I made a return visit to Il Gradino at 62nd and Lexington last night after a couple of years and I wonder why I did not go back there sooner! They have one of the most accommodating staffs in town who literally will make you any Italian dish that you want and tailor dishes to dietary needs. Portions are huge and they are now offering half portions (which I believe are still bigger than the entree size pasta portions in most Manhattan restos). Pictured at the top of the photo above are three killer desserts (tartufo with a crushed pistachio crust rather than the standard dark chocolate one, ricotta cheesecake and cannolis). All of these definitely tasted like they were made the same day and I must say that the cheesecake (which is crustless) is ultra creamy due to being made with homemade ricotta which tends to be much smoother than the store-bought kind. Also pictured is the full size linguini with garlic and shiitake mushrooms as well as a third magical item, the city’s largest single serve portion of eggplant parmigiana that is served in a pot about 9″ or 10″ wide. Just for the record, the eggplant is not breaded so this is a super choice for low carbers and the marinara used is homemade with Italian tomatoes.
Let me point out that this is one of the few places serving sauteed zucchini flowers at the moment and the filling includes ricotta and prosciutto. You can see the zucchini flowers above alongside Prosciutto di Parma topped with life changing handmade buratta, sautéed artichokes and a lovely diced tomato and olive tapenade. The platter above it showing half portions of the appetizers mentioned as our server was nice enough to offer to split everything up on separate plates for my guest and me. This is enough to fill you up especially since there are complimentary pickled mushrooms and chunks of parm served with your bread, but to not order an entree would be a big mistake. The waitstaff takes requests for Italian dishes unavailable elsewhere even if it is something you think that no one has ever heard of.
Pastas are available in so many ways that your head will spin. Above is fresh squid ink pasta with assorted seafood (heavy on the mussels)–also known as “Frutti Di Mare.” The red sauce contains wine and a lot of garlic. It tastes as beautiful as it looks. There are over 30 pasta dishes on the menu, but do not forget the dozen or so seafood options that range from Dover Sole to halibut and back again. The red snapper baked in sea salt is a favorite of regulars. Meat-wise, Il Gradino is the only Italian resto that I have seen offer Filet Mignon Pizzaiola and I got a nice look at a plate of it going past me–I will go back to order it! The most popular chicken dish is the one named after “the house”–Pette Di Pollo Il Gradino which features chicken breast, asparagus and Fontina cheese in a brown sauce made with a little white wine.
The atmosphere is light and airy at Il Gradino and when the weather is nice you can see the giant front window opened up with beautifully displayed bowls of fruits and vegetables propped up on wine cases. When you walk in the front door, there’s a marble top wood bar on your immediate left where everyone seems to know the resto staff on a first name basis. Il Gradino welcomes families and is one of the Upper East Side’s best bangs for the buck when it comes to fine Italian dining. The laid back atmosphere will make you feel right at home! Reservations are recommended but not mandatory. For more info, go to ilgradino.com.
