Southern Italian Flare From A ‘Top Chef’ Winner Is Being Served In This Seaside-Esque NYC Space
We bet you wouldn’t think stepping down into this subterranean West Village space would make you feel like you just stepped off the plane in Sicily, but then again this is NYC, and, well, here we are.
Top Chef winner Harold Dieterle and Alexandra Shapiro, owner of UES tavern Hoexters and Flex Mussels, have teamed up to open an aged seafood-focused Southern Italian spot in a breezy West Village basement reminiscent of 1970s Sicily.
Dubbed Il Totano, aptly translating to “the squid,” coastal Italian vibes are woven throughout the entire space right down to the spiral seashell sconces. Even the walls make you feel like you’re sitting seaside. And the vibes only makes sense as, according to Eater, Dieterle says he was “doing a lot of fishing” during the pandemic.
And from that fishing came dry aging–the focal point of the restaurant. There’s even a dry-aging fridge in the dining room!
The seasonal menu starts out with four different types of crudo–Diver Sea Scallop, Dry Aged Kona Kampachi, Dry Aged Bluefin Tuna, and Coal-Kissed Arctic Char–before moving onto antipasti such as Crispy Baby Calamari Salad and Grilled Royal Red Shrimp.
Larger dishes include Buccatini Con Sarde, Spicy Duck Meatballs & Mint Cavatelli, Roasted San Pietro Fish, and Grilled Dry Aged Branzino.
As for the drinks, their 80s-cartoon-inspired cocktail menu truly is what dreams are made of.
Libations include the Bitter Guiseppi, made with Chaparral liqueur, orange, and grapefruit, the Rainbow Brite, made with New World Gin, Bitter Bianco, Bianco Vermouth, and cucumber, and the Pinky & The Brain, made with Blanco tequila, Aperitivo, red bell pepper, lemon, and Alma Tepec Pasilla.
Il Totano has been transporting guests the salty beaches of Sicily since late May, and if you can’t quite afford the #EuroSummer this is most definitely the next best thing.
Learn more and make reservations here.
154 West 13th St., near Seventh Avenue
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