Located in the charismatic James Hotel, Scarpetta holds court as one of Manhattan’s most reliable Italian restaurants, shouldering plenty of acclaim despite consistent competition from the likes of Torissi and the great Emilio’s Ballato.
The restaurant opened in 2008 in the Meatpacking District to instant acclaim, glowing from a three-star review in The New York Times and enjoying a strong global following ever since. Scarpetta has gone on to open a few locations across the US, including in the legendary Fontainebleau Miami (although it’s now closed). It only recently moved into the James Hotel in NoMad for a larger, slicker dining room that extends beautifully from the stately heritage hotel.
Nothing can dent the goodwill this kitchen has built up over the years. Scarpetta’s credentials rest on rich, indulgent fare and sauces so well-developed that it’s almost impossible to stop mopping them up with bread, bread and more bread. Anyone on a diet should be steering clear, but the rest of us should crowd the stylish, dimly lit dining room and be grateful that we have access to a dish as dangerously rich as that creamy polenta with fricassée of truffled mushrooms.
What’s It Like To Eat At Scarpetta?
The busy dining room is as attractive as the well-heeled locals that fling through. This is a scene. Big groups fill the dramatic dining room with laughter, dates huddle into the hushed corners, and solo diners sit at the bar picking through some heavy short rib and bone marrow agnolotti.
Order the wine first because the table will get quite crowded afterwards. A bread basket with excellent stromboli is the first to come out, but one should hold off on any temptation until the appetisers start arriving. The adage Fare la scarpetta implies. You should be using pieces of bread to mop down every last bit of wetness on each plate. You’ll know what I mean when you’ve run out of bread by the time the aforementioned $25 creamy polenta arrives. It’s a dream; heavy, impossibly rich and deliciously dark. I’m in two minds about asking for another serving and just having that for the night.
Scarpetta’s reputation may still rely on a perfect New York Times review over a decade ago. Back then I would imagine the Scarpetta of old was considered more fine dining. This here is approachable Italian food that you could have any night of the week. Fine-casual has been the trend in the culinary world for the past decade, and Scarpetta nails that pitch.
Crudo balances out everything else with light, delicate flavours. A $32 serving of diver scallops comes dressed with passionfruit caviar with green apple and preserved truffle, for example. And the beautiful flavours tell me more about the kitchen’s top-shelf produce than anything else on the menu.
I’m then confused that there’s so much hype around the kitchen’s signature $36 spaghetti with tomato and basil. It hasn’t left the menu since first opening and, from a quick scan of the dining, is the most popular order here. It’s also the most confounding, given everything else on the menu sounds much more exciting and elevated. This is simple and approachable – a mount of spaghetti folded over itself. It’s also a do-good dish, with $1 from every spaghetti going to the Food Education Fund.
However, it’s as predictable as you’d imagine. Just spaghetti with tomato and basil. And that would be fine if it was especially mind-blowing, but it’s not. Perhaps it was when it first opened. Or, on my visit, the kitchen had a rough night. But there’s just nothing particularly notable about it. Scarpetta makes a big deal out of their spaghetti. Its arrival is an occasion, a mound resting under a cloche which is then lifted at the table to reveal the famous signature. I’m not sure why.
Much more interesting is the $40 short rib and bone marrow agnolotti. As above, it’s a heavy, indulgent dish yet works perfectly with Scarpetta’s obvious love of comfort food. If pasta is your bag, forego the recommendations of spaghetti and dip straight into this show-stealer. Also on the pasta menu is a $43 duck and foie gras ravioli with a masala reduction and a $45 lobster tagliolini nero with Calabrian chilli and herbed bread crumbs.
The kitchen loves Scarpetta’s richer, more unexpected pasta dishes. So do I.
Save room for dessert as it’s another area in the kitchen clearly excels. Yet it’s all classicism here, refining New York City classics with inoffensive twists like the $20 creme fraiche cheesecake and $21 gianduja banana tart. Much like the savoury dishes, these are rich, comforting desserts. This also makes Scarpetta kind of perfect for a date night; easily one of the most romantic restaurants in New York City.
That is, the scene is not garishly overengineered as you’d expect from more showy NYC restaurants. It favours a warm and intimate setting that’s elevated by how rich and delicious the food is (if you make the right choices). More of this, please.
Highlights: Creamy polenta, short rib & bone marrow agnolotti.
Address: 88 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
The author flew to New York City on Delta Air Lines and explored the city as a guest of NYC Tourism.
