Gnocco

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“Oh, make way for the press; we have a big important press guy coming through for his press dinner,” the host teased, patting me on the back, after I, thirty minutes late to my reservation, asked to be seated. Banter, good-natured goading—conversation, really—is what one should expect at Gnocco. There’s a charming irreverence to the waiter–waited-on dynamic, a refreshing lack of pandering. You’ll be spoken to frankly here, and you’ll appreciate it.

Technology Meets Old-World Italy

I met my +1 at a table inside the greenhouse at the back; she was kind enough to arrive on time to save our seats. While waiting, she and the owner, Gian, had already decided what we were having. I sat down, and an iPad was placed in front of me—for the drinks, I was told. The electronic menu was navigable through a series of portals differentiating the food and drink categories. It was a modern concession in the otherwise Old-World Italian atmosphere.

Most mains at Gnocco have a suggested wine pairing, so picking up on that, I asked Gian what wine I should drink with the Carpaccio di Polpo that was on its way. He told me the suggested pairing was thoughtfully chosen, but between us, I should try a Gavi, a classic white from Piedmont in northern Italy.  A medium-bodied 2017 La Mesma was slightly acidic, with subtle allusions to honeydew on the front.  I went for it and didn’t regret it.  A tart lemon vinaigrette matched the wine’s soft acidity while the pink peppercorns in the dish complimented a mellow sweetness in the background.

Modenese Cuisine

Gian is from Modena, and the cuisine at Gnocco is Modenese. Northern Italians really hit it out of the culinary-park, just look at Michelin-starred Massimo Bottura, an old friend of his, Gian says. They take food seriously along with the rest of Italy. Gian’s dishes are a direct link to his childhood and attending to their meticulous construction and execution is a way for him to honor his upbringing. On any given night, he will love to take you back in time, to when he was growing up.

This shared intimacy was not only tasted but seen. Between delivering our courses he would visit a table off to our left, each time picking up the conversation where he left off. In fact, it seemed like he was in a conversation with everyone in the restaurant at once. At the mention of a friend of his who supplied the microgreens garnish from his garden in the East Village, two women leaned over and chimed in about their acquaintance. The topic of these neighborhood greens and their supplier led to other locally sourced ingredients which became a testament to the quality of everything. Then, of course, someone mentioned the olive oil, and Gian’s pride in his liquid lipid from Emilia-Romagna, led to our next dish – a pizza with black truffles, mushrooms, and speck that received a generous, golden glug of it.

Take it Slow and Stay Awhile

Accompanying the thin-crust pizza, in the classic regional style, were a number of Antipasti that crowded our four-person table: Prosciutto, Arancini di Riso (deep-fried balls of risotto, a popular street-food dish), Burrata Fresca, and the eponymous Gnocco, a kind of fried, flour dumpling served first with the ham. These hearty Northern Italian staples all vied for space and were packed with flavor. They encouraged us to take it slow and stay awhile, in that hospitable Italian way. And so, we did!