I was recently invited to a Press dinner at Giano, an Italian restaurant located in the East Village that opened more than 5 years ago by two Italian guys, Paolo Rossi (the wine director) and Matteo Niccoli (the Chef). They are both from Milan, but met in New York. The place is interesting: looking for sure like a wine bar, with all the bottles on the walls, they push the concept of the name in the design of the restaurant. Yes, Giano is the Italian from Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions, thence also of gates, doors, passages, endings and time.... If you carefully look at the logo of the restaurant, you will see two profiles: one looking to the past and one to the future.
The place is kind of designed the same way, with a first room that is modern (the future):
The exposed brick wall definitely adds some warmth to the place and you may notice the wine bottles
adjacent to the modern 12 foot long bar:
Note the bar top that is made from sea salt from Italy!
And the second dining room representing the past that had a more rustic feel accentuated by the wooden tables, bench and chairs.
Both rooms are separated by red ropes:
I was wondering if it was to represent the voyage between the different eras...
They also have a nice garden for approx. 20 tables, that maybe, in my own interpretation, represents the present.
At Giano, Chef Matteo Niccoli crafts an all Italian Menu, taking some traditional dishes and elevating them as you will see later in this post. I think one the main thing to know is that they make their own pasta. This is definitely a plus for an Italian restaurant (of course, they have to make them well!!!). Making boxed pasta is fine, but then you need to serve it with a killer sauce, otherwise, I can do it myself at home!!! Know that Chef Niccoli is also a pastry Chef and therefore, all desserts are made at Giano.
So, it was time for us to start, after enjoying a nice glass of Prosecco served by co-owner and wine director Paolo Rossi:
Prosecco was my drink of choice that night, but I had a look at their wine list made up of mostly Italian wines.
After having some bread and olive oil, we started with the first appetizers tasting. It was made of three dishes. The first one was Crocchette di ricotta e tonno:
The description says it all: "creamy and crunchy tuna and ricotta croquettes with arugula salad and balsamic reduction".
Oh yes: it was creamy and crunchy. If you like fish, it is a good appetizer for you because of the slightly pronounced tuna taste. But what I loved the most was this fantastic crunch!
The next dish was Polenta e Funghi:
It was a crispy polenta served with sautéed mushrooms. The mushrooms were spectacular, hearty with some delicious cheese on top. But, I did not really like the polenta: it was a bit bland and I wished it was a creamy polenta instead.
The last appetizer was Polpette al pomodoro gratinate or meatball with tomato sauce:
The meatball, made with grass fed beef, was delicious and moist. I really liked that dish. It was my favorite of all the appetizers.
After this appetizers tasting, came the pasta tasting. I was really looking for it as the pasta are made on premises! They were all place on one plate, but I admit that I started with the Gnocchi ai 4 formaggi or homemade potato gnocchi with a four cheese sauce because I love cheese! Probably a French thing!
These gnocchi were fantastic: light and not potato-y. They were bathed in a spectacular four cheese sauce that was very creamy, probably thanks to the taleggio cheese they use. The other cheeses were gorgonzola, fontina and parmesan. If like me you love cheese, this is the right choice for you.
Then, I tried a very interesting dish: Bigoli al ragu d'agnello e noci tostate or homemade medieval spaghetti with slow cooked braised lamb ragout and toasted walnut powder.
Bigoli are close to bucatini pasta, but are thicker; the other difference is that bucatini is like a tube and these were not. These pasta date from the 1400s and, at that time, were not made with eggs because eggs were used too precious and used for bartering. At that time, they were served with a ragout made of all sorts of part of animals, leftovers I would say, such as liver, heart...Well, Chef Niccoli succeeded in making it a great dish. What I truly appreciated was the fact that there was a right amount of ragu, letting this delicious pasta shine!
The last pasta dish was Tonnarelli con colatura d'alici or homemade quare spaghetti with "colatura" (anchovy sauce), panko and parsley:
This was an original dish, maybe the most original in fact, but I did not like it because of the anchovy sauce that overpowered the entire dish. I like anchovies, but it was too much for me.
Then, for the main dishes, we started off with Baccala alla livornese con polenta:
It was a pan seared cod fillet (fresh) with tiny tomatoes, black olives, capers and crispy polenta. The Chef told us that he is sometimes using salmon for the dish. I was happy to have that perfectly cooked piece of cod! It was flaky and moist, with a silky texture. I really liked eating the fish with the tomatoes, olives and capers, although I would have liked much more of it, because it complemented the fish so well. However I passed on the crispy polenta that was similar to what was served with the mushrooms in the appetizers.
The last dish before dessert was exciting considering that I love meat...
