10 Corso Como, a restaurant/café, adds a taste of Milan style to New York’s South Street Seaport district.
Gianfranco Sorrentino, owner of some of New York’s top Italian eateries (Il Gattopardo, The Leopard at Des Artistes and Mozzarella and Vino) recommended we try 10 Corso Como and introduced us to Jordan Frosolone, the chef.
We scheduled a lunchtime visit and arrived early so that we could browse in the store and art gallery connected to the restaurant. A stunning exhibit of photos by the great fashion photographer Helmut Newton was on display. Next we wandered through the adjacent shop, the place to go if you are in the market for designer sneakers, clothes and home décor.
The restaurant itself brought back memories of Milan. With large bright windows facing the quaint cobblestone streets, the interior was all done in cool, calming shades of black, white and grey.
Jordan Frosolone
The friendly and outgoing Chef Frosolone, a Sicilian American and Chicago native, greeted us. We talked about the concept behind 10 Corso Como, and his approach to cooking. The menu is straightforward, with none of flights of fancy so often found on Italian menus in this country. A family of Italians visitors at the next table voiced their approval to the maitre d’ as they enthusiastically ate their way through several courses.
Meanwhile, we enjoyed perusing the mostly Italian wine list. Charles selected a bottle of Grignolino D’Asti from Crivelli. We asked the chef to choose the menu for us.
As a starter, he sent out a plate of very fresh tuna carpaccio with artichokes, capers and mint dressed with good olive oil. The salty crunch of the capers were a nice counterpoint to the tender, buttery tuna.
The next course was a thinly shaved artichoke and fennel salad with Parmigiano Reggiano,
and an eggplant tortino with melted mozzarella.
Two pastas came next. The freshly made agnolotti in a butter sauce were filled with delicate La Tur, a creamy cheese from Piedmont, and the chef personally shaved some first-of-the-season white truffles over the top.
There was also spicy spaghetti with hot pepper and grated bottarga, completely different in style from the agnolotti but just as satisfying.
For our main course we shared a simple yet elegant steamed branzino fillet
accompanied by garlicky sauteed spinach served in its own plate as they do in Italy.
Our dessert was a classic tiramisu, beautifully presented in a double walled glass
and a salad of very fresh ripe fruits.
With restaurants such as 10 Corso Como, expect South Street Seaport to become the new dining destination in New York City.
Charles Scicolone on Wine 