We've been anticipating Chef Chris Jaeckle and Chris Cannon's homage to Northern Italian cuisine for some time now and two weeks ago the restaurant finally debuted in its home just south of Union Square. Chef Jaeckle, who's spent time in some of the city's most venerable kitchens like Eleven Madison Park and Ai Fiori, offers a menu rooted in Venetian sensibility with flecks of international flair, a nod to the port city's multicultural influences. Meanwhile Cannon, a former business partner of Michael White, assembled a diverse list of Italian wines drawn from Italy's many different regional specialties.
It's no surprise that seafood reigns on the menu, with flavors of the ocean infused into many of the dishes. Sea urchin is a recurring theme, surfacing most notably in the tender Arancini ($9) with squid ink and a Bucatini pasta ($19), where the creamy creatures are smoked and tossed with spicy bread crumbs. The restaurant's name stands for a kind of soupy risotto particular to the region and they offer a Risottoe Nero ($17), flavored with sepia, bitter radicchio and bottarga.
If seafood isn't your game, opt for the Pappardelle ($18) enveloped in aged duck ragu, treviso and chocolate or the meaty Strip Loin ($29) with parmesan potatoes, mustard greens and fonduta. If you eschew meat entirely, try the Tortellini ($15) with parmesan dashi, tomato oil and porcini mushrooms and the Jerusalem Artichokes ($7) tossed in brown butter, soy and a briny bite from capers.
The bi-level space has been totally transformed from its previous life as a neighborhood tavern while still retaining some of the casual charm. The bar and a communal table occupy the ground floor, which has been decorated in greyscale tones with whitewashed brick walls and a geometric tiled floor. The main dining area upstairs boasts floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking 13th Street plus a large photograph depicting the watery canals of Venice.
22 East 13th Street, (212) 231-2366; allondanyc.com
