So yesterday I got lucky with a last-minute table at Torrisi, a one star Italian in New York.
Reviews of this restaurant are overwhelmingly positive, so I had high expectations. Rarely I’ve seen a restaurant get so many great reviews.
The service and ambiance are incredible. Great service all around and an atmosphere that immediately makes you feel like you’ll have a great night.
Here’s what we ordered
– Cucumbers: I wouldn’t normally order this but heard great things about it. Too much cilantro for my taste.
– Bao: off-menu special. Perfect bao, but the meat was a bit too greasy. Felt like it missed the mark on the Italian twist they could’ve given it.
– Spaghetti with lamb all’amatriciana: A bit more spicy than the classic all’amatriciana. I like spicy food so that isn’t an issue but it completely killed the taste of the lamb, which was also too fat and cut in squares that made it look unconventional.
– Capellini Cantonese: good lobster, bland pasta.
To be fair, I really don’t think I had the experience most people have. Maybe something was off yesterday. If you’ve eaten at average italians in cities like São Paulo or Rome, it really makes you question what the hype is all about around this one.
How was your experience at Torrisi? Should I give it another shot?
by ebsalberto
8 Comments
From pictures alone the first two courses look way too wet and the third looks bone dry.
If you decide to go again, my favorite dish there by far is the tuna crudo with pickled eggplant caponata. I did find that the dishes there were a little more “hit or miss” than I’d expect for the price. But the hits were memorably good. Also agree with your comment on the bao- for a menu that looks like fusion, many of the dishes land in either Italian or other.
The porcetta is the best thing. Idk if they have it for dinner but they have it for lunch and it’s an absolutely incredible sandwich. Ginormous though, I’d split it with someone. The rest of the stuff was solid but nothing special. Just another italian restaurant. The reality is pasta in a sauce only has so much room to be amazing. Some people love that dish and torrisi also has hype so it combines to be this place that people think is just astounding.
Honestly i had two fantastic meals there but ordered mostly different dishes. I really liked their clam boule, duck alla mulberry, and tortellini.
As much as I hate Major Food Group, I think the food here is generally exceptionally clever and very well executed. To be fair the only thing of yours that I’ve tried is the cucumbers though. The nods to the various LES communities to have interesting fusion flair (like the saffron shrimp ravioli that feel like wontons) while still having in my experience excellent fundamentals (like their tortellini pomodoro) makes it stand out from the many other good Italian places in NYC
Love this place. I’ve had some fantastic meals there with great service. It’s definitely a “vibe” restaurant but I find it shines with a group of 4 so you can order a ton of dishes. Specials tend to be bangers too.
Wow all of that looks horrible lol
None of that looks super interesting