Raffaele Solinas Osteria del
Sole and Assenzio | NYC
Friday, March 25, 12:00 noon Members
$60, guests $70
Any restaurant whose menu can be described as having “an
emphasis on suckling pig and wild boar” gets our attention.
That’s how Eric Asimov of the New York Times described
the bill of fare at Assenzio, the Sardinian- and Ligurian-inflected
restaurant of Raffaele Solinas and his partner Lorenzo Socci, who
also own Osteria del Sole. Asimov added that the restaurant “stands
out” for its “calm and rustic” atmosphere, not
to mention the “unusual winners” on the menu that “won
me over immediately.”
Solinas is a native of Sardinia who graduated from hotel school
on the island and worked at restaurants Corte Rosada and Baia di
Conte. A gig with Princess Cruise Lines took him to Alaska, Australia,
Europe, India, and the Caribbean. One day, as his ship approached
New York harbor, Solinas knew he was destined to come to the Big
Apple. He immigrated with a suitcase full of 45 knives and a desire
to do whatever it would take to make it in Manhattan. A job at
Giovanni 25 on the Upper East Side was followed by an executive
chef position at Baraonda.
In March 2002, Solinas and his partner, Socci, opened Osteria del
Sole in Greenwich Village, which Zagat Survey described as
being “always crowded with neighbors.” Eight months later
they opened Assenzio. “I had never tried fregola,” wrote
Asimov about the small, toasted pasta beads typical of Sardinia that
are available on the menus in both restaurants, “but they make
an invigorating appetizer with gently steamed clams in a light spicy
tomato broth.” That was only the beginning of Asimov’s
adoration. “Even better is soft, cheesy polenta, with a superb
corn flavor,” he continued. That got our mouths watering. As
yours will be at this Barilla Italian Luncheon.
