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Photos: Donatella, Chelsea's New Neapolitan Pizza Restaurant
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 1, 2010
Modified Oct 1, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 1, 2010
Modified Oct 1, 2010
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Restaurateur Donatella Arpaia (Mia Dona, Anthos [RIP], Kefi) has been pushing forward on her own following the dissolution of her critically-acclaimed partnership with chef Michael Psilakis. Her new restaurant, named simply Donatella, just opened this week in Chelsea. The emphasis here is fastidiously authentic Neapolitan pizza, and the first thing that will likely catch your eye is the oven, a tailor-made, gold domed wood-burning "piece of fine art" comprised of volcanic salt, sand and rock from Mount Vesuvius!
Other noteworthy design elements Each large chandelier, made by Vermont artist Johnny Swing, is comprised of 38 glass jars, which makes each one weigh about 64 pounds. (To mount them, they had to build an additional support structure in the ceilings.) Big old maps of Naples adorn the exposed-brick walls, and a twelve-seat bar can be found up front. Arpaia's first lounge, DBar, also opens this week; it's connected internally to the restaurant and shares the same kitchen. (Hopefully the Dbags won't find it for a while.)
Chef Jarett Appell, who most recently helmed the kitchen at Mia Dona, spend three months in Naples with Arpaia studying under Naples foremost master pizzaialo, Enzo Coccia. Appell's menu features seven different varieties of pizza (for now), ranging in price from $12 to $20. Options include the Marinara, the Diavolo with spicy sausage and chili oil, the Cappellacio with charred and marinated mushrooms, the Mas’Nicolo with strutto, as well as the Enzo: smoked mozzarella, Pecorino, rapini and sausage. The kitchen is also home to a one-of-a-kind artisanal dough mixer, which was built specifically for Arpaia in Italy.
In addition, the restaurant serves a range of pastas, such as the Paccheri Alla Genovese and Spaghettini Con Ricci Di Mare (pasta with sea urchin), as well as imported Salumi and buffalo milk cheeses. Antipasti includes Caponata Del Mare (marinated seafood salad), and there's Fritti like Crocche di Patate with Robiola (a potato croquette with mozzarella and robiolo cheese). The wine list is entirely comprised of wine from Naples, and there's a selection of Italian craft beers as well.
184 Eighth Avenue, (212) 493-5150
Tagged
dining
donatella
donatella arpaia
Neapolitan pizza
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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