When Fabbio Trabocchi left Maestro, in Tyson’s Corner, Virginia, he took the entire kitchen staff (and a few of the waiters) with him. One result is that the Ritz Carlton is “not taking reservations at the restaurant until January.” The other is that New York’s Fiamma, where Trabocchi and his crew are now in residence, is off to a running start. With a new chef, and a new décor, this is essentially a brand new restaurant, but it doesn’t feel that way. The food and service are smooth as silk.
Trabocchi is a deeply accomplished chef. The toast of D.C., he was named Best Chef in the Mid-Atlantic by the James Beard foundation last year. But the question remains how New Yorkers, who have never been kind to fancy Italian food, will take to his style.
If what you want is a hearty plate of pasta, you won’t find it here. The closest you’ll come is Trabocchi’s version of Sicily’s Pasta con le Sarde, tricked up with fresh sardines, sea urchins and dill. His dishes are small, pretty, precise. Silken ravioli are filled with gingery buttered lobster cooked to gossamer lightness. Carpaccio comes in adorable slivers of Wagyu rolled around marinated tofu or topped with poached quail eggs; little cubes of raw tuna arrive wearing minuscule Caraquet oyster caps. This is a lovely experience; whether it is one that New York will want is another question.
Fiamma 206 Spring St. New York City (212-653-0100)
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