24 January 2011 Marc Forgione – Top-Rated Chef, Top-Rated Brunch

Marc Forgione – Top-Rated Chef, Top-Rated Brunch

January 24, 2011 By

Photo by Open Table

I hosted a couple of foodie friends from Florida for my birthday and wanted to take them to brunch in Manhattan but also wanted to pick a restaurant or chef they’d heard of.  Being food reality TV fans, I opted for March Forgione’s namesake Tribeca restaurant as they’d recognize him as the winner of Food Network’s The Next Iron Chef.

The space is cozy and unpretentious – this is clearly done to immediately allow guests to relax and let the foodie journey begin.

Upon being shown to our table, we were offered a Mimosa or Bloody Mary to help get brunch underway.  Both cocktails are $9 each or you can opt for the unlimited $14 deal.  The Mimosa flavor of the day was blood orange and it was fabulous.  The Bloody Mary was perfect: spicy and accompanied by what I consider a mini-antipasto of cheese, olive and charcuterie.

Grits

The brunch options make it difficult to settle on just one entrée.  I opted for the Baked Anson Mills grits with Gruyere cheese, North Country bacon and Feather Ridge Farm eggs ($12) as my entrée.  I loved the look of the dish which appeared innocent with its creamy pale exterior but with baconey goodness throughout and with a perfectly poached egg hiding under the velvety mélange.  The grilled piece of crusty bread accompanying the dish was a great touch and exactly what I needed with the dippy egg.

Eggs Benny

Two of my guests selected the Eggs Benny with butternut squash “homefries”, crispy La Quercia Prosciutto and preserved lemon hollandaise ($14).  The dish looks sexy and tastes even better.  The crispy Prosciutto slice is clever and texturally a winner.

Another member of my party went for it with the Creekstone Ranch prime beef burger on a soft potato bun with aged Cheddar, bacon, caramelized onion, fried egg and Parmesan nugget potatoes ($15).  Who doesn’t like a hamburger with real beefy flavor and a drooly egg on top?

The staff at Marc Forgione is young, energetic, attentive and passionate about the menu and creating an experience for its guests.

I love when a top-rated chef takes my favorite meal, brunch, seriously, and Chef Forgione does.  Well done.

MARC FORGIONE

134 Reade Street New York City 10013

Reservations: 212-941-9401
Hours: Monday–Saturday 5PM–11PM

Sunday 11:30AM – 3:00PM (Brunch) 5PM–9PM (Supper)

Connect with March Forgione on Twitter or on Facebook.

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Locanda Verde – Italian Food Perfection

October 11, 2009 By
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.

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