It was Filetto al balsamico con pancetta e cipolle or Balzamic glazed filet mignon served with basil mashed potatoes, crispy pancetta and braised onions.
The meatball, made with grass fed beef, was delicious and moist. I really liked that dish. It was my favorite of all the appetizers.
After this appetizers tasting, came the pasta tasting. I was really looking for it as the pasta are made on premises! They were all place on one plate, but I admit that I started with the Gnocchi ai 4 formaggi or homemade potato gnocchi with a four cheese sauce because I love cheese! Probably a French thing!
These gnocchi were fantastic: light and not potato-y. They were bathed in a spectacular four cheese sauce that was very creamy, probably thanks to the taleggio cheese they use. The other cheeses were gorgonzola, fontina and parmesan. If like me you love cheese, this is the right choice for you.
Then, I tried a very interesting dish: Bigoli al ragu d'agnello e noci tostate or homemade medieval spaghetti with slow cooked braised lamb ragout and toasted walnut powder.
Bigoli are close to bucatini pasta, but are thicker; the other difference is that bucatini is like a tube and these were not. These pasta date from the 1400s and, at that time, were not made with eggs because eggs were used too precious and used for bartering. At that time, they were served with a ragout made of all sorts of part of animals, leftovers I would say, such as liver, heart...Well, Chef Niccoli succeeded in making it a great dish. What I truly appreciated was the fact that there was a right amount of ragu, letting this delicious pasta shine!
The last pasta dish was Tonnarelli con colatura d'alici or homemade quare spaghetti with "colatura" (anchovy sauce), panko and parsley:
This was an original dish, maybe the most original in fact, but I did not like it because of the anchovy sauce that overpowered the entire dish. I like anchovies, but it was too much for me.
Then, for the main dishes, we started off with Baccala alla livornese con polenta:
It was a pan seared cod fillet (fresh) with tiny tomatoes, black olives, capers and crispy polenta. The Chef told us that he is sometimes using salmon for the dish. I was happy to have that perfectly cooked piece of cod! It was flaky and moist, with a silky texture. I really liked eating the fish with the tomatoes, olives and capers, although I would have liked much more of it, because it complemented the fish so well. However I passed on the crispy polenta that was similar to what was served with the mushrooms in the appetizers.
The last dish before dessert was exciting considering that I love meat...
It was Filetto al balsamico con pancetta e cipolle or Balzamic glazed filet mignon served with basil mashed potatoes, crispy pancetta and braised onions.
This looked really good and you could not miss the bright green color of the basil mash potatoes that was very original and delicious! Smooth texture with a fantastic basil taste. I also liked the onion and crispy pancetta that I ate with and without the steak. It had a nice sweetness and a tiny bit of smokiness.
The steak was good, juicy and tender, but slightly overcooked for me.
Last, was dessert! We got two in fact!
The one on the left was a cappuccino. It was made of homemade coffee gelato, layered wafer cookie and a ricotta, cinnamon and coffee foam.
This was a great interpretation of a cappuccino! The coffee taste was not too pronounced so if like me you like (bleed) coffee but do not always like coffee desserts, this is the perfect choice. The best part of it was the foam that was not too sweet and addictive.
On the right of the plate was the tiramisu:
This is a classic Italian dessert and if an Italian restaurant makes a bad tiramisu, it says it all! Well, the tiramisu at Giano was delicious: light, not too sweet, with enough creaminess from the mascarpone. I finished it for sure!
I was stuffed at the end of tasting! We had a great time at Giano, a restaurant with a nice atmosphere and definitely a neighborhood vibe that make that place warm and inviting.
Enjoy (I did)!
The steak was good, juicy and tender, but slightly overcooked for me.
Last, was dessert! We got two in fact!
The one on the left was a cappuccino. It was made of homemade coffee gelato, layered wafer cookie and a ricotta, cinnamon and coffee foam.
This was a great interpretation of a cappuccino! The coffee taste was not too pronounced so if like me you like (bleed) coffee but do not always like coffee desserts, this is the perfect choice. The best part of it was the foam that was not too sweet and addictive.
On the right of the plate was the tiramisu:
This is a classic Italian dessert and if an Italian restaurant makes a bad tiramisu, it says it all! Well, the tiramisu at Giano was delicious: light, not too sweet, with enough creaminess from the mascarpone. I finished it for sure!
I was stuffed at the end of tasting! We had a great time at Giano, a restaurant with a nice atmosphere and definitely a neighborhood vibe that make that place warm and inviting.
Enjoy (I did)!
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And Remember: I Just Want To Eat!
Please note that, in accordance with the FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I was contacted directly by the restaurant or a PR and that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!
Please note that, in accordance with the FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I was contacted directly by the restaurant or a PR and that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!
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