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February 28, 2001
- $25 AND UNDER
Locanda Vini & Olii: In an Old Apothecary, a Cure
for the Common Trattoria
By ERIC ASIMOV
WHEN I visit a restaurant for the first time, I
almost always enter believing I'm going to
enjoy my meal. But once in a while I sense that
a place is going to be special, and that's how I felt about
Locanda Vini & Olii, a mom- and-pop trattoria that opened
a month ago in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.
The beautiful space, which had been a pharmacy for 130
years, certainly contributed to this feeling. The woodwork
has been lovingly restored, and many old features have
been left intact, like small wooden apothecary drawers, set
sideways into the wall for holding supplies, and rolling
wood ladders and old counters used for a small bar and to
display desserts.
Care seems to have been given to every detail, including the overhead lights, dim enough to
create a moody ambience yet illuminating each table perfectly. The wine lists are glued to
bottles, one for white, one for red, as if they were labels.
Even so, if it were one more trattoria with the same old food, no matter how attractive, it
would provoke yawns. But Locanda's menu is full of dishes perhaps unsettling to those
expecting the standard issue. Clearly, it is the personal expression of the owners, François
Louy, from Milan, who was a manager for the Cipriani restaurants, and his wife, Catherine
de Zagon Louy, from Florence, who was a manager at Balthazar.
Starting with the fragrant Tuscan bread, made without salt, the Louys do things their own
way. Instead of a dish of olive oil, they set out arugula blended with pine nuts and oil like a
pesto, nicely bitter and just right with the bread.
Appetizers may be as unexpected as tongue marinated in white wine and herbs, boiled, thinly
sliced and sautéed until mellow and nutty and served with a parsley sauce ($7). Or bresaola
with pears ($7.75), a play on prosciutto with melon using fine air- dried beef and an
unsweetened pear sauce. Shrimp are served with wonderful chickpeas flavored with
rosemary ($8).
Some appetizers are meant to be shared, like the seafood charcuterie ($12), which includes
thick rounds of soft tuna sausage and tender, paper- thin slices of octopus, or slices of
venison cacciatorino ($10), an intense hard salami served with earthy chicken liver crostini.
Superb choices abound among the pastas, which are almost all made by Luigi Ghidetti, who
shares chef duties with Michele Baldacci. I love the maltagliati ($8), fat strands of
carrot-colored pasta in a light ricotta sauce with soft fava beans, diced prosciutto and plenty
of sage. Little lasagna noodles made with chestnut flour go beautifully with a chickpea and
sausage sauce ($9), as does penne with a creamy walnut sauce ($8.50) and guitar-string
pasta with a Sicilian sauce of mashed sardine, dill and raisins ($9.50).
Not quite as exciting but still delicious are fat ropes of pici, an eggless pasta, with porcini
mushroom sauce ($8), and pappardelle with a robust duck ragù ($9).
Beyond pasta, Locanda offers a small, changing selection of main courses like tender braised
pork ribs ($14), with roasted potatoes, or excellent braised lamb ($16), baked in a small
round bread.
The small list of wines includes some excellent choices from little- known producers,
including Barbera del Monferrato from Accornero ($22) and a light but flavorful red from
Ercole Velenosi ($26) in the Marches. Mr. Louy eagerly makes recommendations.
Desserts ($5) may be the weak link, yet they too are enticing. A dense chocolate tart was too
dry, but I loved ricotta-and-almond cheesecake flavored with rose water, and the best dessert
may have been the simplest: small circular biscotti, flavored with anise and barely sweet.
It's a thrill to find a restaurant like Locanda Vini & Olii, where decisions are not made
according to formula and marketing concerns. Passion rules here, and it is evident in almost
every bite.
Locanda Vini & Olii
129 Gates Avenue at Cambridge Place, Clinton Hill, Brooklyn; (718) 622-9202.
BEST DISHES: Tongue with parsley sauce, bresaola with pears, shrimp with chickpeas,
seafood charcuterie, venison cacciatorino, carrot maltagliata, chestnut lasagnette, penne with
walnut sauce, pasta con le sarde, pappardelle with duck ragù, pici with porcinis, braised pork
ribs, braised lamb, ricotta cheesecake with rose water, biscotti.
PRICE RANGE: Appetizers, $5 to $8; main courses, $6 to $16.
CREDIT CARDS: Cash only.
HOURS: Tuesday through Thursday, 6 to 10:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, to 11:30;
Sunday, to 10. Closed Monday.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Two steps at entrance; restroom is narrow.
