Last Thursday, I had a 2 hour lunch with several bloggers at Donatella in Chelsea. New York restaurateur and television personality Donatella Arpaia opened this casual Italian restaurant in October 2010. We tried over 17 delicious items off the Donatella menu prepared by executive chef Jarett Appell and Pastry Chef Andrea Jarosh.
Here’s a recap of what we enjoyed.
Yellowfin tuna tartare with mascarpone & crispy shallots
Rock shrimp crudo with spicy pickled pepper, panzanella, citrus & basil Grilled asparagus & baby spinach with purple potatoes, bacon & lemon caper vinaigrette
Fried calamari with lemon-bottarga aioli Capellini with fresh tomato sauce, chili, toasted garlic & breadcrumbs
Tomato braised veal meatballs. Donatella’s meatballs were crowned with the top honors in the 2010 Meatball Madness event at the New York Wine and Food Festival.
Housemade pappardelle with spicy marinated pork shoulder & pecorino
The meal didn’t end there. Along came fantastic pizza from the gorgeous gold wood-fired pizza oven.
At the end of the pizza course, my stomach was telling me to wave the white flag and head back to my office. But I couldn’t pass up on dessert, especially after spotting these lovely creations on the counter.
Italian Pastry Trio: baba with chamomile grappa, miniature cannoli with chocolate & candied pistachio, ricotta zeppoli with lemon cream & rhubarb compote
Classic tiramisu: mascarpone mousse layered with house-made lady fingers soaked in espresso and kahlua
Italian Pastry Trio: baba with chamomile grappa, miniature cannoli with chocolate & candied pistachio, ricotta zeppoli with lemon cream & rhubarb compote
Here’s the grand assortment, including Coconut layer cake, coconut buttercream, coconut sorbetto & roasted pineapple Strawberry shortcake with local strawberries, basil-infused whipped cream, strawberry rhubarb sorbet
Surprisingly, I was able to roll out of my chair and walk out of the restaurant with a freshly baked Hazelnut crunch cupcake (Devil’s food cake with chocolate hazelnut cream center, hazelnut praline buttercream, toasted hazelnuts) in hand. Donatella 184 Eighth Ave New York, NY 10011 Tel: (212) 493-5150 donatellanyc.com
