#TerrificTakeout #InauguralReview #BuonaNotte by #SalEsposito and Team #LittleItaly #Manhattan
If you look carefully through that window you can see Anna Esposito drinking a glass of Chianti with Peachy....in the most delightful way! (sung to "A Spoonful of Sugar")
Peachy's favorite Pizza Primavera
Definitely too fabulous to share...
It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we know Sal Esposito. His great-grandmother Anna was one of the pioneers of Manhattan's Little Italy and you can see her name on the building of Il Cortile, a Peachy's Pick Since 2013 and we raved about it again recently. It has a kid brother/sister across the street named Buona Notte, and this is the first time we've visited. It's not new though it is entirely new to us. The ownership team is of course led by the incomparable Sal Esposito who is dedicated to excellence.
We LOVE the Mary Poppins-esque umbrellas in the courtyard in back and who needs a spoonful of sugar when you could have a spoonful of spicy vodka sauce!
A firecracker of a start was the Calabrian Salad. There should be more of these on menus! Perfectly refreshing with nicely halved heirloom tomatoes of red, orange, yellow and green, this striking salad stepped it up with finely sliced red onions, ricotta and basil. Purely terrific!
And they listened and put the dressing on the side as we asked.
You cannot pass GO and collect $200 without trying the Fettuccini Alfredo at Buona Notte. Of the pastas we tried, it was the clearcut winner without a doubt and if we were designing the menu we'd give options to add shrimp, salmon or chicken to it.
Parmiggiano reggiano, butter and a touch of cream were in perfect proportion to one another in the ideally al dente pasta. Every item in this dish exuded quality. If you are like Peachy you will feel like you are floating on air with every bite of delight.
We love the umbrellas. Such fun!
The robust flavor of the vodka sauce is carried throughout both the Tortellini Spicy Vodka Sauce above and the Lobster Ravioli below. It is among the most spicy Italian dishes ever for us and it rivals the spiciness we know from Indian dishes. The Tortellini is homemade and the chili pepper is what gives this sauce its power. Five raviolis come to the lobster party below.
There are some enticing beef dishes on the menu that are on our culinary ambition list now however Peachy decided to go with an old time favorite, Chicken Parm for the carnivorous choice in Secondi and her favorite part of this version was the fabulous mozzarella. Look at how oozy and creamy it is and it tasted exactly as amazing as it looked. From our from the sea choice of entree we opted for the Cod Caponata, and we applaud the arrangement which was quite attractive! The seared fresh cod filet sourced from the Atlantic is joined by sicilian caponata, basil sauce and microgreens. The eggplant, red peppers and green olives were a trifecta of vegetable goodness in this dish.
We absolutely LOVED the Primavera Pizza and it was the best edible on this visit by ten miles. Homemade tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, local mushrooms, peppers, onions and basil proved that the artisan quality of such a creation is probably on Anna's speed dial up there in heaven. The super fresh crust must be made by the angels around her and it is not over or underdone and is absolutely just right.
You should not stop at one piece...and you won't be able to anyway!
The Classic Margherita was of equal perfection level without the vegetables of course. We reveled in the simplicity and sometimes, less is more. The sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil really shone in the qualitative measures of pizza accomplishment and the pillowy crust you will not be able to stop eating and we're proud to have acquired one more pizza addiction.
The Tiramisu was just as spectacular as it is across the street at Il Cortile and we look forward to seeing what Buona Notte does next.
