THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Allegretti

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Allegretti Restaurant Review:

Let’s get one thing straight: Alain Allegretti, originally from Nice, does not serve fusion cuisine at his eponymous eatery. You won’t find any flourishes from Asia or Spain. But you will find food paired to the cuisines of Italy and France. It is old-fashioned cruise ship cooking, and it makes sense given the nautical décor: teak and navy blue abound and pieces of coral punctuate the bottles behind the bar. But the food is better than that you’d find at sea---maybe think more yacht than cruise ship---and melds French classics and seasonal ingredients. Appetizers include scallops seared just so and paired with a citrus cream emulsion, a fatty pork belly with a grape-and-mushroom ragoût, and, in the fall and winter, a pumpkin soup with chicken liver and hazelnuts. As you’d expect from a chef that emphasizes his Mediterranean background and a space that recalls the ocean, seafood is the winner here, more so than the pastas. Go for pescatorial delights like branzino with lemon root vegetables and potato and bacon ravioli or king salmon with cocoa beans and seasonal vegetables. The one standout pasta is the niçoise ravioli, stuffed with braised oxtail and Swiss chard. The wine list is extensive, not inexpensive, and surprisingly weak on the bottles from Italy.