Trattoria Italienne – How Trattoria Italienne Became the Restaurant it was Meant to Be

 Jared Sippel, Executive Chef/Proprietor: Originally from Iowa, Jared was raised with strong connections to food and farming, with family who grew produce, raised livestock, and owned local restaurants. Jared cooked throughout high school and worked as a sous chef at an Italian restaurant while attending the University of Iowa. Upon graduating, he moved to Boulder, CO to attend the Culinary School of the Rockies, and work at the James Beard Award winning Frasca Food & Wine under renowned chef Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson. To broaden his palate and further educate himself on European cuisine, Jared headed straight to the source, where he spent several months living and working at 2-Star Michelin L’Oustau de Baumaniere in Provence and staging across Italy at Michelin starred restaurants including La Primula and La Subida in Friuli as well as La Peca in Veneto. It was during this time that the majority of the inspiration behind Trattoria Italienne was derived, from menus to wine lists and aesthetics. Once back in the States, Jared returned for a second tour at Frasca, before moving to San Francisco to serve as Sous Chef at the 3-Star Michelin Quince under Chef Michael Tusk. After two years, he was called back to Frasca once again to assume the role of Chef de Cuisine. Finally, Jared moved to New York City with his wife Lindsey and opened Italienne in 2016.

Daniel Lucero, Chef de Cuisine: Born and raised in Santa Fe, New Mexico Daniel began cooking at a young age, flipping omelettes with his father. This ultimately led him to Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale, Arizona. After training, he worked as a Chef de Partie at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in Las Vegas. After a few years, he joined the team at 3-Star Michelin Joel Robuchon Restaurant in The Mansion at the MGM Grand and was quickly promoted to Sous Chef. In 2015, he moved to New York City, and eventually landed a Sous Chef position at 1-Star Michelin Aureole under Chef Gabriele Carpentieri. Excited about the idea of being part of a restaurant opening as well as whole animal butchery and Italian cooking, Daniel signed on at Italienne in 2016 as a Sous Chef. One year later he was promoted to Executive Sous Chef and now heads the kitchen as Chef de Cuisine.

 The restaurant is divided into two rooms. In the front room, the large bar has a wood and marble counter and plenty of room to enjoy a drink and a bar snack or a full meal. An impressive lighting fixture with giant bulbs hangs from thick ropes over the bar. The feel of the restaurant is rustic and expansive, with high ceilings and exposed wood beams. In the dining room, leather banquettes wrap around the room, with copious space between tables—a rare commodity in a Manhattan restaurant. Cozy wooden booths backed with blue upholstery put you at the center of the action, while also allowing for some privacy. Overall, there’s lots of room for large groups. The space is ideal for parties, special events and special occasions. There’s also a cozy wine cellar room for private dining.

Food

Trattoria Italienne now offers an extended Aperitivo Hour (see schedule below), featuring greats deals on beer, wine, and the spritz of the day (bitter liqueur, Prosecco and Brooklyn seltzer), and a selection of Stuzzichini, traditional bar snacks such as Gilda, the original Basque pintxo—Manzanilla olive, Guindilla pepper, and Spanish anchovy on a skewer, Gigante Beans, mixed Spiced Nuts with a spice rub from Trieste (which includes paprika, reflecting the Austrian and Germanic influences on that region), and a selection of Marinated Olives with Herbes de Provence. Also available during Aperitivo Hour are plates to be shared, including Burrata with grilled sourdough, Polpettini, pork meatballs with soft polenta and Calabrian chili agrodolce, and several other options. Guests are encouraged to try an aperitif or Italian bitter from the extensive selection with their bar snacks.

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Almost everything is designed to be shared, and many signature dishes have remained on the menu since the opening. The culinary journey may begin with the Fougasse (a secret menu item with limited availability), a typical Provencal bread, the first form of focaccia and a precursor to pizza, typically stuffed with olives, herbs or other ingredients. The current version is loaded with slow roasted tomatoes, but the filling changes with the season. From the Salumi and Formaggio portion of the menu, thinly sliced Proscuitto San Daniele from Fruili is served with grissini (long, crisp housemade breadsticks) fresh shaved horseradish and European butter. If you haven’t eaten prosciutto with this combination of ingredients, you are in for a treat and a revelation. Dishes to be shared with the table, Per la Tavola, include the popular Polpo Alla Plancha, a Basque country classic with other influences: the tender grilled octopus is presented with gigante beans, olives, Sicilian capers and Moroccan harissa. Another item to share is the incredible Italian Chicory Salad, available year-round, prepared with radiccio from various regions of Italy. Made with two types of bagna cauda (anchovy dressing— one broken (non-emulsified), one not, one with white vinegar, one with red and black truffle vinaigrette. More than the sum of its parts, the bitter green combined with the unique dressing has an amazing umami—even people who don’t like anchovy love this salad. The garnish—currently red beets—changes seasonally. Then it’s on to the Pasta section of the menu. Highlights include: Spinach Pappardelle, with a Tuscan red-wine beef and chicken liver ragu with lobster mushrooms and Gnocchetti, delicate, light pillows of pasta that show their Northern Italian influences with a fonduta (cheese sauce) and Chanterelle mushrooms. This dish also changes with the seasons.

Above all—the large format dishes in Mare and Terra portion of the menu—allow the restaurant to provide a great experience to large parties. Campanelli Farm Roasted Chicken, feeds one to four people, a half or whole chicken with crispy skin, served with fingerling potatoes, piperade, provolone fonduta, roasted garlic and pimentón. Fazio Farms Duck (half or whole) is a duck lover’s dream come true, with duck served four ways: a tender breast, a crisp Platonic ideal of a confit leg, melt-in-the-mouth foie gras on a fig leaf, and shredded duck atop a crisp crostino with porcini conserva and black mission figs. Not to be beat by fowl, the 28-Day Dry Aged Grilled Cote de Boeuf, is a 36-ounce Creekstone Prime beef ribeye served with Yukon potatoes, cippolini onion, and pickled horseradish. Once grilled, the ribeye is placed in a wooden box to rest, with charcoal-fired and fresh rosemary, for an incomparable smoky herbal finish. Side dishes include a lovely, tender heirloom Broccoli di Ciccio with pecorino and hot pepper.Desserts include a changing roster of silky-smooth housemade gelati and sorbetti, pannacotta, bread pudding, affogato and other irresistible treats. While everything is available a la carte, you can also request a Chef’s Tasting Menu with or without wine pairings.