Here’s Food & Wine on Torrisi Italian Specialties 2.0, Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi’s ungodly new mash-up of the past few centuries of NYC food: Among the opening bites is a cigar-shaped gnocco fritto—an Italian fried-dough pocket—wrapped in smoked black cod and then dipped in the cod’s bright-orange roe (to simulate a cigar’s glow) and poppy seeds (to simulate ashes). “The flavor profile is very much like a New York bagel, the chew of the dough with smoked fish: Italy meets Jewish deli,” Carbone says. And the gnocco is plated on a vintage Stork Club ashtray—”so when you’re done,” he says, “you’re left with a dirty ashtray on the table.” Another bite is an oyster pierced by a Tiffany fork, but it’s a chicken oyster: that nugget of dark meat that comes off either side of the bird’s lower backbone. Torrisi says, “We poach it in beurre blanc and dip it in a Chinese oyster sauce we make, then roll it in crushed cashews—” Carbone cuts in: “—so it’s like street-cart cashews, but it’s also like chicken with cashews in a Chinese restaurant. And there’s a Delmonico’s reference, too, because Tiffany made flatware for Delmonico’s. That’s two New York institutions.” … Here’s the two of them discussing the 2.0 menu’s showpiece meat course, lamb chop Judea. Carbone: “We wanted to do Roman food through a New York lens, and the New York lens is Lower East Side Jewish.” Torrisi: “In Rome, they do lamb chops scottadito, grilled with a marinade, right? So I thought of a glaze with ‘house Manischewitz,’ because I like the flavor of Concord grapes—” Carbone: “—which are grown in New York state. And Manischewitz is based right over the river in New Jersey.” Torrisi: “But it’s my own Concord-grape reduction for the glaze, and then we spice a Pat LaFrieda shoulder chop with celery seed and coriander, coat it with crushed matzo from Streit’s and grill it hard and fast.” Carbone: “And combine it with one of the most popular dishes from the old Jewish Ghetto in Rome, artichokes fried in extra-virgin olive oil with mint.” Torrisi: “But we’re frying Jerusalem artichokes instead of regular artichokes—” Carbone: “A kind of Jewish pun.” Torrisi: “—in schmaltz instead of in olive oil. And we’re adding in shards of dried chicken skin, with fried mint leaves.” Carbone: “Mint…Rome…mint jelly with lamb.” There is also Oysters Rocafella: a freshly shucked oyster presented on a bed of crushed ice interspersed with pieces of a smashed “Ace of Spades” Champagne bottle—”Ace of Spades” being the colloquial name for Armand de Brignac, Jay-Z’s favorite brand of Champagne—then topped with Champagne foam and served with frozen Champagne grapes. Just FYI. 

Here’s Food & Wine on Torrisi Italian Specialties 2.0, Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi’s ungodly new mash-up of the past few centuries of NYC food:

Among the opening bites is a cigar-shaped gnocco fritto—an Italian fried-dough pocket—wrapped in smoked black cod and then dipped in the cod’s bright-orange roe (to simulate a cigar’s glow) and poppy seeds (to simulate ashes). “The flavor profile is very much like a New York bagel, the chew of the dough with smoked fish: Italy meets Jewish deli,” Carbone says. And the gnocco is plated on a vintage Stork Club ashtray—”so when you’re done,” he says, “you’re left with a dirty ashtray on the table.”

Another bite is an oyster pierced by a Tiffany fork, but it’s a chicken oyster: that nugget of dark meat that comes off either side of the bird’s lower backbone. Torrisi says, “We poach it in beurre blanc and dip it in a Chinese oyster sauce we make, then roll it in crushed cashews—” Carbone cuts in: “—so it’s like street-cart cashews, but it’s also like chicken with cashews in a Chinese restaurant. And there’s a Delmonico’s reference, too, because Tiffany made flatware for Delmonico’s. That’s two New York institutions.” …

Here’s the two of them discussing the 2.0 menu’s showpiece meat course, lamb chop Judea. Carbone: “We wanted to do Roman food through a New York lens, and the New York lens is Lower East Side Jewish.” Torrisi: “In Rome, they do lamb chops scottadito, grilled with a marinade, right? So I thought of a glaze with ‘house Manischewitz,’ because I like the flavor of Concord grapes—” Carbone: “—which are grown in New York state. And Manischewitz is based right over the river in New Jersey.” Torrisi: “But it’s my own Concord-grape reduction for the glaze, and then we spice a Pat LaFrieda shoulder chop with celery seed and coriander, coat it with crushed matzo from Streit’s and grill it hard and fast.” Carbone: “And combine it with one of the most popular dishes from the old Jewish Ghetto in Rome, artichokes fried in extra-virgin olive oil with mint.” Torrisi: “But we’re frying Jerusalem artichokes instead of regular artichokes—” Carbone: “A kind of Jewish pun.” Torrisi: “—in schmaltz instead of in olive oil. And we’re adding in shards of dried chicken skin, with fried mint leaves.” Carbone: “Mint…Rome…mint jelly with lamb.”

There is also Oysters Rocafella: a freshly shucked oyster presented on a bed of crushed ice interspersed with pieces of a smashed “Ace of Spades” Champagne bottle—”Ace of Spades” being the colloquial name for Armand de Brignac, Jay-Z’s favorite brand of Champagne—then topped with Champagne foam and served with frozen Champagne grapes. Just FYI. 

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