Ristorante RAFELE - Outstanding Italian Cuisine

After catching Cate Blanchett in her new Broadway play The Present, Mary and I took the E train to the West Village to have dinner at Rafele, an Italian restaurant located at 29 7th Ave. South in the West Village. I had heard about Rafele through the TV show Brindiamo, hosted by Ornella Fado.

The restaurant is modern and upbeat. None of the old heavy reds and thick carpets common in many traditional Italian restaurants. I noticed that the tables were not tightly pushed together as so often happens. We were seated in such a way that no one was near us. What a relief.

Our waitress, Aygul, was friendly, warm and very knowledgeable. Another relief. We struck up conversation very easily. She helped us through the entire meal effortlessly. She's a real pro.

Wine 

Sardinian Argiolas Vermentino

We started off by ordering a 2015 Sardinian Argiolas Vermentino. It was quite good. It was straw colored with a subtle nose, a touch of acidity and rich flavors of peach and apricot. It had nice body and a pleasant finish. Intense but delicate. We noted that it was less acidic, with less minerality than Vermentinos from Liguria in Northern Italy. Very pleasing. And for $10 a glass a real pleasure.

Eggplant Starter

The Vermentino went perfectly with the eggplant caponata starter that was served with crisp Italian bread. This recipe didn't call for the olives, pignoli nuts and capers to which I'm normally accustomed. Very simple, very tasty. A great caponata of eggplant, red peppers and onions.


Appetizers 

Melanzana

For appetizers, Mary ordered the Melanzana, which consists of layers of eggplant, grana Padano, buffalo mozzarella and the house tomato sauce. It was terrific. The sauce was superb.

Terrina Di Mare

I ordered the Terrina Di Mare: shelled mussels, shrimp, lemon, butter, white wine and Calabrian red pepper. This appetizer came with a light sauce perfect for dunking. It was perfectly cooked, nothing overdone. The taste was scrumptious. We used up all our Italian bread dunking into the savory seafood sauce.

Entrees

Spaghetti Alla Chitarra

For our main dishes, Mary ordered the Spaghetti Alla Chitarra. which is spaghetti with the house tomato sauce, buffalo ricotta, basil and extra virgin olive oil. It's simple and delicious. The buffalo ricotta was delicate and very tasteful. Mary wished for more ricotta to enjoy.

Pappardelle Wild Boar Ragu

 I ordered the Pappardelle Wild Boar Ragu. It was stupendous. It was rich and flavorful, compelling with the combination of wild boar, pasta and an extraordinary brown sauce. It also had a luxurious and smooth texture that gave it an elegant appeal.


We thought we were finished after the entrees but Aygul tempted us with the homemade Ricotta Cheese Cake. What an ending. A superb rendition of the common cheese cake that was worth waiting for. Rich, smooth in texture and highly satisfying to the palate.

Conclusion

At the end of the meal, Chef Raffale Ronca came out to greet us. We had a very nice conversation and thanked him for creating such a great culinary establishment. He was very gracious. To top it off, as Chef Ronca was leaving us, Alan Alda walked by on his way to his table. I had the brief opportunity to engage him and thank him for his work. A nice touch.

Mary and I both highly recommend Rafele. It's modern, airy, and upbeat. The wait staff is very professional and attentive. The food, however, is the star. Fresh, high quality ingredients cooked to perfection and very tasty. Not overwhelming, very well balanced. The  portions are moderate in size and reminiscent of the portions served in Italy. Prices are moderate, lower than we expected, and quite good for Manhattan.

Rafele may be the best Italian restaurant we've experienced in many years. We plan to return as soon and as often as we can. Give it a try.

Rafele is located at 29 7th Ave. South in the West Village, 212 242-1990.

Excellent Summer Whites Part 2

I know you will be shaking your heads in disbelief, but it is true.  All three wines I am reviewing in this post were purchased at Stew Leonard's in Carle Place, Long Island.  I get it that Stew's is not the most high brow wine emporium.  I get that there are tons of awful wines filling the rows.  But it must be said:  there are some good wines in the mix and at excellent prices.  Here goes.

Chateau Magence Graves 2010

This is a very nice, if funky, Bordeaux white that is a great and inexpensive pop and pour.  The nose is a floral and citrus blend that is quite appealing.  The wine is crisp and refreshing with notes of lemon, lime apricot and pear.  It possesses a well balanced acidity and goes wonderfully when paired with cheese, especially a good French cheese.  White Bordeaux is a generally overlooked wine by the general public.  The Chateau Magence Graves 2010 is worth a nice long look on those hot summer days. Its acidity adds an uplifting character to its charm.  Great QPR.  If you are going to purchase a white wine that is inexpensive but offers good complexity and a sensual dimension, Magence Graves is it.  You can pick this wine up for about $11.00 at Stew Leonard's.


The Seeker Riesling 2009, Alsace France 


Another Stew Leonard's find is this Alsacian Riesling.  The Seeker is a company that sources grapes from around the globe and markets them under a centralized name.  I get it that this approach is not well received by many in the wine world.  But this wine is good.  The Seeker has a great series of labels, copies of old prints of airships from the past. The Riesling itself is very dry.  I mention this because Mary and I, especially Mary, are on a constant and relentless search of the perfect bone dry Riesling.  The Seeker Riesling is not the most dry we have every discovered but it's close.  It has peach, honeysuckle and nice minerality.  It is very refreshing and bright even mouthwatering. It's great with summer salads, shellfish and even heavier foods.  The Seeker Riesling can be purchased for $10.00.  A great guy!

