Italian Cuisines
Convivio
If you’re looking for a sign of the times, Convivio is it. 45 Tudor City Place, at 42nd St. (212) 599-5045 Sun.-Thur., 5:30 p.m.-10:30 p.m; Fri.-Sat., 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. Cuisine Southern Italian. Vibe Warm Tudor City haunt. Occasion Business lunch; group dinner. Don’t Miss Dish Four-course prix fixe or the sweetbreads piccata, tuna & caper ravioli, roasted squab. Average Price Appetizers, $13; entrees, $25; dessert, $11. Reservations Recommended. Sometimes, a restaurant doesn’t really need a makeover. All it needs is a make-under. Convivio is a perfect example. Just six weeks ago, L’Impero shut its doors on a quiet block in Tudor City. Two weeks later, it reopened as Convivio. A quick wardrobe change, a few tweaks to the menu and voila, a new restaurant. Sort of. It’s the same chef, Michael White, same owners, and yet everything...
Read MoreMiranda
Miranda offers a marriage of Mexican and Italian food. A block north of Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg, old women sit in lawn chairs along the sidewalk, fanning themselves with the crossword puzzle. Kids play catch in the middle of the street. A cyclist stops to high-five a friend through the large open window of a restaurant. It’s a new spot, open only since December, but already it seems to belong to the old neighborhood. It’s called Miranda. Inside, the tables are set with dishtowel napkins and grandmother china. Most nights, the co-owner, Mauricio Miranda, greets you at the door. And if he’s not there to greet you, you might want to come back another night. That’s how much difference his presence makes. The other co-owner is Miranda’s fiancée, Sasha Rodriguez, who is the chef. She and Miranda met...
Read MoreScarpetta
The second coming of the Meatpacking District. 355 W. 14th St., at Ninth Ave. (212) 691-0555 Seven days a week, 5:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. CUISINE Southern Italian. VIBE Grown-up Meatpacking. OCCASION Trendy date; group dining. DON’T-MISS DISH Spaghetti with tomato & basil; scallop crudo; roasted capretto. PRICE Appetizers, $12-$17; entrees, $22-$37; dessert, $11. RESERVATIONS Highly recommended. In the past three weeks, I’ve eaten at Scarpetta three times. And every time, I ate too much. I ate polenta and panna cotta. I ate borlotti bean soup and imported burrata, braised short ribs and boneless veal shank. I ate scallops seared and as crudo. I ate cod and capretto. I ate ravioli, raviolini, tagliatelle, spaghetti, stromboli and lots of mascarpone butter. Wait, there’s more. I ate “pie” and “cheesecake.” Not to mention yellowtail, octopus, tuna and fritto misto. And all the homemade...
Read MoreBar Milano
CUISINE: Northern Italian. VIBE: Elegant and deafening Murray Hill spot. OCCASION: Casual date; breakfast; neighborhood dining. DON’T MISS DISH: Cabbage with farro; caviar-topped potato with egg; monkfish and foie gras. PRICE: Appetizers, $9-$24; entrees, $20-$43; dessert, $5. RESERVATIONS: Highly recommended. 323 Third Ave., at 24th St., (212) 683-3035. Breakfast, lunch and dinner; seven days a week, 8 a.m.-3 a.m. Dinner served seven days, 5 p.m.-midnight. Bar menu available till 2 a.m. Whoever heard of a month-long wait for a reservation at a restaurant at 24th and Third? But that’s what you get when brothers Joe and Jason Denton open a restaurant in Manhattan. Most of their places – ‘ino, ‘inoteca, Lupa – have been rustic, wine-focused spots. But at Bar Milano, on the border of Gramercy Park and Murray Hill, they’re challenging themselves and their clientele with upscale cooking...
