Dining: Cucina chic
My friend's text got right to it: "So, Chambers. Still chic?"
Um, not really. The D'Amico empire has taken over Jean-Georges Vongerichten's former Chambers Kitchen stamping grounds, and while the new and more relaxed D'Amico Kitchen has warmed the art-museum chilliness of its predecessor, it's still plenty stylish.
The isolating basement dining room is history -- a smart move -- with seating now squeezed into what had been a first-floor lounge. Rose- and blue-tinted plaster walls, a display wine case and a cadre of colorful chandeliers -- a sparkly crystal fixture, resurrected from the former D'Amico Cucina, is a sweet touch -- defrost the Chambers' frosty white-on-white palette.
Chef John Occhiato also made the Cucina-to-Chambers move, and while regulars may recognize a few greatest hits (cracker-crust pizzas, almond crêpes and a Friday night-only lobster gnocchi), his D'Amico Kitchen menu is pretty much a whole new ballgame. It leads off with two dozen small-ish plates ($8 to $11), including spicy lamb meatballs, sliced hamachi finished with tangerine-inflused oil, fried cauliflower florets with an anchovy-laced mayonnaise, saffron-scented risotto balls filled with pieces of roasted veal and a plate of roasted beets dressed in a pumpkinseed vinaigrette.
Pastas (two sizes, $9 or $18) include a carbonara with pancetta and fava beans, ricotta- and chèvre-filled ravioli, farfalle with braised rabbit and peas and spaghetti tossed with clams and sausage. Entrees ($10 to $29) cover the hotel dining-room waters: chicken, steak, short ribs, walleye, a burger. Sunday through Thursday the kitchen offers a three-course (starter, entree-sized pasta and dessert) for $32, and the Italian-focused wine list includes a dozen by-the-glass options averaging $10.
For the first time in his career, Occhiato is serving breakfast (entrees $11 to $16). His morning menu features crostini topped with house-made-ricotta and prosciutto, a tomato-fontina gratin, house-made sausages, poached eggs with speck and a parmesan hollandaise and lemon-ricotta pancakes topped with strawberries macerated in basil. "It's not Italian, but it's what an Italian might do if they were integrated into American-style food," he said.
