Who’s behind it: Restaurateurs Stefano Secchi and David Switzer co-own Manhattan’s acclaimed Rezdôra, in the Flatiron District, which earned a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence in the 2024 Restaurant Awards. After more than a year of planning, they expanded by opening a new Italian restaurant, Massara, on Broadway, around the corner from Rezdôra’s location on East 20th Street. Secchi, a chef, worked previously under Italian culinary leader Massimo Bottura at Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. He also hosts a web series, “Lessons with Luca,” featuring his son, Luca.
When it opened: June 7
The culinary approach: Secchi’s menu pays tribute to Southern Italy and the chef’s childhood summers spent in the Campania region. He and chef de cuisine Anthony Bellock offer dishes like whole Mediterranean branzino, a “bistecca ‘New Yorkese’ Wagyu” (grilled over a wood fire), paccheri pomodoro with San Marzano tomatoes, spaghettini with baby clams and “If Pasta Fredda Was Eaten in Amalfi,” a cold pasta dish with red prawns and almonds. There are also several small pizzas (aka pizzette) made using a 35-year-old sourdough starter carried over from Secchi’s family; these include a classic Margherita and a pie with tomato, anchovies and capers (but without cheese).
[article-img-container][src=2024-07/restaurant-news-massara-pizza-oven-071124_1600.jpg] [credit= (Alex Staniloff)] [alt= The pizza oven at Massara in New York City, with a fresh pizzette.][end: article-img-container]What’s on the wine list: Massara and Rezdôra corporate wine director Michael Duffy—formerly of Best of Award of Excellence winner Locanda Verde at the Greenwich Hotel in Tribeca—has assembled a list of more than 300 wines exclusively from Tuscany and farther south in Italy. “The real heart of that is our focus on Campania,” Duffy told Wine Spectator via email. “I feel [it] is among the most, if not the most, undervalued winemaking regions in the world.” This contrasts with Rezdôra, where the focus is on wines from Northern Italy down to Tuscany and Umbria, but Massara’s list shares a similar emphasis on smaller wineries, local grape varieties and producers practicing environmentally responsible techniques.
The program features bottlings from regional leaders like Abruzzo’s Emidio Pepe (with an 11-vintage vertical of the winery’s old-vine Montepulciano d’Abruzzo), Sicily’s Passopisciaro, Lazio’s Fattoria di Fiorani, Umbria’s Arnaldo Caprai and Campania’s Guastaferro Raffaele (with 10 vintages of its Taurasi Primum).
Tuscany is well represented with acclaimed wineries like Chianti Classico’s Castello di Volpaia and Montalcino’s Canalicchio di Sopra and Val di Suga, and guests will also find significant selections of rosé and orange wines. The inventory sits at about 3,000 bottles, but Duffy plans to expand. “I’m particularly enthusiastic about sourcing back vintages, especially from Campania, and lesser-known producers whose wines don’t currently get the acclaim I believe they deserve,” Duffy said. “My hope is that drinking at Massara will be an act of discovery.”
[article-img-container][src=2024-07/restaurant-news-massara-bistecca-071124_1600.jpg] [credit= (Alex Staniloff)] [alt= The bistecca ‘New Yorkese’ Wagyu from Massara in New York City, next to a glass of red wine.][end: article-img-container]Beyond wine, Massara and Rezdôra bar director Morgan Marak has created a list of Italian-inspired cocktails that include selections like the Strega Nona Needs a Spritz, a potential new favorite for fans of red aperitivi.
The design: With around 100 seats, Massara has about twice…
Source : https://www.winespectator.com/articles/restaurant-news-massara-new-york-city
