jeff McInnis’s praised Miami hotspot, Yardbird. But in actuality, the Hudson Valley native insists that he’s actually a lot more at home with pizza and pasta than fried chicken and shrimp and grits…
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A Peek at Marta’s Roman-Style Pizzas
One thing’s for sure — New York’s hardly lacking in top notch pizza spots; from cheap takeout to neighborhood trattorias and 75-year-old institutions. So there’s no denying that Marta is treading on familiar territory, but whenever Danny Meyer gets involved in a project of any sort, it’s enough to make educated area foodies sit up and take notice…
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Dish & Restaurant Spotting: Cacio e Pepe Bombolone at Mulino a Vino
There tends to be a fast and furious frenzy of restaurant openings in the fall, meaning that, invariably, a few notable spots tend to get lost in the shuffle. So in case your attention has been duly diverted by Dirty French and Marta, we’d like to direct it back to a Meatpacking District newcomer, Mulino a Vino, which quietly debuted recently in a rather under-the-radar location…
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A Rhapsody in White: Obica Pizza e Cucina
When one of your nearest neighbors is the Italian megastore, Eataly, it takes a lot to stand out with regionally-sourced products and refined yet rustic cooking. But Roman export Obica has flourished for the last 10 years with an especially well-defined mission statement (The World’s First Mozzarella Bar). That’s why, when it comes to their new, sleekly stylish, 120-seat restaurant in Flatiron, they’ve smartly retained a distinct dairy through-line, with their prized and inarguably spectacular DOB mozzarella, flown in from Campania twice a week…
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Flour + Water
What’s all the buzz about… still? After all, Flour + Water has been open since 2009 and yet it’s more impossible than ever to get a prime-time reservation at this Mission eatery nearly four years later. As the restaurant’s name suggests, the fuss is what happens when you combine flour and water — Pasta & Pizza, that is. From the humble and laidback neighborhood setting to the menu items, this is a prime case of undersell and overdeliver. Just sink your teeth into one of their beautifully bubbly Neopolitan pies delivered from the wood-burning oven. There’s plenty of innovative options, like the Bianco Verde, a finely charred pizza paved with Asparagus, Nettles, Green Garlic and a bright hit of lemon that teases the vibrant vegetal quality out of all of the market fresh ingredients. While it’s mostly...
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Baked Butternut Squash Arancini
What’s not to love about the addictive Italian bar snack, Arancini? Literally translated to “little oranges,” the crispy, golden rice balls boast a melting exterior of creamy Arborio or leftover Risotto, often studded with savory ingredients like Prosciutto, Peas or Cheese.
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Dish Spotting: A Progression of Uni Dishes at all’onda
Overseen by chef Chris Jaeckle and established restaurateur Chris Cannon (Michael White’s former business partner), all’onda has been breathlessly heralded as one of the biggest projected openings of the year, from the moment signage went up at the two-story space on East 13th Street. And indeed, while New York is hardly lacking in excellent Italian options, the crowds have descended thick and fast upon the recently opened restaurant…
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The Feast of Seven Fishes Dining Guide 2013
Being that we’re obsessed with seafood, we really start wishing we were Italian around this time of year. That’s because their Christmas Eve centers around the Feast of Seven Fishes. Several of New York’s great restaurants are offering under-the-sea spreads set to rival those of any self-respecting Italian kitchen, from Osteria Morini in SoHo to Esca in Midtown and Roman’s in Fort Greene…
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Restaurant Letdowns: Pagani & Villard
If you’re a foodie, there’s nothing more exciting than discovering a great, new restaurant. And there’s nothing worse than wasting an evening at a mediocre or awful, new eatery, especially if you’ve dragged a group of friends along with you. Something about it being “new” makes it all the more depressing when hopes of a potentially fantastic find are dashed and calories wasted. But the truth is it happens all the time…
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Q & A with Piora’s Chris Cipollone & Simon Kim
There’s no shortage of restaurants serving fusion fare nowadays. Chinese-Mexican. Jewish-Japanese. French-Scandinavian. But Korean-Italian? That’s a new one, even for New York. “Our approach is simple… to cook and serve who we are,” said Simon Kim, owner of the exciting new West Village eatery, Piora. “We have two different heritages, Italian and Korean, so it was a natural process to marry our two cuisines.”
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Q & A with Charlie Bird’s Chef Ryan Hardy
Chef Ryan Hardy has experienced plenty of “highs” in his career. And yet, the accomplished chef considers Charlie Bird, his new urban Italian eatery in the heart of SoHo, to be his greatest achievement yet. “It’s afforded me all sorts of creative opportunities,” Hardy says of his cross-country move to New York. “I was able to open a place that provided terrific service and delicious food with great art and awesome music, that wasn’t (or didn’t have to be) fine dining.”
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First Bite: Quality Italian
It’s refreshing to find a restaurant that doesn’t take itself too seriously. So many restaurants do, and who can blame them really? You invest a fortune into a space and concept, then pray it will succeed. That’s serious business… but it’s still just dinner. That’s exactly what I love about Quality Italian. It’s just plain fun. And the food happens to be excellent if you don’t take it too seriously. Sure, you could overanalyze their pie-shaped Chicken Parmigiana as being too cheeky. Like a pizza, it’s served in a pizza pan and sliced with a metal pizza cutter. Then, there’s the Baked Clams, which are topped not with the usual breadcrumbs, but strands of toasted Angel Hair Pasta & parsley, and finished tableside with a white wine butter sauce. Genius.
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No-Cook Zucchini & Pesto Lasagna
Did you know that today is National Lasagna Day? Except considering that it’s over 80 degrees outside, we’re going to have to swap out that standard noodle/meat sauce and melted cheese version for something a whole lot lighter. In fact, we’re not even turning on our ovens at all. This no-cook lasagna is made with layers of thinly sliced Zucchini, bright clouds of Lemon Ricotta, dollops of herbaceous Pistachio Pesto, and wedges of impossibly juicy Heirloom Tomatoes fresh from the farmers market. Now there’s a dish worthy of building a holiday around!
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Sneak Peek: Corvo Bianco
Remind me not to go to a restaurant on opening night again. I know I probably should’ve known better, but I’ve been to plenty of thrilling opening nights. It’s a lot like attending a movie premiere or Broadway debut. There’s just something about being one of the first diners in the door, one of the first to see it all come together, to christen a new menu, and spy the chef on his or her brand new stage. As we all well know, it’s entirely risky to open a restaurant, a brave endeavor that too often ends in failur
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