Tenute Rubino > Wine of Apulia > GENTE, New York City

GENTE – New York City

There are two categories of Italian restaurant in America. The first are those run by Italians who, with dedication and great love for their beautiful country, found in America the right conditions to be able to maintain their ties with their homeland. The second category are the "non-Italians," who, using the appeal and success of Italian food and wine, have set up activities which are often created in a speculative bubble, ultimately damaging the image of authenticity and quality associated with the Made in Italy brand. Superficially it may seem that Jay Mitchell and his Italian restaurant ’Gente’ fall into this second category, especially considering that, until 1999 Jay Mitchell had never been involved in the restaurant industry. For nearly three decades, in fact, this Brooklyn native worked as executive vice president of a large company in the fashion industry. However, his career has allowed him to circulate in the first-class restaurants of London, Paris, Berlin, Monaco, Milan, Florence and Rome and these have since become his base cities. It is on these occasions that his passion for quality cuisine has found its apotheosis in the Italian tradition. Business lunches and gala dinners have allowed him to refine his palate through hints of cooking excellence because a person used to success always seeks the best for themselves. In a short time, thanks to Henry Ghita - designer-friend who gave him a Michelin guide, Jay investigated all the best Italian restaurants he could find. to better understand the essence of the success of Italian cuisine: simplicity in cooking methods and high-quality raw materials. On over ninety trips around the Belpaese, he has fallen madly in love with the tastes and smells of Italian cuisine. So much so, that in 1999 he opened an elegant, 55 seat restaurant to "import Italian taste, and Italian hospitality" to New York.

The idea is to give guests the  same experience of smells and flavors that had originally impassioned Jay himself. His proposal is a real tour for the Belpaese. On the menu -which respects the seasonality of raw materials that come directly and with constant frequency from Italy - you can find dishes whose names recall Jay’s "travel memories" or certain places where he was struck for the particular quality of the food. A proposed tour of Italy at ’Gente’ may start with a "Parma salad", made with prosciutto di parma, arugula and green beans seasoned with Ligurian olive oil, then a Milanese saffron and mushroom Risotto -- as at the Hotel Principe di Savoia in Milan -- before chicken al Marsala and ending with ice cream coming direct from Italy. Besides these dishes, Jay offers soups, prepared daily with fresh vegetables, and the traditional Italian pizza. A connoisseur of Italian cuisine is worthy of that title only if the quality of the dishes can be well-matched with the very best of Italian wine. In his extensive Italian sojourn, Jay came to understand that the best restaurants in Italy have had their success due to the appeal and the quality of wine and food pairing: the reason why a stop at ’Gente’ is a total immersion in the best and most genuine Italian gastronomic culture. The wine list includes all the major labels who first helped spread the love for Italian wine around the world and those wines that have more recently aroused wine-lovers’ curiosity for the strong connotations with the land of production. At ’Gente’ there is the opportunity to try a classic Barolo or Amarone or even a Vermentino, a Toscano, a Susumaniello Pugliese or a Sicilian Nero d’Avola.

June 16th Dinner

The dinner scheduled for June 16 will be an evening dedicated to the wines of Puglia. The menu designed by Jay Mitchell will attempt to highlight the organoleptic qualities of several indigenous Salento grape varieties, put forward by the Tenute Rubino label. The dinner will begin with a beef carpaccio, accompanied by Giancola, a white Malvasia in purity, that really stands out in terms of its freshness and fruity notes. To follow the strong flavor impact of Punta Aquila (Primitivo in purity) may be appreciated with either the Pappardelle Portofino or the seafood risotto. There will be two main courses: the osso bucco with a mushroom sauce and "Acquapazza", a dish of sea bass and tomatoes, seasoned with olive oil from Genoa. Both dishes are perfectly matched to the Torre Testa, Susumaniello in purity, which is distinguished for its synthesis of complex fruity notes and acidic tones. In closing, the Aleatico will be paired with desserts offered by the house: Tiramisù, Torta della Nonna and orange sorbet.

Gente – Ristorante Italiano
153 E 45th St. (Between Lex and 3rd Avenues)
New York, NY 10017
Tel. 212-557-5555
Fax 212-986-8239