A Love Letter
August 24th, 2009 | By | Posted in Eats, Gotham
Tags: Gotham, Pizza, Review
Gentrification, the perpetually hungry and ironic resident of New York once again illustrates that it aint where you’re from its where you’re at.
The Bowery, once the epicenter of new yorks homeless is now the home for the likes of Daniel Boulud, John Varvatos and Rogan Gregory. Long gone is the Bowery of Joseph Mitchell’s, frankly, gone is the Bowery of A-Ron’s. Although cleaned up, lower Bowery has kept true to its roots with the restaurant supply and lighting districts still intact. Upper Bowery (north of houston) however is cluttered with new hotels, bars, an Avalon condo at its foot and onetime resident CBGB’s is no more. I am a romantic Gothamite who “misses the old new york”, but from the seed of the Bowery has grown a flower in Gentrification’s garden.
Located on 3rd street below the Bowery hotel is the restaurant Gemma. The design of the place, although overtly Rustic is tastefully done and the various furniture, art, Italian and culinary accoutrement feel curated. The exposed wooden beams and candles help further transport a patron from downtown New York to elsewhere.
The elsewhere isn’t a family run restaurant in northern Italy, but it’s not far off. This elsewhere is a place with a warm amber glow, an a la carte menu, a knowledgeable sommelier, and a wood burning pizza oven. The perfect backdrop for casual convo, food sharing with strangers and a bottle or two of wine. With appetizers like the burrata caprese or the truffeled polenta fries meals at gemma have tended to be less entree driven. Dining like this, with courses, lends itself to longer meals with breaks. More time to drink, go outside & smoke, chat up your neighbors, whatever. There is less emphasis on the “eating” of dinner than the “having” of dinner. The experiential side of Gemma is why week after week we go back.
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