I Can’t Believe that I haven’t Eaten at Testaccio Yet.
Last night, I put to rest my curiosity about Testaccio Ristorante, the unassuming Italian establishment on Vernon and 47th. Lured by the menu displaying items such as “Calamari in Gratella” and “Chitarra Alle Vongole e Bottarga,” we ventured in past the bar that hosts a happy hour worthy of its own review and into the spacious and rustic main dining room towards the back of the space.
The space is lit, but on the dimmer side, just enough to accent the white bricks and wooden beams. It’s a good clean and spacious restaurant, a place where you can carry on a conversation with your family, friend or better yet, date. What’s refreshing, especially compared to many of the Italian spots in Manhattan, is the quality of the service. Our waiter was friendly beyond the call of duty, extremely knowledgeable about each item on the menu (and between my mother and my wife, we grilled him) and patient, a trifecta of virtues that is rare in the service sector.
After putting our waiter through the ringer, we settled on the Minestrone soup ($8) made with wood-oven roasted veggies and an order of meatballs ($9) as appetizers. Not that I had orders’ remorse, but I could have been easily talked into the Carpaccio di Pomodoro ($12). After taking our order, the waiter thoughtfully brought out an assortment of breads with olive oil as well as three different bruschetta: a traditional tomato, extremely fresh pesto and mozzarella with truffle oil. We each knew that we were filling up on carbs, the classic rookie mistake, but we didn’t care. We were pot committed. The Minestrone soup was a delightful balance of hearty vegetables and lite tomato broth and tasted the way you would expect your Italian grandmother to make it. The meatballs came served in a dish smothered in tomato sauce. The serving of two could easily have fed a family of six on their own. Likely a blend of veal, pork and beef, the texture was more solid than fluffy – the kind you would want stuffed in a perfect hoagie or hero. I can’t even imagine having a full serving of the delicious meatballs, I was happy for the help.
Just as my stomach was giving me very explicit indications to stop eating, a 12” Diavola pizza ($15) was placed in front of my bulging eyes. Served on a very thin crust, the tomatoes, freshly sliced (and not shredded) mozzarella, spicy Italian Salami and oregano melded into an elegant, authentic and supremely tasty pie of happiness. My wife ordered the “Baccala in Umido” ($22), a chunky codfish steak sitting a fresh tomato broth with onions, potatoes, capers and artichokes swimming around. The broth makes the dish look more like a stew or chowder, but it was actually really light and approachable. Normally, I wouldn’t want to mix the tomato broth with the fish, but they blended well together, almost as if the piece was braised. The order winner for the evening was my mother who naively thought she could take down an eggplant parmigiana with a side of angel hair pasta ($18). Now most things that are breaded, deep fried, topped with rich tomato sauce and include generous portions of fresh mozzarella are delicious. This was no exception, but it wasn’t heavy as I expected. Quite the opposite in fact – almost dainty. Despite being feverishly full, the flavor profile was so vivid that she couldn’t stop, and neither could I.
By the end of the meal, we were each inadvertently leaning back, rubbing our bellies, relishing a fantastic meal and looking forward to a digestif that would help us get home. The meal came in under $100 for the three of us (without drinks) and we all agreed that we would happily return. I’d recommend that you give it a shot if you haven’t already.Testaccio 47-30 Vernon Blvd Long Island City,, NY
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