Read MoreOlana
A culinary homage to the Hudson Valley. 72 Madison Ave., between 27th & 28th Sts., (212) 725-4900 Dinner, Mon.-Sat., 5:30 p.m.-1 p.m.; lunch, Mon.-Fri., 11:45 a.m.-2:30 p.m. CUISINE Modern American. VIBE Dated elegance. OCCASION Group dinner; neighborhood dining. DON’T-MISS DISH Grouper ravioli; roasted rabbit; white peach & cherry mousse. PRICE Appetizers, $11-$18; entrees, $24-$38; dessert, $8-12. RESERVATIONS Recommended. New Yorkers take their neighborhood restaurants seriously. Every new eatery that opens around the corner reinforces the notion that you live in an important culinary zip code. Olana, which launched on the fringes of the Flatiron District two months ago, is a refreshing addition for residents along what has been a lonely stretch of lower Madison Ave. Olana doesn’t strut for attention with glitzy decor. The setting is civilly outfitted with spacious banquettes, red mohair chairs and cherry wood paneling. With...
Read MoreAgo
New York gets a hollow replica of the original Ago. 377 Greenwich St., at N. Moore St., (212) 925-3797 Dinner, Sun.-Thurs., 5:30 p.m.-11 p.m., Fri. & Sat.,5:30 p.m.-midnight; lunch, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. daily. CUISINE Tuscan Italian VIBE Hip, bustling trattoria OCCASION Group dinner; Tribeca dining DON’T-MISS DISH Burrata con fagiolini; eggplant parmigiana PRICE Dinner, appetizers, $12-$18; entrees, $19-$44; dessert, $10-$12 RESERVATIONS Recommended The New York debut of Ago restaurant in the newly opened Greenwich Hotel had the makings of a summer blockbuster. The famous West Hollywood flagship has long been a powerful magnet for celebrities and movie moguls, including film giants Robert De Niro and the Weinstein brothers, who are partners in the Ago empire. This Tribeca outpost is the fourth offshoot of chef-partner Agostino Sciandri‘s Italian eatery, following expansions in Las Vegas and Miami. The recruitment of Grayling...
Read MoreSapori D’Ischia
A fettuccine worth traveling for. ADDRESS: 55-15 37th Ave., near 56th St., Woodside. PHONE: (718) 446-1500 DINNER: Tues.-Sat., 5:30-11 p.m.; Sun., 3-10:30 p.m. Closed Mondays. CUISINE Regional Italian VIBE Charming market-restaurant OCCASION Destination dining; authentic Italian supper DON’T-MISS DISH Fettuccine al’Antonio; polenta-crusted tilapia PRICE Appetizers, $9.50-$14; entrees, $17-$26; desserts, $7 RESERVATIONS Accepted No ice. No tap water. No cheese on seafood dishes. No lemon peel in espresso. These are just four of the “Ten Commandments” patrons must abide by at Sapori d’Ischia, an Italian specialty market-restaurant in an industrial section of Woodside, Queens. Try requesting butter for the bread; your server may return with a framed set of rules to review before attempting an order. It seems presumptuous for a wholesale store that peddles imported goods by day to enforce such vigilant decrees of dining by night. Especially when...
Read MoreLunetta
Address: 920 Broadway, at 21 St. Phone: (212) 533-3663 Dinner: Mon.-Thurs., 5-11 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 5 p.m.-midnight; Sun., 5-11 p.m. Cuisine: Italian-American Vibe: Retro glamour Occasion: Group dinner, casual date Don’t Miss Dish: Ricotta bruschetta, pumpkin mezzaluna Price: Appetizers, $6-$18; entrees, $15-$23; desserts, $7-$9 Reservations: Recommended Capsule: Manhattanified Lunetta is but a pale reflection of the original. Manhattan has seen its share of Brooklyn-Italian imports over the past two years. Frankies Spuntino set up an outpost on the lower East Side, Aurora surfaced in SoHo and Lunetta just recently cropped up in the Flatiron District. But Lunetta’s journey across the bridge was by far the most untraditional and storied of them all. Partners Adam Shepard and Jim Heckler launched the Boerum Hill eatery as a modern Japanese restaurant named Taku. Though Shepard received critical acclaim as a chef,...
