Getting In Early: Ciano

In all my years of eating, I don't think I've ever actually been out to a restaurant's opening weekend. There almost always seem to be teething problems associated with any new restaurant so I think my lack of experience owes as much to not knowing early enough when a restaurant is about to open as it does to my not wanting to deal with cold food and sloppy service. Recently, however, my friend AO took care of the first part of the equation and got us a reservation at Ciano. The early reviews of chef Shea Gallante and the restaurant sounded promising enough for me to overcome the second half of the equation and we headed down to Gramercy for another of our regular group dinners.

I knew I was going to like Ciano the moment I walked in. The setting is delightfully rustic - wood panels and exposed brick walls add to the charm of what is already an enticing little space. In addition, the pale yellow walls, dark orange banquettes and dim lighting all combined to make for some great atmosphere. The bar area in front was already bustling, but we were shown to our table almost right as our whole party arrived - a big plus given the propensity of recent restaurants to make you "wait at the bar" even though your table is lying ready for you. AO, JW, ST (+ her friend S), AN, EA and I proceeded to follow our "model looks" hostess and sat down at a well placed table in the middle of the dining room, opposite a roaring fire and Eric Ripert (sitting right at the table in front of us).

The service at Ciano had very few things wrong with it, which was all the more impressive considering it was only the second night it had been open. Our waitress was with us almost instantly and she was an absolute delight. She seemed excited to be part of the restaurant and succeeded in making us as well. She  was careful enough to notice that not everyone on the table had had a chance to order drinks at the bar and was also considerate enough to inquire about dietary restrictions even before we ordered. The menu options were explained very well and the sommelier also did a great job of understanding and delivering on our wine preferences. The staff were always very attentive and other than the delivery of one wrong entree and a tad too much time between courses, there was really nothing to complain about.

The same could be said about the food. The meal at Ciano started with a great selection of cocktails (the prickly pear margarita was fantastic) and an excellent breadbasket, ranging from a rosemary focaccia to an olive loaf. AO proceeded to inform me that the chef was actually known for his bread making skills and it showed. Combined with some of the best olive oil I have ever tasted, AO and I got EA and JW to watch in amazement as we finished a whole bread basket (and more) among ourselves. It's not like me to waste any of my appetite on bread, but this was definitely worth it. This in spite of the fact that Ciano offers so many options, it is hard to not want to try them all. We all decided that two courses each just wasn't going to cut it and everyone ended up at the higher of the waitress' recommended range (three). Throwing in some assagini (little first courses) for good measure, we were in for a long night of eating.

How time flies when you're having fun though. The first little bite of roasted red pepper crostini was so good, it made me very glad I ordered two. The peppers were cooked perfectly and the sweetness of the jam underneath balanced the dish perfectly. The fried risotto balls "arancini" were excellent little bites too, though it made me wonder how much better it could have been with just a slight dip of marinara sauce.

Both the assagini only helped to wet my appetite for what was to come next. The salad of rainbow beets with whipped robiola, watercress and balsamic was fantastic though, given the name, I was expecting a little more variety of color among my beets. The cheese, however, was amazingly smooth and made wiping the beets through them an absolute joy. The most enticing appetizer, however, was probably one that wasn't even vegetarian. JW ordered the veal meatballs (apparently a signature dish) and when the cover of the bowl was opened, an unbelievable smell of truffle just wafted all over the table. I will not tell a lie - it made me wish I could bite into them right then and there.

Given the lack of vegetarian "secondis", my appetizer came out along with everyone else's pasta course. The crespelle (italian crepe) stuffed with ricotta, spinach, parsley and zucchini in a tomato ragu was a great dish, though was so tiny it was barely two full bites. I am not a huge fan of zucchini and that clashed a little with the spinach and cheese stuffing, but the ragu more than made up for that. In a way, I am glad that the first two courses were relatively lighter, since it left me with more than enough room for my half portion of gnocchi in black truffle butter that was to follow. The gnocchi was some of the best I have eaten - light, airy, and subtle enough that the potato was not the only taste in your mouth. I would have preferred if the black truffle would have come through a little more in the sauce, but the butter was still good enough for me to scoop all of it off my plate.

I was probably one of the only ones on the table with room left for dessert, but I think the rest of the table was glad we got around to it. The fig tart recommended by the waitress was a revelation - the tart perfectly baked and crumbly, with the fig providing a nice aftertaste. The chocolate fondente stirred more debate for the black truffle gelato it came with, but it still made for some excellent comfort dessert. In the end, we all lay stuffed, having decided the next stop on our Saturday night would have to be back home.

My uncle, AK, is always regaling me with stories of various openings he has been to and I now finally have a chance to do the same. Ciano is everything you can expect it to be and more - a beautiful dining room filled with trendy patrons accompanied with some great food and wine. The tables are already close enough to hear how the lady on the adjacent table likes her fish (no salt, no butter - no joke), and Ciano is going to have to pack them in even closer to fit all the people who are going to want to eat here. As we hung around the table, sipping on our Moscato d'Asti (on the house by means of an apology for it being the only dessert wine available), we all were sure it would be a while before we got back to Ciano - its going to be almost impossible to get a reservation here soon.

Ciano is newly opened in New York's Gramercy / Flatiron neighborhood on 45 E 22nd Street. Expensive. Veggie Friendly. Highly Recommended.
www.cianonyc.com








Photo Credit: Vogue, New York Magazine