Catherine and Francois Louy are friends of mine who just opened a trattoria called Locanda Vini & Olii in Clinton Place, Bklyn. Any body know what train gets you there ?
next hot spot??!! and check out Alchemy Suite on side (no pictures yet:>(
had lunch here recently for the first time in at least 5 years and it was so yummy that its time for a full blown special dinner
While we're waiting on a response from Wheel regarding French Chef gone Veggie, and I can't think of anything to say about the recent arrival of my free (even for the unasking, apparently) National Rifle Association membership card, I wanted to mention that today in New Orleans I was in a garage on that cul-de-sac in the sedately monied gated community of English Turn, and on this cul-de-sac two of the seven? homes are owned by the rap music producing brothers who call themselves the Cash Money Millionaires, and while I only had to paint a small part of the garage ceiling I was therefore left with a considerable piece of time in this comfortable if somewhat staid environment, with its natural looking man-made pond, to stand about in the driveway and ponder what an outlandish mix of people we Americans are (and then briefly I was to notice that of the many vehicles in one of the Cash Money driveways there was that same dowdy looking late model Cadillac those incognito Rices were driving last week), and then I went back into the garage to make sure I had wiped up the spilt paint and to once again check the (yep, still) locked door of the Eurocooler? wine refrigerator because I had wanted to check some labels to throw at the Wheel for identification (so I could pretend to know something about wine should I ever make the "A" list of invitees to important NRA functions), but in the end all I can ask him is this--56 degrees, is that about the right temperature to keep your wines? I have also been ruminating recently about the mustard greens vs. barbeque ribs issue, and am on the ready if need be to discuss that also.
I forgot to take the paper home with me, but the NY Times weekend section has a big article on a 3 star French Chef who has gone veggie, much to the horror of French people everywhere. Do you know about this Wheel?
again in the french vein, everything i and others have tried has been taste-e and now five locations** Le Pain Quotidien ** 833 Lexington Avenue (between 63rd and 64th street,1131 Madison Avenue (between 84th and 85th street), 100 Grand Street (near corner of Mercer Street), 1336 First Avenue (between East 71st and 72nd), 50 West 72nd Street (between Colombus & Central park West)--bring home a bag of granola!!
need very impressive dessert's or other snack's french--la bergamote 169 9th ave near 20th
Ted Nugent Sued Over Dinner And A Show
Jan 23, 2001, 10:15 am PT
A Lincoln, Neb. couple is suing Ted Nugent in Lancaster County, Neb.
Court for allegedly dropping the ball on an Internet auction in which
they paid $1,535 for dinner with the rocker and front-row seats to one
of his concerts, according to the Associated Press.
Ron and Krishelle Bennett won an eBay Internet auction which allegedly
gave them unrestricted backstage passes and front-row seats to Nugent's
Aug. 25, 2000 concert at Sandstone Amphitheater in Bonner Springs, Kan.,
as well as a sit-down dinner with the singer-guitarist.
,br>
In the lawsuit, filed Monday (Jan. 22), the couple has alleged that they
only received limited access backstage passes, seats that were 30 rows
back from the front row, and that Nugent did not join them for dinner but
rather only spoke briefly with the couple before the show.
"This guy was my hero," said Ron Bennett, as quoted by the Associated
Press. "I was thrilled to see him, and he basically destroyed my entire
belief in rock and roll."
The Bennetts are suing for fraud and breach of contract, seeking an
unspecified amount in damages.
I'm having a hell of a time getting around the net today, so no link, But. In todays NYT Dining out section za article by Amanda Hesser "So you think your kitchen is small?" on vest pocket restaurants featuring Caviar Russe, Prune, Tasting Room and 71 Clinton FF. lotza pics (including Wylie) and tips (learn to use a whisp, they use less counter space than a mixer) for your own small kitchenz. Also a wine article called "The Rinse Cycle".
Ok, fuckit, a link.
Grand Sichuan Int'l Midtown has been open for some months now @ 745 9th Ave--they just added another page of new dishes--now it has two different menu's from its sister at 24th/9th Ave--BYOB & cripy fried eel rules!!
Lupa is still one of new yorks finest--the pasta with pecorino and black pepper is so f'in yummy and the tuna belly course still stay's on my mind days later--two bottles of wine and 4 dishes cost $108 with the tax!!
just returned from my second meal at "A Salt and Battery"
112 Greenwich Ave (owned by Tea & Sympathy)--so far so great--fresh fish with a wonderful batter--have still to try the chips, mushy peas, baked beans, and deep fried beets--dont think i am ready yet for the deep fried mars bar...
"Did beer come before bread? To answer the question scholars helped
concoct a Mesopotamian brew from a 3,800-year-old recipe etched in
clay."
carnival italian stylie
how's got cable?? Door Knock Dinners featuring Morimoto and Michiba: The New York Special, aired in June of 2000 on the
Food Network, featured a half hour segment with Michiba and Morimoto participating in a Door Knock Dinner (they
attempt to make a meal out of what's in a surprised person's fridge). The segment will be aired on Food Network on
Friday, December 29 at 6 and 9pm (PT) and again on Saturday, December 30 at 4:30pm (PT).
yahoo to Saveur again / in the current issue The Saveur 100 / #96 SMARTEST "Thing to Leave Out of Wine" 'What was it we liked so much about the 1999 Brander Sauvignon au Natural from Santa Barbera county? The luscious fruit? The steely elegance? Sure-but what we really liked about it was NO OAK. Oak in wine is like garlic in cooking-a little bit adds flavor ; a lot ruins it. Winemakers of the world: tone down the oak or just forget it all together!'
if any one needs a great wine list and is near Watertown/Waltham go to Il Capriccio 888 main st Waltham 7818942234 --the list is long well thought out and not too expensive--the food heavy but nice w/ veggies, salads and other lighter foods good