30
Dec

Osteria Morini – NYC

OSTERIA MORINI

218 Lafayette Street  New York, NY 10012

Date Dined: 11.14.11

Michael White is one of my favorite chefs of the moment. To date, every dish I have had in one of his restaurants has been impeccable. Osteria Morini is more casual than most of White’s other restaurants but the quality of the food was by no means sacrificed.

Osteria Morini is a very warm, rustic, inviting restaurant located in my favorite intersection in Nolita. The ambience is like a more upscale version of your grandmother’s kitchen.  The menu is best approached family-style which I of course like because that means that I am allowed to taste everything without feeling like I am encroaching on someone’s plate.

The Meal:

We started with the Mare – an Adriatic style seafood salad, with olives, lemon, and capers. I was really happy that we got this dish because it was very fresh and light in comparison to the other dishes we ordered. The seafood had a very clean flavor that was highlighted by the bright lemon and olives. Finely shredded celery topped the dish giving it a bit of a crunch.

Mare

Next up we had the Gnudi which were ricotta and spinach dumplings, with sage, and parmigiano. These gnudi were large and more like a ricotta meatball than a gnocci.  Each one was very crispy on the outside with a hot fluffy interior and lightly painted with a brown glaze. Flash fried sage leaves on top made a crisp tasty garnish.

Gnudi

For our pasta course we had the Cappelleti- truffled ricotta ravioli, melted butter, prosciutto. It was probably a bit redundant to get these ravioli after just having the gnudi but our server insisted they were delicious. We were not disappointed. The fresh little pastas were the perfect texture with the right amount of creamy filling and just a hint of truffle so as not to be overpowering.

Cappelleti

Our main course was the Porchetta- a spit roasted Hampshire pork, with sage and rosemary. I had read that this was one of the best porcettas in the city so I had to see for myself.  The pork itself was tender with the right amount of fat to seal in all the juices. The outer skin formed a delicious crispy bark around the meat.  The dish was completed by a few traditional Italian, simply roasted vegetables- radicchio, fennel and cherry tomatoes.

Porchetta

We ordered Wild Arugala for good measure to add some greenery to our meal of meats and pastas but the baby leaves were incredibly zesty, fresh and peppery and definitely made us feel a bit better about eating all the other dishes.

Morini may have just taken the lead as my favorite Italian spot in the City.

Filed Under: Brunch, Date Spot, Groups Tags: , , 4 Comments

4 responses to “Osteria Morini – NYC”

  1. Miles says:

    Generally agree with the above – particularly the high marks for the porchetta and the cappelleti. Three key additions:
    1) the Petroniana, which was accurately described by the NY times as “transcendent”. It’s veal cutlet with truffle cream, prosciutto, spinach, and parmigiano, and is my favorite dish at Morini, and among the best italian meat dishes in New York.
    2) The service is phenomenal and the staff is friendly and efficient. Frank the maitre d is among the most gracious in New York – particularly impressive since he doesn’t have to be, given Morini’s popularity.
    3) The acoustics suck. If you’re short on hearing – as I am – make sure to sit in a corner table where you can sit next to one another. Alternatively, this would be a great place to go if you’re with someone you’d rather not be able to hear.

  2. Nevaeh says:

    I have really enjoyied reading your well written article. It looks like you spend a lot of effort and time on your blog. I have bookmarked it and I am looking forward to reading new articles. Keep up the good work!

  3. Tanja Khiev says:

    I am impressed with this website , really I am a fan .

  4. Santiago says:

    Generally agree with the above particularly the high marks for the pocehrtta and the cappelleti. Three key additions:1) the Petroniana, which was accurately described by the NY times as transcendent . It’s veal cutlet with truffle cream, prosciutto, spinach, and parmigiano, and is my favorite dish at Morini, and among the best italian meat dishes in New York.2) The service is phenomenal and the staff is friendly and efficient. Frank the maitre d is among the most gracious in New York particularly impressive since he doesn’t have to be, given Morini’s popularity.3) The acoustics suck. If you’re short on hearing as I am make sure to sit in a corner table where you can sit next to one another. Alternatively, this would be a great place to go if you’re with someone you’d rather not be able to hear.

Leave a Reply to Nevaeh Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *