After just arriving back in the city this past Sunday, from a trip back home to Illinois, I have to say I was not ready to be back so soon...something about that fresh air and those rolling hills that kept pulling at my heart strings (especially as I sat in a massive cab line at midnight, dead tired from the trip).
Enter Nanni's...a true gem of an old-school Italian restaurant in midtown Manhattan. "Authentic" doesn't even begin to describe it. We were instantly charmed by our waiter, Gino, who refused to let us open our menus without hearing the specials first. And let's be honest, at a place like this, YOU ORDER THE SPECIALS. He went through them with grandeur, explaining details and telling stories of the "old country" along the way (the peas were fresh in from Belgium in case you were wandering). I was so fascinated by him that I just wanted him to pick an entree for me... I mean, I couldn’t possibly know what’s amazing, so why not handover that responsibility to the expert?
For starters he suggested some angel hair pasta, spinach and fresh ricotta ravioli topped with their famous Nanni sauce (which was a beautiful vodka sauce with fresh prosciutto, garlic, peas, and tomatoes…YUM). Just explaining it here doesn't sound exciting at all, but I simply cannot convey the decadent, yet soft flavor this dish had...I wanted to lick my plate, but I had to refrain as my main course was coming out soon.
I don't know what spell this place has on you, but it literally seems at every turn, there is fresh food in front of you and your glass never reaches the half-empty point. It was either that or the Nanni sauce and Pinot Grigio I was drinking had magical powers (maybe a mix of both?). Actually, in my experience, you know it's a "real" Italian place when they just start serving food without asking what you want. My first trip to NYC back in college, my friend and I wound up at this hole in the wall place in Little Italy and they refused to give us a menu. We were skeptical at first, but everything they kept piling on our plates was so scrumptious, we couldn't take a moment to comment! Ergo, why I just let Gino decide what I would be having for dinner...
The entrees floated out from the kitchen with lingering smells of olive oil and garlic...Silvo the chef even came out at one point to great us and ask about our meals. Among us we got soft-shell crab and chicken in a more tomato-based Nanni sauce. Again, simple words cannot express the fresh flavors wreaking form these foods. Perfectly cooked chicken that I was not allowed to cut with a knife or it would be sent back, three mini soft-shell crabs soaked in garlic, lemon, butter and topped with various Italian seasoning...a treat for the eyes and mouth :) It was all so delightful that I do believe a quiet “hush” fell over the crowd at one point.
Feeling pretty plump and stupid happy by the end of the meal, I didn't think there could possibly be anything else to impress me, but yet again I was wrong. As most of you know, Paul is Eastern European, so I have come to take quite a liking to espresso. It sounds like a simple thing, yet it can so easily taste awful. Their espresso was so smooth and tasty that I wanted to gulp down a large glass full! If I hadn't been in such food comma, I would have asked how they made it (I guarantee it's some old-school contraption that has been around for decades). Oh and the plate of mini biscuits and biscotti was a great compliment :)
Needless to say, I was back to my love affair with New York City in no time flat upon leaving Nanni’s. I would mark this place as a definite must in your near future. Check out the site and read the reviews and as Gino said when asked his name..."You go to the site, you only see one name." Just in case I forget it... Enjoy!
