Southern charm
Il Gattopardo (Midtown)
RESTAURANTS • FOUND Table
The Backstory: Set in the Rockefeller Townhouses on West 54th, the Italian restaurant Il Gattopardo opened up the block in 2001. More than two decades on, it remains one of Midtown’s most reliable spots for excellent Italian cooking.
The Experience: Enter the townhouse’s ground floor a few steps down from street level. A cozy bar with wood-paneled ceiling sits to the left, and several small bar tables offer a nice spot for a drink or to wait for dining companions. The host stand to the right gives way to a bright but appealing dining room, mostly unadorned except for a long mirror running the side of the room. At peak capacity, as it was on my evening visit last week, the room is boisterous and loud, with a fun cross-section of New Yorkers young and old.
The food here is Southern Italian, comfortable without being too casual. Off the winter menu, for starters, I enjoyed the crispy seasonal salad of radicchio, frisée, fennel, carrots, and radishes, then was delighted by the zucchini parmigiana, served warm with fior di latte and topped with a splash of olive oil.
But it’s the pastas that should comprise the center of a meal at Il Gattopardo, each one of the nine options more intriguing than the last. Spaghetti with grey mullet bottarga tasted of the briny sea, garlicky with a punch from red pepper flakes. Even better was a homemade pappardelle with rabbit and morel mushrooms, tender and nourishing on this freezing evening.
It’s entirely fine and forgivable to leave the savory courses after the primi. For those forging on to secondi, keep it on the lighter side with simply prepared steamed branzino or broiled striped bass, or go big as we did with the ribeye steak for two. Made with Snake River Farms American wagyu, the strips of medium-rare meat are accompanied by fingerling potatoes, another simple perfection.
Appropriately, the wine list here is all Italian, leaning on Southern Italian whites and reds. We loved the 2021 Alberelli di Giodo, a medium-bodied Sicilian wine from the Nerello Mascalese grape variety that easily stood up to the stoutest dishes Il Gattopardo had to offer.
Why It’s FOUND: A restaurant so reliable that I often recommend it to friends visiting New York City from out of town, Il Gattopardo hasn’t lost a step even as the city’s dining scene has evolved around it. It’s a modern classic and a Midtown go-to. –Lockhart Steele
→ Il Gattopardo (Midtown) • 13-15 West 54th St • Mon-Fri 12-11p, Sat 1130a-11p, Sun 1130a-10p • Reserve.