Wine Pairing. “What Do You Want To Drink?"

Lincoln

142 W 65th Street

☎ (212) 359-6500 

CUISINE upscale ATMOSPHERE elegant PRICE $$$

● This Italianate design-driven space at New York City’s iconic Lincoln Center is home to starred Chef Jonathan Benno. Here he offers his own interpretation of modern Italian cuisine by prepar- ing upscale dishes in a central open kitchen—the actual heart of this luxury space co-owned by the Patina Restau- rant Group, run by Calabria-born Nick Valenti. Wine Director Aaron Von Rock developed a 400-bottle, Italian list to compliment Benno’s cuisine with both classical and cutting-edge selections. A favorite antipasto is Trippa Brasata (tripe with spciy sausage, chickpeas, and San Marzano tomatoes), delicious with the Sicilian Cerasuolo di Vittoria Classico 2011 from Valle dell’Acate. For a pasta course we recommend Cara- melle con Zucca (butternut squash- filled pasta, walnuts, and smoked ricotta salata) paired with Gini’s “Sal- varenza” Soave Classico 2011.

 

Midtown
Marea

240 Central Park South

☎ (212) 582-5100 

CUISINE high-end ATMOSPHERE elegant PRICE $$$$

● Specializing in coastal seafood, Marea (or ‘Tide”) is the brainchild of experienced Chef Michael White, a Wisconsin native who turned to Italian while training for several years with celebrated Chef Valentino Marcattilli at Ristorante San Domenico in Imola, near Bologna. A multi-starred Chef who both respects and innovates Italian cuisine, White came to New York in the early 2000s where he established a number of Italian-inspired venues with his Altamarea (or ‘High Tide’) Restaurant Group, including Marea, Osteria Morini, Ai Fiori, and Due Mari and Due Terre in New Jersey, as well as—with partner Ahmass Fakahany— steakhouse Costata, pizzeria Nicoletta, upscale Ristorante Morini, which has also been opened in Instanbul, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C. At Marea White is joined by Chef di Cucina Lau- ren DeSteno and Beverage Director Francesco Grosso, who bring experi- ence with and passion for high-end Italian cuisine.

You should not miss their luxurious Spada (grilled sword- fish with heirloom tomatoes, sun- flower shoots, trout roe, and basil) or Stracci (braised short ribs, escarole, fennel, and green garlic). Pair the for- mer with an Etna Bianco Superiore “Pi- etramarina” by Benanti, and the latter with a Carema Riserva from Produttori di Carema.

Le Cirque

151 E 58th Street

☎ (212) 644-0202

CUISINE contemporary 

ATMOSPHERE elegant

PRICE $$$

Sirio Maccioni’s memoir defines this family-run, yet high-end venue as “the New York restaurant where Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger reconciled and Frank Sinatra parked his limo”— but these are just two out of a long list of celebrities who might have sat in the chairs you’re occupying right now. In Sirio: The Story of My Life and Le Cirque, read how this Tuscan-born res- taurateur grew from a maître d’hôtel in the late 1960s to the founder of a unique place that blends French classics with Italian culinary masterpieces. Maccioni established Le Cique in the mid 1970s, and moved it twice before its current location in the Bloomberg Building in 2006. Today Sirio’s sons— Mario, Marco, and Mauro—as well as wife Egidiana help manage Le Cirque’s multiple locations and sister restau- rants around the world.


Le Cirque of- fers an incredibly rich wine list from regions as different as Canada and Lebanon, Macedonia and South Af- rica, Germany and Chile, among oth- ers. French an Italian wines, however, holdprideofplace.You’ll wanttotaste Black Truffle Risotto with Antinori ‘s Cervaro della Sala Chardonnay 2012. For pasta, go for Chitarra con Pomo- doro (cherry tomato sauce, basil pesto) paired with Feudi del Pisciotto Caro- lina Marengo’s Frappato 2010.

