Amo, a New Italian Restaurant, Opens in NYC

"Opened near Union Square at the end of July and run by Italians including chef Pasquale Cozzolino, the restaurant takes a seafood-forward, regionally adventurous approach to Italian cooking, mixing sections labeled “Mediterranean sashimi” and “Neapolitan ceviche” with more familiar fare. Notable dishes include a “mozzarella in ‘tempura’” — a panko-crusted bufala ball formed into a sheet to swaddle tuna tartare seasoned with lemon zest, sansho pepper, basil, and tomato, then fried and sauced at the table — and raw red shrimp tartare served on spaghetti. The chef has built a specialized supply chain to import blast-frozen Mediterranean seafood kept at around -60 °C so it arrives sashimi-fresh, preserving sweetness and texture in ways he says were previously rare in New York. Little touches like anchovy-flecked focaccia and a deliberate willingness to pair cheese with seafood underscore the spot’s intent to break from typical New York Italian conventions." - Tammie Teclemariam