Best risotto NYC?

[BonVivantNYC]

Craving delicious, authentic risotto. I've had a few misses lately (from drastically undercooked to under-seasoned) and need the real thing! Please point me to the best.

[nokitsch]

Any other suggestions, chowhounders? Looking for a place for tomorrow night 8 p.m., 4 people, and all the fine restaurants mentioned here are booked.

[sushiman]

Il Paiolo in Brooklyn just added a chef from Piemonte that makes amazing risotto.

I had a chicken liver and radicchio risotto that was perfect.

[ttoommyy]

Try Zio on west 19th street. I think the food and service is solid and should satisfy you. They offer risotto in 2 ways:

RISO AL SALTO CON L’OSSO 15
Crunchy saffron risotto cake, bone marrow & gremolada sauce.

and

FARROTTO 19
Organic spelt risotto, wild mushrooms & mascarpone cheese

[mahler5]

Petrossian

[fm1963]

Try Ai Fiori's red wine risotto with pancetta, kale and bone marrow. It is excellent.

[Hey19]

I had a good risotto at Il Buco last night. Good meal in general, but the risotto was maybe the standout.

[intrepid3591]

amaarone rissotto at bottega del vino

[alepenazzi]

I had an amazing risotto at Tocqueville last week.. Highly recommended..

[BonVivantNYC]

I just realized - I had that same risotto at Tocqueville about 2 months ago and it was sensational. I guess the craving just returned and looking for something at an Italian restaurant.

[foodwhisperer]

Please report back on Il Mulino. i will report back on Tocqueville, i haven't been there in ages.

[intrepid3591]

il mulino is vastly over rated and a tourist trap

[foodwhisperer]

Intrepid, have you ever eaten there. have you had the risotto with white truffles??? If you had , you wouldn't be bad rappin ' it. Also the head of the Genovese family used to eat there almost every night. Does that sound like a tourist trap?

[barberinibee]

yep. The owners probably know it is a big deal to tourists to associate Italian NY restaurants with the Godfather, and comped his meals.

[NYJewboy]

Always nice to get the sociopath stamp of approval

[foodwhisperer]

LOL Jewboy, Definitely!

[foodwhisperer]

No my friend. They don;t advertise who eats there. Of course they comped his meals. He ate there because he liked the food. QD ate there almost every night , since Ennio's and Joe's restaurants had closed. The owners of both Il Mulino and Ennio and Michael's were all waiters together at Joe's ( Now Mermaid) on MacDougal St. Many of the same people who eat at Rao's eat at Il Mulino and Da Silvano. True Il Mulino is more touristy now than before they franchised. But the restaurant back in the 90's and early 2000's was always a 28 in Zagat. Anyway they make good risotto.

[Pan]

I'm sure they wouldn't have liked what might have happened if he hadn't liked his meals. I don't think I'd like to risk being at a restaurant during a rub-out, though.

[foodwhisperer]

haha, in a place like that, never order the shells

[ttoommyy]

"The owners probably know it is a big deal to tourists to associate Italian NY restaurants with the Godfather, and comped his meals."

Exactly!

[ttoommyy]

"Also the head of the Genovese family used to eat there almost every night. Does that sound like a tourist trap?"

Yes!!!

[strangemd]

I don't care who eats there, but honestly, the food is quite good. The problem is that it tends to be ridiculously overpriced and the prices of the specials are often hidden 'till the bill comes.
If you want to hang out with mobsters and eat mediocre food, go to Rao's.

[NYJewboy]

Yes. At Rao's any desire to eat surrounded by sociopaths will be satisfied. However the food is just ok, not bad, just ok.

[foodwhisperer]

Nah, it sounds more like an old Italian guy who wants good food.

[BonVivantNYC]

Reporting back on the risotto at Il Mulino. Risotto was not listed on the menu or offered via the specials - I got the porcini risotto at the waiter's recommendation. (I was not in the mood for a seafood risotto, which he also recommended.) While it was delicious, there were actually too many mushrooms for my liking! Almost more mushrooms than rice. This was probably just a poor ordering decision on my part because the risotto was otherwise perfectly cooked and seasoned. I would return again, and get a saffron risotto.

Also, I understand why some say Il Mulino is touristy, but it's warm, inviting and a great spot for lunch with a friend.

[foodwhisperer]

Glad you enjoyed Il Mulino. One of the saffron risotto dishes would be a good choice. Very odd that there were so many mushrooms in your risotto. Thanks for reporting back

[steakrules85]

Felidia, Il Mulino, Tocqueville, Ai Fiori.

[BonVivantNYC]

Perfect. Thank you!

[foodwhisperer]

I second Il Mulino. I had risotto with white truffles there and it was the best risotto i've had in this country ( best was in Venice with sepia). Risotteria on Bleecker was perhaps the worst I've had.

[BonVivantNYC]

I think I'm going to have to indulge this week at Il Mulino. I also loved my risotto in Venice (I think at Da Fiore...) but alas, stuck in Manhattan to satisfy this craving.

[NYJewboy]

Believe it or not, Noodle Pudding in Brooklyn Heights makes a wonderful perfect risotto.

[ttoommyy]

Agree with Felidia.

[NYJewboy]

Were any of the misses at Risotteria in the W vill? I have found that they do everything wrong there, despite their obvious emphases.

[RebelWithaCause]

I had amazing risotto at Marea.

[peter j]

Second Marea for both the seafood and wild mushroom versions.

Artisanal and Picholine also do risotto very well.

[BonVivantNYC]

Funny you mention that - while none of the misses were at Risotteria, I had considered that restaurant to satisfy my craving... until I read the terrible reviews!

[NYJewboy]

Either mushy/overcooked or near crunchy/stiff undercooked. They just can't seem to get it right. The flavors have good intentions, but never really come together. More careful preparation and better ingredients are needed (and maybe someone who knows how to actually cook risotto would help).

[barberinibee]

It is actually really difficult for most restaurants to handle cooking a risotto. It is just very labor intensive, is not forgiving of mistakes (you must pull it off the flame and get it to the table at just the right moments). It takes up two burners on the stove, and most restaurants want to par-cook it rather than put up with customers complaining about how long it takes to arrive if made fresh (especially if others at the table are not ordering, and their food takes less time to cook and needs to be served hot).

At someplace charging very high prices and with a good reputation, you have a right to expect it to be perfect, and I would expect Marea to do it perfectly. But other restaurants should just pull it off their menus. Of course, if you have named your restaurant Risotteria...