Gastronomista: A Night Out - River Deli

Dearest readers, we would like to share a little secret of ours with you, one of our favorite restaurants in all of Brooklyn. Sometimes all you want is a healthy, fresh, sophisticated meal with out all the hype and chaos that New York City often brings with its restaurant scene. The two hour wait just gets old sometimes, especially after a long day working for the benjamins. But more so, sometimes we want to feel like we're getting away - away from the chaos, away from the hustle and bustle of New York, and instead back in Italy where we hailed too many summers ago.

New York has a lot of great food. New York has a lot of bad food as well, and more importantly, bad Italian food (we're lookin' at you, Little Italy). Which is why, this gem we hold close to our hearts. It's the closest thing we've found to jumping on a plane and going to Italy for a great meal.

River Deli. Brooklyn Heights. Owned by Andrea Mocci and Giovanna Fadda - Sardinians relocated to Brooklyn. The menu features traditional Italian fare - Caprese, Bruschetta Mista, Tagliatelle al Ragu, or our personal favorite, Pappardelle ai Funghi (pappardelle with mixed mushrooms) and Cozze in umido (mussels in garlic and white wine). But believe us when we say, the real deal is in the specials, all favorite Sardinian recipes recreated here in Brooklyn for your staycation.

Just a few of the specials:

Macarronisi de Busa with Bottarga and Clams ("Bottarga is a typical Sardinian product, dried raw eggs of fish is called Sardinian gold taste is difficult cause quite strong of sea")

Branzino alla Vernaccia (branzino fillets cooked with Vernaccia wine and black Sardinian olives)

Fregola con le arselle (Traditional toasted Sardinian pasta cooked in fish broth, sauteed with clams and sun-dried tomatoes)

Pane Frattau (a very old Sardinian dish made with the typical Sardinian flat bread, pecorino cheese, tomato sauce, and poached eggs)

We adore this place.

When you're desperately feeling the need to escape - just walk to the end of Joralemon Street in Brooklyn, and let the food take care of the rest.

The menu (click for a larger, and therefore better view):