If you enjoy Italian cuisine, then you must visit Tramonti Fifth Ave, a family-friendly authentic Italian restaurant. Not only do they have century old secret recipes, but they are the only ones in NYC to have a specific Tramonti wine!
Tramonti Fifth Ave is one of the newest additions to NYC’s vibrant restaurant scene! This family-friendly authentic Italian restaurant, located in the heart of the NoMad neighborhood, will take you on a journey to Tramonti, a small town in Italy.
To be more exact, Tramonti is a tiny town in the beautiful Amalfi Coast (southern Italy). They are mostly known for their vineyards, lemon orchards and chestnut woodlands. Tramonti’s current population is only a little over 4,100 people.
When we arrived at Tramonti Fifth Ave, we were greeted by a very friendly staff that led us to our table. We sat at the back area, near the wood-fired pizza oven, where we immediately noticed that Chef Giovanni Vittorio Tagliafierro was at full speed! Chef Leo Mele is the other, also world-renowned chef, part of Tramonti!
Chef Giovanni, born in Tramonti, was recently awarded by the Italian American Chamber of Commerce the Ospitalità Italiana Award.
This annual award is a seal of quality assurance for the authentic Italian restaurants around the world.
“Italian cuisine is the result of a centuries-old historical process of Italian society, always leading to significant moments of human civilization. For an innate inclination to the attention of the Italians to human relationships and the quality of life, the culture of the table has become in the course of time the symbol of hospitality and welcome, the food has taken on a value like art and music.
For these reasons, Italian food should be considered a contribution to the heritage of humanity and should be defended and protected from adulteration and falsification to preserve its history, culture, quality, and authenticity.” ~ Welcome-Italia.co.uk
As mentioned above, Tramonti is known for its fine vineyards and we had the pleasant surprise to actually try an authentic wine, the Giuseppe Apicella Costa d’Amalfi Tramonti. Such a delicious red wine!
As starters, we tried:
- Bruschetta with fresh tomatoes
- Bruschetta with fresh tomatoes and burrata
- And, the Bruschetta with fresh tomatoes and prosciutto
- Polpette Di Vitella – veal meatballs in tomato sauce
- Parmigiana Di Melanzane – Parmigiana-style pan fried eggplant with tomato sauce and mozzarella
All really fresh and extremely tasty, but we were mostly surprised with the perfection of the Parmigiana Di Melanzane. This is definitely a must-have!
Pizza making is one of Chef Giovanni’s expertise. Their recipe has been in his family for over a century, so we obviously had to try it!
The pizza we decided on was a classic Caprese – Fiammante San Marzano DOP tomato sauce, buffalo mozzarella DOP, arugula, cherry tomatoes and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil).
We asked what DOP meant. It’s “Denominazione d’Origine Protetta” (Protected Designation of Origin) – a certification guaranteeing the origin of the products and that “it has been produced, processed, and packaged in a specific geographical zone and according to tradition” (Source: DeliveryItaliano.com)
“We use special ingredients and classic recipes to create delicious pizza, spaghetti, salad, and more.”
It was delicious and the crust was as crunchy as a pizza crust should be!
Last, but definitely not least, dessert! We tried their cannoli, but we were really looking forward to their famous Chocolate Eggplant.
The recipe dates back over 400 years. It has passed through all generations of Chef Giovanni’s family – mother, grandmother, great grandmother. The process takes literally over 24 hours to prepare.
They fry the eggplant to perfection, twice, then it sits for around 6 hours. The chocolate sauce is delicious and, as every genius dish, there’s a secret ingredient. In this case, the Chef mentioned it’s an Italian liqueur, with 13 herbs (he did not mention details), made by local Monks!
When the eggplant is ready, they dip it into the chocolate sauce, sprinkle with dark chocolate and place into the oven for another 2 minutes. But, it’s still not over. Finally, they place it inside a refrigerator for another 24 hours! After this, the dessert finally ready to be savored! Result: Utter perfection!
You’ll also find other options on the menu like pastas and a variety of seafoods from lobster, crab and shrimp, to fresh oysters.
They can also accommodate dietary restrictions and offers vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes as well!
We can’t wait to go back for more!
Oh, and while you’re in the neighborhood, you might want to explore it a bit. So, go for a drink at Patent Pending, one of our favorite speakeasy bars! If you want to stay in the area while in NYC, take a look at the HGU New York Hotel.
Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 11:30am – 12am
Friday & Saturday: 11:30am – 12:30am
Sunday: 11:30am – 11pm
Location: 2 West 28th Street
Photo Credits: ©Behind the Scenes NYC
Fê is our Founder & CEO! She’s Brazilian (Yup! Not a New Yorker!), but her indescribable passion and curiosity for NY makes her a New Yorker by heart. Fê worked in companies like Kimberly Clark, Quintessentially, Vogue Brazil and Iguatemi Group, and after 12 years of working for these fantastic companies, she decided to go solo and move to NYC!
She lives in Brooklyn since April of ’15 and has been tirelessly working on BTSNYC, working with huge companies on corporate projects, practicing her Arhatic Yoga meditations, finding time for gym and friends! Phiuf!
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