Siena @sienathirdave by Emir Mrkulic and Russ Sujak Inaugural Review #WhomYouKnow @ManhattanPeachy #PeachyDeegan
Grilled Beef Short Ribs to die for!
Owner Russ Sujak
Pistachio Pesto where have you been all our life?
In the last nine and a half years of doing this, we have found few new-to-us restaurants that are truly competitive with those that we have featured for years on end (see Grifone, earlier.) Recently, of all of the restaurants we've visited new to us, Siena stands out as the best newcomer. Opened in May 2017 by cousins Emir Mrkulic and Russ Sujak, both born in the USA with family origins in Montenegro, Siena is a true delight to discover on the Upper East Side, the best part of town without a doubt. It's named after the region of Italy and it is their first restaurant and while many locals frequent this venue, visitors are equally welcome. Tim Ryan is at the helm as Executive Chef. We were welcomed with bottled water and bread.
There are three salad choices: Tricolore is what we chose and it is exactly what we are looking for in a salad. Arugula, Endive, Radicchio, Shaved Parmesean and Balsamic make a great classic start. We would however like to see more salad choices. We had the salad straight but you can add one of four protein components if you wish.
The Grilled Salmon was our fish entree of choice, and it was a strong presentation. Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Caramelized Onions up its quality, and what we really loved and found extraordinary was the pistachio pesto. We almost never find anything new we like as much as this pistachio pesto which really elevated the quality salmon.
You have to try this.
We are proponents of eating green vegetables and you know restaurants can make them more deliciously than you can! The Brussels Sprouts are perfectly halved and sauteed.
Looking at our notes, Peachy put four stars by this dish. Usually we don't star anything at all. We love love love ribs and when they are done correctly, we like beef ribs better than pork ribs. We also like steak better than pork, surprise surprise. Few restaurants can do beef ribs well, and Siena knocked this out of the park. This is a home run entree. We hope they keep this up. Sourced from Kerby's, the Grilled Beef Ribs not only are massively delicious but also are presented with style and class. They are extremely tender to cut into. There's no bone, so less work for you. Roasted potatoes, mushroom, cippolini onions, and porcini mushroom sauce wonderfully round out the plate. If we had three thumbs, this would be three thumbs up. As always, pictures are never edited. They do look exactly this fantastic.
Glamour shot:
Another smile from the carnivorous entree:
The made-on-premises pasta is a strong suit we discovered at Siena. Fussili is ridiculously creamy in the best way possible. We love creamy. Wild mushrooms, asparagus, roasted tomatoes and high quality pasta luxuriate in a decadent truffle fontina sauce that is simply amazing. You will eat every last bite of the sauce says the girl that does not like most sauces.
Under Piatti Piccoli, Russ suggested we try the Grilled Octopus.
It was another winner: arugula, tomato, white bean, garlic and white wine bring out the seafood specialty that is grilled just right, we can verify. Good year tires belong on your Corvette, not on your dinner plate. The octopus has zero rubbery qualities at Siena.
Another clearcut seafood triumph at Siena is the lobster ravioli. Delivered from Maine Sea Fresh four times a week, the lobster is EVEN BETTER with our favorite lump crab meat in a pink lobster sauce that sings the song of summer even when the heat has to go on in May in Manhattan. All pasta is made on premises every day and you are going to give it applause from your stomach. You know you wish you were eating this right now.
You must eat your greens if you want dessert! From the Sauteed Broccoli Rabe, a delightful Verdure that should accompany each entree to the Blueberry Tart made on premises, Siena has proven to be impressive on our one visit and we look forward to seeing what they do next.
