In the heart of the meatpacking
district lies a trendy, cutting-edge Italian restaurant called Santina.
Founded by Mario Carbone, Rich
Torrisi, and Jeff Zalaznick, the restaurant is named for Carbone’s Sicilian
grandmother with whom he was very close.
One thing Santina’s popularity can be attributed to is the friendly staff and
its location right underneath the southern end of the very popular High Line
which is a huge hotspot in the summertime. What also makes the restaurant
appealing is it’s Mediterranean theme from the décor which includes lamps that
are either shaped like palm trees of have floral designs, and a Julian Schnabel
piece made from broken pottery illustrating a scene of the beach.
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| Pancake appetizer at Santina |
There are a wide variety of red and
white wines. If you gravitate toward red wine, the Nerello Macalese from Sicily is a good choice, or if white wine is
your style, the Verdicchio from
Marche, Italy is one worth trying. Rosé is also available in three refreshing
versions like Grenache, Cinsault, Syrah from
southeastern France, Hondarribi Zuri
& Beltza from northern Spain, or Italy’s Montepulciano Cerasuolo d’Abruzzo.
Besides wine, other creative
cocktails are offered as well and are often served in special glasses including
one shaped like a pineapple. Such choices include the “Manganelli punch” with tequila, banana, pineapple, and
cinnamon, the “View from Postiano” with gin, black pepper, and strawberry, or
the “Amalfi Gold” with bourbon, orange, ginger, and crème de peche.
The food is inspired by the coast
of the Italian Riviera with tasty vegetable and fish appetizers such as
Calabrian Tuna, Salmon Affumicato, or Zucchini Carapaccio. The rice and pasta
appetizers include Rigatoni Verdi, Broccoli and Pecorino, and Shrimp Zingara.
The main dishes include Lobster Catalan, Eggplant Sesamo, and Whole Grilled
Porgy, and Bass Agrigento among other delights.
Finally, all the desserts are
gluten-free but still quite delectable, which will make a lot of folks happy.
They include items like the sweet, fruity Hazelnut Orange Cake, the tarty Lime
Meringa, or the Chocolate Diplomatico which is a heavenly combination of
chocolate cake and chocolate mousse.
