THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Grande Mela

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Grande Mela Restaurant Review:

Yes, it means Big Apple in Italian, and New Yorkers have opened their arms to this stylish Italian newcomer. Managing partner Ilir Riza is a gracious host thanks to lots of experience at Fresco by Scotto and Remi. It shows in the attentive service, and in the starters of thin breadsticks, Tuscan bean dip, and crisp vegetable fries topped with crumbled Gorgonzola. Though not quite up to that at the original, the food here is still very good. The restaurant offers an off-beat decorative medley of exposed brick walls, Calder-like chandeliers and a Plexiglas wall hanging. It also boasts a hideaway dining room accessible through the kitchen, where up to a dozen guests can hunker down to grilled branzino, radicchio-and-ricotta gnocchi, and a superior flourless chocolate cake.