Scabin’s Mulino a Vino

When a new restaurant opens in the Big Apple, there are always lots of expectations: first people look up in blogs and specialised magazines, then they try to book a table as soon as possible, in order to tell their friends about this new experience. Besides, when as in this case it is a great chef that arrives in town for the first time, the curiosity is even bigger.

Ever since the first edition of Identità New York, in 2010, Davide Scabin had begun to dream about creating something special in Manhattan. Four years later, thanks to the meeting with Paolo Meregalli and Edoardo Marchiorello, the dream has come true and is now called Mulino a Vino.

It was a great luck to be present on the first evening of the so-called “friends & family” classic pre-opening event, when friends from near and far book and dine at the restaurant as if it were already open, and then can leave their – positive or negative – comments both on food and service, so that the staff in the kitchen and in the dining room can have the time to fine-tune their work, before the official opening.

The decor and design of the restaurant are truly fascinating, in that a particular New York style was perfectly mixed with a soul of simple elegance, with a clear Italian taste. The merit goes mostly to Paolo Meregalli, who personally took care of the renovations. The architecture of this basement, typical of the housing estates in the meatpacking district (famous for its night clubs and trendy restaurant) could not have been better designed.

Once you go down the stairs that lead to the entrance, on the right there’s the main room, with a few, perfectly lighted, tables, where on top of eating you can watch the team at work in the kitchen. Indeed, even though the kitchen is separated from the rest of the restaurant, the final dishing-out step will always be made in view, and being able to watch Davide Scabin (or the other people in charge of the kitchen, since the chef will not be often in New York) giving the final touch to the dish you will then eat, is no small thing. Continuing down the corridor that runs beside the kitchen, you can access two rooms dedicated to private dinners and relax.

In the United States it is very common to share the dishes, so it is also for this reason that Scabin has simply conceived a menu with dishes served in three dimension, Piccolo, Medio and Grande, allowing the guests to choose their favourite way of dining.

On this night of sharing we had the pleasure of tasting almost all of the fifteen dishes in the menu. Among the many lovely dishes tasted, the Brandacujun is truly fabulous, the Vitello tonnato (Veal in tuna sauce) is capable of bringing you back to Piedmont in a few mouthfuls, the Cecina is a meeting of genius and simplicity: and we’re still at the starters only. Vegetarians should not miss the Skyline Insalata, those who want creativity can choose the Bombolone cacio e pepe, those who love pasta will go crazy for Tagliatelle Felicetti alla bolognese, but the Street style spaghettoni are also surprising.

But there’s also fusion cuisine with Polpetta Burger, tradition, represented by Polpo alla Luciana, and then Carrè d'agnello alla romana (Roman style lamb) and San Daniele’s Miracle, a tribute to prosciutto and focaccia. And if there’s some space left for the dessert, the Cheesecake is really not-to-be-missed.

Great attention was paid to the wine list too, which Paolo and Enrico designed so as to make Mulino a Vino a place suitable also for those who want to visit for a glass of high quality wine, pairing it with a lovely dish. There will also be cocktails, to complete the offer of this place that aims at becoming, for many, the new favourite place in NYC.