The Golem Riesling 2010, Australia  


The Golem Riesling is put out by the Misfit Wine Co. in Australia. In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. In some legends it is evil while in others it is not. I've yet to discover the link between the Golem legend and the wine.  This particular wine seems to represent the changes Australian wine is undergoing. There are more bold and snappy brands emerging for every level of taste and pocket book.  Granted, Riesling is not a traditional Australian wine.  But with The Golem I found a crisp,dry and vibrant wine that is superbly refreshing. It has nice citrus notes with a light menthol finish. There's green apple and honeydew, as well.  The Golem can run between $15.00 and $20.00 or as low and $10.00.  


I hope you enjoy these wines over the long, hot summer.  Don't be fooled into thinking you can only find good wine at high prices! 

Excellent Blended Whites for Summer

On the hutch in the dinning room sit eight empty wine bottles. They are the result of a two month long binge with white wines from various parts of the world.  My wife has finally put down the gauntlet: the wine bottles must go. So, before they meet their fate I will do some quick reviews of the wines in a short series of posts.  I'm hoping I can keep up with our consumption of whites. It's now summer and most reds will be stored until the fall, at least for the most part.  New whites seem to come out of storage every other night or so.  So here goes.

The first wine is from Portugal, Espirito Lagoalva 2010. This is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc (25%), Alvarinho (20%), Verdelho (20%), Fernao Pires (20%) and Arinto (15%).  13% alcohol.  It's grown in the Lagoalva region which is known for its sandy soils and is about 100 km northeast of Lisbon.  Lagoalva uses modern wine making technology for both its indigenous and international varietals.  Blends seem also to be a distinguishing character of Lagoalva.  We found this blend to be quite good with lots of kiwi and melon flavors topped off with a fine, lively finish.  The acidity is fresh and pleasing.  It was splendid before dinner with some light cheeses.  I recommend this wine for summer drinking.  It's very enjoyable, very fresh, light and gives a sensuous mouthwatering feel.  It goes for about $12.00.  It's worth the cost.

The second wine is another blend from neighboring Spain, Rios Baixs, DoZoe 2010, produced by Adega Marea Alta. The blend consists of 52% Albarino, 21% Treixandura, 11% Caino Blanco, 8.5% Loureiro, 7.5% Godello.  13% alcohol.  It hails from Galicia in Northwestern Spain.  This is another great summer wine.  It has a bright, fresh tropical nose with some mouthwatering fruit flavors on the palate. It's dry and aromatic with a distinctive crispness and an attractive elegance.We had it with light fish.  The pairing was excellent.  I can see it going with skewers of shrimp and other sea food. I can't recall exactly what the price was. I think it was a tad more than the first wine.  It may have gone for$20.00. But I'm not sure. It's worth the price.  We fully enjoyed the tasting and admired its fragrance and natural pairing qualities. 

Our third wine for today is Donnafugata Anthilia 2010 from Sicilia, Italy.  This is also a blend or 51% Catarratto and Ansonica, Viognier and Chardonnay.  It's 12.24% alcohol.  This is a very distinctive Sicilian wine.  Much more to our taste than most Sicilian whites we have experienced. We fully enjoyed this one.  It comes across with peaches, flowers, perhaps grapefruit and pear all blended superbly.  I found it mouthwatering and with a firm body and excellent minerality.  This wine will reach its peak in a year or two.  Hold on to it, it will get even better.  The blend is well done.  I'm sure this would go with salads, seafood, cheese, etc.  It's a very enjoyable and high quality wine. Don't pass this up. You should be able to get it for $12.00 to $14.00.   


All three whites have a great QPR.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.  


Next time I will review a few more of our favorite whites.  

A Winter Dinner with Friends: Falanghina and Cabernet

One of the great joys of winter is sitting down with good friends in a warm and cozy house. Last week we had just such a day when our dearest friends Alden and Maureen came from Brooklyn to be with us. We hadn't seen them in some months so just the thought of seeing them again brought joy to us. Mary planned one of Alden's favorite foods: brisket of beef with some hearty vegetables. The brisket was so big we had to cut it in half and use two pots on top of the stove to prepare them. Mary used carrots, string beams, onions and potatoes to accompany the brisket.

Before dinner, however, we indulged in some antipasto. We offered an Italian blue cheese, a French brie with an accompanying shrimp cocktail. Mary made the cocktail sauce herself. It was mild but excellent. The horseradish was just right for my taste. For the pre-dinner selection I picked a well touted white Italian 2007 Terredora Dipaolo Falanghina. None of us had ever tasted a Falanghina. I'm glad we did. Falanghina is grown in the Campania region of Italy, just north or Naples. It is a savory, very well balanced wine. The color is an amazing yellow unlike most I have seen. The nose was fruity and refreshing. On first taste Mary and I sensed a minerality that was seductive and exciting. I thought it was hinting at green apples though Mary sensed pear. It was perfect with the shrimp and I would say the Falanghina would be wonderful with fish dishes in general.

Dinner was equally interesting. Alden brought a bottle of Cellar No. 8 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from the Asti Winery in Sonoma California. Alden mentioned that it was, I think, under $10.00 a bottle. Cellar No. 8 has a real history to it in the annals of Oliva/Brown wine tasting. Some years ago I found a bottle of Cellar No. 8 Zinfandel at the Stewart Spirits Wine Shop in Floral Park (now defunct). I was unsuccessful in finding another bottle until Alden came across it in Carrol Gardens, Brooklyn. For the price, it is a fine, well bred wine. The nose was a bit muted but the color was full and almost grape juice looking. The upfront flavor was not strong but it was full and well balanced with a strong spice to the finish. The wine possessed a plum or dark cherry flavor. I had hoped for a tad more strength and complexity but it was very pleasing and went perfectly with the brisket of beef. Which, by the way, was superb. Mary cooked it until it nearly melted at first taste.

The day was very successful. We enjoyed seeing our friends once again both human and varietal.

Bob