Locanda Verde
Posted on | June 22, 2010 | 1 Comment
I’m not entirely sure what the occasion was (nor do I really need one), but a few months back myself & 2 friends got dressed up in suits & ties (unheard of for us slackers) & headed to Locanda Verde (377 Greenwich Street @N Moore Street). Located in Tribeca, this Italian tavern has been getting a lot of great press since opening just over a year ago. According to Urban Daddy;
brought to you by little-known thespian Robert De Niro and his crack team of vets: Ken Friedman (the Spotted Pig, John Dory), chef Andrew Carmellini (A Voce) and pastry chef Karen DeMasco (Craft)
With that pedigree we knew we were in for a real treat. The space is really trendy with large tables & plenty of space. It was a Thursday & unfortunately very busy, so we were first seated in a rear room for drinks. With it’s own bar & a view of outdoor seating, we were quite happy to sip Martinis while we waited for our table.
Once we were seated we started with Sheeps’ Milk Ricotta served simply with sea salt, herbs & olive oil. It couldn’t have come fast enough as we were a few Martinis in!
After a bit of a break to compose ourselves, next up was the Fritto Misto of Rock Shrimp & Ipswich Clams. I’m normally not much of a ‘clam guy’ (except in chowder), but this was awesome! Really crispy on the outside & not chewy and/or rubbery at all. It came just with lemon wedges & some peppers for added heat (which was a nice touch).
Grilled Mediterranean Sardines came next & were served on top of sauteed vegetables & a light tomato-based broth. They were uncomplicated, tasted very good, but only served as a distraction from the real star; the Lamb Meatball Sliders. This dish was basically perfect, my only gripe was the fath that there were 3 of us & only 2 sliders! After some arguing & jostling, we all got some. Flavorful, moist & with a crisp bun; YUM!
We graduated to the main plates & they were as follows:
Ravioli, Lamb Rigatoni (background)
Fennel Glazed Duck
Steamed Sea Bass w/Clams & Fennel
As you can imagine, we were getting pretty damn full by this point, but the hits just kept on coming, we were comped 3 desserts;
La Fantasia di Cioccolata
Rhubarb & Rice Pudding
Ricotta Cheesecake
I really think that we overdid it, but this meal at Locanda Verde has to go down as one of my favorite dining experiences, HANDS DOWN!
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June 23rd, 2010 @ 1:17 pm
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