c/o @newopeningsnyc
A new Northern Italian wine and pasta bar makes its Upper East Side debut tonight, with house-made bigoli, Venetian small plates, and a list built around the regions north of Rome.
Advertisement
Bicchiere holds its grand opening Thursday, May 21 at 5 p.m. at 450 East 81st Street, between First and York avenues. The name means “glass” in Italian — a fitting nod for a spot built around wine.The restaurant comes from the team behind Madame Bonté, the Parisian-style cafe with three Upper East Side locations. “We will be serving fresh Venetian pastas, small plates and of course WINE,” the owners previously told East Side Feed. “We will be focused on Northern Italian cuisine and wines.”
Cicchetti — Venetian-style small plates — anchor the opening half of the menu, split into seafood, meat, veggies, and cheese, ranging from $13 to $18. Options include smoked salmon tarama with panko and fresh dill, garlic butter shrimp with whipped ricotta and tomato salsa, aged prosciutto with peach and balsamic, homemade meatballs in marinara, a vegan roasted garlic eggplant, wild mushrooms in cream cheese and sautéed garlic butter, gorgonzola with pear and wild honey, and whipped fresh ricotta with fig and roasted pistachio.
Three salads round out the lighter side, between $16 and $17: a burrata salad with fresh fig and pistachio, an arugula pear salad with aged gorgonzola and walnuts, and a chef’s seasonal Bicchiere house salad.
The main event is the bigoli, a thick Venetian pasta the kitchen makes fresh daily. Seven preparations span $19 to $25 — a simple cacio e pepe with pecorino and black pepper, alla Norma with roasted eggplant, ai funghi with wild mushroom and heavy cream, al pomodoro con burrata, a roasted pistachio pesto, a slow-cooked beef ragù bolognese, and ai gamberi scampi with garlic butter shrimp, chili, and white wine.
Follow Bicchiere on Instagram.
Have a news tip? Send it to us here!
