La Gioconda by Pietro Arenella Inaugural Review Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Owner Pietro Arenella and the standout Pappardelle al ragu di carne
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The only thing we did not like about La Gioconda is that it took us WAY TOO LONG TO GET THERE!!!! Located at 226 East 53rd Street since 1994 and only having four chefs over this time period, La Gioconda by Pietro Arenella from Salerno, Italy is the best Italian restaurant in Manhattan you don't know about yet. The amazing cuisine boasts stellar authenticity and the ambiance is friendly, charming and welcoming. All of this is trumped only by Pietro's sparking personality; it is clear when you meet him that he is a restaurant owner that should be a restaurant owner.
Pietro came to the USA in 1992 and he is the sole owner of La Gioconda.
It's on the exact same block as Solera by Culinary King Rufino Lopez (Peachy's adopted Black Irish cousin) was before it closed, and avid readers know that Peachy Deegan was wild for Solera and the garlic shrimp and she went there on her birthday she loved it so much. Based on our inaugural La Gioconda experience, we are tremendously impressed by the talents of Pietro and his team and he earned a great review even before we chatted with Rufino, who also loves La Gioconda and Pietro's second restaurant. Even the bread basket was perfect. Like many great things in life, La Gioconda is petite so we would encourage you to plan ahead to acquire one of their coveted tables.
We began with a wonderful inventive green salad: Insalata di cariofi. Not only does this winner have fabulous artichokes but also it is strategically dotted with pistachio which makes for a great combination. Lettuce and tomatoes round out the salad perfectly and of course our most favorite vegetable, parmesean, comes to the nutritious party on a plate.
You know this would have been terrific in the heat wave and you also know the heat waves are just starting.
The appetizer we selected was the uber-fresh Mozzarella di bufala: Bufala milk mozzarella is imported from Paestum, Italy and spells amazing on your tastebuds with freshly sliced tomato and basil. This is an obvious Italian summer dish and it is terrifically fresh at La Gioconda and the components are in perfect proportion to each other. Dive in immediately if not sooner.
We liked every course and every culinary aspect of La Gioconda we met (when was the last time you saw that in print?), but the strongest courses of them all were the pasta courses which we have dreamed about ever since they magically disappeared. We steer towards classics the first time we go anywhere, so we chose the Tonnarelli cacio and pepe. It was the epitome of delicious and Peachy thought it was the best part of her day thus far. Fresh tonnarelli pasta made on premises waltzes wonderfully with pecorino cheese and black pepper. Meet your new best friend.
When we are convinced that someone knows what they are doing, we also try what they think we should try.
Pietro thinks his best pasta is the Pappardelle pasta with short ribs rabout and we're not going to argue with him. The pappardelle is homemade at La Gioconda at La Gioconda and when it teams up with the fragrant gorgeous American short ribs (grass-fed, hormone free, organic we were told) which are a bastion of heartiness that will hit the sweet spot in your stomach, your tastebuds will send applause messages to your brain.
Yes, this also should be your dinner.
This would be better for a rainy day in the summer or most definitely in the fall or winter. And P.S. the wine collection here is the best we've seen for such a petite venue.
Then Pietro asked Peachy if she likes truffles and of course she absolutely covets them.
A special of the day we visited was the Tagiolini with shaved black truffles and we were wrong before when we said the cacio e pepe was the best part of our day. TAGIOLINI with SHAVED BLACK TRUFFLES was the best part of our day. Entirely fragrant and bursting with pure luxury winding around your fork, this triumphant pasta is a must-eat. MUST.
It insisted on glamour shots and we indulged the dish.
If eating pasta like this means going ten miles on your elliptical, that is what you should do. But you definitely, definitely need to eat the pasta at La Gioconda.
Though we always say the entrees should be the focus of the meal, it is only because the pasta was that standout that we liked it the best; we also loved the entrees and they deserve to share the spotlight. Sourced from a local supplier, Branzino alla mediterannea is a brilliant beacon of summer. Sauteed mediterranean sea bass filet is joined by black olives, capers and tomatoes. Every bite is fresh and we were happy with the fish quality and loved the chunkiness of the tomatoes with it.
The carnivorous entree we selected was the Brasato di bue con risotto: braised short rib from New Zealand is divine in red wine with truffle oil risotto in the middle. This classic secondi is sure to impress you with the superlative quality of the rib especially when you consider its sauce. Your fork cannot pass go and collect $200 without putting some risotto on your fork with the rib because it's another smart combination. Not every restaurant we've reviewed has been open since 1994...
Before she came to La Gioconda, Peachy had her eye on Potato puree all'olio tartufato on the menu...because of course she is Irish and fixated on all things potato. We hate to say it but the Italians do potatoes better at La Gioconda with the truffle oil potatoes puree.
La Gioconda is highly focused on quality ingredients across the board and extremely detail-oriented. They made zero mistakes. Pietro knows that details matter.
La Gioconda is highly focused on quality ingredients across the board and extremely detail-oriented. They made zero mistakes. Pietro knows that details matter.
Four dessert choices await you and we chose the Panna Cotta: baked custard with balsamic reduction. Sliced strawberries help celebrate this grand finale.
If you read us closely you know who is a chocoholic with no plans for recovery. Pietro must have read us closely before we arrived. He then said does Peachy like chocolate souffle?
No. Peachy LOVES chocolate souffle, particularly at La Gioconda.
We absolutely adored the chocolate souffle!
The Italians continue to absolutely dominate the culinary columns, and it should be clear why.
(Note: Peachy is not Italian...but they certainly do great work!)
We were highly impressed with La Gioconda on our first visit and we look forward to seeing what Pietro does next.
La Gioconda, the widely used name in Italy for Leonardo Da Vinci’s Monalisa, evokes the idea of utmost classic beauty . The legendary smile of the Monalisa has, also, forever spelled on the onlookers an aura of mysteriousness.
We thought it would be a name , La Gioconda, that would best define our commitment to bring to the table a cuisine of classic Italian recipes. And, at the same time, as we bring to our customers newer and more modern versions of the ever-evolving Italian culinary panorama, we like, perhaps , perhaps, to think of our restaurant as a “Temple of Renaissance Cuisine”.
Indeed from Pastas to Dessert you will experience at La Gioconda the same feeling of merriment that the Monalisa exudes through her beautiful smile.
A tavola.
