#InauguralReview #OldFashion by #AntonelloIacca and #PietroIacca From #Puglia Since 2022 #110ThompsonStreet #Soho THE BEST TIRAMISU PEACHY DEEGAN HAS HAD IN YEARS
You almost feel like you're finding yourself in a ragtime black and white photo until you experience the cocktails which are truly technicolor!
So when do you get a video in your very first review?
Practically never here.
That's how outstanding these cocktails are!!!
Antonello truly is a cocktail master....
We were graciously greeted with Tarallini from Puglia (right) and Castella Olives from Sicily
It's not who you know, and it never has been. It's WHOM YOU KNOW! We know Roberto and Keste, so we met Antonello Iacca, Cocktail Master Extraordinaire, who has vastly expanded Peachy's command of Italian cocktail knowledge! Not only did Antonello give Peachy a class in Italian imbibing which we loved and we greatly miss the ones by our late great friend Gianfranco Sorrentino and Gruppo Italiano (other people go to graduations of humans but Peachy goes to Brunello graduations), but also Antonello did one better and told us he HAD A RESTAURANT IN MANHATTAN. You know what that means!
May we begin with the simple fact that Antonello and his little brother Pietro, both of whom are the founders and owners of Old Fashion, have a pronounced proficiency in hospitality, so lacking in others their age in this field, and these Italian brothers greatly outperform others in their generation with this high aptitude of theirs. Their venue is aptly named: Old Fashion is a nostalgic appreciation for the singular success strategy of doing things in the old fashion, bringing us back to an era with cocktails and style, simplicity and true quality evocative of yesteryear New York. Open since October 15, 2022, Old Fashion sports 36 inside seats and 12 outside seats in Soho, which they believe is the most European neighborhood.
Old Fashion is built to endure.
The theme is based on American cocktails from the 1860s-1870s, concentrating on hospitality and quality of food.
This is only our first visit, so hold onto your hats.
See the Deegan girls to the right from the 1940's. That's Peachy's great aunt and grandmother with two of their friends who took the train in from Connecticut to come out drinking in New York way before Peachy or the generation before her: they were teenagers and Aunt Ronnie gave us that picture.
There are three salad selections: we believe the best are the Caesar, above with the chicken added and the Spinach below. It rejoices in well-cut lettuce, parmigiano reggiano, croutons and caesar dressing of course. The Baby Spinach Salad was both a nutritional triumph and also a delicious one with salmon added especially. Avocado, apple, lime, and baby spinach were at the peak of ripeness and honey vinaigrette came to the party on the side for Ms. Picky Peachy who likes to apply the dressing herself. Both proteins in the salads were respectively perfection and just what we were looking for.
Gnocchi Pesto and Burrata is in three words TO DIE FOR. Any time of year it is sure to be a menu superstar with the succulent homemade Genovese pesto luxuriating in burrata cream. If Antonello was Charlie Brown and Peachy was Snoopy, Peachy's face would be in a dog dish of this for dinner every night. It is THAT SPECTACULAR. The flavors meld together in complete excellence. They are setting the standards high, and remember they are cocktail experts and if you think you might be worried about the food not matching up, you would be wrong based on our one experience so far.
Watch the video at the top.
There is no else in Manhattan making cocktails as fun as Antonello's cocktails right now, and for someone that once had a cocktail named after her, Peachy does know something about them.
The Namaste is the best one in our humble opinion and you don't have to like yoga to love this cocktail winner complete with a bubble bringing you back to Glinda the Good Witch of the North in the one and only OZ by L. Frank Baum. There's nothing like the real thing baby.
Vodka Altamura, litchee, lemon and strawberry puree make this winner perfect and it goes down so easy you should be careful because you could lose count just like that.
Bruschetta Negroni is equally inventive and as savory as the above is sweet. It's Mediterranean Earthy: Portofino Gin-oregano, dry vermouth, bitter bianco, tomato ice and olive bitter make this also a standout.
Some places are so into their heritage they ignore that they are actually operating in AMERICA.
Americans like cheeseburgers.
Peachy loves cheeseburgers.
Peachy loves cheeseburgers.
Old Fashion respects that they are in the good old US of A and pays homage to America with the Old Fashion Burger: grass-fed short rib beef is a medium winner with white cheddar, bacon, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes and a secret chef's sauce. Maybe our second visit we will find out the secret.
They are not pretentious with monster egos at Old Fashion.
We hate that: when one goes to a venue and they think they are doing you a favor by letting you in.
At Old Fashion, they are talented, and they are FUN to be around!
Note if you have not read our other 31,000 posts, we NEVER EDIT PICTURES.
You win and practice ever to excel like Antonello and Pietro, or we do not publish.
Peachy has calmed down a lot since she found out you could have about 15 Star Vodkas and then that was the number that was one too many - but she is still drinking vodka with Charles 17 years later and he has a new vodka brand now made in New York! (also Gin by Charles) Note with a name like Ferri, Charles is Italian.
So, you can definitely drink at least four cocktails here at Old Fashion and we did just that.
Antonello and Pietro must know we have a column on salad so there is a cocktail named Cucumber Salad! It is indeed electric and vibrant: Himbrimi Gin, cucumber shrub wasabi and sesame oil present a fresh flavor that will brighten your summer day.
Finally, save room for Berry "Cheesecake": playful and sweet, this indulgence is a celebration of Mieli vodka-graham cracker, berry cordial, lime, vanilla, whipped cream and cookie crumble.
Don't you feel bad for the next place Peachy goes for cocktails?
She is too polite to tell them "That's it?!" because that is what she probably will be thinking after Old Fashion raising the bar even higher.
Antonello suggested all the cocktails which we never agree to unless you give official Italian Cocktail Master Classes at Keste (a Peachy's Pick since 2012). He also was spot-on with the suggstion of Mezzorigatone Bolognese: Beef ragu with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is straightforward but executed exactly right, and the Salmon is also high-class served perfectly medium rare with roasted lettuce, potatoes and chef sauce.
Twenty percent of the menu here changes seasonally.
It is essential to meet Tiramisu: sponge cake, fresh mascarpone, fresh espresso and cocoa and it is called Instant Tiramisu. Everyone is trying to convince Peachy to eat their Tiramisu, but she will tell you this exact Tiramisu at Old Fashion is the best we have had anywhere in YEARS.
We cannot wait to see what they do next.
P.S. They also have three restaurants in ITALY.
ALL IN PUGLIA.
Masseria
