It was yet another delicious and fun monthly dinner with my oldest friends. This one fell the day before our first May birthday, Kate’s birthday. Normally we combine the May birthdays and the July birthdays. Our fifth, a December baby, gets a dinner all to her own. However, at this dinner Kate suggested we separate our monthly dinners from our birthday dinners moving forward. This way, if there is nothing else on each of our birthdays, we can look forward to coming together to celebrate each other. She’s “wicked smaht!”
So in the spirit of our new modus operandi, the group got together the day before my birthday to celebrate. Our dining locale would be the new New York City home for celebrity chef Scott Conant, Impero Caffé, in the new Innside Hotel in Chelsea (@impero_caffe, 132 W. 27th St., 917-409-5171, www.imperorestaurants.com). The space is open, clean and modern. If you didn’t know you were in New York City, you might take it for Miami even.
While the ladies were embracing the wine selection, I got right down to a birthday cocktail. It would be the Mulo of Poseidon—vodka, cucumber, grapefruit, ginger and lime. All of my faves together in one refreshing libation says birthday to me! Cin cin!
For our appetizers we started with hamachi crudo with citrus, pistachio, ginger and chili and olive oil-poached octopus with tomatoes, capers and fingerling potatoes. Straightforward, and who doesn’t love properly prepared octopus? However, my appetizer highlights were smoked maitake mushrooms in truffle sugo (sauce) gently spooned over the most unctuous buttery polenta and my favorite Scott Conant dish, next to his simple but delicious pasta al pomodoro, fritto misto. That is delicately battered and fried calamari, rock shrimp and seasonal vegetables. At the now closed Scarpetta (RIP), his fritto misto and a glass of crisp white wine were all I needed.
The chef then sent out a special intermezzo (a between-course snack … just in case you need a post-appetizer/pre-entrée appy) of diver scallops with snap peas and morel mushrooms … MOREL! That was super delicious. Thank you chef!
For our entrées, we all decided to go with one of the handmade pasta dishes. There was squid ink campanelle with baby squid, clams and mussels, paccheri with pork ragu and caciocavallo cheese, tagliatelle with swiss chard, maitake mushrooms and smoked goat cheese, and I had the cavatelli with braised duck and black truffle sugo. Each had its own unique flavor profile, captivating the palate with each bite.
We also must mention the sides at the table. Broccoli rabe played nice with some guanciale (pork jowl) and spicy peperoncino. Loved their take on seasonal salt-baked sunchokes with nutty pecorino cheese and honey. That salty-sweet combination works well with the earthy tuber!
And for dessert, a petite smorgasbord of sweets! Now, follow that sweet tooth right to my blog at www.TalkingSCHOP.wordpress.com to see what Impero Caffé laid out before us!
Happy birthday to me and all my Gemini sisters and brothers!
Happy eating and thanks for reading!
Kysha Harris is a food writer, culinary producer, consultant and owner of SCHOP!, a personalized food service offering weekly and in-home entertaining packages. Questions? Comments? Requests? Feedback? Invitations! Email her at kysha@iSCHOP.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram @SCHOPgirl or on Facebook www.facebook.com/SCHOPnyc. For even more recipes, tips and food musings subscribe to her blog at www.talkingSCHOP.wordpress.com. Follow AmNewsFOOD @NYAmNewsFOOD.