Ciano
45 E. 22nd Street, Flatiron, NY
Park Ave in the 20′s – home to many an upscale eatery, tailor made for the older set and prime real estate for Dinner With The Parents or Special Occasion dining. Ciano, Chef Shea Gallante’s new farm-to-table Italian restaurant, is dancing to a similar beat as the likes of Osteria Morini, Maialino and A Voce. It immediately had our attention upon entry – Steely Dan on the stereo and a raging fire place (one of the nicest we’ve seen in a Manhattan restaurant) as the centerpiece of the dining room. Not a bad way to spend your Sunday night.
We thoroughly enjoyed our meal at Ciano. While not one dish fully blew our minds, everything we ate was excellent, and it’s absolutely a restaurant we’d recommend under the proper circumstances. If I lived in the neighborhood, sitting at the bar for a glass of wine and bowl of pasta would be a regular occasion. But a full sit down meal has to be reserved for hungry times and a willingness to spend some disposable income. The four course tasting menu clocks in at $75 a head, and five course at $90. We went a la carte, probably saved a little money, and still got a nice feel for the menu. Tips? Get the meatballs; those are a must. Also, focus on the pasta and don’t miss the chicken for two. It’s fantastic.
The service leaves a lasting impression. Our server was attentive and friendly. The sommelier knew his sh*t and happy to share his knowledge without making us feel beneath him. The staff at Ciano goes that extra mile to make you feel welcome. It’s that warmth, combined with a solid menu and comfortable environment that makes you feel good about dropping some serious coin.
Food Rundown:
Arancini
Fried rice balls. Probably not worth ordering if you’re only getting one thing off the “Assaggini” section of the menu, but a fine dish to share if you’re with a big group and ordering a bunch of other stuff.
Rocket Arugula Salad
A sizable salad of arugula with smoked mozzarella, marinated grape tomatoes and red maui onion. Definitely get one of these for the table.
Burrata di Bufala
Buffalo mozzarella served with broccoli rabe pesto, onion jam and grilled country bread. You can’t go wrong with this.
Roasted Veal Meatballs
One of their signature dishes, these are two enormous balls of goodness served with creamy white polenta. Mandatory eating.
Tortellini Stuffed with Braised Short Ribs & Mushrooms
The tortellini is always on the menu, but they rotate what’s stuffed inside. We were the big winners on short rib day as this was absolutely delicious.
Malloreddus with Dungeness Crab
Overall, we were quite pleased with the rather hefty a la carte pasta serving sizes. This shell like pasta is loaded with crab and some other things (speck, bottarga di muggine) and really damn good.
Cortecce with Pasta Baby Octopus
What’s cortecce pasta look like? This. And it’s amazing. Octopus, calabria peppers, fennel and garlic bread crumbs all work together with the pasta to make up one incredible plate. We loved every bite.
Pan Roasted Atlantic Monkfish
Of all the dishes we tried, this was towards the bottom of the lust list if only because everything was so solid. The monkfish came over a vegetable gumbo with mussels. Tasty, just not too exciting.
Giannone Chicken For 2 Baked in a Clay Pot
Before the chicken is prepared, they bring it by for a little clay pot show and tell. Check it, it kind of resembles an unborn fetus. Thankfully, they take it back and plate it up, so it comes out looking beautiful. It’s an excellent chicken dish, and definitely worth the $49 if you’ve got a table full of hungry people who want a taste. Also, the menu says it’s served with ragu of hedgehogs? Awesome.
Sides
Both the spinach with garlic and the polenta were good, but not necessarily worth ten extra dollars. Especially since the entree portions are nicely sized and come with plenty of action on the plate as is.
