I couldn’t make the opening party of Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse last month but was able to sample the delicious fare of Chef Chad Brown (formerly of Del Posto). It’s not
to be missed.
The waiter delivered a basket of warm bread (cranberry pecan, a baguette with rosemary and green olives and housemade focaccia topped with caramelized onions and parmesan cheese) that was served with three toppings (smoky eggplant dip, whipped Vermont butter with Maldon sea salt and house marinated mixed colored peppers).
We discussed our selections with the waiter who picked the wines to go with each course. A Northern Italian white wine – the Strasserhof, Kerner from Vallee Isarco (Italy) in the Dolimites — was ou
r first wine. The Kerner grape is a cross between two grapes, resulting in a wine less sweet than the Riesling, one of the two, and with slightly more acid making it perfect for our two outstanding appetizers and the benvenuto (their “welcome” amuse bouche), a delicate panko crusted halibut croquette atop a spicy habanero jam.
Both apps are not to be missed! The amazing pan-seared foie gras atop a fig ricotta-stuffed gnocchi with a vin santo sauce ($21) had an amazing amalgam of flavors, and the grilled baby octopus, with pancetta, large corona beans and a bit of frisée is all drizzled with a finger-lickin’ slightly acidic 
preserved lemon gastrique.
The second wine served with our salads wasn’t as good a match as I’m not a Chardonnay lover. The Mer Soleil, a traditional California Chardonnay had no oak but was too buttery for me. (I’m an ABC person, anything but Chardonnay!)
We tried the delicately roasted baby beets (golden, red and candy cane) with the nickel-sized goat cheese roasted in roasted hazelnuts dribbled with a light vinaigrette ($14), which was good — but my favorite was the bitterness of the winter greens (chicory, radicchio and endive) combined with chives, sweet Granny Smith apple slices, some flavorful Gorgonzola all tossed in apple cider vinaigrette ($13).
For our pasta course, we were poured the delicate Fontanafredda, Barolo, Serralunga D’Alba DOCG, Piemonte ($20) that worked well with both rich pastas. First the Pope’s hat-shaped capellacci, homemade pasta filled with ricotta cheese, mascarpone, slow-roasted butternut squash all in a walnut cream sauce topped with pieces of amaretti cookies ($27). And second, the hand-rolled fluffy potato dumplings (gnocchi), with lots of roasted mushrooms in brown butter, drizzled with white truffle oil ($29) and topped with shards of Parmigiana Reggiano. These are so rich that I’d recommend half orders @ $15 each. ,
For our entrees we tried the pan-seared Alaskan king salmon ($36) with cubed roasted root vegetables and a salsa verde with lots of fresh herbs, and — my favorite — the veal tenderloin ($39). Think medium rare tenderloin, rolled in Urfa Biber (a Turkish smoky dried pepper giving the veal a
n intense peppery heat plus a hint of raisin. Loved the complexity of it). The veal was served with Romanesco (that green veggie that looks a bit like broccoli but is really a cauliflower) both as a puree and some roasted florets and salt-roasted fingerling potatoes all in a barolo sauce. There’s lots going on, but the dish really worked well.
And so did the special Barolo the sommelier Chris Sweet was pouring that evening by the glass. It was a traditional style Barolo 2001 Rinaldi complex ($50 / glass), single vineyard earthy with fruit that lingers. Chris mentioned that the 2001 was the best vintage of the Barolo since the 60s.
The desserts from pastry chef Jenny Lee were also quite tasty. We sampled the warm sticky caramel pudding ($12) with orange buttermilk gelato, an orange medley and amaretti cookie crumbles on top, and the decadent warm chocolate cake ($13) with warm chocolate creamy center, brandied cherries, creme anglaise and vanilla gelato.
I highly recommend a visit to this Italian steakhouse!
Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse
Midtown East at 45th
451 Lexington Avenue
New York NY 10017
212.661.4810
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