What do you get when you cross two alums of the fine dining pantheon The Modern with the finest Italian seafood, creative cocktails and deep and esoteric wine list all in a gorgeously chic Soho setting? Say hello to Principe, which is fast becoming everyone's new favorite downtown destination.
Set in a building that was formerly a National Geographic art gallery, Principe, from Chef Abram Bissell and Managing Partner Tony Carson, is a stunning addition to New York's thriving Italian dining scene. What's so remarkable about the restaurant is that it does what few Soho eateries have managed to achieve, and that's to reflect the neighborhood in which it resides.
Long the artistic and cultural heart of New York City, Soho, with its art galleries, cobblestoned streets, and cast-iron buildings, represents a crossroads where old meets new, form meets function, and style meets substance. Consider that Principe's calling card.
The restaurant is a mix of design styles, with undulating cement walls, wooden rafters, golden velvet banquette seating, soothing blue and green walls and one of the most eye-catching chandeliers in the city.
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tart your meal with a selection of specialties from Principe's raw bar. What Bissel does is deceptively simple, letting seafood largely speak for itself but complementing these jewels from the ocean with a thoughtful selection of sauces and preparations. Red prawns shine with a bright and zingy coriander and jalapeno sauce, lobster salad is beautifully balanced with freshly grated horseradish and served in lettuce cups, and snow crab claws are gently enhanced with a piquant citrus drizzle.
Pastas at Principe are like a trip to the Amalfi Coast. Rock Shrimp Mafaldine with Sugo Bianco is as richly decadent a bowl of pasta as one can get while the vibrant Basil Tortellini in Brown Butter Brodo is the kind of dish for which cold winter evenings were invented.
Main courses are no less appealing: an olive-crusted, baked branzino is served fully deboned, a roasted lobster is complemented by earthy matsutake mushrooms, and there’s a juicy, crispy chicken and a meaty, wonderfully gamey grilled duck with plums and foie gras.
By this point, one could be forgiven for foregoing dessert, but that would be a mistake. Desserts at Principe are playful throwbacks to childhood favorites and include a milk and cookies ice cream sandwich that eats like a giant frozen Oreo. Then there are the lemon meringue popsicles that evoke memories of the Good Humor bars from our school going days.
The bottom line here is that Principe warrants some serious attention and more than worth a trip.
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