Locanda Verde – Bene for Brunch

Locanda Verde – Bene for Brunch

Shaved Porchetta Sandwich

I am an avid fan of Locanda Verde and its sublime food attentively prepared by Food and Wine Best New Chef award winner, Andrew Carmellini.  I have written about Locanda Verde in the past, but on a recent visit, I brunched and it is worth noting what a super job the staff does with this meal.

For me, a key component of brunch is a good cocktail.  I typically go for a spicy Bloody Mary and Locanda Verde does not disappoint with its fiery Bloody Mary Della Casa ($13) served with Italian hot peppers and Mortadella.

Our party began its meal with the Pastry Misty Del Giorno ($14), a basket of delectable pastries: cranberry muffins, olive oil coffee cake and apple breakfast pie.  I would not skip this starter expertly prepared by pastry chef Karen DeMasco; it is delicious with the dark roasted coffee served at this establishment.

Scampi and Grits

Some can’t miss brunch entrées are the soft scrambled farm egg crostino with leek, mushrooms and speck ($17) – the bread used to make the crostino might be the best I have had in New York City and the contrast of soft-cooked eggs over the crunchy bread is amazing.  The “Scampi and Grits” ($20) with organic polenta, tomato, sausage and coddled eggs is a winner – the polenta is creamy, the shrimp is cooked with the flavorful sausage and the soft-cooked eggs  create a yolky ‘sauce’ that helps marry all the flavors together.  Another stellar option, and perhaps one of the best sandwiches in town, is the shaved Porcetta sandwich ($16) with grilled onions and Provolone – the meat is juicy and cooked perfectly and the Provolone is especially sharp and a tremendous asset to this succulent sandwich.

Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 10AM until 3PM.  Making the trek down to Tribeca is a small price to pay to be rewarded by fabulous food, a trendy, sexy space and a helpful staff.

377 Greenwich Street

New York, NY 10013

212-925-3797

Cheers,

Veronique

 

Locanda Verde – Italian Food Perfection

Photo by Immaculate Infatuation

Photo by Immaculate Infatuation

Outstanding – one word to describe the 5-month old Italian taverna in Robert DeNiro’s boutique hotel, the Greenwich Hotel.  Locanda Verde’s sublime food is attentively prepared by  Food and Wine Best New Chef award winner, Andrew Carmellini.

The well-appointed TriBeCa space is upscale, yet very warm.  The busy, large bar area is frequented by a crowd of beautiful people clearly there to see and be seen.  The bar vibe is upbeat and fun.

The star at Locanda Verde is the superbly-prepared food.  The menu features Cicchetti (amuse-bouches), antipasti to share among guests, pastas that are starter-sized and second, the main entrees.

The diners in our party wisely opted for the sheep’s milk ricotta served with perfectly grilled Italian rustic bread.  The ricotta is seasoned with superior olive oil, freshly cracked pepper, oregano, thyme and sea salt and might be the most perfect starter ever created.  Other smart starters are the lamb meatball sliders which are moist and flavorful and the cot chino sausage over crusting.

Some of the winning entrees are the pasta with wild game raga with fire did stardom, a sheep’s milk Italian cheese, and the braised veal cheeks over risotto Milanese.  These entrees will leave patrons talking about Locanda Verde for weeks.  Chef Carmellini clearly has mastered the art of using fresh, quality ingredients to produce outstanding, simple dishes with tons of flavor.

Desserts are inventive and feature some creative dishes such as the pistachio brown butter cake, the sweet corn budding and a nice assortment of gelatin.  Another end-of-meal option is a sampler of outstanding Italian cheeses.  Winners in this category are the Gorgonzola Cremificato, the Pecorino Ora Antico and the Salva Cremasco.  Cheeses are served with creamy honey, candied nuts and bread.

The wine list is completely Italian (in a great way) and features over 100 options, all under $100.  There are several solid picks by the glass, and on a recent visit, we opted for the Prosecco Valdobbiadene Drusian Brut NV as a nice pairing to the sheep’s milk ricotta starter.  About half of the wine list is under $50, and offers many outstanding options.  We selected the 2007 Vietti Barbera D’asti Tre Vigne and were pleasantly surprised by this young wine’s readiness.

Foodies and Italian wine lovers should not miss Locanda Verde. Won’t disappoint.