Walking down Broadway from the Lincoln Center movie theater after seeing the talented Nathalie Portman in Jackie, we picked the inviting Cafe Fiorello to head into for a bite. Baby boomers who lived through the assassination of JFK will appreciate the movie, the footage and how Nathalie captured the true essence of Jackie even more than others. Hers is Oscar-worthy performance.

We squeezed into our table, began looking at the wine list and menu when a staffer walked by carrying a tray of warm chocolate chip cookies. Déjà vu. Same thing happened at Florian. I had to ask whether one restaurant had anything to do with the other. Yup, Florian is one of Cafe Fiorello’s many sister restaurants.

Our wine was the light and crisp Valley Isarco 2015, alto-adige Sauvignon Blanc ($50) which went well with our lite bite. We sampled three veggies from the cold antipasto bar ($18 for three). Cauliflower steak with raisins, Parmesan and a hint of almonds; zucchini Parmigiana and Sicilian eggplant caponata. And then asked for an order of Nona’s short rib meatballs, the same as we had at Florian on our pizza this time just plain. Much better not on the pizza. ($17 for four)

Pricier than their sister Florian, but good especially with our exceptionally friendly waiter Lucien.

– bonnie

BonnieBOTB

 

Cafe Fiorello
Lincoln Square
1900 Broadway
New York, NY 10023
(212) 595-5330
Cafe Fiorello Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato