New Restaurant Alert: Calafuria at Midtown

From what I understand, Calafuria will have a small, but carefully selected menu that will not depart too far from Italian food bonafide Italians won't shy away from.

[ANTIPASTO]

At Calafuria, the bread basket comprised of warm Tuscan rolls, focaccia bread smeared with marinara pizza sauce, and focaccia bread with broccoli and anchovy bits baked in (the latter was my favorite). The antipasto had prosciutto, artichokes, olives, pecorino, salami, and pepperoncini. The salad was a mix of greens with pickled carrots and onions.

[PASTA]

The pasta course had a choice of two kinds of ravioli – a cheese one and a porcini one – in a sage and butter sauce – just like how they make it in Tuscany but not have seen anywhere else on the menu in America. It was simple and delicate but it was just absolutely perfect.

[entree]

For the meat course, I ordered a traditional dish from Livorno - filleted cod, cooked with a crispy crust that ballooned around the fish, served on a bed of stewed tomatoes and onions. The Dutch had braised short ribs cooked to delicious tenderness served with chard and squash. Both were outstanding.

[DESSERT]

For the sweet finish, we had Chantilly cream topped with a pineapple granita (shaved ice) which was striking in both its simplicity and perfection.

It is also noteworthy that Chef Tim Magee has spent four months working at Noma (yes, THAT Noma in Copenhagen, deemed the best restaurant in the world for three years), although they seemed to downplay that truly remarkable piece of information perhaps to earn the merit of being called good instead of being called so by virtue of association. And woven in Calafuria’s vision is hosting intimate monthly popups of 15-course Scandinavian-style dinners, all unprecedented in the area.

Mille grazie, Calafuria! At a time we can’t be in Italy, you have brought Italy (and perhaps soon, Copenhagen)to us.

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CALAFURIA is located at 725 Center Street, where Villa Donato used to be.

They will be open to the public for lunch beginning March 29th,

and for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays only, beginning April 1st.

Follow Calafuria on Facebook here.

For my previous blog posts on Tuscany and the rest of Italy, click here.

#food #renotahoe