Setacci

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Setacci

Photo: Cititour.com

Contact Info:

Address: 420 Hudson St
City: New York, NY
Zip: 10014
map: View the Map
Phone: (212) 675-0810

Food Info:

Cuisine: Italian

Cititour Review:

The beautiful, relatively peaceful streets of the tree-lined West Village have long been reason enough for me to dream of moving there -- while the neighborhood’s many fine restaurants have been another. Should I win the lottery and have my dream come true, you’ll probably find me hanging out at Setacci, a charming new eatery on Hudson Street with a really nice sidewalk café that is ideal for people watching. Not that eating indoors is the booby prize. Far from it. Interior designer John La Polla, working with owners Joseph D’Angelo and Lisa Cannistraci, has created a very soothing and comfortable space, decorated primarily in elegant shades of pistachio and chocolate brown. Tables are generously spaced, so you can actually have a private conversation. There’s also a small bar area if you just want to have a cocktail, like the special ginger-and-pear martini that was being offered on our visit. D’Angelo, who is the executive chef, is a veteran of Union Square and Esca, and co-owner of Spigolo, the hot-hot Upper East Side Italian restaurant. That pedigree is evident in the first-rate food that emerges from the kitchen. You expect nothing less than excellent crudo, and you won’t be disappointed in either the delicate striped bass or the more mouth-filling salmon, both topped with fleur de sel. A pair of house-cured sardines is exemplary, as is the accompanying mound of couscous studded with golden raisins. D’Angelo’s grilled shrimp, another appetizer, are flawless. My favorite dish on the menu, ironically, turned out to be the one I picked for my dining partner: Ricotta-filled gnocchi. They were extraordinary light and pillowy, the cheese was perfectly balanced, and the fresh tomato sauce seemed to come from some backyard garden. Our other pasta selection, fava-bean ravioli topped with hazelnuts and trumpet mushrooms, was an interesting interplay of tastes and textures. (D’Angelo told me later that he’s still working on the dish.) The house’s expertise with fish was proved once again by a delicious roasted cod. Far heartier were two slices of rolled breast of veal, stuffed with herbs and prosciutto, and served alongside soft polenta and escarole -- a dish I enjoyed but would find even more satisfying in the winter. The same could be said of the fine warm chocolate cake, which gets a slight twist by the three kumquats also on the place. But I’d be thrilled with the kitchen’s tiramisu any month. Unlike so many dry and cake-y versions around town, Setacci serves up a thin disk of generously soaked sponge cake topped with perfectly creamy mascarpone. I was prepared to have just one bite, and ended up just leaving over one bite instead.

 

Review By: Brian Scott Lipton

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