Falai: Best of NYC

Falai serves the top Italian food in NYC, so extraordinary that it would hold its own as a top restaurant even back in Rome (hometown to its chef and waitstaff - and me).



The only problem remains its out-of-the-way location in the Lower East Side at 68 Clinton Street (although it is an interesting, gentrified yet gritty neighborhood).





Three visits over as many years reveal consistent high quality, seasonal, imaginative dishes. Exceptional service reminds me of my old haunts in Rome where waiters approached their job as a profession if not a calling. Their wine list is excellent too, full of small Italian producers focusing on region-specific grapes and sustainable agricultural practices.


Best flavor combinations of the night:


Fennel and cinnamon sausage with pici.



Granny Smitch apple, curried potato, squid ink black rice with olive oil and herb-marinated baby octopus tentacles.



An omniverous wine (mostly verdant, bits of animal, and slightly mettalic) from Puglia. Very smooth and well-balanced, it actually reminded me more of a French wine than Italian.


Cacc'e Mmitte di Lucera of Alberto Longo 2005

It's a blend of Nero di Troia, Montepulciano and a white variety, Bombino Bianco