Salumeria Rosi

Mama and Papa Hippo came to town. So where does one go with their loving parents but Salumeria Rosi.While we sipped on campari's the waiter guided us through the menu. It was a little overwhelming with all of the Italian. Luckily I am fluent in the language of pointing and guessing so we were fine. By the time we finished our aperitifs we moved on to a red wine. It was Italian, that's all I know. Here is the culinary journey we immersed ourselves in:

Selezione del Salumiere - we got a board full of many meats. Salami, mortadella, prosciutto etc. I'll have to check with Papa Hippo on this one. He was very excited for the meats.

Pontormo

Chef Cesare's signature salad of a soft scrambled egg, guanciale, pancetta, and market greens.

Porchetta

Porchetta sandwich with provolone, N.Y. pickles and Calabrese bomba sauce.

Lasagna

Famous lasagna with pork and beef ragu and béchamel sauce.
(do it)

Gnocchi

Hand-rolled fresh sweet potato gnocchi with sage, roasted garlic and Pecorino Romano D.O.P.
(We also got the gnocchi of the day...maybe there was fennel involved? This is why we write things down. Oh well)

Pepolino

Artisanal pasta with Cesare's Mamma's pomarola sauce thyme and fresh Pecorino Romano D.O.P.

Panna Cotta

Seasonal panna cotta with fruit

Budino Di Pane

Bread pudding of the day (yesssssssssss)

Torta Di Ricotta

Italian ricotta cheesecake with whipped cream

The Lasagna and Gnocchi were superb. Everything is served on little dishes or one or to share with your group. We split everything and were quite full at the end of our meal. This is when I'm happy I live in NYC and can walk everywhere rather then get in a car and have a ball of food ruminating in my intestine. Chef Cesare Casella was not in the restaurant but the smell of rosemary was ever present as sprigs were tucked in our napkins upon our arrival. The black, reflective walls provided an intimate ambiance with an odd sculpture of Italy ominously hugging the center of the ceiling and the center wall. I could see returning to get a light pick-me-up dish or two. And the bread pudding.

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