Jaunted

Tags: New New York Restaurants / Restaurants / Food Travel / → All Tags

Sorella

December 2008 is probably not the best month in the history of the world to open a restaurant serving pricey small plates of high-end food in a neighborhood only recently getting accustomed to fancy eateries.

But that's exactly what Lower East Side newcomer Sorella is doing, and we're hoping this is one collection of tiny, fancy plates that's able to weather the storm. The kitchen is helmed by Emma Hearst, the former chef at Union Square Café, and the menu is inspired by her trek though Northern Italy's rustic village cafes.

Sorella does what a lot of similar restaurants attempt to do and fail: It puts a trendy, modern spin on Italian classics without seeming too silly or over-the-top. Crispy veal sweetbreads are served with quince bacon marmalade; risotto is spiked with hazelnuts, sage, robiola cheese and a gooey "squash fondue;" and the pate de fegato is sort of an uber-classy breakfast sandwich—an English muffin smothered in duck fat and topped with chicken liver mousse, a fried egg and, of course, bacon.

Related Stories:
· Sorella [Official Site]
· New New York Restaurants coverage [Jaunted]
· Food Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Sorella]