West Village

● “Of the Soul” is the name of this small gem in the heart of the West Village. Opened in 2007 by Executive Chef Gabe Thompson, dell’anima has long been the place to go for Italian- inspired creations. We’ll see what Thompson’s upcoming departure will bring, but have every reason to believe dell’anima will keep its tra- dition of and creative menu offerings that change daily, and use of local, seasonal, and sustainably harvested produce wherever possible. Executive Beverage Director Joe Campanale will surely continue to develop his wine list based on small production, high- quality selections with an emphasis on traditional and natural winemak- ing. The list ofers offers more than 150 hand-chosen wines selected for flavor, uniqueness ,and tradition. Start with the unique “orange” Age- no 2008 La Stoppa from Emilia paired with Sweetbreads (corn, red onion, basil, red pepper, citrus). For a main course, try Market Squash-Ravioli (butter, sage, pine nuts, and pecorino Romano) with a Dolcetto di Dogliani “Briccolero” 2009.

 

Midtown West

● Established in 1906, Barbetta is the oldest Italian restaurant in New York City and the only restaurant in America to have been named an “His- toric Establishment” by the Italian association Locali Storici d’Italia. In 1962, its spectacular interior was re-furbished by Laura Maioglio, daugh- ter of founder Sebastiano and now its owner, with Piemontese antiques. This made it the first elegant Italian restaurant in town—which, as its website states, “represented a radi- cal departure from the prevailing but erroneous notion ... that Italian res- taurants are invariably ‘rustic’ and that Italian food must be similarly ‘rustic’.” But even rustic meals can be reinterpreted in an elegant way. This is the case with typically Piemontese Bagna Cauda, a gregarious “country” dish where guests around the table dip raw vegetables into a simmering pot of an anchovy -flavored olive oil sauce. Pair it with Barbera d’Asti 2013 Cascina Castlét—one of 1,700 different labels on a legendary wine list. If you are in the mood for a white, order Ceretto’s Arneis Blangè 2013 with Veal Tonnè in a classic Piemontese pairing.

 

Nizza

630 Ninth Avenue ☎(212) 956-1800 

CUISINE coastal/ligurian

ATMOSPHERE simple/casual
 PRICE $S

● Nizza, Italy? Well, not exactly! Nizza is Nice, the capital of the French Côte d’Azur, but 30 minutes from the Italian border and once part of the Kingdom of Savoy. This Theatre District bistro sporting an impressive choice of glu- ten-free dishes and a rich wine list, is an example of the French-Italian melt- ing pot. You can taste this by ordering its flagship dish—a crêpe of chickpea flour called socca in Nice, farinata in Genoa, and cecina in Tuscany. We recommend grilled branzino paired with a white sparkling wine such as Bisson’s “Abissi” Portofino. Or try the typically Genoese pansòti —fresh ravi- oli filled with mixed greens, marjoram, and ricotta and dressed with butter, parmesan cheese, and walnut pesto. It’s perfect with a crisp white Prima Terra “Cericò” Cinque Terre.

 

 

Chelsea
Del Posto

85 Tenth Avenue ☎(212) 497-8090

CUISINE innovative 

ATMOSPHERE luxury 
PRICE $$$$$

● On its website Del Posto is defined as “the richest and most refined creation of Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, Lidia Bastianich and partner/Executive Chef Mark Ladner.” With its mahogany and marble luxurious setting, with a live pianist and an elegant bar, Del Posto’s mission seems to be that of changing New Yorkers’ perception of what an Italian restaurant should be—and by extension, of what Italy itself is. But of course its main weapons of persuasion are Del Posto’s menu and wine list. If we had only one choice, we’d pick Vitello Tonnato—prefect with Zuani Collio Goriziano Bianco 2010. But we have two: so don’t forget to taste Le Virtù all’Abruzzese (rare charred wild salmon over perilla), paired with a Val- policella Classico Superiore 2010 from Tomasso Bussola.

 

Midtown Cobble Hill East
Tommaso

1464 86th Street

☎(718) 236-9883

CUISINE classic

ATMOSPHERE homestyle/rustic

PRICE $$

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