2019-08-19_The_New_Yorker

(Ann) #1

THENEWYORKER,AUGUST19, 2019 11


PHOTOGRAPH BY KRISTA SCHLUETER FOR THE NEW YORKER; ILLUSTRATION BY JOOST SWARTE


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TABLESFORTWO


Rezdôra
27 E. 20th St.

At Rezdôra, a new northern-Italian
restaurant in the Flatiron district, some
dishes have a reputation that precedes
them. On a recent Tuesday evening, a
woman thrust her phone in a host’s face
and asked if she could order a dessert
she’d seen in a Grub Street guide: La
Dolcezza d’Estate, a visually arresting
heap of fresh strawberries, strawberry
sorbet, meringue, and milk mousse. It’s
not Rezdôra’s only dish with a lyrical
name (it means “the sweetness of sum-
mer”) or its own social-media presence.
Unfortunately, the host explained, the
woman would need a reservation to ex-
perience it IRL, and they were booking
a month out.
Rezdôra’s chef, Stefano Secchi, grew
up cooking at his parents’ Italian chop-
house, in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas.
(His father has said that he chose Dallas
because the weather reminded him of
his native Sardinia.) Secchi later worked
in Modena, at Osteria Francescana and
Hosteria Giusti, two of the most beloved
restaurants in the world. Rezdôra, his
début as head chef, pays homage to this

training by showcasing the cuisine of
Emilia-Romagna, a region known for its
wealth, its legacy of anti-Fascism, and its
cheese, cured meats, and balsamic vinegar.
Pasta, ma certo, will be the main
attraction for many diners, with good
reason. Though all are worth sampling,
the stuffed versions have particular flair.
The most memorably named, Grandma
Walking Through Forest in Emilia
(rezdôra means “grandmother” in Mode-
nese dialect), pairs bright-green leek-filled
cappelletti (“little hats”) with an earthy
mushroom purée. The anolini—large, flat
sunbursts—are stuffed with beef, pork,
and salumi, and covered in a glossy Par-
migiano cream. The Aperitivo in Reggio,
tortelli that resemble striped green boats,
contains salty prosciutto and bitter chard.
But to order only pasta—for example,
the five-course tasting menu—would be
to miss the secondi, which include a beau-
tiful veal cheek in gremolata and a charred
sirloin with herb salad. (One diner re-
marked that she hadn’t eaten this much
parsley since Passover.) The highlight is
the coniglio e animelle, rabbit three ways:
tender legs, sausage, and sweetbreads,
topped with giant capers, crunchy snap
peas, and a braise sauce sweetened with
mostarda, made with apricot, pear, orange,
and mustard. If you’re lucky, you might
also catch a special of ground-rabbit ragù
with wide, wavy reginelle noodles.
The menu is admirably flexible,
changing to feature ingredients at their
seasonal peak. Mozzarella came with
anchovies on one visit and with a delicate
fried squash blossom the next; stracciatella

was paired first with white asparagus,
then with plump dark cherries. The
cipollini onions—roasted in so much
balsamic vinegar that they were barely
edible—were a rare misstep among the
many delicious vegetables. But friggione,
a simple dish of tomatoes and sweet on-
ions, was just right with fett’unta, grilled
toast smothered with olive oil and sea
salt. And gnocco fritto—airy pillows of
fried dough topped with prosciutto, mor-
tadella, and finocchiona, a fennel salami—
is always in season.
Even with a reservation, you may end
up waiting outside for a table to free up.
But, once you’re seated, the servers are
warm and touchingly enthusiastic. “For
me, this is a really special moment,” a
waiter confessed as he cut open the uovo
raviolo, set beneath a thick veil of black
truffles, to reveal an ooze of corn purée.
From the brick-lined dining room, the
kitchen, down a short ramp, is partially
visible; maybe it’s just the cinematic
golden light, but Secchi and his staff seem
to be enjoying themselves tremendously.
Those coveted strawberries are won-
derful for dessert, but you could also try
a flourless chocolate cake known as
torta Barozzi, or a creamy, unstructured
tiramisu. Still, the housemade gelato, in
a generous portion, with an oversized
waffle cookie thrown down like a gaunt-
let, is an obvious choice. The ricotta,
with chunks of honeycomb, is especially
creamy and subtle—the perfect farewell,
and an invitation to return. (Dishes $5-
$31. Pasta tasting $90.)
—Jessica Henderson
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