Not only does Realmuto have an award-winning pastry chef in their kitchen, but also offers some of the best Italian meals you will ever have.
Last week, we were invited to check out the delicious new addition to the West Village food scene: Realmuto. Inspired by the famed Cova Milano and Gilli Firenze pasticcerias of Italy, Realmuto brings the grand piazza of Italy to the steps of New York City.
What makes Realmuto special is that it celebrates all aspects of the Italian lifestyle. In the morning, Realmuto offers a decadent assortment of specialty Italian tea and coffee items to pair with some of their premium pastries and desserts. In the afternoon, guests can enjoy delicious paninis, aperitivos, and more—like a delightful Aperol Spritz for those who like to start their evenings early. By night, Realmuto transforms into a beautiful upscale restaurant, serving some of the most flavorful pasta dishes and signature Italian meals we have ever tasted.
To celebrate the opening, Realmuto invited us to check out the space and participate in a panettone cake-making class hosted by their resident award-winning pastry chef, Chef Giuseppe Zito. What made this class even more exciting is that Chef Zito is famously known for winning gold placement from The International Federation of Pastry, Gelato, & Chocolate for the world’s best panettone cake.
The evening began with guests filing into the kitchen in the back and learning more about the dough-making process. Chef Zito explained that only the finest ingredients from around the world are used for this cake, including the “mother yeast,” which is the key ingredient for his panettone.
“The high quality raw materials make up 50% of the quality of the product both for the technical performance such as the selection of flours used grains with a high percentage of protein (Italian), the choice of butter present in a high percentage that gives taste and softness (French), high quality pasteurizing eggs (US) to ensure maximum food safety.” said Chef Zito. “The ingredient that characterizes the flavor of the panettone, include Thomson Seedless raisins (US) and Zibibbo raisins (Sicily Italy), candied fruit, an element that we have currently given to a leading Italian company in the sector that uses organic Sicilian oranges without the use of sulfur dioxide (intense flavor of Sicilian oranges without the addition of aromatic oils). The icing that covers the classic Piedmontese panettone is rich in almond powder and whole Sicilian almonds and flour from local farms. Last but not least, the queen of panettone is her majesty vanilla – I have a selection of vanillas including Tahitian vanilla and those from Madagascar.” 
Chef Zito walked guests through the process of making the panettone and even let them participate in the cake-making. To start, each person assisted the chef by cutting the dough into carefully weighed portions, placing the dough lovingly into panettone molds (Chef Zito explained that there is a specific way to place the dough that indicates great care), and even decorating the panettone with toppings like almonds and sugar sprinkles.
While the cakes were in the oven, guests were invited to try some of the dinner items that Realmuto has to offer. The food program is spearheaded by Executive Chef Mauro Campanale, who has created a menu that celebrates traditional Italian cuisine. One of our favorite dishes was a delicious green tortellini with leek sauce, topped with buffalo mozzarella. The pasta was perfectly cooked to an al dente texture, allowing the rich leek sauce to coat every piece without making the pasta soggy or heavy. With each bite, you experience a beautiful savoriness and richness that bursts with flavor, keeping you coming back for more.
Once dinner was served, guests returned to the kitchen to find some of the panettone cakes taken out of the oven and turned upside down on a rack. This technique helps transfer the weight of the cake and gives it the tall stature that panettone is known for. Then the chef simply lets gravity and time do the rest of the work.
With that, the demonstration concluded. As a parting gift, guests left Realmuto with a panettone cake made in advance to take home (due to the lengthy baking process).
If you have the opportunity to check out Realmuto, we highly recommend stopping by. Whether you need a quick coffee to pick yourself up or a nice place to sit down and enjoy a meal, Realmuto is the place to be. You can find them in the West Village or visit their website at https://realmuto.com/.
