Istria on the Internet - Gastronomy

Felidia: A Family Tradition

If everyone grew up with a maternal figure like Lidia Bastianich, we'd all be eating Italian food. Fortunately, you can join her family just by walking in the door of Felidia, her immensely satisfying New York restaurant.

Bastianich and her husband, Felice, opened their restaurant in Queens in 1971, moving 10 years later to a townhouse on Manhattan's East Side. But despite the high-rent location, there's no sense of snobbery in the warm dining room, decorated with dark wood paneling, rustic brick trim and terra-cotta floors. And though the waiters wear dinner jackets, they are as amiable as they are skillful, sharing a joke with regular customers at one table, gently instructing novice diners at another. Much preparation and plating is done tableside, and as the evening goes by, heady aromas and companionable laughter fill the friendly space.

Lidia's own family comes from Istria, Italy's northeastern corner [ed. note: it is mainly situated in Croatia, not Italy], where the Adriatic Sea, the heritage of the Austro-Hungarian empire and the stylish wines of Friuli add their influences to a long culinary tradition. So winter finds hearty hunter's dishes, venison osso buco and boar; fish is plentiful, from whole roasted sea bass to tender octopus salad to angel-hair pasta tossed with pungent sea urchins and fiery peperoncini; desserts include both tiramisu and apple strudel.

Lidia is mostly in the dining room these days, or helping out at the two more casual restaurants (Becco and Frico Bar) she owns with her son, Joseph, but she still develops the menu. Her executive chef, Nicotra Fortunato, has worked in Turin and Sicily, and so adds new regional touches to the repertoire.

Felidia's longevity has allowed the growth of one of America's top cellars of Italian wine; the restaurant earned Wine Spectator's Grand Award in 1988. Dan Perlman oversees the 25,000-bottle inventory and the 500-selection list; since joining the restaurant last April, he has cut prices by about 20 percent across the board.

The list opens with a page of recommended specials, with descriptions and background information. There are savvy California selections and heavy hitters from France, including Bordeaux back to the 1970s. But its heart is a true encyclopedia of Italian wines, from current favorites to Barolos back to the 1950s. This is a list that offers something for everyone, and skillful attention to wine temperature, decanting and stemware enhances their appreciation.

Perlman says not everyone understands Felidia's approach to Italian cuisine. "I've had customers walk out because we didn't have veal parmigiana on the menu." But Lidia wants everyone to be happy. "If their heart is set on it," Perlman adds, "we'll make it for them." --T.M.

Sources:

"The Top 10 Italian Restaurants", Wine Spectacular Online, March 31, 1997

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