Torino: New Taste of Northern Italy in NY

MANGA! Linguine with Manila clams, garlic emulsion & spicy bread crumbs in a savory sauce at Torino in NYC. Photo: Courtesy of Torino

TORINO
1700 Broadway at 53rd Street
New York, NY
212-757-2233, www.torinoitalian.com

By Scott Harrah

Torino is a welcome Italian surprise in Midtown, within walking distance to all Broadway theaters and near the Sheraton Hotel. The owners of French restaurant Maison closed the place down and reopened as this casual Northern Italian restaurant in the same location last summer.

Looks can be deceiving indeed at Torino. The windows feature stacks of wine bottles and give an upscale impression to passersby. However, once inside, the black-and-white floors and curved bar-area seating remind one more of an opulent diner, but posters of such Italian icons as Sophia Loren quickly let diners know this is a trattoria.

Pricewise, this new entry in the Theater District dining scene is not for the budget-conscious (entrees range from $22 to $31, while appetizers and salads are from $9 to $18), but Torino is still reasonable and worthwhile considering the quality of the food. StageZine stopped by Torino recently and we were impressed with the variety and caliber of the food.

For appetizers, we chose the delicious burrata (fresh Italian cheese made of mozzarella and cream) and tomatoes, consisting of oven-dried tomatoes, plum tomatoes, arugula and Sicilian oregano. Next, the endive salad, which was quite different because the addition of golden pear and caramelized walnuts masked the normally bitter taste of the endive with the right amount of sweetness, complimented by a tangy lemon-mustard dressing and gorgonzola cheese. My dining companion had the beet salad, featuring rainbow beets, avocado wedges, Greek yogurt and toasted almonds.

For the entrée, I chose the chicken Parmesan, and Torino’s version is hardly the typical New York staple of a breaded chicken cutlet topped with marinara sauce and melted mozzarella. Instead, the chicken is very lightly breaded and is covered with tiny bits of real Parmesan cheese. You really get to taste the scrumptious chicken and the Parmesan. It is topped with a mild plum tomato sauce and mozzarella.

My friend chose the rigatoni al Nero, a black pasta with fresh seafood (calamari, pink shrimp, clams, mussels) and pepperoncino. Although it had little sauce, he said it was spicy and delicious.

Torino has an excellent wine list, with wines from all over the world. I especially enjoyed a glass of Chianti that the waiter recommended.

Side dishes are a la carte. My sautéed spinach with Parmesan was simply too much to eat after finishing the hearty salad and chicken, but what I did taste was fresh and well-prepared.

We didn’t try them, but we saw many diners eating the pizza fritta, with toppings ranging from buffalo mozzarella to prosciutto.

For dessert, we tried the affogato, consisting of three scoops of mascarpone gelato, with a small cup of syrup consisting of double espresso and Amaretto Di Saronno. You use this to drizzle over the gelato. We also tried the Baba Al Rum, a nice blend of pineapple and whipped cream.

The food at Torino is incredible, and our waiter Agosto was outstanding and quite attentive, but the restaurant needs to work a bit on fine-tuning its overall service. We visited on a busy Saturday night in December when the place was packed with European tourists. Even with a reservation made several days in advance, we waited nearly half an hour, but this is somewhat understandable during the hectic holiday season. In addition, the music was way too loud, particularly on a crowded night.

Torino needs to improve its overall service logistics (seating, reservations, timing and traffic) if they expect to attract an upscale, theatergoing audience. They offer a prix fixe for $39 that includes appetizers like insalata Torino (kale, ricotta, fennel, olives and cherry tomatoes), meatball crostini (veal and beef, tomato sauce, parmesan and toasted ciabatta) and such entrees as hangar steak, oven-roasted rosemary chicken and fusilli. These are great options for the theater crowd. Hopefully Torino will streamline its service soon to accommodate people with a limited amount of time before the curtain goes up.

PARMA PIZZA: Topped with prosciutto & arugula. Photo: Courtesy of Torino

EXQUISITE ITALIAN CUISINE IN BUSY SETTING: Torino often gets packed, giving the place a diner-like feel, but the food is outstanding. Photo: Courtesy of Torino

AN ITALIAN TREAT: Burrata with prosciutto di Parma. Photo: Courtesy of Torino

TORTA DEL GIORNO: Torino has a ‘cake of the day’ on its dessert menu. This one looks delicious. Photo: Courtesy of Torino

Hours: Breakfast 8am to 11am; lunch 11am to 4pm; dinner 4pm to midnight; Happy Hour 4pm to 7pm daily at the bar; brunch 11 am to 4pm.