Risotto di Mare

by Mort Hochstein
December 18, 2008

FELICE WINE BAR
1166 1st Ave
@ 64th St
New York, NY 10065
212-593-2223

From ristorante to osteria, trattoria, and gastronomica, Italian allows for many degrees and appellations of what Americans simply call “restaurants.” As such, it seems that Felice Wine Bar on First Avenue at 64th Street, with its wide-ranging menu, ambiance and attention, might be more aptly named trattoria or osteria. But call it what you will, I liked the place from the moment I entered, seduced, perhaps, by the simple, rustic room, its informal coziness, and a warm greeting that took me back to so many similar spots in Italy.

Felice’s offerings are certainly not limited to the wine bar lineup. There are half a dozen salads, including a variation on Rollie’s favorite insalata tricolori: the insalata centocolori. With two additional hues, the usual three-lettuce rainbow is made even more colorful by the green avocado and the diced white mozzarella. It was a welcome starter as was my polipo grigliato e marinato, lightly grilled marinated octopus accompanied by bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and diced potatoes. The crunchy, slightly salty octopus was reminiscent of balmy summer afternoons at tables overlooking the Adriatic or the Mediterranean.

Chef Simone Parisotto is a pasta artist, so it was hard to choose from his nine offerings ranging from $10 to $20. I settled on linguine alla vongole veraci, my usual plate of linguine and little neck clams plus a new element. The veraci sits on a tasty purée of broccoli, served as a bed for the pasta. The best choice of the night, though, was a generous risotto di mare, rice buried under an array of clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp, scallops and octopus. That’s the dish that will bring me back.

The menu, however, does not stop with pasta but soars upward with Cornish game hen, sea bass, salmon, and a choice of steaks, sliced sirloin or seared filet mignon. There’s a full dessert menu, including gelato, as well. We chose to split a feathery light chocolate mousse cake, enriched by a chocolate custard center.

As with all the offerings, the wine list far surpasses the usual selection. There are five full pages of Italy’s best with bottles starting in the low 30s and reaching three figures for big names such as the 2000 Rinaldi Barolo Cannubbio ($140), the 2004 Antinori Solaia ($320), and the 2005 Ornellaia ($270). This full-throttle list includes good buys in half-bottles and by the glass,too.

Open for brunch, lunch and dinner, Felice is not just an evening spot. The setting of people enjoying themselves among pleasant and knowledgeable servers and the reasonable prices put Felice on my favorites list. This is one of those charming mom-and-pop restaurants so common to Italy and so lacking in Manhattan.

Also in Italian, Rice, Risotto, Seafood, UES