August 6, 2015
Italian Eatery La Pecora Bianca Carries on the Great Culinary Tradition of NoMad
Here in NoMad we’re no strangers to excellent food, so it warms our stomachs to welcome another fantastic restaurant, with a great pedigree, to the neighborhood. As Grub Street recently reported, La Pecora Bianca has just opened its doors at 1133 Broadway (at 26th Street). The highly anticipated Italian restaurant by owner/restaurateur Mark Barak, co-creator of the New York staple Claudette, is likely to be to be a neighborhood favorite.
We all know our neighborhood is already home to great chefs, including the likes of Daniel Humm, April Bloomfield and James Kent, each heading up restaurants in the neighborhood and receiving a coveted Michelin Star this year. So it’s very exciting to see that Barak has brought on Simone Bonelli to run the kitchen at La Pecora Bianca. Bonelli has some formidable experience working with Massimo Bottura at one of the world’s best restaurants, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy.
Glancing at the menu, you can see classic dishes made with seasonal produce and done in a truly innovative style. All of the pastas are made in house, including a perfect summer dish: Emmer Maccheroni with hen of the woods, fava beans, green peas and pecorino. Seasonal appetizers include a Verdure Verdi with sugar snap, snow, and green peas, fava beans, asparagus, pecorino and goat’s milk labne, as well as a Crostino with ‘nduja, stracciatella and scallions.
Knowing that NoMad is also recognized for great cocktails, Le Pecora Bianca certainly doesn’t disappoint. The morning espresso bar will transition into an aperitivo bar come dinner time, with an array of fantastic cocktails. The drinks menu has an exciting number of variations on the Italian Negroni cocktail, as well as complex recipes like the Bassano, a gin-based cocktail with grappa, basil, strawberries, lime and black pepper.
© Brian Park
Nema Workshop and Chiara de Rege Interiors transformed the interior of the historic St. James Building, previously housing the famous McKim Mead White-designed Havana Tobacco Company store (c. 1904). The result is a lively rustic Italian farmhouse, with decor accents such as terra cotta, wood tables and hand painted wall tiles. Beautifully detailed and using splendid materials, the space also delivers an advantage not found in many New York restaurants — controlled noise levels.
La Pecora Bianca will currently be open only for aperitivo and dinner, but breakfast, lunch and all-day dining to come very soon.
Take a peek at the menu here.
La Pecora Bianca Caffé e Cucina
1133 Broadway, St. James Building
212.498.9696