NYCReview
Included In
Credit to the design team at Al Coro, a fine-dining spot in the old Del Posto space in Chelsea, for not going the expected route of using white tablecloths. However, we can’t say we’re in love with the mostly brown decor, which will remind you of a furniture store on Madison Avenue in 1975 if a vat of chocolate exploded inside of it.
Although we joke about the setting (which includes a live band playing from a balcony every night), we can’t make fun of the food. Melissa Rodriguez, who was Del Posto’s last executive chef, has created a tasting menu that feels unique in the context of Italian restaurants. It isn't quite as inventive as we'd like, but the decadent food will still trigger the release of all the right endorphins in your brain.
Only two options are available: $195 for five courses, or $245 for seven. A server will explain what’s to come (there’s no printed menu), which you’ll mostly forget unless you have a freakishly good memory. We suggest you just give a cursory listen so that each course remains a bit of a surprise.
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Rather than offering ubiquitous Italian items like cacio e pepe and branzino, the kitchen uses a wide range of seasonal ingredients commonly found on New American menus. The meal begins with seven small plates, and standouts include the butter-dipped radishes stuffed with anchovy purée and beets with mascarpone wrapped in bresaola like little tacos. The poached asparagus with rye crumbles is stellar, and if you have only one choice of pastas, get the culurgiones—large razor clam-topped Sardinian dumplings that ooze fontina.
Even though you’ll miss out on some dishes we enjoy—like uncommonly juicy chicken breast served with crispy pancakes (a play on Peking duck)—we strongly recommend going for five courses, rather than seven. Unless you model your life after Joey Chestnut, you’ll likely be forcing bites down your throat by the end of the seven-course option because there’s so much food. We appreciate the generous portions, but you never want tasting menus to feel like a chore.
We actually admire the decision to not make Al Coro look like every other fine dining restaurant. And you will like the well-executed dishes, even if they remind you of things you’ve had at upscale New American spots. We wish the kitchen would push the envelope a little more, but it's hard to complain about caviar, white asparagus, and brown butter. So should you book a table here? If you’re okay with the price tag, we say go for it—especially if your favorite color is brown.
Food Rundown
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Aperitivo
Antipasti
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Culurgiones
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Anelletti
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Sea Bass
photo credit: Emily Schindler
Sicilian Chicken
photo credit: Emily Schindler