I was starving when I strolled into KBella Pizza on a brisk Monday late afternoon. I’d had no breakfast, no lunch, just vibes.
Whether you’re a local living in New York or a tourist visiting the city, look no further than Lulla for a comforting Italian meal.
The NYC Ballet, Lincoln Center, Juilliard, The Metropolitan Opera… what’s missing from this list of Upper West Side performing arts institutions?
Nestled into Chelsea Market, one of the first fine dining restaurants to grace the ever-popular market boasts authentic Italian cuisine, artisan goods, and more. La Devozione splits into 4 sections. First, their to-go pasta bar emulates the typical grab and go Chelsea Market food scene. Their artisan goods table displays hand crafted plates and cups from Italy, colorful Moka Pots, and Dolce & Gabbana collaboration gift boxes, and the walls are lined with bags full of every imaginable shape of pasta (or at least, far beyond the average American pasta imagination – 126 to be exact). The third part is their chef’s table, dubbed “The Oval,” where Michelin-starred chef Peppe Guida provides an interactive fine dining experience.
Finally, the fourth a part of La Devozione is A Tavola, their casual dining area. Featuring a sprawling set of square quad tables, the space has a modern feel that humbly offers you a taste of a storied 110-year old pasta business. Pastificio Di Martino has been making dried pasta for home consumption for over a century, and expanded into the restaurant scene with takeaway in Naples. Now, their first-ever establishment in the United States opened last November, to guests from all over the world. La Devozione is Italian for The Devotion in Italian, and their signature dish of the same name evokes the spirit of Italian dedication to quality cooking and well-sourced ingredients.
Giuseppe Martino, the third generation owner of Pastificio Di Martino, is the restaurant owner. Along with Chef Alessio Rosetti (Hotel Grand Hotel Fasano in Gardone Riviera, Tony May’s SD26, Black Barn), he developed this menu to highlight traditional recipes based on the best ingredients. Bar Director Cristhian Rodriguez (formerly of NoMad Hotel and Eleven Madison Park) works with the bar staff to develop the unique cocktails featured on the menu, and each gets his stamp of approval before it’s offered to guests.
We stopped by on Wednesday to sample some of their authentic cuisine – starting off with drinks, we ordered the Redwood, a cherry and gin combo, and the Fantasma, a pisco-based lemon and strawberry drink. Each had distinct and unique flavors that were the perfect intro to our meal. For our appetizer, we had to try one of their highlights, the Lollipop Di Macaroni, a breaded macaroni and cheese lollipop with truffle-hazelnut sauce. With flavors both familiar and comforting from the mac n cheese and enticing from the truffle and hazelnut, this appetizer was incredible!
Next, for our main course, we had the restaurant’s namesake dish La Devozione. It’s spaghetti cooked in tomato sauce and fresh basil – their take on the classic spaghetti al pomodoro. The standout ingredient in this dish is tomatoes from Sorrento, which are harvested in the summer and canned to send to the US in the fall. In contrast to San Marzano tomatoes, these are richer and sweeter, giving the sauce an extraordinary flavor. The store will start selling these as soon as they arrive from this summer’s harvest, so stay tuned for their arrival on the shelves!
We finished off our meal with a nightcap and some dessert – their Figli Di Fiori cocktail, a cappuccino, and their Paris-Brest dessert. This gin and elderflower cocktail is one of their summer specialties, and was the perfect fizzy and light drink to top off a meal of delicious pasta. The cappuccino was strong yet perfectly palatable, with that satisfying espresso flavor rounded out with creamy, frothy milk. Finally, our dessert had layers of fluffy pastry, hazelnut chocolate creme, and was topped with hazelnuts. Each bite was perfectly creamy from the pastry, sweet from the creme, and crunchy from the nuts – the ultimate combo for a dessert. We loved our meal at A Tavola and can’t wait to come back to try The Oval. We even grabbed some of their signature pastas, the item that made them famous across Italy, and have our eyes on the Dolce & Gabbana box for next time
Make your reservation and learn more about La Devozione here!
Last week, the Knockturnal had the pleasure of checking out one of the latest additions to midtown Manhattan’s dining scene, Ramerino Italian Prime.
Tucked into a beautiful corner in the Upper East Side, Parma Nuova is the latest creation from the minds of restaurateurs Giorgio Manzio and La Masseria Group’s Enzo Ruggiero, Giuseppe Iuele and Chef Pino Coladonato. We stopped by on Monday night to sample some of their menu items!
When you walk into the restaurant, you’re greeted with the quintessential, comforting scene of an elevated New York Italian restaurant: white tablecloths, cherry wooden chairs, a tall candle stand on every table. We sat down before the dinner crowd rushed in, so got to see the ambiance transform from quiet to bustling yet warm.
For our first course, we chose the BURRATINA CON MELANZANE, PEPERONI ARROSTOE POMODORI SECCHI. Served with sundried tomatoes, marinated eggplant, and sweet roast peppers, this preparation turned the typical, but still delicious burrata starter found on every menu in the city, into something bright, unique, and delicious. Our second dish was the INSALATA PARMA, a medley of arugula, radicchio, tomato, peppers, olives, and endives, topped with sheets of parmesan. It was the last day of the heat wave, and we needed a cool salad to revive our bodies – this hit the spot.
We sipped on summery aperol spritzes and enjoyed our appetizers while we excitedly browsed Parma Nuova’s decadent pasta and entree menus. After debating over traditional and modern dishes, we finally settled on GNOCCHI ALLA SPUMA DI PARMIGIANO E TARTUFO, a gnocchi in parmesan sauce with fresh truffles. When the pasta is brought to your table, the server comes with a precious truffle in a glass jar and shaves it directly onto your plate! I’d never seen this done before, and as a truffle-obsessed foodie, I was awestruck. If you’re a fan of truffle, and I’m thinking that applies to almost every single person reading this, you definitely need to try it fresh. Our decadent pasta helpings were completed by their daily special, the Branzino, with roasted carrots and potatoes. The fresh fish was deboned and plated, cooked with a deliciously simple seasoning and the perfect complement to the rich, cheesy pasta.
Before we finished our meal, we had to try some of their desserts – the TORTA DI MAMMA PAOLA, a flourless chocolate cake, and the MISTO BOSCO CON SORBETTO AL FRUTTO DELLA PASSIONE, a passion fruit sorbet topped with fresh summer berries. Offering something luscious and something refreshingly light, these desserts left us very full, and very happy. Before we left the restaurant, we caught up with Giorgio and Enzo to learn a bit more about Parma Nuova’s launch and vision. Officially opening just a few weeks ago, the restaurant offers a similar menu to Masseria dei Vini, just with a few more regional specialties from the Parma region. The La Masseria team is hoping to offer the Upper East Side a taste of the authentic Italian cuisine that has delighted Rhode Island, Palm Beach, and Midtown West for years.
Super fun