I had dinner last week at Alice restaurant, which is a sophisticated and intimate, Italian restaurant in the bottom of a historical brownstone in the heart of the West Village. All of the food is farmed to table, plus there is no meat; they do serve fish. I sat in the back room at a big table and looking up, I could see the skylight. The service was warm and friendly and the wait staff explained all the daily specials right away. I started with the BLACK SEABASS CRUDO, which was a good appetizer; it was light and healthy in both taste and feeling. Next was the HARVEST SALAD, which is plenty to share with another person. The salad is fresh with vegetables from the market that week and the salad was topped with a tasty dressing. Bread was served on the side. The salad was truly delightful and every time I come here, it is a must have. Next, I had, SPAGHETTONE DEI CAMPI” AL POMODORO, which was amazing. The serving is filling and ever bite delicious. The noodles were medium in size, and sauce had just enough tomato and flavor in it. The main event of the evening was the BRANZINO AL SALE served with baked and crispy potatoes and a side of spinach topped off with a glass of Rose.

Review by Alison Hernon, Editor-In-Chief of PhotoBook Magazine.

From the stylish but quaint, family-friendly, the farm-to-table charm of Osteria 57, to the slightly more cool-kid-focused vibes of Alice, the West Village has all its bases covered.

NEW YORK, NY (April 19, 2022) - As Manhattan returns to a greater sense of normalcy, two playfully interconnected restaurants in the West Village, Osteria 57 (57 West 10th Street) and the younger Alice (126 West 13th Street) is delivering a delectable one-two punch of sustainable, meat-free, farm-to-table cuisine paired with an organic aura of brotherly love, old-world charm and progressive, contemporary Downtown cool. Launched in the bones of former occupant Piadina, which closed its doors in 2017 after a solid run from 1995, Osteria 57 would maintain the location’s Italian roots, while offering up an updated, ever-simple, but potent, clean, and creative fish and vegetarian menu. Co-founded by the Milan-born, “half Sicilian-half Sardinian” restaurateur Emanuele Nigro, who evolved from a trained actor in Italy to a salesperson and major distributor of olive oil in the States, Mr. Nigro, maintains a jovial yet cinematic je ne sais quoi, albeit grounded by years of highly intentioned work with plant medicines, infuses both locations with a relaxed but heightened sense of aliveness and compassion for nature. Executive Chef duties for both locations fell gracefully to the humble Riccardo Orfino, who, like many Italians, credits his grandmother for his love of cooking (Mr. Nigro cites his mother). Rounding out the team, especially for the Alice venue (pronounced Aleeché, somewhat musically by Mr. Nigro, like the ubiquitous Italian anchovy) is Partner, Creative Director, Chief Designer, and bespoke dual-location Bar Manager, Waél Deek (“from Dubai to New York”), who has years of experience across several industries. Mr. Deek’s bold and intuitive interior design choices for Alice (which Waél pronounces like a certain Lewis Carroll heroine [also correct]), including a Midnight Black ceiling bordering a storied skylight in the space’s interior room; its walls painted a surprising but effective Electric Persian Blue, includes carefully chosen upcycled antiques (spy the golden pineapple cocktail shakers and perimeter church pews), all consensually reappropriated from local antique shops and many now-defunct restaurants that closed due to COVID. This helps usher Alice to hip Gen Z-meets-Millennial brunch territory (old-world vegetarian Italian valiantly meets entrenched American expectations), as well as late-night, voluminous, après la fête sensuality, while functioning as an international arc and love letter to New York’s historic hospitality scene.

“The word sustainability is so overrated,” says Mr. Nigro. “We are trying to position ourselves into a place that is good for us and good for others. Riccardo and I created a menu that doesn’t have meat, but doesn't tell people they can’t or shouldn’t have meat. We want to show our guests that they don’t have to have meat or sacrifice flavor to have a great meal.”
Mr. Nigro comes from humble island origins where meat was a once a month luxury. “Sunday steak,” as he put it, consisted of toasted bread saturated in whipped eggs and fried. Eggs make their way into both restaurants, especially in the preparation of the strictly homemade dough and pasta, which is where the difference can truly be tasted, explained Mr. Nigro. The menus for both locations also offer up select fish dishes, like Osteria 57’s perfectly cooked and crisped Steelhead Salmon ($36, its still-sizzling, seared and sealed skin evokes a savory, almost candied crème brulée shell) with braised endive, artichoke sauce, citrus beurre blanc. The seasonal menus, like the restaurants themselves, would cater to the same person but on different occasions. “I believe in one scientific principle; harmonic resonance,” says Mr. Nigro. “Things will vibrate with you if you’re in harmony. Being in harmony means you have to go with the seasons. By using food from the farmer's market or straight from farms, we can follow the agricultural calendar to the day. This means four menus a year in each restaurant.”

Chef Riccardo Orfino, whom Mr. Nigro says he “prayed for'' after his founding partner of Osteria 57 moved on only six months after opening, speaks with joy about frequenting Union Square’s local farmer's market and liaising directly with passionate, organic food growers and purveyors. Mr. Orfino absorbed this almost obsessive farm-to-table ethos from the ancient master, Chef Aimo Moroni, who would forage for rare and organic ingredients for his small pop-up food cart on the outskirts of Milan in the late-60s. This of course became the celebrated, two-Michelin star, half-century-old and still strong, Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia.

