Nino's Restaurant by Nino Selimaj Inaugural Review Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Bessa Selimaj, his daughter and Owner Nino Selimaj
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Owner and Executive Chef of his namesake restaurant of 26 years, Nino Selimaj has gotten off to a solid start on Whom You Know and we're delighted to meet Nino and his daughter, Bessa. Born in Montenegro and having lived in Italy, Nino came to the USA in 1978 and started working in New York restaurant kitchens for several years before launching his entrepreneurial endeavor. Nino's changes their menu twice a year we understand, and this is our first visit. We began with the Sauteed Jumbo Shrimp appetizer.
Delicious butterflied shrimp greeted us as our first edible at Nino's ever, and they were delicious. Dancing in a lovely tomato white bean ragout, these succulent little numbers will ignite your appetite!
Peachy Deegan thinks every day is St. Patrick's Day and even when she's eating Italian, it is always better to be green in hue. We absolutely adore pasta, and the first beloved carbohydrate entry by Nino's was the superlative Homemade Spinach Ricotta Ravioli, which we wish we were eating right this second. The Ricotta travels from Abruzzi, Italy to your plate and this is made fresh every two days. Tossed expertly in a basil pesto which is a perfect compliment to the pasta itself, this course was a clear winner.
We are huge advocates of proper green salads and were glad to see three salad choices at Nino's. Nino suggested we try the Caesar Salad as it is made fresh right in front of you, and you don't see this too often in New York in 2017 and certainly when we began doing this in 2008, we saw this custom practiced more frequently. We suggest you make the most of this opportunity. Even the dressing is made fresh and croutons and fresh grated parmesean await you.
We always like to discover entrees that are interesting but not trendy. Nino's has several classic options, and avid readers know that Peachy Deegan orders Chicken Parm a lot because she loved it in college and ate it all the time then. (Lower Dining Hall, Boston College...) Of course it is normally in red sauce, however, Nino is innovative and did something new to us here which we just adored. Our first thought would be to never change anything about Chicken Parm with red sauce as it is such perfection; here the Parmesean Crusted Chicken kicks up the sophistication level with lemon white wine butter sauce. Pounded breast of chicken with freshly grated parmesean reggiano cheese (no breadcrumbs) is ultimately fresh, exquisite and a decadent culinary affair we can't wait to partake in again. Along with the pasta course, this was our favorite. It's expertly pounded and the green beans and carrots on top add terrific color and nutrition. The lemon accent was also sensational.
Our entree of poisson that we chose was the Herb Mustard Glazed Salmon: a strong choice. Wild Norweigan salmon delivered every two days awaits you with a crabcake that is crafted with crab, horseradish and green onion. Red and yellow peppers have an arugula soiree on the side with some fresh quartered tomatoes.
Nino's Restaurant is Terrific Takeout and we look forward to seeing what they do next.
