If you’re on the lookout for the “real deal,” head to Lentini for right-on, unpretentious, fine fare. Owner and chef Giuseppe Lentini—an 18-year veteran of New York’s trendy Elio’s—has wrapped up Tuscany with a big Italian bow and delivered it straight to the Upper East Side. He and bro Enzo preside over a low-lit, spacious setting with soothing colors, an onyx marble and mahogany bar, Murano sconces and chandeliers, and a mosaic tile-studded copper tray ceiling.
Chef Lentini calls his authentic dishes “real Italian cuisine” and loves to enhance natural flavors rather than disguise them with sauces—using a dominant spice in each dish, the purest olive oil and virtually no butter. For starters, don’t miss the antipasti Carciofi Ripieni—an artichoke stuffed with shrimp, scallops, and fava bean puree—or the Polipetti Fritti (pan-fried octopus). And we dare you to pass on the fresh focaccia made daily.
Knockout entrées include his specialty Candel Salsa Verde, New Zealand mussels with a parsley pesto, garnished with tomatoes and diced sautéed potatoes in rosemary; tender veal braids sautéed with artichokes and white wine; distinctive pan-fried gamberoni (heads-on shrimp) lightly sautéed in white wine, garlic, and olive oil; or zesty seafood risotto. Occasionally Lentini whips up his signature fresh-grilled sardines (flown in from Portugal), stuffed with mozzarella and pine nuts. And weekly comfort food includes rustic spaghetti and meatballs on Wednesdays and tempting osso buco on Thursdays.
For that insatiable sweet tooth, top it off with strawberries and balsamic zabaglione, Cannoncini—a cannoli filled with lemon custard crème—or sip Mama Lentini’s homemade lemongello while crunching on her fresh-baked cookies. There’s a cozy bar scene after 10 p.m., and be sure to check out Sunday brunch, which includes easy nosh like the Lentini Salad (fresh arugula, tomatoes, endive, Italian ham, hard-boiled egg and vinaigrette dressing). And Lentini delivers, to boot!