Read MoreFiamma
Fiamma is reborn, better than ever. 206 Spring St., near Sullivan St., (212) 653-0100 Dinner: Mon., 6 p.m.-10p.m.; Tues.-Thurs., 6-11 p.m.; Fri., 6 p.m.-midnight; Sat., 5:30 p.m.-midnight. CUISINE Modern Italian VIBE Civilized glamour OCCASION Special occasion, intimate date DON’T-MISS DISH Tuna crudo, Le Marche lasagna PRICE Prix fixe, $75; desserts, $12. RESERVATIONS Highly recommended When chef Michael White departed Fiamma Osteria, restaurateur Stephen Hanson (founder of B.R. Guest Restaurants) was forced to find a chef capable of protecting his upscale Italian’s star stature. Fiamma had never been just another B.R. Guest restaurant. It was the luxury convertible in an 18-car garage filled with reliable, hospitality-driven establishments (Dos Caminos, Ruby Foo’s). Hanson seized the opportunity to upgrade: He changed the plates, the menu, tweaked the decor and even dropped the “Osteria” from its title. Most importantly, he secured chef Fabio...
Read MoreAccademia Di Vino
1081 Third Ave., near 64th St. (212) 888-6333 Open seven days a week, noon-midnight. CUISINE Italian VIBE Sprawling wine cellar OCCASION Neighborhood bites, casual family affair DON’T MISS DISH King salmon crudo, truffle pate pizza PRICE Appetizers, $4-$15; Entrees, $14-$45. RESERVATIONS Recommended Apparently, New York can never have too many Italian eateries. At least, that’s what the latest battery of restaurateurs is banking on this season. Enotecas, vinotecas, trattorias – they are the latest incarnations of Italian fare. Accademia di Vino aspires to be all three. In the landscape of the upper East Side, partner Anthony Mazzola (‘Cesca) tempts fate in a space that has housed several short-lived pursuits – Mainland, Wild Tuna and Ollie’s – to name a few. Mazzola has recruited chef Kevin Garcia, who also helms ‘Cesca’s kitchen, to undertake an ambitious menu. Its street-level wine...
Read MoreCentro Vinoteca
Address: 74 Seventh Ave., nr. Barrow St. Phone: (212) 367-7470 Dinner: Mon.-Sun.CUISINE Inspired Italian Vibe: Stylish West Village clamor Occassion: Night out downstairs, intimate date upstairs Don’t miss dish: Rabbit involtino, fennel pollen-crusted porkchop Drink Specialty: 25 well-priced quartinosPrice: Appetizers $3-$18; entrees $19-$36; desserts $8 Reservations: Recommended a week in advance This is chef Anne Burrell’s domain. Visible through an open kitchen, Burrell (Felidia, Savoy) dons a cowgirl skirt and a newly minted executive chef coat, her spiky-haired likeness stitched onto the sleeve. She’s the embodiment of a rock star chef: ambitious, saucy and thrilled to be making her long-awaited debut. These traits texture nearly every fearless dish on the Italian menu, a welcome detour from the garden variety trattorias of late. Owner Sasha Muniak (Gusto, Mangia) and designer Thomas Juul-Hansen have morphed what was formerly Lemongrass Grill...
Read MoreElio’s
1621 Second Ave., at 84th St. (212) 772-2242 Dinner: Mon.-Sun., 5:30 p.m.-midnight Cuisine: Authentic northern Italian Vibe: Boisterous, cozy classic Occassion: Family affair, festive occasion Don’t Miss Dish: Spaghetti frutti di mare Price: Appetizers, $8-$17; entrees, $17-$38; desserts, $8-$12 RESERVATIONS Recommended Some restaurants never change – it’s precisely what people love about them. Unlike newcomers who bend to the latest culinary whims du jour, there remain a few steadfast institutions that succeed simply by resting on their laurels. There is the timeless glamour of lunch at the Four Seasons and the inimitable nostalgia of a hefty porterhouse at Peter Luger’s. Then there’s the charming lure of old-world Italian at Elio’s. Upper East Siders have been loyal members of this “clubhouse” for nearly 26 years. With its dark wood paneling and handsome wainscoting, the decor reinforces the supper club aura....
