Sensational Spigolo Satisfies Sophisticates; Seeks Sommelier

SPIGOLO

Glass Half Full: Food, Service, Detail-orientation
Glass Half Empty: Wine List

What a great meal we had last night at Spigolo, the decidedly too-crowded UES (Upper East Side for non-NYC folk) Italian boite. The young, beautiful owners, Heather and Scott, with the old-fashioned New York Italian name (Fratangelo) and staff were warm, charming, welcoming, attentive, and fully concerned with making the diners' experience excellent. What can be said about the food? The salmon tartare with a little lemon compote and cucumber relish was delicate and lively, the grilled baby octopus tender and deliciously smoky, the duck-liver and english pea risotto... Help! What a stunner! We paired that with a little Moscato d'Asti, a fantastic combination, but we could have eaten it with a glass of filthy water from the Gowanus Canal, and it still would have been one of the most sublime dishes you could ever hope to have! What a treat indeed! I could go on in general about the food at Spigolo, but its reputation for food is quite well-known. Quite simply, it is excellent to the point of being flawless in its category, refined-yet-somehow-down-home fare. Go there! Drool! Eat!

I hate to have a nit to pick at Spigolo, because I was so impressed with the food and the effort put forth by all concerned, but if there is a nit to pick, it's the fact that the wine-list needs attention.

Big surprise, right? I train sommeliers and put together restaurant wine lists, among other things. Could I be looking for a gig? I'll confess: sure. My job is to make your wine/life experience better, so if I see a need...

There were some interesting wine selections, and of course we had quite a few of them, including Schiopetto's Pinot Bianco and the lovely "il Repertorio" Aglianico, but overall, the list needs better structure and balance, and a focus on more independent artisan vintners. There were a few too many big-production wines, and it seemed as if the selection might sometimes be left up to the discretion of the distributors who supply Spigolo, as opposed to the owners or the restaurant's Sommelier... Wait! As far as I could tell, there was no official sommelier. At least one was not introduced as such. Too bad. That is needed there. In lieu of hiring a full-time in-house sommelier however, they at least should get someone in to rework the list, train the staff on the wines, and promote a wine and food-pairing notion in general. It is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that I have been to a restaurant where I have the impression that the restaurateurs themselves are so focused on the food that they have no time to deal with the wine. Why should they? Their focus and passion is the food. On the other hand, why not have a sommelier or an outside consultant come in from time to time? I'll tell you why...

Until they quadruple the space, make people eat their meal in three minutes flat, or shrink people to the size of ants, there is no need to have another reason for people to go to Spigolo. The food is too good, and I am sure that they are booked all the time, so for the owners, the need to spend time and money improving the wine component of the restaurant may seem superfluous. I understand that. I really do. At the same time, there are so many great restaurants in New York that do manage to have great food, great service, and a great wine experience at the table, that the legacy of Spigolo could be threatened a bit. In fifty years (or whenever) when Spigolo is no longer, will its memory stand out in the sea of the New York restaurants that once were, or will it simply be forgotten because there will be yet another great restaurant that will have taken its place in The City? I would suggest that they will have a better chance of both operating for a longer period of time, and have a better chance of being remembered after they are gone if they do hire me! Just kidding!
...or am I?

At any rate, raise a glass to Spigolo.! Thank you so much for last night Heather and Scott. I'll be back (if you let me after you read this).

Love and Wine to all!

The Vinucator