Pastry Chef Amy Holmes of Valbella, with the Napoleon she created
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Whom You Know had a fantastic initial experience at Valbella in 2012:
and this restaurant continues to impress! We began with the gorgeous Insalata d'Robiola: arugula, hearts of palm, artichokes, roasted peppers and robiola cheese in a red wine vinaigrette. This refreshing combination was a generous portion; you could eat the salad alone for dinner! However, the hit parade was just getting started. When you see the rest of the menu you know that you cannot stop at salad.
In the Antipasti section, the Medaglioni di Aragosta proved to be pure decadence! The lobster medallions jubilantly danced in mascarpone cream to tantalize our tastebuds. A true original!
Accompanied by toasted filbert, it was served in a lovely balsamic glaze. The array of textures and stunning flavors was simply amazing. Valbella is newer to New York than Connecticut; like many great things (!) Valbella is native to Connecticut. Its Greenwich location is the original and it's been in operation for 25 years in the same location. Valbella has had a location in Manhattan downtown for nine years. We visited the midtown location both times, now and in 2012.
We adored the Trenette with Creamy Truffle Sauce the last time, and every bite was just as good as we remembered! Shaved black truffles accentuate the trenette, which is similar to fettuccine. It still is synonymous with heaven! You must try this. Words alone do not do it justice.
Those with discriminating taste know that when the bone stays in, the meat is more flavorful and this rang true with the carnivorous entree we selected: Costoletta Burrata. You can see the triumphant Burrata peeking through the superb veal chop!
Pencil asparagus graced the mountain of Veal Chop stuffed with Burrata Cheese, and every bite announced that quality is truly consistent at Valbella. This being our second visit, we can confirm everything is just as excellent as we remembered, and owner Ralph Malfetano (his mom is Valerie at the Greenwich location) ensures that Valbella never misses a beat. You can tell details matter to him just as much as they matter to us.
The Fettuccini Al Sugo is another absolutely convincing pasta option, and you should make it your goal to try all of the superstar selections (over time, of course!) We are enormous fans of fettuccine and this version served in a classic Bolognese sauce with a touch of cream was majestically impressive.
We were pleased to meet Amy Holmes (above), who created a colossal Napoleon! You can see its proportion in the top picture, so we would encourage you to share it with a friend. Make sure it's a very good friend because if it was not so humongous, you probably would not want to share it! Valbella is definitely Terrific Takeout. (And Ralph, click here to see our NHL Interviews!)