Read MoreGemma
The cuisine is secondary to the parade of fashionable downtowners. 335 Bowery, at Third St. (212) 505-9100 Dinner: Seven days. Breakfast and lunch: Monday through Friday. Brunch: Saturday and Sunday. CUISINE Modern Italian trattoria VIBE Casual bustle OCCASION Group dinner or date DON’T-MISS DISH Four-seasons pizza; cedar-plank-roasted sea bass. DRINK SPECIALTY Acqua di Gemma – sparkling and flat water filtered and bottled in-house, $4 a bottle. PRICE Appetizers, $5-$12; entrées, $14-$39; desserts, $3-$10. RESERVATIONS Available only to Bowery Hotel guests. So go early, and prepare to wait at the bar. As the masses descend upon this decorated spot – dripping with candles, wine bottles and chunky chandeliers – it’s become clear that Gemma has managed to wed the glamour of exclusivity with the democratic accessibility of a no-reservation policy. Owners Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode have seamlessly bridged the...
Read MoreCentro Vinoteca's Devilish Dish
The newest Italian to descend on the “boot-saturated” West Village reveals a determined kitchen with ingenious little twists on food that manages not to take itself seriously. With Felidia, Savoy and numerous stints as Batali’s sidekick on Iron Chef America, Centro Vinoteca is Anne Burrell’s solo show. While it’s still too early in the game to jump to any conclusions, I’m compelled to bask in the sheer delight of their truffled deviled eggs. Now twice bitten, these nibbles proved themselves to be no fluke. Let’s break them down, shall we? Behold, these hardboiled whites; deceptively simple groundwork for wickedly creamy puffs of black truffle-specked yolks, doused with truffle oil & sprinkled with fresh chives. Here’s the clincher: they’re a mere $4. I’ll never see a deviled egg quite the same way again. Address: 74 Seventh Ave., at Barrow St.Phone:...
Read MoreRevel’s Garden
I’ll admit: The Meatpacking District has most recently evoked unfortunate memories of emasculated steaks at STK, inebriated hordes swarming Tenjune and many a wintry night battling for a taxi. Revel has revived my hope for sanctuary in the midst of the madness. Once known only as the “Bar With No Name”, this spot has recently gotten an actual name, a menu and a phone number to boot. Call me old-fashioned, but personally I’m partial to the reservation system and food. A girl’s gotta eat. Owner Paolo Secondo (Barolo & I Tre Merli) has implemented an international menu with delicate Mediterranean undertones. With a backyard garden that seats 80 and dishes, the likes of spaghetti with lobster and bay scallops with chestnut honey & bacon, the Meatpacking District suddenly doesn’t seem so daunting. That is, until you try to hail...
Read MoreScott Conant Summers in Tutto Il Giorno
New York City’s loss tastes a lot like Sag Harbor’s gain as Scott Conant resurfaces at the beach. After his recent split with partner Chris Cannon, Conant made an exit from the kitchens of L’Impero & Alto. But before parting, he left his mark as a capable Italian chef with a clientele so loyal they followed him all the way to a quaint new eatery overlooking the Sag Harbor Marina. Co-owners Larry Baum & retired Conde Nast CEO Steve Florio brilliantly wrangled Conant to consult on the straightforward Italian menu. “I’m not reinventing the wheel,” Scott explains as he details the bold, but simple flavors in an asparagus & mussel soup or fritto misto. The cozy, yellow-tinted setting offers 30 thirty already very precious seats. Only the Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend and there was already a 45 minute...
