The Other Critics

Appleman and Palombino: Del Posto Deserved ‘Four Stars All the Way’

Nate Appleman.
Nate Appleman. Photo: Melissa Hom

As previously noted, chefs like Scott Conant, Tom Colicchio, Joe Campanale, and Eric Ripert have all tweeted their congratulations to Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. Frank Bruni also told us how he felt. Now we’re asking some of the city’s Italian chefs for their (deeper) thoughts about the review, and here’s what we’ve heard so far.

Nate Appleman, Pulino’s
“I agree, four stars all the way. I loved [Del Posto]. I loved the fact that, yeah, it’s fancy in the sense that the restaurant is opulent — it’s marble, the service is impeccable — but what’s on the plate is still Italian food. At so many places, the difference between fine dining and not is how you cut your vegetables, what you throw away to make the plate; at Del Posto, you get true Italian food. And to have four stars in New York, to put Italian food in that realm, is great for all of us. Del Posto is one of a kind — I don’t think there will be ten people in the next year trying to open a Del Posto just because they got four stars.”

Mathieu Palombino, Motorino
“I have been there a few times — they deserve it. Absolutely not surprising — it’s a grand restaurant. You walk in, and you can breathe the strength of the infrastructure and it’s a massive display of intelligence. I go inside the restaurant, and I usually walk in and ask for a main course and a glass of wine and they are just cruising. I love it. Del Posto is the standard of Italian cuisine — the place you look at and say, ‘Oh, this is what it is to be on top.’ Maybe not groundbreaking, but it’s the church.”

Appleman and Palombino: Del Posto Deserved ‘Four Stars All the Way’