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“A Voce”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Italian	Murray Hill	Moderate	Great

aised greens and cannelloni beans. Did I mention the fennel-glazed duck ($28)? No I don’t think so. So let me be the first to tell you, this breast was gloriously glazed and incredibly plump (not the least bit dry) and came with an olive sauce and a generous spray of super snappy snap peas tossed with homemade duck sausage. That peas and sausage “risi bisi” should be a side dish. But nothing will compare to the braised veal soffrito ($26), a Tuscan dish that is served in a terra cotta casserole filled with soft polenta, gremolata, and orange zest. Honestly, this meat was so beautifully flavored and so tender and moist, it was like sitting down to a bowl of edible cashmere. You don’t need teeth for this meat. Gums will do. You can bring relatives with dentures.

I asked AC (chef Carmellini) later on about how he managed to get the veal so soft. That AC is a funny one. “It’s easy,” he said. “Just put it in the microwave, and hit the Express Veal setting.” “Oh, right! The ‘Express Veal’ Setting, I should have known,” I replied. Truthfully, people, it takes hours of braising to get the veal that soft (a process you can do at home, but it just takes time), but you can experience it anytime at A Voce, and I encourage you to go as soon as you can. This sort of pleasure should not be delayed. (And yes, I am officially breathing heavily now, for all you Pete Wells fans out there who are kind enough to continue to read THE STRONG BUZZ.)

I don’t know what Andrew and his crew are doing in that kitchen, but let me just ask them officially to please keep doing it. Actually, truth be told, I do know what they are doing, because I wrote a story for my Sunday column in the NY Post about Carmellini’s kitchen line: sous chef Luke Ostrom, and tournants Matt Greco, Ron Rosselli, and Rich Torrisi, all veterans of Café Boulud. With the assistance of their ample talent, Carmellini turns out plate after plate of food that that is technically perfect—meats are cooked to just-right temperatures, fish is succulent, pastas don’t even flirt with being over-cooked, vegetables are bright and firm, sauces are glossy and everything is brilliantly seasoned—chile flake, salt, pepper, and acid are all in attendance in the right amounts and at the right times.

But the thing that makes this food even more intriguing is that while it tastes profes ... [more, click below]

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Posted: April 16, 2006

Other restaurants in Murray Hill :
+ Breakfast at The Cafe at Country   + A Voce   + Country (Upstairs)   + Darna   + Penelope   

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