East Village Italian: Great Food, Great Service & Great Atmosphere at Gnocco

August 28, 2008

Everyone always asks me for my Italian restaurant recommendation and surprisingly, I didn’t have one until I ate at Gnocco, on 10th Street between Avenues A & B. The food is delicious and affordable, the service is attentive and helpful, and the atmosphere, thanks to the backyard garden, is great for a date or dinner with the family. Read on to find out more about some of the tastiest gnocchi I’ve ever had.

What makes Gnocco different

If you’re like NYC Food Guy, you don’t even want to eat pizza from a shop that doesn’t have at least one Italian person working inside. You’ll be relieved to hear then, that Gnocco employs Italians where it counts: in the kitchen. Every few months, young chefs are literally imported from Italy’s culinary schools right to this East Village restaurant. It doesn’t get more authentic than that, and it shows. Everything was excellent from top to bottom, starting with the salads.

Salads

Neither photo does justice to the size of the salads, but both were well worth their price tags.

Insalata Veronica ($8.45)

Mesclun salad with Apple, Pine Nuts, fresh Corn and Lemon vinaigrette

• All the ingredients were fresh and flavorful

Insalata Contadina ($8.45)

• This usually comes with the flaked Parmesan on top, resulting in more cheese.
• I added some balsamic vinegar to balance out the extra virgin olive oil and earthy arugula.

Pizza

These two pies were both delicious but their thin crusts resulted in flimsy slices which couldn’t support the weight of the toppings. Fortunately, the flavor of the sauce and crisp, airy outer crust made up for this shortcoming. As an entree, a full pie is good for only one person.

Parmigiana ($12.95)

Marinara ($9.45)

• This was a simple, tasty pie with brightly flavored sauce and grated mozzarella.
• Ask for some shaved parmesan on here, it can’t hurt.

House Made Pasta

With the exception of the rigatoni, all of Gnocco’s standard menu pastas are house made and it’s reflected in the taste and texture of the gnocchi. Served in Primi (first course i.e. smaller) sized portions, you may want to split a pizza with a dining mate for a truly filling meal.

Gnocchi al Pomodoro e Mozzarella di Bufala ($14.45)

Homemade potato Gnocchi with Tomato sauce, Buffalo Mozzarella and basil

• The delicate process of making gnocchi has been mastered. It was light, cooked perfectly and not even slightly gummy.
• The brightly flavored tomato sauce was hearty without being chunky. This left some sauce to be mopped up with pizza crust or bread after all the delicious potato dumplings were gone.
• The creamy buffalo mozzarella was delicious and melted along with each bite of gnocchi.

The Gnocco

The restaurant is actually named after an Italian dish. “Gnocco” are airy pockets of flash-fried dough which puff up like little baloons and look delicious. They’re served with a plate of cured Italian meats which are meant to be folded and eaten by hand with the fried dough. I’m looking forward to trying them next time I’m at Gnocco.

Backyard Garden

Everyone loves dining al fresco and Gnocco offers it in the truest sense. The leaves, the lights and the vines come together to make you feel like you’re dining in the country not a booming city. In fall and winter, a roof (not pictured) unfurls above the leaves while the metal vents provide heat (Though not enough to keep this area open on brutally cold days).

Conclusion

What’s better than a simple, authentic meal done right? How about meeting an owner who is ecstatic that you’ve realized his goal. In Gnocco owner and Italian native Gian Luca Giovanetti, NYC Food Guy has found just that. I’ve never met anyone as excited about Gnocchi as him. It’s authenticity like this, in food and in a person, which makes you trust a restaurant. I haven’t been jazzed about Italian food in a long time but thanks to my experience at Gnocco, I’m now looking forward to trying two more of Giovanetti’s ventures:

• Italian tapas at Perbacco where the Italian chef import system is also in effect. 234 East 4th Street near Avenue B
  
• The tramezzini at Caffe Emilia, which is sort of an Italian club sandwich, which according to Giovanetti via NYMag.com is “three layers of white bread, and we stuff it with original ingredients: caramelized onion with balsamic vinegar, tuna, shrimp, ham, artichokes, Fontina cheese.” Wow. 139 1st Avenue near 9th Street

Gnocco

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