Peachy Picks Via Emilia Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Executive Chef and Owner William Mattiello
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Whom You Know has reviewed more Italian restaurants than any other cuisine, and Peachy Deegan is not even Italian (though she does like the shoes they make!). Why are the Italians the most successful? Their combination of killer cuisine with sparkling personalities continues to be a recipe for success, and to differentiate them all, Peachy always wants to know from the owner: What makes you different? We have to find out because we don't want you readers to yawn and say, oh Peachy is doing ANOTHER Italian restaurant.
Some people have better answers than others to this question, and Executive Chef and Owner William Mattiello of Via Emilia has had one of the best answers in recent memory. What makes Via Emilia different is its unique concentration on Modena, his hometown. He is the real deal. William is authentic. He is pointing at Modena at the top picture on the map, because like most Americans, Peachy Deegan is geographically-challenged and needs help here. You see it is in the North. It has a population of about 100,000 and has been around since about 900 AD. (As opposed to BC, which in this case does not mean Boston College as it usually does on Whom You Know). Via Emilia is the real deal-even the logo is the cathedral built in Modena named Ghirlandina in around 1000 AD.
We like good, sincere stories that have a theme that goes with the restaurant, and love to be greeted personally by the owner like William greeted us. Next, note the stellar wine collection above, beautifully displayed. It is the result of the hard work and dedication of William's wife, who oversees the wine at Via Emilia. They are dedicated to small vineyards producing high-quality Italian wines with limited production and on the walls in the back you can see their visits to these exact vineyards.
Even better, he greeted us with Francisco Belle Metodo Classic 2007. Made from the Sorbara grape, this sparkling brut rose was an ideal start to a fantastic evening.
Not only were we in the pink, but also we had some lovely bottled Italian water as well. And, they were careful not to put ice in Peachy's, because her teeth after all are real.
We don't always talk about the bread basket, but the one at Via Emilia was so good you can cast any diet ideas aside. The rosemary in particular was divine. It was fresh. It was fluffy. It was hot. Peachy pretended it had no calories. You can too.
There are specific appetizers specific to Modena that William will highlight if you ask. The one Peachy Deegan picked was the Tigelle: Modena's tile-baked mountain bread, served with soft cheese, cold cuts and pancetta spread.
If you go to Via Emilia for just a drink at the bar (but seriously, why would you stop there because there are so many good things to eat here!) this would be lovely to pick at while you sip away. The Salami, Copa, Prosciutto, Parmigiana, Pancetta, Stracchi and Gorgonzola will have you in a trance of blissful Italian decadence. By the way, Via Emilia, although named after a road in Italy, is cleverly hidden on 47 East 21st st. It is in an unassuming spot but once you try the cuisine, you will not forget it. First featured in Tasty Tidbits:
It has graduated to Peachy's Picks because of the excellence and dedication of the owner and the phenomenal cuisine. In 1991 William came to New York and in 1994 he opened a different restaurant that changed names in 2001 to Via Emilia, then located on 19th and Park, and it has been in its current location since 2006. It means the road of Emilia, named after Emilio Lapido who was in the Roman Army and traveled the beaten path that is now around 2000 years old. This road connects major cities of the Modena region in Northern Italy.
The little Tigelles are super cute and fresh. They are made traditionally in the fireplace in Modena because in the winter, the residents of Modena could not go to the bakery. Dough baked in chestnut leaves and stones will delight you.
For our pasta course, William suggested this wine made with the Castelvetro grape in a single vineyard above a cemetery made by three sisters (he personally knows every person that contributes to every ingredient he serves-we love it!) and it was a top suggestion.
Did you know that tortellini was invented in Modena? Every day William makes the beautiful tortellini by hand. Tortellini is in the shape of the navel of Venus.
Tortellini alla panna: pork, prosciutto di parma and Parmigiano Reggiano dumpings in cream sauce was exquisite, and certainly a pasta Peachy would order again. She loved it so much, she did eat the entire portion...you definitely need to try it!
The angel on Peachy's other shoulder suggested from the specials menu the Verdura: Fagiolini al salto: olive oil and white wine sauteed French string beans. All vegetables would be envious and certainly this is prime time nutrition in our book. Crisp, fresh and delicious, the green beans could not have been better.
Picking your entree is not an easy task when you are in the presence of so many fantastic choices at Via Emilia.
We can assure you one of the best choices is the Cotoletta di vitello alla modense: breaded veal cutlet topped with prosciutto and parmigiano and sauteed broccoli. The veal was tender and perfectly pounded and breaded, and teamed up with the prosciutto and parmigiano, it was a complete feast of Modena goodness!
