I've been living in Manhattan for the last 10 years and Emporio has become my ALL TIME FAVORITE restaurant in the city. My wife and I frequent this location 2-3 times per month, usually on our sole date night each week and no matter how many times we come, the food always hits, the service is consistently excellent and the experience is spectacular. By now we've tried pretty much everything on the menu and it's refreshing to see that they keep changing up the specials based on seasonal availability of ingredients. We've seen so many delicious additions like lamb loin carpaccio, seared diver scallops, lobster risotto, clam pasta (similar to vongole) and even boar chops. We also noticed certain menu items might get tweaked, for example the crab on the squid ink spaghetti may get switched with shrimp. Or the charred octopus once was switched for jumbo shrimp in garlic and chili. No matter what though, every dish is very well balanced, seasoned perfectly and made with high quality ingredients. I don't have a gluten intolerance, but it's worth noting that this restaurant also offers gluten free pizza and pasta. Appetizers: Our go-to here is the Tuscan Kale salad - now I don't even like kale, but this salad is shredded and dressed in a delicious blend of pistachio pesto you can barely tell it's made of kale and brussels. I taste some acid from either mustard or vinegar and it's finished with pecorino shavings. My wife is obsessed with this dish. We also always get the Charred Octopus which comes with an earthy eggplant puree, made like a hummus and paired with grilled peppers - incredible flavor. I would also recommend the Focaccia & Ricotta, it's simple but tastes super fresh with a nice drizzle of honey.Pasta: The Pappardelle Bolognese is second to none in the city. It is hands down my single favorite dish on the menu. The ragu is made with pork and veal and has a deep richness from the fat that complements the light tomato flavor of the sauce. The Spaghetti Squid Ink is probably my second favorite. It has a really pleasant seafood flavor that gets cut by the acidity of the cherry tomatoes and chili. We eat these two pastas often. Pizza: Emporio's pizzas are absolutely sublime. They have an open kitchen concept with the oven facing the dining room. I don't know how they do it, but you get this perfect light char on the outside of the crust and the bottom is crispy without drying out the toppings. Their dough is rolled out super thin, even thinner than your typical NY slice - and the toppings are generous with a narrow crust. This is a Roman-style pizza and is usually what I prefer vs thick doughy pizzas or even Neapolitans. I'm a sucker for sopressata, so the Spicy Sopressata is an obvious winner for me. They also use a very mild mozzarella that doesn't impart so much cheesiness that it overpowers the ingredients or the sauce. Mains: While not the same as what you would find at a NY steakhouse, the NY Strip Tagliata is a well-executed dish on its own. It comes with roasted garlic and caramelized onion and is sliced for sharing. I demolish this even after crushing apps, pizza and pasta, it's that good. The Branzino Fillet was also nice, but a smaller portion than the steak. Dessert: Finally, I always have room for dessert given my sweet tooth. The Nutella Calzone is a pastry of the gods, just decadent and chocolatey with a chewy dough covering. Meanwhile the Panna Cotta is also excellent if you want to lighter. And the Tiramisu is the best in the city. Generous portion with soaked lady fingers and mouthfuls of mascarpone and cocoa powder. Yes, I have a major sweet tooth. Honorable Mention: I almost exclusively drink Aperol Spritz's when I'm out for dinner (how basic I know). Emporio has a slightly different take on this classic drink. Instead of Aperol, they use Cappalletti, which is also an Italian aperitif but is slightly less sweet/drier, has more of an amber/orange color and an addictive citrus finish. It goes well with all the dishes mentioned above and I had to order my own bottles for home once I found out the name of it! All in all, Emporio is an 11 out of 10. It's the best of the best. I wake up on Mondays looking forward to eating there on the weekend and I dream about gorging on pizza and pasta from my favorite restaurant in NYC. Can't recommend this place enough!!!
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