If Nicoletta was the first restaurant in Michael White and business partner Ahmass Fakahany's empire there would be no fusilli with octopus and bone marrow. Nor would there be the rich, delicious Emilia-Romagna-inspired preparations that exist on Lafayette Street at Osteria Morini. White certainly wouldn't have crossed the Hudson to Jersey and his Altamarea Group's newly signed lease on the Upper East Side would have a John Hancock other than his own. After reading Pete Wells' goose egg review of Nicoletta, this is the direction it seems Michael White's career would have taken had he not established himself first as the guru of Italian cuisine that he legitimately is.
Nicoletta is the newest addition to White's empire. It's a pizza place he opened in June on Second Avenue in the East Village that Wells has zero stars for. As it turns out, the only dishes he recommends are the cucumbers in white balsamic vinegar and the ice cream. "Mr. White has said he engineered the dough to stand up to the rigors of delivery and reheating with no loss of quality. In that, at least, he has succeeded. Warmed up a day or two later, a Nicoletta crust is just as stiff and bland as when it was fresh from the oven."
Straying from the pizzas doesn't reveal "White’s prodigious talent for cooking Italian food that can make you dizzy with pleasure." "The insalata mare with clams, mussels, squid and octopus, all as tender as an extension cord, all bathed in a dressing that had no effect on any of it."
White's decade cooking here in New York has found him behind the stoves at six restaurants to be graced by Time's critics. Fiamma, Alto, L'Impero, Convivio, Marea, and Ai Fiori have tallied 17 stars for the Wisconsin native. Nicoletta, unfortunately, has none to spare.
Friday, September 21, 2012 at 10:07AM 
Back in July, we brought you a look at Osteria Morini's "Industry Night" special. The promo started May 14th and was originally going to be nixed after Labor Day, but it's been extended through the first two weeks of November. The deal still stands. Any pasta on the menu is $10 from 9:30 to close on Monday nights. Fall is right around the corner, that means there's going to be some new choices. Bye bye tomatoes (almost) and hello braised anything. Digest NY had to go back. Here's a look at two new choices along with the spaghetti alla vongole, because we forgot to order it last time.
