|
By Barbara Penny Angelakis
Photography by Manos Angelakis
Beppe
45 East 22nd Street
New York, NY 10010
212.982.8422
info@beppenyc.com
Beppe is a small unpretentious neighborhood restaurant located on East 22nd Street in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, well known for serving high quality food usually found in upscale northern Italian food emporiums. After almost 8 years at the same location, offering only lunch and dinner, Beppe has recently launched a Brunch Menu.
On the Sunday of our visit there were diners of all ages and tastes – families with small (well-behaved) children were having breakfast and mature diners were enjoying a full 3-course lunch with bottles of wine and lots of laughter.
Beppe is authentically Tuscan, from its warm Tuscany farmhouse feel, to its  traditional menu selections. The handsome dropped wood-beamed ceiling of the front room that houses reception and bar sets the Tuscan mood with soft colors of ochre and brick. Ochre colored walls continue into the open dining room but the salmon-shaded painted walls give way to natural exposed brick. The focal point of the room is an eye-high stone fireplace, which is literally highlighted by ceiling skylights and grounded with antique barn-wood, wide plank flooring. Simple wood tables and chairs with comfortable upholstered Roman striped seats in pale ochre, Black & White photographs on the walls, and recessed lighting, add to the room’s warm and homey feeling and set the tone for the meal to come. From the initial greeting to the meal service, the staff was solicitous and friendly but not overbearing and while service was prompt, we never felt rushed or uncomfortable lingering over coffee and desert.
The Brunch was fresh and delicious from start to finish and although we did not meet Executive Chef Marc Taxiera or Pastry Chef Carlos Zhagui, hats off to them for providing a memorable food experience. I began with a traditional brunch drink of Bloody Mary, flawlessly flavored with just the correct amount of spice, topped with two olives, a lemon wedge and a lime wedge, and not overbearing on the vodka… perfect on an empty stomach and to wake up sleepy taste buds. Manos choose to start with an off-dry Gujot Drusian pink Prosecco. Delicious fresh baked Tuscan style bread and extra-virgin olive oil poured at table occupied us while we read the menu.
The menu offered breakfast selections, pastas, and lunch fare, all fairly moderately priced. Egg dishes like Purgatorio, two poached eggs in a home-made tomato sauce over garlic toast and topped with Grana Padano Cheese; Mixed Mushroom and Black Truffle Frittata with melted Grana Padano Cheese; Uovo Fiorentina – Poached eggs with Speck, Spinach and hollandaise Sauce as well as Pannatone toast - Chef Marc’s answer to French Toast - were on the menu which changes seasonally according to local available ingredients. A salad selection called Inverno, organic greens tossed with shaved Grana Padano cheese, pears, Jerusalem artichokes and a tarragon vinaigrette - which the diners seated next to me raved about - and a Salsiccia of handmade pork sausage, spezie and stewed beans were among the more unusual offerings. Pastas, pizza, calzone shared the menu with Boneless beef short rib braised in Moretti Red beer and dried cherries over mashed potatoes, and large shrimp marinated with grappa and pan seared in grappa and chestnut honey served with a faro salad are just a few of the tempting entrée offerings. The menus sophistication is not surprising since Chef Marc is also the Executive Chef at the Russian Tea Room and is responsible for updating their menu when the prestigious restaurant reopened after so many years absence from the New York dining scene.
For openers we finally settled on sharing an order of floured flash fried calamari “sal e peppe” with a side of tomato marmalade. This was not your average  massive plate overflowing with previously frozen, greasy deep-fried lumpy rounds of unknown origin but was fresh and light, clearly baby calamari, not overly chewy and flavored with citrus aioli… highly recommended for the calamari lovers out there.
I choose Purgatorio for my main course while Manos selected Steak with Beppe’s specialty, Truffle Fries – fries tossed with chives, Grana Padano cheese, and Black Truffle oil. I must say both dishes were made with the best quality, freshest ingredients and beautifully plated. Manos ordered his steak black & blue and it was served just as he likes it, seared on the outside and deep red with a cool center. The meat was sliced and fanned out on the plate with a generous helping of the truffle-flavored fries. Both dishes had wonderful texture and flavor. Manos was prudent in his desert selection of in-house made apple, grape and pear sorbet but I went all out and ordered the Beppe Smore of homemade marshmallow and Valrhona chocolate ganache, with graham cracker crust topped with creamy homemade ice cream. Other selections that caught my eye were Buttermilk Pannacotta and Pumpkin Crème Brûlée.
The wine list has some very interesting bottles. Mostly high-end Italians, such as Brunello and Chianti, Vermentino and the aforementioned Prosecco. Excellent and well-priced matches for the food served.
© March 2010 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
|
