820 Washington Street (between Gansevoort and Little West 12th Sts.) 212-254-3000 www.santinanyc.com
Italian. On the way to my table, I was struck by how many others had trays with what looked like ready-to-fill crepes. What was this creation and why was it so popular? The answers are Cecina and freaking amazing. It’s an Italian chickpea pancake and a signature dish at Santina. You’ll find five fillings to debate before committing — rock shrimp, avocado with tomato, mushroom, plus two tartares (lamb and tuna). I went with the shrimp and, throwing caution to the wind, piled my calamari salad on too. This catapulted an already inspired invention to superstar status since the grilled calamari, wild rice, and tomato combination is nothing less than extraordinary.
If you still feel like rocking the rice, you’ll be happy to know it’s the other half of each pasta presentation. I sampled the spaghetti blue crab (cherry tomato) and was sold in seconds. When a main is more your thing, there are many ways to wander. I stayed fish faithful with a grilled branzino that hosted grapefruit relish. The pairing was new to me and so fulfilling, I could not imagine being any happier.
Until dessert. Promise you won’t leave without experiencing an ice cream sundae. I don’t want to oversell, but it’s the best I’ve ever had. Each of the three scoops, wait, softball sized orbs, gelato perfection. The pistachio tastes like the actual nut and their cherry, a bowl of the fruit. Not to be outdone, the coconut has several strips embedded within. It took me a good long while to come down. And now all I can think about is going back.