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Story and photography by Manos Angelakis
Giovanni Ristorante Bar
47 West 55th Street
New York, NY 10019
(212) 262-2828
http://www.giovanni-restaurant.com
We first tasted the lively, flavorful dishes of talented Chef Patrick Nuti sometime ago at Osteria del Circo, a classic Italian restaurant owned by the Maccioni family of Le Cirque fame. Mr. Nuti is a proponent of straightforward, almost traditional, Tuscan cooking, but olive oil instead of butter is used in preparing numerous dishes and many of the sauces use vegetable broths as a base.
So, when we found that Chef Nuti had moved to a new restaurant, Giovanni, just a couple blocks east from the Osteria, we thought that we should visit his new venue to find out whether his dishes have materially changed, considering that Giovanni is owned by the legendary restauranteur Giovanni Francescotti.
Mr. Francescotti still personally oversees the beverage program at Giovanni that includes an extensive grappa, single-malt scotch, and port list. The list of 500 wines available by the bottle is also impressive; a list that has received the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for the past 15 years. From Italian wineries, there were in-depth verticals of Barbarescos, some excellent Barolos and Amarones, Brunellos, Chiantis and in a section named “Great Wines People don’t Care About” I saw there some favorite bottles, such as the 2001 Travaglini Gattinara Reserva and numerous Valpolicella Rippaso; I thought that section should be renamed “Great Wines People don’t Know About”. The American section of the list features a long vertical of Opus One and other Meritage wines, plus a good selection of Cabernet Sauvignons, Pinot Noirs, Merlots and Zinfandels. The French section sported classic Bordeaux, and Burgundies, including Château Margaux, Château Mouton Rothschild, Château Haut-Brion, and other well-known producers.
 The restaurant’s atmosphere is relaxed. By the entrance, a cold antipasto table reminded us of the Sardinian trattorias we had visited during our autumnal trip to that island. We were seated in the trompe l’oeil Pavilion Room, hand painted by Arturo Leone, depicting a Roman tent on the walls and cupids on the ceiling. We noticed that many of our neighboring tables conversed in Italian. The tables are well spaced to ensure privacy of conversation as well as space for the staff to easily move about. The staff is attentive but not intrusive.
The menu highlights Chef Nuti’s healthy cooking that lets the fresh flavors speak for themselves. Even his signature dish, Tagliolini verdi al ragu di Cinghiale e  Cioccolata - Spinach Tagliolini with Wild Boar Ragout and Cocoa – is lighter than similar dishes I have tasted from other chefs.
The appetizers and courses were all expertly prepared from prime ingredients. The crab cake on a bed of endive with a creamy aioli sauce that tasted a bit like a light skordalia (a Greek garlic sauce made with mashed potato, walnut paste, garlic, and homemade mayonnaise) was one of the best in the city. The veal was very tender. The dessert was just perfect.
All the food is in concert with contemporary Northern Italian cuisine. You could visit other Northern Italian restaurants in the area. But, having Chef Nuti in charge of the kitchen is all that is needed for a memorable meal.
© January 2009 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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