John Scotto, of the famed Scotto food family, is launching a new restaurant in the old Daily News building at 220 E. 42nd St., Side Dish has learned.
Va Presto, which means “go fast” in Italian, will be a sprawling 3,300 square feet with seating for 55 people.
The concept is “fast, healthy food,” including homemade gluten-free pastas and pizzas, as well as sandwiches and salads. Six different pastas will be made fresh daily, with six different sauces and six different ingredients.
“You can come by in the morning for breakfast and see the chef making the pasta. In the morning it will say ravioli being prepared at 9 a.m. and tagliattele at 10 a.m.,” Scotto said.
“Fresh pasta has no preservatives, one-third the calories and one-half the cost. It also cooks faster and tastes delicious,” Scotto said.
The $8.50 price will also be low — $8.50 per pasta — far less than similar fare at fancier restaurants, he added.There’s also fresh salads, sandwiches and breakfast options that include egg white fritattas. Of course, there will also be some less healthier options for those who crave them, including homemade lasagna and meatballs.
Scotto will also be serving fresh Neapolitan style pizza, “cut with scissors and served room temperature, like in Italy, or one and a half minutes after coming out of a 900 degree oven,” Scotto said.
Scotto will cater to the office crowd, tourists and UN types, and take advantage of the Grand Central Station foot traffic.
“Our mission is to serve healthy, delicious food at budget prices. Places like this exist all over Europe but not here in the US,” Scotto said. “You can eat fresh pasta every day and not get bloated or heavy,” Scotto said.
Following the success of their first annual rosé wine festival in June, in which 2000 wine enthusiasts participated over two days on a yacht aboard the Hudson River, La Nuit En Rosé is launching a La Nuit en Rosé Wine Club wine club, which will deliver rosé wines from around the world to members in the tri-state area. The fee ranges from $99 to $179 a month. The wines will be curated by Pierrick Bouquet, president of La Nuit En Rosé, in partnership with Upper East Side wine shop Millesima, a high-end wine shop on the Upper East Side.
Dan’s Papers is now a partner with Harvest East End for their fifth annual event to celebrate the Long Island wine community.
About 1,500 people are expected to attend the Aug. 23 event in Cutchogue, with winemakers from 40 vineyards pouring more than 2,000 bottles, of current release wines and barrel samples while more than 30 chefs will provide tastes sourced from local farms and waters. General admission “Festival Tasting” tickets are $125 each.
WE HEAR … that President Obama has one more reason to return to Chicago. Tony Mantuano, executive chef at Spiaggia, one of Obama’s favorite date-night spots, is opening River Roast this month.