Please note that the meal was complimentary. However, the opinions expressed in my blog are 100% my own!

Celebrating 5 years of existence, Machiavelli is the kind of Italian restaurant that one cannot forget. Located on the Upper West Side, its incredible decor is a nod to Northern Italian Renaissance, this place gets its name from Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, an Italian Renaissance historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer who is said to be the founder of modern political science. A quite nice resume, although the term machiavellianism is a fairly negative term, being "the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct" per the Oxford dictionary.

Food wise, there is no duplicity, rather authenticity and Executive Chef Gian Pietro Ferro crafted a menu that would satisfy any palate eager to discover Italian food. There are of course the pizza with the thin crust, but their homemade pasta are also noticeable. I decided to start the meal with a cocktail and went for the Paolo Uccello, named after a Renaissance painter. It was made with tequila, blood orange liquor, fresh rosemary and lime.

They then brought us some homemade bread: first was the focaccia with white bean purée.

But the best was the one made with pizza dough and fresh rosemary and salt: crispy and simply delicious.

The first appetizer was the Sformato di Spinaci, a creamy and flavorful spinach and ricotta flan nestled topped with a truffle-scented fonduta cheese sauce. I am not a huge fan of spinach, but have to admit that it was fantastic!

Sformato di spinaci at Machiavelli, Upper West Side, NYC

Then was the Cozze in Bianco, that are sautéed P.E.I. mussels with a sauce made of olive oil, garlic, white wine and parsley, topped with some bread. Definitely, the star of the show was that sauce that I could have just eaten with bread.

Cozze in Bianco mussels at Machiavelli, Upper West Side, NYC

The last appetizer was the beef carpaccio or Carpaccio di Manzo: thin slices of seared rare beef baby arugula, grana padano and truffle oil. Another delicious dish. First of all, the beef was thin but not to the point where you have difficulty picking it with your fork and end up with a mushy piece of it, if you see what I mean. Second, it had the perfect acidity.

For our entrées, we decided to try their pasta as well as pizza. For pasta, we went for the Strozzapreti alle Cime di Rapa e Salsiccia, that are eggless pasta with sautéed broccoli di rapa and Italian sweet sausage.

Strozzapreti alle Cime di Rapa e Salsiccia at Machiavelli, Upper West Side, NYC

Then was the Pizza Machiavelli made black truffle cream, mozzarella and wild mushrooms: this was a succulent pizza, so creamy, with a nice smell of black truffle (oil?). I am glad we ordered this one over the quattro formaggi that I am sure is sublime.

Pizza Machiavelli at Machiavelli, Upper West Side, NYC

Last was dessert that I ate with a shot of espresso cioccolato, or espresso with some Belgian chocolate that was very good.

Espresso cioccolato at Machiavelli, Upper West Side, NYC

There was the Bongo Bongo that is cream puffs stuffed with whipped cream and served with warm Belgian chocolate.

Bongo Bongo at Machiavelli, Upper West Side, NYC

And the tiramisu.

Tiramisu at Machiavelli, Upper West Side, NYC

We had a fantastic dinner at Machiavelli: I am glad I got the opportunity to try this place that not only stands out on the Upper West Side, but has the charm of authentic Italian restaurants. Like a trip to Italy for the subway fare.

Enjoy (I did)!

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Machiavelli

Machiavelli, a trip to Italian Renaissance

I Just Want To Eat!