At New York’s New Il Tinello East, “Old School” Proves Just How Deliciously Refined Italian Food And Hospitality Can Be

People who do not know the difference between “old fashioned” and “Old School” wrongly believe that both connote something decidedly dated, sentimental and simplistic. In fact, “old fashioned” may involve, even cherish, some of those accusations, but “Old School” refers to the upholding of standards and traditions that have bolstered some of the best ideas of genteel hospitality. Which, I am well aware, flies in the face of current gastro-fads that dismiss fine dining as something to be ignored, even stamped, out in an egalitarian society where communal seating, amateur servers and ear-shattering music constitute an evening out. To experience what it means to be Old School in the most enduring and endearing sense, dinner at Il Tinello East is a capital idea.

The first Il Tinello has long been a Theater District fixture, but Il Tinello East, near the U.N., is brand new, owned by Benny Bello, another of those eastern Mediterraneans for whom the America has been the realization of a dream that took him from waiter to restaurateur over the years. It is Bello’s well-honed sense of manners that reminds you of how fine a restaurant can be.

You arrive to a warm greeting , most of all from the impeccably dressed Bello, whose savoir-faire has apparently been bred into his staff. From the welcoming bartender to the veteran waiters in black tuxedos (unlike the tacky maroon numbers at Carbone’s) and the busboys in white jackets, all bespeaks a tempered elegance. Beneath the soft, low lighting (less so than in the photo), reflected in wide mirrors, tables are well illuminated, so that the guests around the room are quite amiably visible. Linens, silverware and wine glasses are of excellent quality. The only sound you hear is of happy people conversing and enjoying their food without needing to shout.

Cocktails are generous, as are all portions at Il Tinello East, and the moment you are seated, there is bruschetta, butter and olive oil presented, along with olives, nubbins of Parmigiano, zucchini, fiercely hot peppers and a delicious caponata spread of peppers and eggplant.

You could make a sumptuous meal just from the antipasti and pastas, starting with silky prosciutto di San Daniele ($19) and snow white buffalo mozzarella ($19), or share a plate of crispy calamari with tomato sauce ($19) or octopus salad, potato, red onions, caper berries, lemon ($23).

Every pasta was a stand-out version of the classics: Veal and spinach ravioli, herbs with a fine veal sauce ($27); cappellini with more jumbo lump crabmeat than I’ve seen all year ($34); a textbook rendering of bucatini all’amatriciana ($25) chockful of tomato, pancetta and sweet onions; and risotto with funghi porcini ($37) whose rice could not be more tender or suffused with the robust flavor and scent of wild mushrooms.

Veal parmigiana has risen back well above the surface of Italian dishes once regarded as something you stick on a hero, and Il Tinello East’s shows why. It is lavish, made with a marvelous tomato sauce and blanketed with perfectly melted mozzarella ($32).

There are the expected steaks and chops, but you might consider the “Campagnola for two” ($99), a platter of beef, chicken, sausages, peppers, potatoes, white wine, rosemary and plenty of garlic that assuredly will serve three.

I consider myself very lucky indeed to have been at Il Tinello East the night that osso buco ($60)—once a staple at Italian restaurants, now uncommon—was in full splendor, a massive veal shank, its meat falling from the bone, enveloped in a richly flavorful sauce of veal juices, vegetables and tomato. A great dish.

Among the seafood items I was delighted with lightly grilled gamberoni sauced with a touch of cognac, garlic and aromatic basil ($38).

Desserts like tiramisù, panna cotta and ricotta cheesecake win no points for innovation, but they are all housemade and well done, but the welcome surprise here is that this is one of very few Italian restaurants that still prepares zabaglione tableside, fiercely whipping the eggs and Marsala in a copper bowl over a flame until wonderfully frothy and sweet. It’s a bit of work, and most Italian restaurants no longer attempt it. They should.

I have a sense that the feeling of true contentment I experienced on leaving Il Tinello East is shared by so many of Bello’s guests. Beyond the superb cucina italiana, all its other palpable elements of generosity and bonhomie coalesce in what it really means to be Old School.

IL TINELLO EAST

244 East 46^th Street

464-682-7284

Open for lunch Mon.-Fri.; for dinner Mon.-Sat. |