Helen Rosner reviews Il Totano, helmed by Harold Dieterle, the winner of “Top Chef” Season 1 and the chef of the now-closed Kin Shop, Perilla, and the Marrow.
He’s back now, after a decade in the wilderness , running the kitchen at Il Totano, a new restaurant on the garden level of a West Thirteenth Street brownstone. The space was, for quite a long time, the downtown outpost of the bivalve-oriented bistro Flex Mussels, whose owners, the Shapiro restaurateur family, have partnered with Dieterle in this new venture.
Despite these bright spots, I found the over-all experience at Il Totano bizarrely off-kilter. The space, sitting a few steps below street level, is narrow and near-windowless; its low ceilings, tight quarters, and garish colors give an impression less of the lemon-scented hillsides of Sicily than of being stuck below deck on a new-money schooner. In fact, very little at Il Totano evoked the Tyrrhenian pleasures promised by the branding and décor.
Italian Food Top Chef Seafood Restaurants
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'Top Chef' alum Shirley Chung to close restaurant after revealing tongue cancer diagnosisHer Culver City restaurant Ms. Chi will operate through Aug. 4.
Read more »
‘Top Chef’ alum to open restaurant in WFAA’s former Victory Park spaceChef Carla Pellegrino and Sanjay Joshi will team up on a new Italian restaurant in Victory Park in Dallas.
Read more »
Shirley Chung of 'Top Chef' closes Culver City restaurant Ms. Chi during cancer treatment'Top Chef' star Shirley Chung is closing Ms. Chi Cafe in Culver City during treatment for tongue cancer. She's having radiation and chemo instead of surgery.
Read more »
Disgraced Top Chef Winner Gabe Erales’ Restaurant Bacalar ClosesSister taqueria Tomalo will take over space, sans Erales
Read more »
Chopped Champion Chef Zuri Resendiz Opens Luchador, His First RestaurantThis new addition to the Whittier neighborhood is serving upscale, creative takes on Mexican fare.
Read more »
Nashville chef brings his popular burger restaurant to Birmingham; here’s a sneak peekJames Beard Award-winning chef Sean Brock opens the second location of his Joyland fast-food concept this week.
Read more »