On a rainy Monday I was treated to an intimate gourmet dinner at Il Valentino with culinary authority Professor Ron Kapon. The location itself had a nice romantic feel with low lighting but still kept the male in me connected to the world with some discreet televisions that were playing the game. What game? I don't know but it involved a bouncing ball and so Ron would have been happy had he been able to tear his attention away from the meal.
And what a treat it was! Even the bread was delicious and had a lovely sun dried tomato sauce with olive oil. I had to have two servings actually! For the meal itself I started with the Poloi alla Griglia and it came heaping with Mediterranean octopus with a great texture. It was backed by beans and a pesto sauce so there was enough to make it almost a main course. The Melanzane Parmigiana followed and although it was a healthy portion I ate every last bite. High praise for the food indeed.
The main course was Bisteca alla griglia or aged steak and I realized the benefit of sharing an owner with Four Cuts next door! The steak was pepper encrusted and a perfect medium rare. Tender and moist, it went down smooth as butter with the Argentinian Malbec. It was a big boy steak and competitive with top steak houses in New York. Ron had the Paella and noted it had a lot of seafood inside. Sometimes they skimp on the seafood but not here. Just the right portion and another one he polished off to the last bite. Ron choose a German Riesling to go with his Paella. The wine list had a nice selection of wine by the glass as well as Italian classic wines by the bottle.
For desert I tried the chocolate mousse although I was stuffed it was so good I did not regret it! The flaked chocolate with a hint of raspberry jam made this a worthy finisher. I thought that the meal was pleasant enough but then the owner Mirso Lekic came over personally to give us a little history of the place.
I was amazed to find that in that very location used to be a top restaurant where Frank Sinatra and others had eaten as customers in the 60s! This Il Valentino Osteria was a more casual reboot of the two star New York Times Il Valentino that was located a few blocks away in The Sutton Hotel from 1995-2010. The new location was opened 2015. I definitely felt the more comfortable vibe without the white table cloths but with all the Tuscan flavor still intact.
I knew that one of the specialties of the house was the pizza and saw a nice young couple that were devouring their own. I waited for them to slow down and then inquired from the "real Italians" in the neighborhood what they thought. The direct quote was "its delicious. I love it.". Can’t ask for higher praise for some moderately priced personal pies can you?
All in all a great night at Il Valentino. For solid local food I would check it out at the corner of 59th and 1st overlooking the what else would you think- The Ed Koch 59th Street bridge.
Editors Note- All the photos are courtesy Hamza Z except the Mirso Lekic, pizza and 59th Street Bridge shots.