Eight magnificent restaurants in New York

Blue Hill at Stone Barns, the wisdom of Dan Barber
(the review for the Guida di Identità Golose)
Indeed there is a branch of  Blue Hill Farm in Manhattan, off Washington Square Park, and since there’s no farm, it’s simply called Blue Hill. The headquarters are some 30 miles north of New York, along the river Hudson, train station Tarrytown, then taxi and finally Uber to return at night.
Already a model farm owned by the Rockefeller family, today it has two entities, with the agricultural and research centre in Stone Barns hosting and feeding the restaurant created by Dan Barber in 2004. There’s only one tasting menu, but it’s not the same for all. This is because everything comes from there, or from the associate businesses, and nothing is standardised and little of what is harvested or butchered will satisfy every guest. Barber plays a lot, even with sushi and sashimi, and surprises. The service is incredibly effective and nice. (PM)

Sushi Nakazawa

Nakazawa and the authentic sushi bar
(the review for the Guida di Identità Golose)
After Japan, the best sushi bars in the world are probably in Manhattan. Daisuke Nakazawa, a pupil of Jiro Ono, the legendary master of Sukiyabashi Jiro, was intercepted by American-Italian entrepreneur Alessandro Borgognone and handed the direction of Sushi Nakazawa, a battleship off Washington Square Park.
It’s an authentic sushi bar, which means nigiri and only nigiri, that is to say rice and fish. To eat by the counter, you have to book at least one month ahead; otherwise, you’ll have to make do sitting by the table next to it. In the photo, right to left, a series of tuna nigiri in an increasing degree of fatness: Big eye, Lean bluefin (akami), lean marinated in soya (otoro) and bluefin (chutoro). Who knows when we’ll find in Italy such a high quality and authentic establishment. (GZ)

Atoboy

Atoboy, Korean sharing 
(43 28th Street, atoboynyc.com)
Sharing tables are everywhere, not just in New York. One of the most causal and interesting places where you can share fine food is Atoboy, the casual and cheaper experiment of Atomix, the much acclaimed fine dining place (as dear as hell) of Korean cook Junghyun Park and his wife and manager Ellia Park. This small jewel near Nomad masterfully sums up the specialties of Seoul, with some hints at the West. The bill is over 100 US dollars, including tips (but you can spend less if you don’t order the entire menu, as we did).
In the photo, left to right: Yellow tail, kombucha, gim seaweed and horseradish; Crab, verbena, hake and endive; Chrysanthemums, leek, plums and cheddar and Cabbage, burrata, dashi of matcha, rocket. (GZ)

Cosme. Photo from cosmenyc.com

Cosme, the masterpiece of Olvera and Soto-Innes
(the review from Guida di Identità Golose)
When in Manhattan, don’t you dare not go to Cosme, the first option offered by the due formed by Enrique Olvera and Daniela Soto-Innes- she was recently awarded as best female chef by the thousand judges of the World’s 50Best Restaurants. It’s incredible how they’ve managed to stand out and be respected by all with the cuisine of a country, Mexico, not always beloved in the US, and with a culinary universe that is appreciated as long as it remains popular, without trying to approach fine dining. Of a virtually perfect dinner, I’ll remember for a long time the Pie of chanterelle mushrooms, Oaxaca cheese and cheddar from the State of New York. And the duck? Next time. (PM)

Atla

Atla, much more than the b-side of Cosme
(372 Lafayette Street, atlanyc.com)
Mexican cuisine: in New York people rightly praise Cosme (see above). But the same owners two and a half years ago also opened Atla, on the border of Little Italy. Tacos (those in the photo are with prawns, cheese and hoja santa) aguachile, huevo rancheros... These dishes have remarkable flavours, special aesthetics, accessible prices and the light seeping in from the large windows over Lafayette Street.

High Street on Hudson

High Street on Hudson, a breakfast champion
(the review from Guida di Identità Golose)
The nice thing about New York is that you can book online breakfast too, and only in Manhattan there are some thirty remarkable options. The photo above depicts the Kouign Amann (“Butter cake” in Breton, which according to the New York Times “is the fattest cake ever’) from High Street on Hudson, a jewel breakfast bistro off Chelsea Market. You can go inside and stay all day, from breakfast to late at night. (GZ)

Momofuku Ko. Photo eatthisny.com

Momofuku Ko, Chang is always a surprise 
(the review from Guida di Identità Golose)
Momofuku Ko is already a supernova in terms of counter and first, small room. The advantage when you go is that if you’re not up to the marathon in the real restaurant, or if you don’t have enough time, you can choose and share some incredibly brilliant delicacies.  David Chang is never satisfied with presenting just good dishes. This is a given thing. There is nothing here that you might have already tasted. Perhaps the shapes will delude you, but one bite is enough to realise it’s a different, new world, as in the case of the fried chicken, which is in fact beef breaded and fried as if it were chicken. And the chicken, in turn, is fried, but in a different appearance, and then chilled. When you bite into it, it’s cold. And not since last night. (PM)

Rezdora. Photo rezdora.nyc

Secchi and the nice story of Rezdora
(27 E 20th Street, www.rezdora.nyc)
It all began less than five months ago, on May 10th, when Stefano Secchi, American born to Sardinian father, opened a place of his own, Rezdora, basically next to Flatiron. Rezdora is the name given to the women in Emilia who roll out pasta with a rolling pin. Indeed, Stefano studied cooking in Italy and a lot since he’s no longer a kid. He’s 37 and he learnt his abc at Davide Palluda’s Enoteca del Roero in Canale and then enriched it and completed it with Massimo Bottura at Osteria Francescana where, as we discovered during Identità New York, they started to call him “Il Capitano”, the captain. (PM)

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso