Osteria 57......A Little Romance in the West Village

Restaurant Critique

Osteria 57

57 West 10th Street New York, NY

Pamela Goldman

Photos: Gerald Feldman

Patch.com

Entrepreneur Emanuale Nigro opened Osteria 57’s doors in 2017. Still in his 30’s his dream

has always been the belief that “What we eat and drink as well as our surrounding

atmosphere can facilitate and support the flourishing of our souls.” Thus his restaurant,

located in the heart of Manhattan’s West Village embodies such a concept. The owner is inspired

through his travels, ancient philosophy, and Ayurvedic as well as Shamanic teachings.

He believes we must attune our bodies and souls to the seasons. Being in harmony with

this, his menu provides seasonal choices inspired by what he refers to as “the medicine

wheel.” Executive Chef Ricardo Orfino looks to perfecting that balance between acidity

and richness that exalts the human soul by creating flavors with this essence in mind.

As one returning patron describes Osteria 57, “You feel like you are in a secret cafe,

hidden away on a side street in an authentic old Italian village.” Offering a unique combination

of strictly seafood and Vegetarian dishes on its menu, all ingredients are from sustainable resources. With this in mind, the owner’s hope is to entertain people from around the world with lots and lots of laughter and joy.

Upon arriving, you can’t help but notice the quaint and majestic entrance way. The building’s

facade is covered with vines and is surrounded by a collection of topiary adornments as well

as twinkling lights. Through the wooden front door, the décor is simple with personal touches

such as a small statue of an elephant with it’s trunk raised high, a symbol of good luck.

Throughout the restaurant and bar are groupings of the same exotic tiles as well as some nautical

features such as sail-rigging rope, a print of fish and book shelves with the owner’s

private collection. The restaurant is composed of several rooms, one leading into

the next, and two small bars. Dimly lit, it is definitely one of the most intimate locations

I have been to in NYC. The recipes range from classic Italian fare to some dishes with more unconventional ingredients that you would rarely see in a typical Italian kitchen. Most importantly, the restaurant respects all dietary restrictions and will adapt recipes according to the

customer’s needs. Even their sodas are organic: true blood orange soda as well as

authentic ginger ale. No Coke or Pepsi here!!!

Venturing into our supper, we shared two appetizers. Both were cool and refreshing.

The first was artichoke and avocado. This was presented by macerating cooked artichoke

blended with guacamole. This was served in a perfect circular form with arugula and large

shavings of Parmagianno Reggiano. The other dish was a thick slice of toasted bread with airy,

whipped ricotta spread on top and then a layer of fresh quartered figs. A drizzling of sweet Mandori balsamic made this dish perfection.

For my partner's main course, he ordered Fettucine al Nero Di Seppia. This consisted

of home made squid ink noodles, shrimp, mussels, clams, octopus and cherry tomatoes.

The only problem was that it was too good for there not to be more! The flavor was simply

exquisite. Although I am not a vegetarian, I ordered an award-winning dish for which

Osteria 57 is well known. The Bucatini Cashew/Kombu. Bucatini is a long pasta which is

cylindrical and hollowed out. It was covered with a Mediterranean pesto, of which the precise

ingredients were hard to identify, yet lent the dish a very unique earthy flavor. (In fact all of

the dishes had that same earthy essence.)

The crowds and smiles kept pouring into the place until it was jam-packed. We didn’t

stay for dessert because of the noise level and a bit of claustrophobic tendencies I personally

have. Although good for business, here is a fair warning: On a Thursday night, if

you want a fairly peaceful, quiet dinner, reserve your table before 8 pm. Osteria 57

is and will continue to be a hot spot and except for the unexpected flooding of people and

level of noise, almost a perfect score for a cozy November night in the West Village.

Mangia!