THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Ristorante Morini Awards

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Ristorante Morini Restaurant Review:

Bi-level Ristorante Morini satisfies a void in high-end Italian dining on the Upper East Side. The restaurant, cousin to the more casual Osteria Morini in SoHo, serves a refined menu in a duo of rooms: a small downstairs café and the upstairs, elegant main dining room. The $75 four-course prix-fixe dinner is suggested, although à la carte selections and a happy hour menu are also available. Fans of Michael White’s other high-end restaurants (Marea, Ai Fiori) will want to start with his bigeye tuna crudo, chilled Maine lobster with Honeycrisp apple, or tomato-braised chicken-eggplant meatballs. Sampling White’s house-made pasta is de rigueur. We suggest the fusilli with Neapolitan pork shoulder ragù, or the Piemontese meat ravioli with wild mushrooms. Crispy veal cutlet with prosciutto, creamed spinach and Fontina, and seared Dover sole with red grape and fennel are two standout main courses. Tiramisu with mascarpone is a rich finale to the meal, as is a tasting plate of five cheeses. Not surprisingly, the international wine list skews heavily Italian with a large array available by the glass.