Uptown Italian Eyeing the Il Mattone Space

RosemaryFoccacciaThis got buried in the Seen & Heard post I put up late yesterday afternoon because I had already written about the revised Community Board 1 agenda that was online when a newer one was emailed out—and that one included Gina la Fornarina‘s application for a liquor license for 413 Greenwich (at Hubert), where Il Mattone was.

The agenda says “tentative,” so it’s possible that Gina la Fornarina hasn’t committed to the space or gotten its paperwork together yet.

There are three other Gina la Fornarina restaurants: two on the Upper East Side, and one on the Upper West. If you’ve been to one—I haven’t—please let us know what to expect in the comments. In the meantime, we’ll turn to GLF’s website for guidance. “Paola Pedrignani is the owner and founder of Gina la Fornarina ‘s concept: She is also co-owner of Amaranth Restaurant that opened in 1999 on 62nd Street and Madison Avenue. It all started with the love for Pizza and Art! Paola inherited the love for great pizza from her father Gino and named the restaurant in his honor; then combined it with one of her favorite paintings from Raphael’s ‘La Fornarina’ which means the baker’s daughter! Father & Daughter used to go on culinary trips to Naples and Rome (the Eternal City is the style of Pizza in Gina: Thin and Crispy!) and eat pizza every day. Then Paola’s American Dream became a reality: she finally got to New York, and during her first Job in the city, became great friends with a wonderful Pizzaiolo, Ciro, who invented the crispy and thin focaccia that everybody enjoys in Amaranth, and in many more versions, at Gina La Fornarina! […] Paola is also the designer of Gina la Fornarina, since her love for the arts, made her study architecture in Milan, Italy.”

The menu is broken down into categories: focaccia, pizza, panini, antipasti, appetizers, main course salads, entrées, and desserts. One common thread is the name Gina, applied to certain dishes presumably because they’re specialties of the house: Focaccia Gina, Gina’s Three Cheeses Grilled Cheese Sandwich, Antipasto Gina, Caprese Gina, Mixed Green Gina, Minestrone Gina, Passion Fruit Iced Tea Gina…. At dinner, pizzas and $14-$19 and pastas are $15-$19.

There are no photos of the interiors, but the Il Mattone space certainly has great potential.

gina_newdessert

 

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