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During my first meal at Cesare Casella’s Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto on Madison Avenue the other night, I thought: OMG, a new, grown-up, cliché-free Italian menu from a big-name chef! How 2006!
And there’s a whole, brave new Boot brigade coming in the months ahead. After several bleak years when Italian cuisine lost its buzz, it’s roaring back — not that the Asian-, Brooklyn- and whole-animal-eating obsessed media noticed.
After a barren summer followed by zillions of restaurant openings and weird format changes, it took time for a legitimate theme to emerge. As usual, gimmicks hog all the attention — from Eleven Madison Park’s Gray Line-like local history spiel to the promise (threat?) of horsemeat at M. Wells Dinette.
Supposed Korean and Spanish “booms” mainly involve places tiny, remote and/or lacking in star power. The Italian trend, on the other hand, is driven by owners and chefs with impressive track records. And they’re bringing back the regional and interpretive styles that too briefly galvanized the dining millions just a few years ago.
On tap soon: the Maccioni family’s Tuscan-esque Sirio’s in the old Le Caprice space at the Pierre Hotel. Carbone, which aims to improve on Italian-American red-sauce favorites, from the Torrisi Italian Specialties team on Mulberry Street. An uptown, Abruzzo-focused Il Mulino on East 60th Street. Roman-tinged L’Apicio from the Dell’anima gang on First Street.
Next month will see the launch of Venetian-themed All’Onda on East 13th Street, marking the comeback of former Alto and Convivio owner Chris Cannon with former Ai Fiori chef de cuisine Chris Jaeckle in the kitchen.
By winter, Cannon’s ex-partner, the great Michael White, will turn the old Centolire space into Ristorante Morini, an adult version of his popular Osteria Morini downtown.
Centolire was run by Pino Luongo, the pioneer who turned New Yorkers onto Tuscan dishes in the 1980s and early ’90s. He’s lost all his places but one, struggling Morso on East 59th — a 2011 underachiever that could stand for a proud cuisine’s recent retrenchment.
Enlightened Italian menus ruled the scene just a few years ago — a thrill ride that brought us still-captivating Scarpetta, Marea and A Voce at two locations. Then came the recession-driven closing of Fiamma, the mysterious ends of Alto and Convivio, the dumbing-down of Insieme (now also closed) and a flood of mediocrities like Valbella and Casa Nonna.
Now the big boys are back. May olive oil rule again.