43 East 20th Street (between Park Avenue South and Broadway) 212-777-5314 www.fusconewyork.com
Italian. How can you go wrong with a restaurant named after grandma? You cannot which is abundantly clear from the moment you step inside Fusco. It’s impossible not to be taken with the décor, a stunning study in white. Their kitchen has no trouble competing with the flawless design, every dish composed with thought and creativity.
They bill the stromboli as a snack (salami, smoked mozzarella, bitter greens). If only all snacks in life were this satisfying. Meanwhile, the appetizers are outrageously compelling — to which the tuna tartare (pickled ramps, black olive and tonnato) will give testimony. Equally innovative, the truffled corn Caesar with caviar and burrata. It was a new addition to my life menu and could not have been more encore worthy. Now that I’d seen what they do with “salad”, it wasn’t hard to predict their pasta. The casconelli inspires awe in the company of oxtail, horseradish agliata plus sunflower seeds. And the black cod (potato froth, hazelnut salsa verde) is truly hypnotic.
So how do you follow an experience like that? The Carmelia chocolate mousse with cream and honeycomb. Delicious? Si. Decadent? Si. Fusco. Si, si, si. But don’t take my word for it. Grandma knows best.