Locande Verde

I went to Locanda Verde last night with the ladies to celebrate Alice's birthday. I had been before, but was looking forward to trying more of Andrew Carmellini's delightful Italian cuisine. The room is quite large, but they have done a great job at partitioning it so it feels like a few smaller rooms. Dark wood and low lights add to the comfortable surroundings, and the attentive, but not overbearing staff makes for an enjoyable and relaxing evening.

Before I begin, I must say that although the food was spectacular, it was overshadowed by the fact that midway during our dinner, Ed Norton and Danny DeVito were seated next to our table. And, since not only one, but two at our table have a bit of a crush on EN, it was the highlight of the evening!

Enough on that, now to the food. The menu is divided into 4 sections, Cicchetti, Antipasti, Pasta and Secondi. To start, I had to have the Lamb Sliders, one of the Chefs signature dishes. It was a grown up meatball parm sandwich with ricotta replacing the usual mozzarella and thinly sliced cucumber on the top to add a nice bit of crunch. The Warm Mushroom Salad with a poached feather ridge egg was lush, although the frisee was a bit of a distraction for some of us. Other items that I'll try on my next go around are the Blue Crab Crostino with jalapeno and tomato, Steak Tartara Piedmontese or one of my personal favorites, Burrata with pepperonta, puntarelle and fried rosemary.




Moving on the the second course, I opted for the Gigantone- giant rigatoni with Duck Caccatore and provelone picante, which was the waiters favorite, and I understand why. Substituting the usual chicken with duck added a rich, fattiness to the sauce. The Penne Pugliese elevated the average sausage and broccoli rabe combination with the addition of tomatoes and chick peas. Lucy declared the Halibut Saltimboca with sunchokes, orange and fennel pollen to be one of the best fish dishes she's had all year! And our birthday girl decided to opt for the Wood-fired Broccoli Rabe Sausage with fagioli stufato, which while mighty flavorful, consisted of too much pork and not enough broccoli rabe. The special of the night was a 48 oz. ribeye, which our neighbors were enjoying and look fabulous enough to give me food envy!

Since we were all full, we shared the Gingerbread with caramelized apples and pumpkin gelato, which was a terrific nod to the season. Also on offer are La Fantasia for Two which is a sugar addicts dream consisting of chocolate gelato, marsala gelato, tartufo di cioccolata, marsala caramel and toasted hazelnuts, as well as a Lemon Tart with buttermilk gelato and limoncello granita.

Of course, no meal is complete without wine, and I had a full bodied red, who's name escapes me (I took the receipt and now can't find it!) as well as a chilled dessert wine, which was perfect to dunk the complimentary biscotti you receive with your bill.

I look forward to may more outings to Locanda Verde, and am curious to see which celebs will be there next time!

Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St (corner of N.Moore and Greenwich)
(212) 925-3797

Prices: Cicchetti $7-12, Antipasti $12-16, Pasta $15-18, Secondi $16-26, Contori $6-7, Dessert $8-15