A #PeachyPick Since 2025, #Biricchino @BiricchinoNYC Since 1987 Winter 2026 by #NancyFiorioAlSharif #FouadAlsharif and #MarcBuzzio #260W29thSt #Manhattan
Peachy Deegan and Owner Fouad Alsharif
Perfectly medium rare shown with the custom steak knife:
It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we know Biricchino and like many featured before them, they have shown us they are in it to win it and and they keep getting better and better. Not everyone is a Peachy's Pick, but Biricchino has exactly what you need to warm up this season! We were delighted to return recently and worked with owner Fouad Al Sharif, who has worked with us every time at Biricchino and Salumeria Biellese, also a Peachy's Pick.
Biricchino was first featured in 2023, and earned an encore appearance in 2024 and the third time was a charm indeed says the Biricchina in residence here. In July of 2025, Bicicchino became a Peachy's Pick and this is our first return to it since it joined these ranks. This place has an illustrious history detailed in our first visit feature.
Fouad with his buddy Wilt Chamberlain.
Now we are showing you.
They are steps away from Madison Square Garden, and the Knicks and Rangers are represented accordingly! Fouad tells us that Michael Imperioli also visited when he was working in a theatre across the street and brought family and friends to Biricchino.
We began with the celebratory Crostini de Melanzane which greeted us with the perfect crunch: toasted bread topped with marinated eggplant and luscious creamy Stracciatella (you know, the inside of Burrata mozzarella). This is a vegetarian choice and is accordingly labeled VG on the menu.
Insalata Biricchino remains a steady classic and they listened and put the house-crafted secret recipe dressing on the side as we like it. Mixed greens, tomatoes, carrots, onions and parmigiano all were beacons of freshness in the dead of winter. Finally to start, we concluded with a carnivorous wonder: Polpette al Sugo. These beauties totally hit the spot: Angus beef meatballs simmered in rich tomato sauce will truly ignite your appetite in a most winning fashion.
The pasta section at Biricchino has always been commanding and it still stands up in a big way.
Fettuccine Gamberi al Sugo Bianco (white sauce) is a gorgeous revelation of the sea, above, while the Gemelli Genovese is another vegetarian winner with amazing roped pasta with Peachy's favorite vegetable, green beans, in a creamy basil pesto of magnificent flavor. Each of these two pastas is a particularly great choice for the upcoming spring and these are on the lighter side....as you see we visited during chilly weather but anticipated the sun to come out like it is today.
As avid readers know, the forte here is the bespoke sausage and the Orecchiette Biellese is their own: French African Lamb Mergues is the most premium sausage you'll find. It's paired perfectly with broccoli rabe, garlic, olive oil and breadcrumbs all luxuriating in tandem on the ideally al dente orecchiette medallions.
The best dinner we have had anywhere in recent time is this exact Controfiletto di Manzo. A commanding sixteen-ounce intelligently Balsamic-marinated grilled striploin steak is a juicy delight in each and every bite. They hit the nail on the head: medium rare as ordered and evidenced in the picture! And teamed up with these Norwich Meadows Farm perfectly roasted potatoes sourced locally from Upstate New York, it is totally an ideal dinner any day out of the year. It goes without saying that each and every one of the Italian restaurants of Peachy's Picks has absolutely outstanding wine lists, including Biricchino! (See Mover and Shaker Gerardo Bruno last week.)
There are so many Italian places in New York but there are not a lot of Italian places that can achieve the flavor nuance and pairing sophistication that Biricchino achieves in this exquisite dish. They make chicken extraordinary! Spectacular green beans radiate freshness while the chicken flavor of Pollo Piccata is certainly sublime and sophisticated in every bite. This is a perfect dinner if you want to take a walk on the lighter side and still feel fabulously nourished, as is the absolutely triumphant Salmone al Forno: superbly oven-roasted Salmon with lemon butter over mesclun salad. The Salmon is entirely fresh and superior to all lesser venues that give you a tiny sliver; additionally, it is designated GF which is gluten-free, further evidencing the thoughtfulness of the menu design and the wide appeal of the Biricchino clientele including vegetarians and those who prefer gluten-free.
Outstanding places suggest dishes to us that we might not pick.
We should have picked Stracotto di Bue, below. This dish is Fouad's idea and the beautifully braised short ribs are the ultimate in tenderness perching pleasantly posing on polenta. We are not fans of polenta elsewhere but here it is truly spectacular with superior flavor and consistency.
As you know, we do not edit pictures: you win like Biricchino or we do not publish.
The truth is, your dinner looks this great if you know where to go!
Biricchino is one of our newest favorites and continues to be Highly Recommended by Whom You Know!
