Janus, the Roman god and January’s namesake, was depicted with two faces—one looking to the past and the other to the present, marking transition and new beginnings. For many of us, January is the time for inaugurating new eating habits while holding on to the tried and true health traditions of the Mediterranean diet of Italy’s past.
Dining out as a conscientious, healthy eater requires some reflection, consideration, and openness to new things—since many New York Italian restaurants blend the staples of old-world cooking with new world ingredients these days. The search for the perfect entree that meets all your health goals can take time as you weigh novelty against necessity. You’ll gain a new awareness of every ingredient: its origin, its nutrition, its beauty, and of course, its contribution to the overall flavor.
Many seasonal favorites come to mind—like broths and pickled vegetables—are already full of properties that help our immune system, our gut and brain functioning in these sunlight-scarce months. Chefs have taken note of this and embellish their dishes from there.
Whether you’ve sworn off gluten, taken the cue to eat more vegetables or you’ve decided on leaner options whenever possible, restaurants serve many nutritious—yet flavorful—options. Here are a few standout healthy dishes from New York City’s Italian restaurants.
Rezdôra - Manhattan
Less than a year ago, Chef Stefano Secchi (an alum of Osteria Francescana) and partner David Switzer brought the best of Emilia Romagna cooking to their cozy brownstone restaurant in the Flat Iron District. Book in advance -- their last reservation is at 11:30 pm.
Order the buffalo mozzarella to enjoy the contrasting crunch of toasted pumpkin seeds (high in magnesium and plant-based Omega-3 fatty acids), saba (a no sugar-added sweetener of cooked-down grapes) with translucent slivers of raw squash. While often overlooked for its benefits, mozzarella is one of the healthiest soft cheeses: low-fat, low-sodium, good bacteria, and calcium.
The strozzapreti pasta with its generous pieces of soft lobster in a light tomato sauce and the spaghettoni with clam, parsley, and garlic are great sources of zinc and a helpful boost to the immune system. For your second course, ask for the grilled quail. It comes on a bed of polenta with saba, sauteed mushrooms and dollops of Italian parsley purée. Quail is a lighter meat, polenta is rich in vitamins, low in gluten and a good source of complex carbs. Italian parsley is high in antioxidants and Vitamin K -- which helps with strong bones.
Other “healthy” short-cuts: Rezdôra serves cacio e pepe as a salad drizzled in pecorino instead of the heavier pasta version. For a lower-calorie dessert, order the poached pear soaked in Lambrusco with shards of meringue.
(ph Valeria Pinto)
Montesacro Pinseria Romana - Brooklyn
Before you write off pizza, behold! There is a lighter, low-calorie and tasty version out there—Roman pinsa. Chef Gianluca Legrottaglie and chef Riccardo Buitoni of Aurora restaurant opened this new restaurant in Williamsburg this year after achieving success in Portland, OR and San Francisco.
Pinsa dough contains more water than typical New York pizza and the imported flour is low in gluten—combining soy, rice, and wheat. Instead of being rolled flat, pinsa dough is placed over a mound of rice flour then gently pushed into an oval shape before being laid on a marble surface to be “pinched” a bit further before getting browned in the oven. The more air bubbles, the better.
Try the vegan San Lorenzo pinsa made from dried fava-bean purée, peperonata, leeks, and taggiasca olives. Fava beans are high in L-dopa and iron (which can help with anemic-like symptoms), olives contain antioxidants and the bell peppers hold lots of vitamins A and C.
Barano - Brooklyn
Just a block from the East River waterfront in Williamsburg, Italian American chef Al Di Meglio heads his elegant Southern Italian restaurant while channeling the spirit of his Ischia-born grandmother.
Request the farro salad with a grilled octopus that’s topped with pickled radish, celery, and carrots. Octopus is high in B12 and essential for brain functioning. The ancient farro grain, a good source of fiber and protein, takes on an earthy green color thanks to fresh mint pesto dressing, also good for digestion.
The butterflied branzino—laid atop a salsa verde, accompanied with a bundle of broccoli rabe and pickled spicy peppers that provides omega 3-fatty acids and fiber. Pair the bitter broccoli rabe with the red fresno peppers for a nice kick and a dose of probiotics that come from the pickling juices.
King - Manhattan
These chefs met at one of London’s most famous Italian food institutions—the River Café restaurant—before venturing out on their own, creating one of Soho’s freshest restaurants and becoming a James Beard Award finalist in 2018.
Chefs Clare de Boer and Jess Shadbolt change their menu daily. Shadbolt once joked in a Bon Appetit interview, “If there are more than five ingredients in a recipe, I won’t make it.” Their dishes are inspired by childhood memories spent in Southern France and Northern Italy.
Try their monkfish served on the bone with chickpeas, marjoram and winter leaves with a little olive oil and lemon juice. Monkfish is a mild and lean fish endowed with Vitamin B and minerals that are helpful for the brain, nerve function, and a healthy metabolism. Marjoram is an anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial, used by herbalists for tackling bronchial issues.
Trevise tardivo with Castellucio lentils, soft herbs and ricotta salata
Frankie’s 457 - Brooklyn
After working in some of the world’s finest kitchens, two childhood friends from Queens with the same name (take a guess, it’s Frank) opened Frankie’s 457. Since 2004, Frank C. and Frank F. have operated their brick-walled restaurant in the neighborhood of Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.
On a cold day, go for their staple soups prepared from vegetable broth: escarole and cannellini bean or lentil with smoked bacon and pecorino cheese. Escarole contains vitamins A and B, and lentils are packed with protein, magnesium, fiber (which can be good for digestion and preventing chronic disease). Taste their house extra virgin olive oil from Sicily for a dose of antioxidants.