My birthday celebrations began with a dinner at Michael White’s newest iteration, Santi, an Italian restaurant off Madison Avenue. As you expect with him at the helm, the service is outstanding.

I smiled seeing the table placecard that greeted us with a “Happy Birthday.”

Our amuse-bouche was a spoonful of mozzarella and fresh peaches.  From there, we started our feast, sampling so much of the menu that I had lots of leftovers to take home.

Our apps included two tasty creations from the sea: a warm seafood salad with Ligurian olives, tomatoes, and bottarga ($36), and a crispy soft-shell crab with ramp aioli and a pomodoro verde ($39). With that, we sipped a delicious Italian Quarmari (2023), Tiberio Pecorino.

Next, we shared the wild mushroom risotto with marsala and fontina ($38), squid ink lobster ravioli with braised sepia ($42) and our hands-down favorite, the tagliatelle with a rich bolognese ragu ($36).

We also managed to sample the perfectly roasted guinea hen with wild mushrooms and fava beans. The kitchen packed most of that into my take-home bag!

We somehow managed to save room for desserts as well!

I recommend a visit.

 

Santi
Midtown
11 E 53rd St
New York, NY 10022
(917) 410-6449
santinyc.com/