#InauguralReview #GNOCCO @GnoccoNY by #GianLucaGiovanetti Since 2000 337 East 10th Street Manhattan
GNOCCHI with BLACK TRUFFLES!!!!
Once upon a time near Modena, Italy in Emilio Romagna there was a wonderful small village named Carpi, and though he once had a restaurant in Italy, Gian Luca Giovanetti made Carpi's loss New York's gain and opened Gnocco in 2000. We found it to be quite off the beaten path and Peachy felt like Christopher Columbus discovering this gem, which we visited for the first time.
Gian Luca is the Founder, Executive Chef and Owner and was completely delightful!
We were also happy to meet his Sous Chef, Claudio Prampolini and his musically-inclined son, Leo.
We're told everything at Gnocco is made from scratch, and there are 74 coveted seats.
Why did we love it? Let us count the ways.
We were graciously greeted with fresh water and server Carissa Kauffman was brilliant and on the ball.
Octopus Carpaccio was an inventive take on a standard Italian appetizer of Octopus. It was light and beautiful with amazing texture and flavor. The gorgeous arrangement announced that Gnocco is in it to win it and fifteen years is way too long for us to have taken to come here for the first time. Shaved celery, pink peppercorns and lemon vinaigrette up their game. Red beet salad is a lovely beacon of nutrition and they put the dressing on the side, 12 year balsamic and evoo/6 year basamic for Ms. Pretty Picky who likes to apply salad dressing herself. Note that usually goat cheese arrives in style here but she is not friends with anyone's goat cheese. Golden raisins and pine nuts waltz with robust, flavorful red beets in baby spinach and mint. Perfection!
From every angle, the Salmon Carpaccio is a clearcut winner and it's freshness wowed us tremendously. We might have liked it even more than the octopus and reveled in the fresh salmon with fennel, cucumber, corn, pink peppercorn and lemon vinaigrette. You ought to march yourself over to Gnocco before it gets cold because these dishes are great in warm weather especially.
Peachy Deegan is an avid burrata enthusiast, and the edition at Gnocco measures up. Our commitment to pay hommage to Burrata at the Best Italian venues continues here especially considering the absolutely knockout Pesto that comes with it. We do not normally go wild for Pesto, but we went wild for THIS PESTO. Apparently there are no pinenuts: basil, evoo and garlic make it a champ.
Neither words nor pictures can approach the supreme majesty of Gnocchi Con Tartufo Nero.
Gian Luca told us it's made with real potato, which we did note as Peachy is a total potato advocate being Irish especially, and it is a home run in your stomach with both the superlative black summer truffle and the parmigiano reggiano. This was our favorite item of the review and it had a very short life in close proximity to Peachy and her fork. Actions speak louder than words, readers! You need this in your life today.
What is a Gnocco anyway you might ask?
What is a Gnocco anyway you might ask?
This:
It's a fried dough, and has a wonderful crispy quality. It's often found with Italian cold cuts.
Branzino here arrives in style with a mix of authentic Italian olives: cerignola red (Puglia), Black Taggiasche, Calvestrano and Gaeta. The sidekick seafood includes succulent shrimp and flavorful mussels complete with their juice. Grape tomatoes, garlic, parsley, basil and potatoes also set this off wonderfully. It's an entree that all seafood lovers will love. If you are more carnivorous, Rollo di Pollo with Thyme on top is a terrific choice. Chicken is rolled with spinach and caciocavallo; it perches on a delicious mountain of mashed potato and carrots and broccoli add color and nutrition.
We cleansed our palate.
Normally if we think of Eggplant Parm, we think ok, sounds good. But it isn't spectacular at many places: it is often good. Well we have news for you because at Gnocco it is spectacular and if you are a vegetarian this has got your name all over it!!! It's a main course and eggplant has never tasted so good. The sauce brings it to the upper echelons of flavor, as it does with the meatballs below, the final firework. Meatballs are equally one-third of pork, veal and beef and they are just what your little heart desires to light up your life.
Gian Luca Giovanetti and his team are amazing and we can't wait to see what they do next!
