Glenn C.
Yelp
Major side notes: Prices are slightly higher than what is listed online for at least some dishes and the menu has changed a bit (such as not having the bacalao anymore) with some dishes also potentially changing descriptions.
I was at this nice new Italian spot from the owners of the nearby Ribalta earlier in the evening with 6 others. The restaurant serves primarily seafood from Naples and Sicily and while not everything worked, the majority of dishes were outstanding and the food quality was definitely high with some unique tasty options compared to most Italian spots. The staff was friendly. I didn't bother with a cocktail though some of them were interesting with the prices ranging from $18 to $22 mostly along with a good selection of wines by the glass. Speaking of prices as noted above, the prices of some dishes have gone up by a couple bucks and a few dishes are missing from the menu and I kind of wish I took some photos of the menu due to said changes. They gave us a bite consisting of a thin bread which was almost like a cracker topped with whipped butter and a small amount of caviar. This was essentially designed for one bite but the butter was a overpowering. I think it either needed a bit less butter or some type of citrus (or possibly balsamic glaze or something) to tone it down a bit. This still was appreciated and got the palate going.
As appetizers, we went with two tartare for us to share and both of them came with yucca chips which was a unique spin. The Big Fin Red Tuna with bergamot zest, parsley puree, and yuzu gelee consisted of high quality tuna and there was plenty of it though said citrus and parsley was a bit light. The latter tartare, the Mediterranean Hamachi with Sorrento lemon zest, oregano, and datterini (or plum) tomato puree, was also good. Also very high quality fish and in this case, the citrus was more present. Both were tasty with a slight preference to the tuna as I found the cut to be better but I would say that the flavors were a bit light for both of them and it was more good because of the high quality fish.
We otherwise got five main dishes to share. The best of a bunch was the most expensive which was the Granseola or squared spaghettoni, Italian spider crab, and datterini tomato sauce. Granseola apparently means said spider crab which makes sense as this was the star of the plate as it consisted of said shell along with the head with the top having been removed and placed on top of the pasta with the rest of the head below (which contained a lot of meat.) Said spaghettoni refers to a thick spaghetti which had a great texture and the pasta had plenty of crab in it. The dish was a tad messy due to the crab pieces below and they weren't open so the only way to go on it was to either (easily) bite it open or struggle with utensils (I think it needs something else to crack the crab pieces open so teeth aren't needed for it.) An extra napkin is necessary for this dish (especially for the head) but it was a very delicious one and I would highly recommend it if you don't mind getting messy.
The rest of the group loved the Polp-Amo E Patata Contadina or marinated octopus with sweet pepper confit, sweet pepper sauce, and yucca chips. The sauce was apparently excellent which I'm not surprised at as I've had patata contadina prior which is a delicious potato/tomato mix and they gave plenty of octopus. While I could not try it personally, I would recommend it based on their opinions.
I was also a fan of the Milanese Di Pesce Spada or breaded fried swordfish with baba ghanoush with Calabrian red chilis, Sorrento lemon juice, Sicilian olives, almond, Sicilian orange gelee, and parsley puree. The fish was perfectly fried and very meaty compared to most fried fish I've had. The various nicely plated side sauces helped with the richness. If you're looking for an elegant Italian take on fried fish, I would recommend this.
The Branzino K'e Kazz with broccoli rabe and smoked mozzarella fondue was fine. The branzino was perfectly cooked though I would say that it was less worth it then most of the other dishes as the fish was much plainer than I thought it would be. Said fondue was more of a sauce on top and while it went with the well sauteed broccoli rabe, it was a bit light with the fish. If you're looking for a plainer well cooked fish, it's fine but less notable.
Least favorite was the Tonno Tataki or Italian red tuna steak marinated in ponzu, green sweet pepper, and datterini tomatoes. While the tuna was well seared with 7 good sized chunks, the ponzu flavor was very light so it was a bit bland. It didn't really remind me of tataki in anyway.
The staff left us to chat which was unexpected and we eventually got the check and left. While not everything worked, I hope this place does well. It's probably closer to a 4 than a 5 but I'll bump it up a bit so they get a bit of a boost.
