#InauguralReview #Sesamo by #ExecutiveChef #NikitaLevitan and #SabrinaGao #Asian #Italian #764TenthAvenue at 52nd Street #HellsKitchen
Opened in 2022, Sesamo is a Hell's Kitchen standout initially because of the highly creative husband and wife team of Executive Chef Nikita Levitan, a native of Russia and Sabrina Gao, a native of China. It's fun to note they met on the Dine dating app in New York they tell us, so that truly evidences their passion for the culinary world. They have created a menu of Asian Italian combinations that absolutely will challenge your appetite and make you think of pairings you would have never thought of before. They have the academic smarts to back it up: Nikita tells us he has a degree in Information Architecture (IT) and Sabrina has a Masters in Economics from Tufts. We do not believe you need to go to Culinary School to be a great successful restaurant but we do believe no matter what you do, you ought to have the absolute best education possible in whatever field you like. Education matters.
Of what we tried, we liked the Charred Octopus the best best by far. There it is smiling at you!
There are currently two salad choices on the menu, both renditions of freshness. We would to see more salad choices in quantity. What is that nuage blanc readers might say to Mademoiselle Peachy....those are rice clouds, which we have never had before and we bet you haven't either. If you are looking to capitalize on inventiveness in dining, Sesamo is the place for you. The Caesar salad comes dressed and the dressing is correct with the raw egg we are looking for. It's formal name is Miso Caesar Salad with Little Gem Lettuce and Parmesan, and SESAME SEEDS. Sesamo means Sesame in Italian. So, open sesame and start eating. The Fennel Salad comes dressed but we absolutely requested it on the side as well as the candied nuts which are walnuts in brown sugar. We liked the green apples which danced with endive, pomegranate and parmesan. There are no protein options to add to the salads.
All avid readers know that Peachy likes Burrata. Likes is an understatement. The Summer Burrata here is super fresh sourced from DiPalo's on Grand Street and as you can see, has a lot going on. Sesamo is extremely intentional with each and every aspect of their dishes and they have put a lot of thought into each: they do not allow for modifications. Of course, as one might surmise, we liked the white peaches the most and the red plums were also spectacular. Heirloom tomatoes rounded out the party wonderfully. There is a yuzu honey sauce, thai basil, peanuts and toasted sourdough too.
The burrata is delivered every day, seven days a week.
We absolutely adored the purple potato and more people should be showcasing this fabulously flavored brilliantly beaconing vegetable. We of course prefer one piece of octopus proclaiming its quality rather than having it cut up and it is also a visual triumph this way. The octopus parties with Peruvian paneo pepper, boiled four times. Red cabbage powder, cumin and paprika also come to the party.
We loved the pappardelle with spinach and wild mushrooms, parmesan cream and crispy garlic. All elements were in perfect proportion to each other and you should absolutely order this. Cacio E Pepe also boasted phenomenal flavor and had perfectly al dente bucatini rejoicing with szechuan peppercorns, pecorino romano, and fabulous shaved black truffles.
If you are a vegan and not a Deegan, you will welcome the heartiness inside the lovely cast iron presentation of Vegan Truffle Mushroom Lasagna which is an amalgamation of pomodoro, wild mushroom, vegan mozzarella (absolutely different from regular-see what you think) and truffles.
You have never had a Chicken Parm like this before.
It is Tempura Chicken Parmesean, which means Korean Fried (fried, not breaded), double dipped.
The Tempura itself is one unbroken piece around the delicious moist chicken and spectacular mozzarella.
The Angus Strip Loin Steak was medium rare as ordered and comes to you cut already. A carnivorous staple of a New York menu, we believe this would have wide appeal to diners and is terrific with wild mushrooms, arugula and bordelaise. Purple and yellow fingerling potatoes rounded it out quite nicely.
Sesamo impressed us on our first visit: go check out one of their 65 seats.
We look forward to seeing what they do next.
They change their menu every month they are so competitive!
