My sister is back in town this weekend for some work meetings, just in time for yet another messy snowstorm here in NYC, and we decided to check out Locanda Verde, Andrew Carmellini's relatively new Italian restaurant in Tribeca. I'd wanted to try it ever since I read Frank Bruni's fairly strong review last summer, but then Kate told me about a very disappointing dinner she'd had there. Still, I had some very fond memories of two particular dishes from A Voce, which Mr. Carmellini had opened several years ago before he left to open Locanda Verde: the fresh ricotta crostini and duck meatballs. (For future reference, A Voce lives on, just without Andrew Carmellini in the kitchen.) If you had ever ordered either dish, you too would follow the man who made them wherever he went next. And so, armed with our unfashionable but weather-appropriate footwear, we headed down to the corner of Greenwich and North Moore in search of ricotta and meatballs.
My sister was running late, as is her custom, so I snacked on some tasty candied nuts with caraway seeds at the bar and tried one of the 6 or 8 Italian white wines they have by the glass. I normally really enjoy Italian wine, but I wasn't crazy about either of the two I tried last night, a Falanghina and Vespaiolo. I guess I'm just a Chardonnay girl.
Once my sister arrived, we were seated at a small table near the window along the Greenwich Street side of the restaurant. It was a little cramped, but not in an unpleasant way. Good news: the same exact sublime creamy ricotta -- imported from Sardinia, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with fresh herbs and sea salt, and served with warm grilled bread -- is on Locanda Verde's menu. Ordering that to start was a no brainer.
Next up: lamb meatball sliders with caprino (perhaps that is a cheese?) and sliced cucumber. First of all, they had me at meatball. The fact that the meatball was served as a slider was just icing on the cake. Sliders have certainly become fashionable in the last few years. I think Joey Campanaro might have single-handedly revived them when he put gravy meatball sliders on the menu at the Little Owl, my favorite restaurant thanks in part to these glorious little sandwiches. The cucumber slices on these sliders called to mind the equally unforgettable steamed pork buns at Momofuku Noodle Bar, which are some of the most delicious things I've ever eaten, and whose crunchy sliced fresh cucumber so beautifully contrasts the greasy tender pork belly.
We shared two pastas, which in retrospect was too much. We should have just ordered one pasta. And the clear winner between the two we ordered was "my grandmother's ravioli" - delicate beef ravioli with a light tomato sauce and a heavy dusting of grated cheese. As Frank Bruni cleverly quipped in his Times review, it was good enough to make you want to "swap ancestors." We also ordered "spaghetti friuliano" which was tossed with wilted cabbage, bacon, and smoked pecorino cheese. I didn't think the cabbage was cooked long enough and I found the raw cabbage flavor a bit overwhelming. But the combination of ingredients otherwise would have worked, especially on such a cold and snowy night.
We shared a short rib special with roasted root vegetables and a side of roasted brussels sprouts as our entree, despite the fact that we were both completely stuffed by the time it arrived. The short rib was fantastic - perfectly tender and rich, but I really couldn't properly enjoy it because I'd already eaten so much. The brussels sprouts, on the other hand, were a hair too salty for my taste and I normally find that most things are under-salted.
Why on earth did we order dessert when already uncomfortably full? Research. And my sister has a sweet tooth. So our way over-the-top meal ended with a few scoops of delightful rice custard gelato and some sweet shortbread cookies. It tasted like the love child of rice pudding and ice cream, just as its name suggested. Yummy.
The next time I eat at Locanda Verde, and there will certainly be a next time, I will definitely get the ricotta crostini and sliders, and maybe share two pastas with no entree, or share one pasta and one entree -- two pastas plus the entree was overkill. I honestly felt sick as we bundled back up and headed home. But isn't that often the sign of a really great meal?
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Details:
Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich Street (at North Moore)
New York, New York
(212) 925-3797
Dinner for two: ~$200
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