It was solely final 12 months that chef Salvo Lo Castro, a Sicilian who spent practically three many years cooking for among the strongest individuals in Italy, opened his first espresso bar, Casasalvo, in New York. With Rome-sourced roasts so deep they activate the inner corners of your mouth with a tobacco-y zing, the café took off. And by 2025, the chef—who will joyfully inform you himself how profitable his foray into American hospitality has been—launched three extra round Manhattan (one he plans on closing, and one other is beneath renovations). On Sunday, July 20, Lo Castro debuted a brand new Casasalvo: his first-ever full restaurant as chef-owner.
The property is prime Soho actual property, proper on the nook of Spring Avenue and Sullivan, and possesses all of the tell-tale indicators of an Italian venue in New York: a carmine crimson Campari umbrella, a inexperienced and white striped awning emblazoned with “Casasalvo New York Metropolis,” above tables wearing white linen with trendy armchairs and Aperol-branded pillows. The darkish, wealthy inside options Italian walnut-paneled partitions and deep inexperienced and auburn leather-based chairs. The massive white marble tile, an onyx bar with a gold illuminated backsplash, a petite balcony beside open French doorways and potted citrus and olive timber stability out the moody ambiance with softer touches.
The area is splashy however nonetheless subdued, probably drawing inspiration from the upscale institutions for which Lo Castro as soon as cooked. (The chef spent his early life cooking at seaside luxurious accommodations, together with the San Domenico Palace and Mazzarò Sea Palace, earlier than changing into the non-public chef for the Vatican and the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.) Regardless of on-line reservations saying “absolutely booked” just a few hours earlier than my 7:30 p.m. indoor reservation, the eating room is empty once I arrive, and feels too stuffy for a beautiful 70-something diploma gem of a New York night time.
I request to dine al fresco as an alternative. Just one desk is on the market, which sends the 2 hosts right into a little bit of an ungainly scramble, however we make it by means of. One later apologized for going forwards and backwards along with her co-host and shared that her Italian is stronger than her English—a truth I discover extra refreshing than problematic when going out for Italian meals, even, and maybe particularly, in Soho.
The servers and hosts are doting, however this barely chaotic vitality is a thread all through the meal. The menu, written in Italian with no descriptions, has a typo that unintentionally turns the broccoli rabe right into a profanity. Workers members examine in so steadily that conversations are interrupted a good quantity, although the principle server, Marco, is detail-oriented and conscientious. Regardless of a devoted Aperol Spritz Bar on the balcony, the drink isn’t as effervescent as I like when the 3-2-1 ratio (three components Prosecco, two components Aperol and one half glowing water) is correctly assembled, however they’re joyful so as to add a bit extra bubbly. Lastly, not the whole lot served is congruent with the dish titles, which I feel is a artistic liberty Lo Castro takes as a non-public chef operating a full-scale restaurant. This makes life more durable as a critic, however his riffs don’t compromise the standard or taste of his southern Italian-Mediterranean fare.
Lo Castro is charismatic, animated and practically pops the buttons off his crisp white chef’s coat along with his heat vitality. He visits friends tableside, relying on what number of entrées are being fired or whether or not he seems like leaving the kitchen, to debone the Dover sole. The fish (an $80 entrée perfect for 2 individuals) is contemporary and superbly tender. The pores and skin is crisp and coated in salt. Lo Castro, who grew up on his grandfather’s hazelnut farm and grandmother’s rotisserie on the Ionian Sea, removes it with grace and precision as he chats about his thrilling profession right here in New York and asks about my visitor’s and my backgrounds. The fish is served with only a drizzle of olive oil and lemon, which is all it wants—the style and high quality are glorious. The menu says it has contemporary mint, however Lo Castro whips up a blended crimson and inexperienced bell pepper sauce as an alternative and spoons a small portion on the facet of the dish. It’s vivid and herbaceous, however I might eat this fish weekly with out it.
Different entreés vary from Sicilian jumbo shrimp and complete branzino to veal parmesan, a $100 lamb chop and Ossobuco. Appetizers embody some classics like grilled octopus, burrata with prosciutto, Sicilian meatballs, calamari and a Mediterranean salad, which is stacked with massive chunks of ricotta salata, candy child tomatoes and a contemporary pureed pesto and zippy olive oil. The oil at Casasalvo is wealthy, earthy and vivid—drizzled on many dishes and, for bread service, poured on a classic blue floral plate with oregano snipped from a plant on the desk. The bread is flecked with herbs and olives which have a pleasant taste, however the exterior texture is a bit of too crunchy and dry.
There’s additionally uncooked fish, comparable to tuna sashimi, tuna tartare and crimson shrimp carpaccio. I attempt the Mediterranean ceviche, which Marco says comes with calamari, octopus and white fish. Served on a big radicchio leaf, it seems to be prefer it was simply netted out of the ocean and sliced up. To organize it, Lo Castro soaks it for twenty-four hours in sugar and water, adopted by Sorrento lemon juice and salt. This can be very tender, with subtleties of candy, citrus taste that permit the fish shine.
For the pasta course, I go for the ravioli, really helpful by Marco—he described it as having a white fish filling and a light-weight cream sauce. I’d not name it a cream sauce, because the ravioli arrives topped with a sautéed tuna ragu with contemporary herbs and tomatoes. That is savory and earthy—a stunning complement to the sleek, pureed white fish filling that, I do consider, included a contact of cream, sharp Italian cheese and a few tomato. The within was not fishy and tasted candy, virtually like butternut squash. I used to be cautious {that a} creamy white fish ravioli could be too wealthy, however the execution makes it a great dish for a summer season or early fall night time.
Whereas Lo Castro’s sudden riffs on menu gadgets could not make Casasalvo the form of restaurant you come to again and again for a replicated dish, it stands as an genuine neighborhood Italian spot—not less than one with residents who can afford $38 calamari and a $170 porterhouse for 2. Lo Castro’s assured, artistic nature and expansive data of Mediterranean and Italian meals shine all through his twists and turns. As he dips out and in of the kitchen, greeting friends and sharing his journey, it units a sure rhythm—one which solely a real Sicilian can drum up cooking in their very own kitchen. And if Italians actually do it higher, then “chissenefrega!”
