Terrific Takeout: Machiavelli Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
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If you thought we found all the great venues of Manhattan excelling in Italian cuisine, think again because we are delighted to tell you about the latest and greatest: Machiavelli! Montreal native Nathalie de la Fontaine has proven herself to be a winner and this takeout review is just the start. We began with the Insalata Mista, beautifully arranged above. Baby field greens, fennel, radish, cucumber, and carrots delicately danced in a gorgeous white wine vinaigrette. Super fresh, this was an amazing start.
The Sformato di Spinaci is an appetizer you too must try. Clearly Nathalie is so talented she can make vegetables look like dessert! Fresh spinach flan toppped with a classic fonduta cheese sauce will tantalize your tastebuds with its creamy smoothness and decadent taste. Popeye-this is your dream food.
As a main course, we opted for the fish of the day: Pesce del Giorno if you are practicing your Italian. The day we visited, Rainbow Trout was the star of the show and it was simply the best fish we've had in quite awhile. Seasoned and grilled to perfection, this terrific trout was of course fresh, superbly flakily moist and joined by smashing mashed potatoes. We would absolutely order it again. Actually, we'd order everything we tried at Machiavelli-it is that outstanding.
From a fashion standpoint, it would be hard to find a more runway-worthy pasta than the one Nathalie suggested we try, above. Casunzei Ampezzani is its name and it's traditional pasta from the Dolomiti, stuffed with red beets and fresh ricotta, topped with parmesan poppy seed sauce. Usually when you think of poppy seeds with food, many people think bagels. The poppy seeds added a lovely embellishment of texture and the taste of these winners was clearcut fantastic. Since it's pink and green, maybe this is what Lilly Pulitzer eats in heaven.
Without a doubt our favorite dish at Machiavelli is the Tagliatele Tartufate, the piece de resistance. Extremely decadent, this truffle tagliatelle tossed with baby rock shrimp, wild mushrooms and truffle cream sauce is the stuff that culinary dreams are made of. Every bite is pure ecstasy from the quality of the homemade pasta to the succulence of the shrimp and the flavor of the truffles which are in three words, to-die-for.
Note to Natalie's brothers in Montreal: Turn off the hockey game and pay attention to your sister's culinary talents! Eat before the face-off.
Machiavelli is Terrific Takeout!
