A Peachy's Pick Since 2011, Il Gattopardo Ristorante Summer 2017 Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Vito Gnazzo, Executive Chef and Owner of Il Gattopardo with Peachy Deegan
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It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and Vito and Gianfranco have known that since 2011. If Peachy Deegan was Norman Lear, they would be Archie and Edith. We won't say which is which and we haven't decided ourselves anyway. We just wanted to make sure we had your full attention on a sunny summer afternoon and make you laugh when it is no laughing matter to be in the office and everyone wants to be at the beach.
Well, if you are at the office, your day will get much better at dinner...and here's where you should go; Peachy cannot pretend to be as happy as she looks above: she is, or she is not. Il Gattopardo earned a spot in Peachy's Picks in 2011:
and it was most recently featured in the Fall of 2016:
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2016/11/il-gattopardo-fall-2016-our-coverage.html#.WW5XKIjyvIV
They continue to be in it to win it.
They continue to be in it to win it.
It's high time your stomach took a walk on the wild side; you know the restaurant is named after the movie The Leopard. You should eat at that restaurant too on the Upper West side - The Leopard at Des Artistes is Italian, not French-by Vito and Gianfrano. And Mozzarella and Vino. The links to their press pages is about to become even more fabulous.
When you sit down, you notice everything is perfect. The flower in front of you is perfect. Peachy is not even crazy about flowers because they make her sneeze, but this one didn't.
Again, they are perfect with the water presentation. We love no ice and quartered lemons, vertically. You don't have to ask for it done that way here; they already know. They go above and beyond and give you limes too. We notice everything, and we're glad they do too.
The culinary fireworks began with thinly sliced veal loin that is local, organic and farm-raised and even smoked in-house over hickory wood and deboned for you. Your only task is to enjoy eating it, which is an extreme pleasure. It is a succulent beauty and we reveled in its savory ecstasy. It is bursting with flavor and it waltzes over organic greens with triumphant asparagus tips and oven-roasted tomatoes, in a balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil dressing. You don't need to tell them less is more with salad dressing and they let the salad shine through it.
An outstanding innovation at Il Gattopardo is that Vito really has made a tremendous effort to make sure that not only is the cuisine delicious, but also it is healthy and you will see that throughout this review. Their new salad is composed of pickled eggplant, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, toasted Italian croutons and stracciatella. It sings a song of summer on your palate wonderfully and each ingredient is the edible embodiment of the world fresh.
Meet your new best friend: Cavatelli pasta homemade with grani antichi (an ancient grain healthier than traditional pasta) in an outstanding shellfish ragout: delicate morsels of deliciousness await you to make your summer day. Even you, Clint Eastwood.
Does your Cavatelli smile at you?!
Though this grain is labor intensive, it is excellent for your digestion.
This dish is new for the season, as is the next one too:
This dish is new for the season, as is the next one too:
We are quite big fans of everything Primi and Pasta-like, and next in the batting order was the Handmade gnocci with Vesuvian Piennolo tomatoes and scamorza cheese, a lovely buffalo mozzarella to qualify it properly. It is from the town of Paestun in Italy and comes weekly. If we could only convince it to bring us Italian shoes in its suitcase? These are soft, delicious and properly light for summer.
You cannot leave without trying the superlative Artisana fagottini (a variation of ravioli in a star shape) with organic spring greens and buffalo ricotta in a fresh tomato and marjoram sauce. The flavors shine and emanate the talents of Vito perfectly; our illustrious history of dining at their venues has led Peachy to realizing that the Taste of Italy is where you should spend your time at the New York Summer Fancy Food Show.
See the star shine!
Both entrees, fish and meat, are new for this season. The poisson we tried is a fabulous tuna steak salmoriglio glazed with controne beans and oven-dried zucchini. For anyone that is rolling their eyes at boring beans, you should know that these are wonderful and high fiber bursting with protein with a thin skin and buttery taste. This tuna is gorgeous and boasts sensational flavor that emanates from the perfectly grilled quality of the steak of the sea.
Pan-seared veal loin is absolutely superlative scented with wild fennel pollen from Felitto, served with fingerling potatoes and porcini mushrooms. Every bite is divine and exquisite.
A symphony of tropical fruit was presented as our dessert: passion fruit and mango layered cake garnished by raspberries of perfection. Can you count how many times you read the word perfect or a derivative of it in this review?
Yes, ladies and gentlemen. This is what dinner should be.
Il Gattopardo continues to be Highly Recommended and it is one of our favorites!
