Parm

Parm
248 Mulberry St.
(between Spring St & Prince St)
Manhattan, NY 10012


Rich Torissi and Mario Carbone opened Parm, a tongue-and-cheek ode to Little Italy and the Italian-American cuisine. Like the namesake restaurant, the menu and decor tow the fine line between street food and haute cuisine, diner and restaurant, creating a concept that is uniquely ground in its neighborhood and their evolution as chefs from their Cafe Boulud days.

As a restaurateur, you eventually realize that you must create a downmarket concept to successfully expand your empire. Consider this Torrisi Lite where you don't have to show up at 5:30pm to get one of those coveted dinner reservations.

The casual atmosphere remains the same, with 60's Motown and R&B playing in the background, and a kitchy neon sign promoting the health benefits of calamari. Despite the few items I had, I could tell they definitely take the food seriously.

The Saratoga club somehow breathed new life into the tired BLT classic. Confit turkey was bound with a spicy mayo and slathered over layers of bacon and shredded lettuce toasted white bread. The mozzarella ball was a Zen-like presentation: a creamy, dense ball of salty, creaminess sparsely seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and salt. The littleneck clams (5 for $10) expressed their sea legs well when bound with bread crumbs, butter, and finely chopped curly parsley.

Although one could fairly lobby that this is another hipster restaurant in an already played out neighborhood, Carbone and Torrisi continue to surprise. Even tired, old Italian-American classics can become fresh and inspired again.