The Rosi family, who hail from Parma, Italy, owns this
restaurant. (Prosciutto di Parma and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese also originate
in Parma.) Chef Cesare Casella demonstrates his skills at this restaurant; he
was working behind the counter on the day that we dined, wearing his trademark sprig
of rosemary in his jacket pocket. His love of rosemary represents his
dedication to fresh ingredients, his herb-influenced cuisine, and his Tuscan
childhood where rosemary grew wild and his family ran a small trattoria. The
restaurant set a sprig of rosemary at each place setting as well, which was a
fragrant and rustic touch.
We first heard about Salumeria Rosi on Anthony Bourdain’s show
called “Food Porn”, and we have been trying to dine there ever since. (For some
unknown reason, we rarely find ourselves on the Upper West Side of town, so we
never had the opportunity to dine at Salumeria Rosi before.)
The restaurant/shop occupies a small storefront on Amsterdam
Avenue. This establishment does a booming takeout business at their deli
counter. (A special catering menu is available if you plan to feed a larger
crowd.) Prices on the deli meats, cheeses, dried pastas, and so on seemed reasonable,
especially for Manhattan. You can sit in the regular dining room at small
tables, outdoors on the sidewalk in warm weather, or at a small counter where
you can watch the chefs work. The dining room is not large – perhaps six or
eight small tables, along with four places to dine at the counter. No coat
check is available; in fact, when we arrived with our small 21” rolling suitcase
(we were en route from our hotel back to our transportation), we initially
puzzled the host when we asked him to store it. A unisex bathroom, located at
the rear of the restaurant, features Chef Casella’s many awards.
Assiagi (tastings) of meats and cheeses are available for
lunch and dinner, in addition to the regular menu. On weekends, the restaurant
offers additional brunch items as well as the standard menu. We shared both a meat tasting and a
cheese tasting. The cheese tasting consisted of three kinds of cheeses, each
accompanied by its own mostarda/garnish. The meat tasting (we ordered the small
size) consisted of two+ slices each of six+ different meats. After our two
tasting courses, we shared two hot dishes: the meatball special (served atop
polenta garnished with tomato sauce) and an AMAZING dish called pancia (pork
belly dish served with chick peas, greens, and garnished with crispy pig skin).
For dessert, we shared banana bread pudding, served warm. The restaurant offers
only two types of beer (blonde and dark), along with a more extensive selection
of wines and cocktails.
We will definitely return to Salumeria Rosi – we can
envision stopping in for takeout to enjoy a picnic in Central Park, or dining
at the Upper East Side location if we desire a more formal meal.
