Tenute Rubino > Wine of Apulia > Ristorante Lievito, Italian restaurant

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.

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.

Lievito restaurant serves simple but delicious dishes

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 Thursday, June 28, 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 Ricotta cheese, black olives and sundried tomatoes-stuffed endive rolls over mint - flavoured tomato sauce tied with a crispy bow combined with the purity of Giancola Malvasia Bianca, which is a wine of very high caliber, with a rich and long-lasting flavor. Following typical apulian dish: Homemade Cavatelli pasta with mussels, potatoes and fava beans. 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 Tenute Rubino. Lamb chops stuffed with olive and aged ricotta cheese, served with spinach rolls filled with thyme - flavored eggplant puree and caponata croquettes 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 Pasticiotto cake with almonds and Maraschino cherries, served with chocolate ice cream combined with Aleatico, an exceptional designer sweet wine.

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