“We reinvented ourselves,” says Mr. Nigro, who met Chef Orfino, a kindred spirit, in January 2019 just as the young Italian food wizard was ready and looking to spread his wings and fly. “We started by creating our own tomato sauce. Like all good Italians, I grew up making sauce with my aunt in Tuscany while Riccardo was making it with his Grandma in Padua. My flavor profile is very simple. Very Italian. We both love acidity and ingredient-based cuisine. For us, it’s about exalting the flavor of that one ingredient. At the end of your bite, you need to be able to trace back all the ingredients.”

A great example of this fresh and direct connection from farm to table to mouth to belly to bliss is Osteria 57’s most succulent main course, the roasted organic maitake mushrooms ($32) served with sunchoke pureé and steaming with retained earthly yet alien flavor under a bubbling blanket of smoked scamorza and luxuriating over a hyper-fresh herb salad. “Those mushrooms, grown not so far from us, cost us a fortune,” says Mr. Nigro.” But it’s worth it.”

About Osteria 57

Osteria 57 follows a vision based upon the belief that our experiences are interconnected to the point that what we eat, the wine we drink, and the atmosphere around us, can facilitate and support the flourishing of our souls. The ambiance at Osteria 57 reflects this vision. The beautiful location has 3 cozy rooms, 2 bars, and one private outdoor table for an unforgettable romantic brunch. The gorgeous, private, Royal Blue-curtained-off outdoor street-dining rooms double the intimate interior’s 60-person seat count. Located in the heart of Greenwich Village, on 10th street right off 6th avenue, the space is tastefully decorated and suitable for private events. For more information, please visit www.osteria57.com

About Alice

“It’s ok to feel lost.”

At times described as a seafood and lobster bar, Alice has blossomed into something a bit beyond this otherwise apt description. Though very much in line with Osteria 57’s ethos of clean, organic food and a menu without meat except for select fish and the occasional egg, Alice is a multifaceted Italian restaurant, all-age NYC cool-kid haunt, bar, cocktail lounge, industry hangout, emerging brunch haven (try the lobster “mac and cheese” for two at $52, served with homemade gnocchi), private event space, and stylish nightlife ashram with interiors designed and decorated by Waél Deek. Visit www.alicenyc.com for more information.

About Emanuele Nigro

Emanuele Nigro has been a New Yorker for 15 years. He moved to NYC from Milan to pursue a career as an actor, eventually studying with John Strasberg at the famous New York Actor’s Studio. After acting in several plays, he moved into olive oil sales, helping to turn the company into a national one-product powerhouse distributor before exiting the company and using the proceeds to purchase what is now Osteria 57. Of “island blood,” he believes messages should be conveyed by actions, not words, and still prefers the “big city” to the countryside.

About Riccardo Orfino

In April 2019, Chef Orfino moved to Osteria 57, which is to be considered as part of realizing a dream he had for a long time: to be Executive Chef and partner of a restaurant in New York City. Chef Orfino was fascinated by the story and philosophy behind Osteria 57, as he believes that the attention given to the vegetarian and vegan world is growing more than ever. He credits a kitchen that works beyond animal products “created” on farms, one that is more oriented towards healthy and fresh products. His hard work, sacrifices, and passion allowed him to

manage the first Bistrot of Aimo e Nadia in Milan under the supervision of Chefs Fabio Pisani and Alessandro Negrini for two highly successful years, with local awards and mentions in the main Italian food guides (Michelin, Espresso and Gambero Rosso). Chef Orfino also spent time at Osteria della Pace (Eataly Downtown), and as Executive Sous Chef at the La Pecora Bianca restaurant in Manhattan.

About Waél Deek
Waél Deek has created a vast array of special events for celebrities, luxury product launches,

fashion shows and other events and happenings for most of his career. Waél is an experienced and skilled designer, bar chef, restaurateur and brand strategist. In 2016, he launched a Ukrainian Vodka brand in NYC and managed the GTM strategy. Waél’s acute eye for detail, wondrous design expressions and technical capabilities have fueled his diverse professional experience over the past twenty years. Waél is the Experience Director, Interior Designer and managing partner at One More Hospitality. Beyond his artistic talents and curation of the spaces, Waél developed the bespoke beverage program for both Alice and Osteria 57. He now simultaneously manages the bar operation for both restaurants.

Both restaurants are open 7 days a week for dinner, and for brunch on weekends.

Kitchen hours are:
Alice Monday-thursday 5:30-10:30 Friday 5:30-11:00 Saturday 12:00-3:00 / 5:30-11:00 Sunday 12:00-4:00 / 5:00-9:30

Bar is open until midnight during the week and until 2 am on weekends. Monday-thursday 5:30-10:30
Friday 5:30-11:00
Saturday 11:30:00-3:30 / 5:30-11:00
Sunday 11:30-3:30 / 5:00-9:30

Website: https://alicenyc.com
Instagram: @alicerestaurantnyc
*Images courtesy of Alice Restaurant NYC

Meat-Free Italian, Sister-Restaurants, Osteria 57 and Alice, Are Sustainably Hip