Read MoreLandmarc – Delivery
Ladies and gentlemen, this is delivery at its finest. Behold, what I ate for lunch… What was once a delivery ghost town just may have changed forever this fine Nor’easter afternoon as Landmarc was transported to my midtown doorstep in just under forty five minutes. Not bad for opening day. While I’ve never had tartare of any kind delivered, I tempted a chunky salmon tartare, washed in a lively dijon mustard and handsomely speckled with zesty lemon confit & fleur de sel. Monday’s rigatoni alla genovese arrived blissfully sauced with an unusually soothing walnut-spiked pesto. I’d say the real estate value in these parts just went up. Until we eat again, Restaurant Girl **Don’t forget to subscribe for Restaurant Girl...
Read MoreNatsumi
Address: 226 W. 50th St., btwn. Broadway & 8th Aves. Phone: 212.258.2988 Cuisine: Japanese-Italian fusion Vibe: Typical modern Asian Scene: Times Square escapees Hours: Sun – Mon, 11:30am – 11pm, Tue – Fri, 11:30am-11:30pm. Sat, 12pm-12am. Scoop: Separate bar & lounge with sushi-slanted lounge menu. Price: Appetizers, $2.50-$15. Entrees, $16-38. Reservations: Reservations accepted. www.natsuminyc.com Times Square’s a tricky stretch to open an ambitious restaurant. The late 7Square, a modern chophouse with Lespinasse-trained chef Shane McBride, quickly comes to mind. With Ruby Foo’s, Carmine’s & the relentless bowl of pasta at the Olive Garden, tourists & theater-goers are pretty much covered. But with numerous successes under their belt, restaurateurs Barbara Matsumura & Haru Konagaya seem to know how to please the public at large. Inspired by a recent trip to Italy, their newest gig is a bold move: a Japanese-Italian...
Read MoreMorandi
211 Waverly Place, at Charles St. 212-627-7575 TYPE: Regional Italian VIBE: Rustic trattoria OCCASION: A date, bar dining, or hip group gathering DON’T MISS DISH: Braised sea bream with tomatoes & olives DON’T BOTHER DISH: Simply couldn’t find one – a first DRINK SPECIALTY: Italian wines by the glass, carafe and bottle. PRICE: $60 & up HOURS: Open seven days a week, 8 AM – midnight. INSIDE SCOOP: Prime al fresco dining in the warmer months RESERVATIONS: Reservations highly recommended, RESTAURANT GIRL RATES: 8 on food, 8.5 on scene FINAL WORD: Who would’ve thought French-fixated McNally could nail rustic Italian? He does and the West Village landscape – a sceney bonus. It’s no secret Keith McNally knows how to build restaurant institutions – Balthazar, Pastis and Schiller’s Liquor Bar – that will perhaps outlive McNally himself. But just what makes...
Read MoreKrunch Pizza
Krunch Pizza980 Second Avenue, btwn. 51st & 52nd Aves.(212)207-4122 TYPE: Pizza/Italian trattoriaVIBE: A fashionable pizza joint OCCASION: Take-out, delivery, grab a quick biteGO WITH: A friend, wife, an ultra-casual mealDON’T MISS DISH: Krunch Gamberi (shrimp pizza) DON’T BOTHER DISH: Krunch Zucca (zucchini pizza) PRICE: $2-3 for a square, $16-22 for a pie, salads average $8. HOURS: Dinner & drinks, Sunday – Wednesday 11AM-12AM, Thursday, 11AM-2AM, Friday & Saturday, 11 AM – 4 AM.INSIDE SCOOP: They even serve beer & wine.RESERVATIONS: No reservations needed. Worse case scenario, get it to go. RESTAURANT GIRL RATES (1-10): 6 FINAL WORD: Order in! Krunch attempts to reinvent the wheel, or at least the pie, with their original Neapolitan-style take on pizza. In a minimal, but decidedly modern and “un-pizza” joint space, owners Chris Bianchi (Redemption Lounge) & Angelo Pisacreta have dressed up the...
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