To be completely honest, Peachy doesn't meet too many wines from Italy she doesn't like however, this next one clearly takes the cake. Boasting an evolved flavor of true depth to be discovered, the Gutturnio Classico Riserva 2006 is a wine to be coveted, again and again. If Peachy was stranded on a desert island with one bottle of wine right now, this one would work for her. The late harvest grape Passito Zuffa Albana is now our good friend. It spends a little more time on the vine.
You can have strawberries and cream, but it is better to have strawberries and balsamic, if you have the right balsamic. William detected our infinite curiosity for Italian products and we even had a private balsamic tasting aside from the strawberries at the end....and obviously you should know by this point in the review, William had the right balsamic, and balsmicS would be even more accurate.
Take the right road to sublime cuisine: it may be located on EAST 21st Street but you need to remember the right road is named VIA EMILIA.
Our esteemed panelist adds:
Tucked away in a corner of the Flatiron District is a quaint and cozy setting. With a modern interior and a classic approach to Northern Italian food, Via Emilia serves up a wealth of good eating. Your host and wait staff are ready and able to walk you though the background, history, and ingredients of people, places and their well-rounded menu. To begin, take the time to sample one of their Lambruscos. The wine list will show several, so you have a sparkling polish with which to begin your meal. Enjoy some of the breads they make here in house, and really appreciate the flavors together. The wealth of variety on the Antipasti portion of their menu will astound. This is a trip to the "Romanesque style of Modena", and will serve well in instructing the palate in the diverse, complex, yet simple fare of the region.
I began with the Insalata di tonno e fagioli con bruschetta. The tuna is seared, and tossed into a light salad, placed on top of a savory bruschetta. The bruschetta, by the way, is the only bread not made in house. It only makes you think more about your ingredients when you eat out. The beans (fagioli) are a textural blend with the tuna, and give a sense of light-hearted summer fare, but would also be the perfect appetizer on a chilly evening. In Modena, they have a bread called "tigelle". Made by hand with a layer of snow, a layer of chestnut leaves, and a layer of dough, the tiny rounds are a celebration of the word "bread".
Here at Via Emilia, the tigelle forego the snow and the chestnut leaves, but are still made in a proper oven, and allowed to rise on their own, just a hint, to become little mouthfuls of crusty heaven. You must try them. With your choice of appetizer, consider asking for portions of their other breads as well. Hopefully, there are enough of you at the table to partake in a Mondena feast.
Onto the pasta. The joy of green: spinach tagliatelle cooked to perfection, and celebrated with a sauce made here in house as well. The tomatoes are hand peeled, and the sauce is so popular, and the owner so proud of it, that the establishment sells it by the jar. Something to take home besides a doggy bag, and what a surprise for those at home! Have a sprinkling of grated parmesan on your tagiatelle, if you're so inclined , but to be sure, the flavor of this pasta dish is so well balanced, that not a drop of anything extra is needed. It may not be on the menu, as it was the "special" of the night I was there, but ask, and you shall receive. I would go out of my way just to have this for lunch, any day of the week, by the way. The Lambrusco will be a good pairing with these dishes, but when you get into the main courses, consider one of the finest wines I've ever had: a Guturnio Classico Reserved 2006. What a bouquet! the deep red color, the perfumed aroma, the delicate palate will delight. Via Emilia is a Flatiron spot to drop into and enjoy a touch of Italian, whether you've the time for a full course meal, or just a brief respite from the taxing drone of New York City. It's a haven, and so conveniently located that it may just be your new favorite hide-out.
Onto my trout. there's something about grilled trout that soothes the spirit. It sounds good. And with the addition of the citrus element, Via Emilia makes it taste even better than good. Trota Agli Agrumi, is the name to ask for , if it's not on the menu, just to see if it's a special of the day. The trout is split, and pink grapefruit is sliced in the round to impart a hint of flavor, and cooked inside the split, while the orange bits find their way into the tender flesh of the fish. This comes with a redolent fennel salad. Sliced very thinly, the fennel is dressed in pink grapefruit and mustard as a different approach to salad. It gives a bit of crunch to the meal, and a delicate addition to the agrumi in the fish, too. Dessert has to be celebrated as a special moment of every meal. The selection at Via Emilia is unusual, with some well-known basics included in the selection.
There is a tart here that blends the idea of pasta into the ground almonds that become the crust. A wonderful tart , light, rich in texture and flavor that will make the perfect ending to your meal. Have a glass of Passito di Zuffa Albana, as a dessert wine, to finish the choice layers of flavor that you have just enjoyed. Via Emilia is a foodie's heaven, and you'll have to make several trips just to wrap your mind around the many possibilities. As an "Italian" restaurant, this one ranks among the best I've been in in New York City. But as a restaurant, it wins, hands down as a must on my list of new favorite places to take friends.
Peachy Picks Via Emilia!
Via Emilia is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
