foodie break: felice 83

Attention all Upper East Siders: after much research,  I have found the ultimate wine lover’s mecca. Ladies and gentleman, without further ado, I give you Felice 83.

I’m talking a wine list over 100 bottles long, all hailing from Italian vineyards. Most impressively, Italian native and wine connoisseur, Jacopo Giustiniani, has hand-selected each bottle.

Ever since testing the menu, I’ve been dreaming about this meal. I can officially award Felice 83 infinite bonus points. This is some of the best Italian fare I’ve had during my time in New York City.

Photo courtesy of Felice 83

Let me back up. Whilst honeymooning in Italy, the romantic and the hubs had a chance to visit Fattoria Sardi Giustiniani. Set in the Tuscan countryside, this dreamy vineyard and family-run estate is true perfection. As you can guess, it was obviously love at first sip. Best of all, while there, they met one of the family vintners. He told them that his son owned restaurants and wine bars in New York City. Obviously, they added it to their mental list. They promised the vintner they would make it there eventually. Almost immediately upon return, they made good on their word.

Flash forward to our days on the Upper East Side, and one of these restaurants, Felice 83, is flourishing. As it’s situated on the corner of 83rd and 1st Avenue, this is kind of a surprise. If you know anything about the Manhattan food scene, then we don’t have to tell you why. But if you don’t know, this isn’t exactly an address known for upscale dining.

The romantic and the hubs hit up Felice 83 a few times before they moved, but I had never been. Then, I heard that Felice 83 was expanding its corner locale. It now includes a specialty cocktail and wine bar next door. It’s literally called Felice Next Door. Naturally, my boyfriend and I knew we had to venture an avenue east to check it out.

First, we sidled up at one of the high-top tables in the newly opened Next Door for some pre-dinner drinks. Luckily, owner and drink expert, Jacopo, was on hand to recommend two signature Italian cocktails. These are dreamed up by their in-house mixologist, Salvatore Tafuri. Jacopo suggested the Negroni (gin, campari, and sweet vermouth) and the Napoli (tequila, lime, lemon, fresh mint). Both went down surprisingly smooth, considering my typical aversion to mixed drinks.

After our cocktails, we moved over to the restaurant at Felice 83. Once we settled in, Jacopo recommended some of the regulars’ favorite dishes. Finally, he paired each with glasses of his family’s own Felice Rosso wine (a blend of sangiovese and merlot). On our menu:

Per Cominciare
Polpettine – veal & lemon zest meatballs served in a light tomato sauce
Arancini – saffron rice balls with veal, eggplant, & mozarella

Antipasti
Insalata di Carciofi – raw artichokes served with rucola, hearts of palm & shaved Parmesan

Le Paste
Ravioli Spinaci e Ricotta – ravioli with spinach & ricotta in a butter, sage, & parmesan sauce
Pappardelle alla Salsiccia – pappardelle pasta with sweet Italian sausage, braised endives, porcini mushrooms, marjoram, tarragon, & truffle oil (OMG YUMMIEST)

I Dolci
Torta di Zucca – pumpkin cheesecake
Felice’s Gelato Sundae – vanilla gelato, crushed nuts, crumbled cookies, chocolate sauce, homemade whipped cream

We wined and dined until our bellies couldn’t take it, and even then, we wanted more. We could have easily ordered seconds (and thirds and fourths) of the polpettines. But the pappardelle with sausage and truffle oil is a new favorite.

Good news: the Upper East Side isn’t the only ‘hood where you can find the ingenious team behind Felice 83. In fact, they have multiple locations around the city — all dedicated to delicious wine and Italian food.

From one wino to all other winos: Felice 83 is a must on the New York dining scene.

 xo!

the wino

– Thank you to Felice for inviting me to wine & dine. Even though I was graciously hosted, all opinions are my own.

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