Il Principe

"Principe is the most exciting restaurant to open up around the flagship Prada store in years. Located in a former photography gallery, and frequented by diners who treat every week like Fashion Week, it's about as Soho as it gets. But the seafood-focused, Italian-inspired dishes are so good that we’re changing our minds about dining in the vicinity of the world’s most expensive handbags. If you’re at some boutique on Wooster or Greene and about to pull the trigger on a new going-out ensemble, you could head to Principe straight from the dressing room and you'd fit right in. But this place isn’t a total scene. You’ll also see groups of colleagues who just want to eat somewhere that isn’t in Midtown and looks cool, with walls made of huge concrete slabs, softened by sea green accents and the light of abundant chandeliers. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte Make a reservation for the spacious upstairs dining room or the moodier downstairs, which has more of a jazz club vibe. Or, for a more casual aperitivo-style experience, grab a seat at the long marble counter next to the raw bar. Each raw bar item costs between $11-21, and if you can, you should get them all. But if you have to narrow down your choices, get the creamy lobster salad with a hint of horseradish, and the sweet scallops with pistachio crumbles. Each comes with two tiny morsels—and you’ll want about 10 more. photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte photo credit: Kate Previte If you are settling down for dinner, focus on pastas over mains. There’s some serious pedigree (The Modern, Eleven Madison Park) in the kitchen behind them, and they’re all worth trying. But the impossibly pillowy dollops of ndunderi are the clear winner, and the buttery lemon sauce they come with is the perfect dipping partner for Principe’s crumpet-like complimentary bread. The pastas aren’t that big, so add an order of the tortellini too. Will restaurants ever be the first thing that people think of when someone mentions Soho? Probably not. Sure, there’s Balthazar and Blue Ribbon, but those places have been around since the last century, and not a whole lot of notable spots have followed. With Principe, the short list of go-to restaurants in the neighborhood just got a little longer. Food Rundown Note: Some items only remain on the menu for a few months, and the kitchen often switches up ingredients within dishes. photo credit: Kate Previte Complimentary Bread How much would we pay for this bread if it wasn’t free? A lot. It’s amazing. It’s sort of like the English muffin’s fancy cousin who went to Oxford and might be 28th in line to the throne. Tear one open, and steam will pour right into your eyeballs. Dip the bread in the accompanying Calabrian chili oil and goat butter, then ask for more. photo credit: Kate Previte Lobster Salad With Horseradish & Lettuce Think of this bite as a mini lobster roll in a lettuce cup with fresh shaved horseradish for some spice. It’s not the worst idea in the world to take your friend who’s allergic to shellfish here. That way, you can have this whole dish to yourself. photo credit: Kate Previte Scallops With Pistachio & Sorrel In this bite, the crunch from crushed pistachios takes sweet fresh scallops to another level, while oxalis stems add some lemony notes. The littlest details can make a huge difference, and now we never want to have raw scallops without nuts again. photo credit: Kate Previte Sucrine Lettuce With Avocado & Mint This salad is simple but memorable, with sucrine lettuce leaves and just the right amount of lemony vinaigrette. photo credit: Kate Previte Ndunderi With Lemon & Bottarga Out of all the pastas, this one’s our first choice. Each little dumpling is like a fluffy cloud of ricotta, but as you bite into each one, you’ll notice that the middle has a creamy consistency like crème fraîche. We’re happier just knowing that this dish exists. photo credit: Kate Previte Basil Tortellini In Brown-Butter Brodo It’s a genuine accomplishment that this tortellini is only stuffed with a basil mixture, because we swear we taste cheese. The filling is creamy and salty, and you’ll mop up every last drop of the brown butter brodo they’re bathing in with that free bread. photo credit: Kate Previte Grilled Duck With Rhubarb & Fennel The best way to have a meal at Principe is to have some raw bar items, pastas, and desserts. But if you want to try a main, get the duck. A vinegar butter sauce provides sour richness, and there’s always a sweet element from something fruity like rhubarb, or honey with preserved oranges. photo credit: Kate Previte King Crab Risotto With Morel Mushrooms & Wild Spinach We’ve had this risotto with undercooked rice, but we’ve also had it prepared perfectly al dente. It comes with big chunks of morels, a disappointingly small stick of king crab, and some lobster and crab sabayon on top of already-creamy rice. When the kitchen gets this very rich dish right, we like it. But it costs $65, and we’d rather spend that money on more raw bar items. photo credit: Kate Previte Lemon-Rosemary Fries You know what we eat a lot of? Fries. The ones here are better than most. They’re saltier than they need to be, and that’s a good thing. The lemon and rosemary seasoning is subtle, and there’s a lime green jalapeño dipping sauce that comes on the side. photo credit: Kate Previte Coconut Yogurt Popsicles These small popsicles are ideal when you’re stuffed but still want dessert. They’re made with frozen coconut yogurt that’s tangy, sweet, and salty at the same time. We’ve seen these coated with either frozen hibiscus or blueberry juice. photo credit: Kate Previte Hummingbird Torta On the other hand, if you want something sweet and have room to spare, get this torta. The brown butter cake topped with caramel sauce has a crispy crust surrounding a moist, candied pineapple-filled interior. The whipped yogurt on the side helps to balance out all that sugar." - Kenny Yang