Peachy Picks Spiga Our Coverage Sponsored by Liz Barbatelli's The Laundry at Linens Limited and E. Braun & Co. in Beverly Hills
Owners Host Luigi Corea and Executive Chef Stefano Bosetti
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What do you get when you put a winner from Rome (Luigi!) and a winner from Trantino (Stefano!) together in a rustic, quaint, welcoming space on an unassuming street on the Upper West Side? You get a fantastic restaurant, and namely Spiga! Spiga means grain in Italian-and that is precisely what Luigi is holding above. This is a detail-oriented spot (applause from Peachy!) that even has it fastidiously displayed on the menu:
From the decor that is understated yet innovative, Spiga is a modern classic that has it right down to the wreath of corks:
Making one of these is on Peachy's bucket list but believe it or not she hasn't saved enough corks yet. Spiga was first featured in Tasty Tidbits:
We are pleased to announce that Spiga has graduated to Peachy's Picks because of its phenomenal cuisine, stellar attention to detail by the authentically Italian owners who are not only the consummate professionals but also have great personalities, and lovely atmosphere: intimate and versatile.
When you are presented with bread and olive oil at a restaurant, the quality of this, simple as it is, sets the stage for what is to come. We are pleased to say Peachy was thrilled with this olive oil and if the olive oil producer is reading, we would like to hear from you. The bread was crusty and fresh by Gianpierre in Astoria.
Of course you need to sip an Italian wine which as a country has got to be Peachy's favorite for this discipline. As she loves a full-bodied red even during a heat wave, Luigi suggested the
Valicaia Toscana 2007 from Tuscany-just superb. This was perfectly adaptable to all that Peachy dined on through the duration of the evening.
When she sees anything on a menu starting with the phrase "Jumbo Lump Crab Meat," Ms. Couldn't be Crabbier's eyes widen and she has to find out more. Most often, by actually consuming the aforementioned noun that embodies such phrase!
Aesthetically pleasing with a lovely deep purple contrast to the lighter hues of crab salad, the champion appetizer fully coined "Jumbo Lump Crab Meat, Avocados, Celery, Ginger, Radicchio and Heart of Palm in Lemon Dressing" is the perfect refreshment to this killer heat wave. You know we all know how to say AMO LE SCARPE ITALIANE at Whom You Know and we do try to add to this vocabulary...in Italian, this is: Insalata di Granchio e avocados con sedano e zenzero. In any language, it is clearly a standout. The crabmeat was totally fresh and every component was in bite-sized pieces. The combination makes a lot of sense and will so even more after you delicately devour it and agree with us!
As we delved into our meal more, it became evident why this has been open since 2005 and owned and operated by the team we mentioned since 2007. Luigi's brother originally started Spiga. For our pasta course, we split two of them. Above, the Homemade Potato and eggplant gnocchi with mussels, zucchini and diced tomatoes highlighted why we believe the best Italian places can be better at seafood than actual seafood venues. (This was also realized in Peachy's appetizer and will be in bold red underlined so to speak in Peachy's entree...) The gnocci itself was light and not heavy which is exactly what we look for, especially this time of year. Seasoned perfectly, this is not a pasta to be ignored. The Homemade Duck Ravioli with shiitake mushrooms was also succulent and delicious as was the excellent brown sauce.
The best fish dish Peachy has had in recent times was this one: the Chatham Cod Fish (Cape Cod!) served with saffron broth - absolutely divine saffron broth we might add - ginger, mussels and clams over swiss chard. You see a lot of fish like Branzino served at Italian places and we love that too, but this originality and commitment to quality at Spiga was really impressive. It was fresh, gorgeously flavored and definitely an entree Peachy would want to have again.
The grand finale? Of course, chocolate was involved. Banana white chocolate bread pudding (dark chocolate also tasted like it was involved) with caramel semifreddo and bourbon sauce was the final exclamation point of Spiga, which showed us they go beyond the grain.
Our esteemed panelist adds:
True, authentic, traditional Italian food can sometimes be hard to come by. Living in New York City, I am fortunate to have lots of authentic Italian venues within my reach. Before Spiga Italian Restaurant on the upper west side, I thought I had tasted the best. After experiencing this restaurant I know I was wrong! We started the evening with delicious crusty bread and Sicilian olive oil which set the mood for a great evening.
For my starter, I ordered the pan-seared rosemary flavored Red Sea jumbo shrimp served with cannelloni beans and bacon. I am not typically a fast eater, yet I devoured this dish rather quickly! The rosemary flavored jumbo shrimp were cooked perfectly and were seasoned very well. The beans added a creaminess to the dish while the bacon complimented the shrimp and cannelloni beans extremely well! We also had the opportunity to try the homemade potato and eggplant gnocchi with mussels, zucchini and diced tomatoes . The gnocchi were soft pillows of pasta perfection! The mussels added a nice element of seafood flavor and the zucchini and tomatoes provided a nice balance to the dish.
The other pasta dish we tried, pictured above, was homemade duck ravioli with shiitake mushrooms and zucchini in a light brown sauce. I've had ravioli before, but never with duck filling! It was a nice change-up from the ravioli that I'm accustomed to! The wine that we had to accompany the dishes was a red wine from Tuscany called Valicaia Toscana. It was so smooth and complimented the dishes beautifully!
For my main dish I ordered the pan seared breast of duck in port wine sauce with cherries served with potatoes gratin and caramelized brussel sprouts. The duck was cooked to perfection and the port wine sauce gave it so much depth and flavor! The potatoes gave the dish a nice creamy element and the brussel sprouts again made this dish another well rounded one! For dessert I ordered the mixed berry tart with ricotta ice cream. I have never tried ricotta ice cream before and now that I have, I'm in love! It went incredibly well with the delicious, light fruit tart which is one of my all time favorite summer treats! Spiga is not only a restaurant with great tasting food, it also has a wonderfully warm, inviting atmosphere as well! This restaurant is a great place to go on a romantic date or just a fun dinner with friends and family!
Peachy Picks Spiga!
Spiga is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
