<< previous review   next review >>

reviews

“Centro Vinoteca”

Occasion:	Cuisine:	Area:	Cost:	Rating:
Night Out	Italian	West Village	Moderate	Great

ar-shaped icicles. Upstairs the vibe is slower and quieter, with leather banquettes and a more intimate sensual atmosphere. We were seated down with the kids in the bar room, which was the perfect setting for our group. We were celebrating and there was no need for quiet.

To get things going, we (there were nine of us) started with a few piccolini, little nibbles from a menu of bar snacks that were the right partner for the big bottle of Prosecco we ordered to get the night started. By the time I tried them—Parmesan-battered wedges of cauliflower in agliata ($6), juicy bite-sized meatballs infused with rosemary, mushroom rafts loaded up with minced pancetta and pork, a smooth-as-butter chicken liver pate crowned with caramelized onions ($5), deviled eggs with the slightest hint of truffle ($4), and grape-sized arancini ($6)—I wondered how I’d go on to eat more. Somehow (shocker) I managed.

Burrell trained in Piedmont, Tuscany and Liguria in Italy, and at Felidia, Savoy and Italian Wine Merchants here in New York, but is probably best known as Mario Batali’s right-hand woman on Iron Chef. Her extensive immersion in the foods of Italy has given her a fine command of this genre of cooking. She divides her menu in traditional form, between antipasti, primi (pasta) and secondi (fish and meat). After draining our Prosecco we moved onto a bottle of white—Friuli, Tocai, Borgo Maddalena (‘05, $33), a fresh bright white that married well with our antipasti. Escarole is clearly a leaf lettuce that doesn’t get enough love. My feeling is this: move over romaine, forget iceberg, and step aside arugula, this is the green of the moment. It’s got wide leaves that come off a crisp ribbed center, and a robust flavor that can stand up to strong garnishes. It was the right backdrop to some very clever accessories: shaved sour apple, toasted crushed hazelnuts, and shavings of Pecorino ($10). This salad was sharp, sweet, sour and nutty and had texture. How brilliant.

The pizzetta ($12), a crisp rectangular flatbread, is marked from the grill and crowned with stracchino (fresh cow’s milk) cheese, crumbled bits of hot sausage, and a fluff of baby arugula drizzled with chile oil that gives off a soft subtle heat that sneaks up on you and warms your mouth at the right moment ... [more, click below]

Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  

 Make a reservation

<< previous review   next review >>

Posted: October 15, 2007

Other restaurants in West Village :
+ Jefferson-- Closed   + La Palapa Rockola   + Sumile   + Babbo   + Tasca   + AOC Bedford   + Home   + The Spotted Pig   + Barbuto   + Numero 26   + Mas   + August   + Alta   + Cru   + Blue Mill Tavern-- Closed   + Employees Only   + Lassi   + Metropol--Closed   + Turks and Frogs   + Bellavitae   + Yumcha-- CLOSED   + Gusto: SEE EARLIER REVIEW; THIS CHEF HAS LEFT GUSTO   + Perry Street   + Home   + Ditch Plains   + The Little Owl   + Cafe Condesa   + Cafe Cluny   + Gusto   + The Waverly Inn   + Morandi   + P*ONG   + Perilla   + Soto   + Market Table   + Centro Vinoteca   + Barfry   + Dell'Anima   + Bar Blanc   + Smith's   + Commerce   + Elettaria   + Bar Q   + Cabrito   + 10 Downing   + Minetta Tavern   + Braeburn   + Scuderia, by guest reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Bar Blanc Bistro by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Joseph Leonard   + Bar Henry, by Guest Reviewer Kathleen Squires   + Kin Shop   + Monument Lane   + Wong   + Bin on Bleecker, by Dara Pollak   + Ristorante Rafele   + Cole's Greenwich Village by Guest Reviewer Claire Jaffe   

Share ! Post a comment