Terrific Takeout: Grifone Encore Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Mario, Owner of Grifone
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It's not who you know, it's Whom You Know and we do know Mario Belich, owner of Grifone! Each of our visits there has been lovely with the quiet atmosphere and sophisticated edibles it boasts based on Mario's Croatian culinary background.
Grifone was first highly recommended in 2012:
and again in April 2015:
"Grifone is the hidden jewel of midtown where authentic Italian cuisine in an elegant atmosphere enjoyed by locals."
-Mario Belich,
Owner
This visit, we began with some gorgeous, light zucchini flowers that were the perfect start. The presentation at Grifone is precise and pleasing to the eye, and we followed this up with a Primavera Chopped Garden Salad. Grifone knows us, and they listened and put the dressing on the side which is always our preference. Of course they make their own vinaigrette, and we enjoyed the expertly chopped vegetables. At Whom You Know, we value balance and always have salad with our meal.
Under their pasta selections, we'd encourage you to try the Paglia e Fieno: potato dumplings in a tomato and fresh basil. In Italian, we understand this translates to hay and straw. As this dish is cut and diced, it's a breeze to eat neatly. It's made fresh daily and shallots and white wine grace the light tomato sauce, which is splendidly divine. For an entree, we opted for the triumphant Branzino. Grifone has fish deliveries three times a week, and this Italian Sea Bass lived up to all our expectations.
The grand finale was the amazing apple strudel, enhanced further to our delight with berries and ice cream.
Grifone continues to be Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.