For nearly thirty years, da Umberto Ristorante has been keeping gastronomy classy; serving modern-day takes on the Assante family’s classic Tuscan recipes – and the lunch I had there, recently, was as delicious as ever.

The place is immaculate in a timeless way, with clean lines and warm woods and leathers, merging the old-world with the new.  Whether the wall of wines, or the carts filled with fresh antipasto and desserts, that are brought tableside; da Umberto offers a lunch that is nothing short of sensazionale (not to mention terribly chic)!

And while my Primi of Rigatoni (sausage ragu, tomato, creamy ricotta) was delicious; it was my Secondi, the Capricciosa (pan-breaded chicken breast, bufala mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, balsamic syrup) – a specialita della casa that really set lit-up my taste-buds.  Crispy yet moist, a tad rich but totally worth every extravagant carb; the Capricciosa was so good, in fact, that I’m making it a point to lunch at da Umberto, when I’m next in New York.

As for my friends, Spencer and Andrew; they ate every morsel of their Arancini de Riso (fried rice balls) and Risotto del Giorno (rice, corn, pancetta, shrimp), and Scaloppini (veal, seasonal mushrooms, marsala, mascarpone, spinach), respectively.  As unwilling as I was to share, I can only imagine that they felt the same.

So, the next time your tummy is rumbling, in midday, and you find yourself in that magical part of New York, where Chelsea bleeds into the West Village; make your way to da Umberto Ristorante.  It’s molto bene!

da Umberto Ristorante
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Get into it!