Don’t be surprised when walking on Madison Avenue, checking email on your smartphone, you suddenly look up and find yourself in front of Salumeria Rosi [2]. No, you didn’t just get transported to the Upper West Side. The successful shop, supplying New Yorkers with the finest Italian salumi for the past few years has opened a second Manhattan location.

What’s different about this place that may lure west siders to the east side location? Perhaps it’s the addition of a full service, upscale restaurant that contrasts the tapas-style dining of the crosstown location. Here the deli counter transforms into a bar, which hugs a professional espresso machine and wraps around to the opening of the dining area, where white cloth draped tables are elegantly set with a rosemary branch adding the final touch to each plate.

 Chef Cesare Casella [3], native of Tuscany, unleashes his full, magical potential in leading the kitchen staff. “Here, we present an elegant, a more sophisticated dining experience. This location is different than the west side just as the neighborhood is different,” Casella tells us. “The quality of the products remains the same, but because we serve full portions here, I can offer items such as porcini mushrooms and truffles; that’s not the case at the west side location,” Casella continues.

Chef Casella describes the menu as a journey, which can be compared to the trajectory of his career. The menu starts off with traditional dishes, ones that Chef Casella remembers making back in Lucca, and continues through the dishes he has invented after arriving in New York. Chef Casella is known for his dedication and use of the freshesst ingredients and his herb-infused cuisine, and to remind everyone of his dedication his pocket is always dressed with a fresh and aromatic rosemary spring. 

Let the masterfully designed interior (by three-time Oscar winning designer Dante Ferretti [4]) with its frescoed walls and statues inspired by ancient Rome transport you to Italy for one evening. 

Come in and take an Italian journey with Chef Casella’s cooking career at Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto Upper East Side.