Leopard at des Artistes Opens in the Cafe des Artistes Space

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One of the most surprising, and to some heartbreaking, shutters following the market crash in the fall of 2008 was the August 2009 closure of Cafe des Artistes, a century-old Upper West Side restaurant famed for its murals and legendary clientele. Once the space was on the market, juicy rumors spread that Drew Nieporent, Graydon Carter, and even Danny Meyer were interested in the space. But it sat empty until one year later, Gianfranco Sorrentino and his wife Paula Bolla-Sorrentino, the owners of Midtown's Il Gattopardo, sealed the deal. It has now reopened as Leopard at des Artistes.

The Sorrentinos spent the last eight months renovating the space and restoring the famed murals to their original glory. They were painted in 1935 by one of the tenants in the building back when it was an artists cooperative.

Meanwhile, their chef Vito Gnazzo has been working on a menu focused on the South of Italy, featuring influences from Sardinia, Siciliy, Campania, and Apulia. He serves the full menu—which is by no accounts cheap, but hey look where you are— in the dining room and will offer a a menu of snacks in the bar and apertivo parlor, located directly across the hall from the lobby of the main dining room, when it opens on May 16.

APPETIZERS

Fennel and orange salad with olive oil, white wine vinegar and Nocellara olives 10

Roasted red and yellow beets and watercress salad with spicy gorgonzola and almonds 11

Mixed seasonal organic green salad with extra virgin olive oil and Muscat vinegar 9

Eggplant and smoked buffalo mozzarella timbale with spicy tomato sauce 12

Grilled octopus and potato salad with olive oil and lemon dressing, garnished with celery and green olives 15

Lentil and ricotta cakes with yogurt and dill sauce 12

“Mpepata” of mussels in a white wine broth and fresh grounded black pepper 12

Sardinian “fregula” with clams, mussels and shellfish broth 14

Soup of the Day P/A

PASTAS and RISOTTO

Homemade pappardelle with roasted rabbit and seasonal mushrooms 22

Rigatoni “alla Norma” in tomato sauce with sautéed eggplant and aged ricotta cheese 18

Baked Paccheri pasta filled with braised veal and caciocavallo Ragusano 20

Trofie with pistachio, almonds and pecorino cheese pesto 19

Bucatini with sardines, onions, wild fennel, peanuts, and raisins 20

Ravioli filled with braised artichoke and burrata in light tomato marjoram sauce 20

Homemade spaghetti “chitarra” with cherry tomato sauce and basil 17

Risotto of the Day P/A

MAIN COURSE

Shellfish ragout served with organic couscous 30

Lightly breaded grilled swordfish with salmoriglio sauce and caponata ghiotta 34

Filet of Mediterranean “Branzino” in a parchment paper with baby vegetables and herbed olive oil 42

Lamb Loin sautéed in a red wine and tarragon sauce, served with braised pearl onions and carrots 46

Grilled dry aged rib eye, served with roasted bone marrow and rosemary French fries (serves two people) 90

Oven roasted “Dorada” with lemon and olive oil served with nature potatoes 34

Roasted Berkshire tender pork loin in its own sauce, served with fingerling potatoes, mushrooms and artichokes 32

Thin sliced veal loin sautéed in own sauce with asparagus julienne and lemon 40

Meatloaf “Il Gattopardo” served with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach 24

FOR THE TABLE

8

Sicilian caponata

Sautéed spinach

Broccoli rabe with red pepper

Roasted, Mashed, or French fries potatoes

The Leopard at des Artistes
1 West 67th Street, Upper West Side
212-787-8767
Theleopardnyc.com