The highly anticipated I Cavallini (284 Grand St.) is opening today in the former home of Neeloo, a Mediterranean restaurant that closed after only a few months.
Williamsburg’s I Cavallini is an Italian restaurant from the team behind The Four Horsemen (295 Grand St.), a popular Michelin-starred spot that is celebrating its tenth anniversary this summer. If you speak Italian, you may have already guessed the connection as the surname Cavallini is derived from cavallo, the Italian word for horse.
As Greenpointers previously reported, I Cavallini is twice as large as its equine sibling down the street, offering 64 seats, including the bar and counter, and a bigger kitchen.
I Cavallini’s executive chef and partner, Nick Curtola, told Greenpointers that he is “excited to open I Cavallini, which has been years in the making with the team and partners from The Four Horsemen.”
It took more than four to open this new venture. Alongside Chef Curtola is partner and managing director Amanda McMillan, chef de cuisine Ben Zook, sous chef Jonathan Vogt, sous chef Max Baez, wine director Flo Barth, bar director Jojo Colona, and general manager Kendra Busby.
“Italian food has always been a deep interest and inspiration for myself and the team,” Chef Curtola said.
“We’re looking forward to introducing diners to our versions of dishes featuring seasonally inspired ingredients.”
I Cavallini’s dinner menu offers antipasti like focaccia with whipped ricotta, fava beans with pecorino and fennel, fried eel toast with pine nuts and raisins, and mussel panzanella with pickled green tomatoes and lovage.
Next up are four pastas, all handmade in-house. There’s bucatini with sungold pomodoro and ricotta salata, farfallone with Calabrian chili butter and smoked pancetta, trofie with pesto and Belper Knoll cheese, and gnocchi with shrimp, zolfini beans, and herb butter.
Secondi options include roasted golden chicken with garlic and grilled hearts, lamb sausage with avocado squash and cherries, manilla clams with saffron and vermouth, and bluefin tuna with chervil gremolata and risina beans.
The dinner menu concludes with four contorni including marinated peppers, crispy potatoes, chilled cucumbers, and a green salad.
The newcomer’s dessert menu includes five tempting dolci. There’s hazelnut adffogato, honey gelato with blackberries, Zerbinati melon sorbet, olive oil cake with Harry’s Berries, and tiramisu.
I Cavallini’s wine list is comprised of over 100 Italian labels “for now,” according to the team. There are sparkling, white, orange, rosato, and red options, plus dessert wine and beer.
The cocktail list includes Italian favorites like a spritz, a Negroni, and a drink called the Shakerato Ricky with amaro. But, it also ventures outside of Italy with other options like the gin-fueled Safe Harbor and the Cavallo Giallo with mezcal.
Two spirit-free cocktails use Pathfinder amaro. There’s the Troubleshooter with lime and strawberries, and the Divine Intervention with Ritual and Antidote Deep Red aperitifs.
Starting today, I Cavallini is open Wednesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Book through Resy.