Tenute Rubino > Wine of Apulia > Lievito restaurant, New York City

Lievito restaurant: a myth of Italian cuisine in New York’s West Village.

If you’re looking for authentic Italian food in New York you will find it in the heart of the West Village. There are dozens of Italian restaurants and great passionate chefs, all of whom boast their Italian roots. These chefs bring the added value of their Italian-ness, their own stories and experiences. With their passion they are able to represent the soul of Italian food, with their diverse approaches and views. Italian food is made of a universe of flavors and being an Italian chef requires care, respect and imagination. You will find all of them at Lievito, the restaurant pizzeria opened in the heart of the West Village last January by four young Italian men, who have all worked in New York restaurants for several years, and Massimo Bosio, an Italian entrepreneur who believed in their abilities and in their dream.

Located along the tree-lined streets and brownstone facades of the West Village  that are familiar to television audiences all over the world thanks to the hit television series "Sex And The City", which was set there, Lievito is a very nice small restaurant: there are only a few tables but the staff pay a great deal of attention to customers and the quality of the dishes they serve. The selection of quality ingredients and the Italian culinary tradition, revisited in the Tuscan style, ensure a quality dining experience for the fortunate customer who dines there.

At Lievito you will be amazed and delighted at the mere sight of the dishes: an open kitchen that allows you to see their preparation guarantees care and expertise. The skill in the preparation and the presentation show that nothing is artificial at Lievito, but rather everything is handled with the ease and craftsmanship of an artisan at work. And the pace is dictated by the passion and spontaneity of the young staff. They are proud of their Italian roots and are willing to present a marvelous and elegant balance of flavors, textures and smells in their creations. These four musketeers work hard to realize their project of producing great Mediterranean cuisine. The search for this balance is undoubtedly the key component that can guarantee success and distinction. All this unites the young members of Lievito, led by Luca Meacci, and supported by the Tuscan entrepreneur Massimo Bosio.

Lievito restaurant serves simple but delicious dishes.

Their signature dish is pizza that they present in twenty-two variations. They guarantee meticulous care of the details  the dough, which is made with 'mother' yeast, a dough made of flour, water and sugar. These are mixed together and cooled constantly so that they ferment spontaneously. The result is great quality pizza that is easy to digest. A selected range of toppings that is brought in constantly from Italy by their trusted importers completes the food that tastes of Italy from the first bite.

But there’s more to Lievito than pizza. The menu, which is constantly updated and based on seasonal ingredients, also include appetizers, salads, pasta dishes and soups – the latter are typically recipes from Tuscany. Among these, the Pappa al Pomodoro has been a remarkable success with clientele. It is served with burrata and pine nut pesto: a real explosion of taste from a simple and genuine tradition. Chef Andrea Soldini not only has the culinary arts at heart, but also a meticulous knowledge of the territories of origin of individual products. Another tantalizing example of experimentation with appetizers is the eggplant parmigiana with marinated duck breast and fennel and tomato sauce, a triumph of taste that embraces diverse regional Italian cuisine with distinct flavors.

At this time of year you can also enjoy hand-made Tuscan lasagna, cannelloni with ricotta and spinach, cream of beans with shrimp and crispy sage. You can end your meal with a sweet chestnut torte, ice cream, various flavors of sorbets and millefoglie. The care and refinement of the ingredients is also reflected in the wine list, which includes 120 Italian wines that come from all the wine making regions of Italy and can be served by the glass also. The prestige and elegance of the wines  complement the taste of the food 'made in Italy' that Americans have learned to appreciate thanks to restaurants like Lievito. It is in places like these that they have learned that the perfect meal is made by Italian food washed down by traceable great wine made in Italy.

The Puglia Wine Tasting Dinner

On Wednesday, April 27, Lievito proudly is following the initiative of Rubino Estates, one of the wineries from Southern Italy that have contributed to the renaissance of Apulian wine, hosting a wine tasting session for New York winelovers. For the occasion, the chef Andrea Soldini has created a special menu typical of the Apulian tradition that will enhance the fragrant freshness of the white wines and the elegant  full-bodied red wines produced by Rubino Estates.

The Puglia Wine Tasting Dinner opens with a starter composed of stuffed vegetables in a spicy tomato sauce combined with the purity of Giancola Malvasia Bianca, which is a wine of very high caliber, with a rich and long-lasting flavor.

Next is a dish which Apulia is famous for around the world: orecchiette, that for the occasion will be served with a tomato sauce and a sprinkling of seasoned ricotta salata. The red Punta Aquila will accompany this dish, a pure primitive sensation which bestows a fascinating mineral taste that captivates from the first sip.

The main dish of the evening will be served with the top-of-the-range wine from Rubino Estates. The squid stuffed with caponata will be enhanced by the texture of Torre Testa, a pure Susumaniello made from a powerful and fragrant grape supported by powerful acidity and fine tannins. Finally, the meal will end with Ricotta pie served with Aleatico, an exceptional designer sweet wine.

Lievito restaurant
581 Hudson Street (with Bank Street) New York
T.212-645-5811
www.lievitopizzeria.com