Ideally, an Italian restaurant should possess one or more of the following qualities: it should be a little out the way, serve excellent pasta and be able to make a tiramisu that causes you to question everything you thought you knew about life. It’s a tall order to be sure, but Dopo East delivers on all fronts, easily making it one of the best Italian restaurants in New York.
Located in an elegant East Side townhouse, Dopo East is a no-brainer when you want a romantic meal in NYC. White tablecloths, fresh flowers and live piano on Friday and Saturday nights set the mood in the warmly lit dining room. Leather banquettes flank either side of the elongated space and a rotating selection of beautiful artwork adorns the yellow walls. Further back, a gorgeous, year-round garden beckons. Surrounded by ivy-covered lattice and filled with plants, it is a calm oasis in this most hectic of cities.
The food expertly showcases the ethos of good Italian cooking: When you’re using the best, freshest ingredients possible, even the simplest preparations have the capacity to stun.
A baby spinach salad, mixed wih pears, walnuts and a crave-worthy sweet gorgonzola gets kicked up a notch by heavy-duty balsamic and is a great way to begin your meal. So is the creamy burrata served atop a thinly-sliced portobello carpaccio with tomato coulis. Or you might opt for a plate of silky prosciutto di Parma served with a nutty Parmagiano and golden fried bread.
But the real proof is in the pasta: Spaghetti baked in parchment paper arrives to the table steaming, filled with a bounty of fresh seafood worthy of the Amalfi Coast. Pappardelle with braised short ribs and porcini mushrooms is the kind of rich, soul-warming dish that will keep the chill away when the temperature drops. And the pillow-y housemade gnocchi with lamb ragout and shaved aged ricotta will disappear before your eyes faster than a Vegas magician.
If you’re looking for something more substantial, opt for the braised veal shank served with saffron risotto or the magnificent grilled bone-in ribeye that gives even New York’s heaviest-hitter steakhouses a run for their money.
All of which will probably be making you thirsty. In addition to great renditions of classic cocktails (including a solid Negroni), Dopo East is home to a fantastic wine cellar that’s some 700 bottles strong (naturally, the list skews Italian).
And while dinner is, of course, the main event, it makes for an equally good lunch option, and their weekend brunch (served Saturday and Sunday) is not to be missed. Think: eye-opening morning cocktails traditional Italian frittatas, and a perfect, peppery spaghetti carbonara.
Oh, and about that tiramisu: It’s homemade from scratch and is one of the best in the city. Yes, you should order it. No, you won’t be sharing.
Dopo East, 345 E. 62nd St. (First-Second Aves.), 646-484-6548; dopoeast.com
