Scopello doesn’t look like other Italian
restaurants in Brooklyn.
Chic without being pretentious, the setting invites a diner to
lean back, sip wine and ease into the evening. While the dining
room has its own likeable yet hard-to-place personality, the
restaurant’s convivial ambience is unmistakably Italian.
On a weekend evening at this new Fort Greene eatery (it opened
in February) waiters took the hands of familiar female patrons
and walked them to their tables; groups of women drank and ate
multi-course dinners; and children, huge napkins tucked under
their chins, dug into bowls of pasta. The nascent establishment
already feels like a much-loved neighborhood place.
After passing the bar, one enters the high-ceilinged dining room
painted a warm orange. Tall, brown leather banquettes line both
long walls. Paper lanterns stained the colors of fall leaves
illuminate the tables; jazz lends an upbeat and blessedly quiet
background to conversation.
Scopello is named for the Sicilian fishing village where owner
Fabrizio Di Mitri spent his childhood summers.
"Our dishes," said Di Mitri, "are influenced by
the Greeks, Arabs, the Normans and the Spanish. The Arabs brought
saffron and sweet and sour tastes, nuts and couscous.
"Of course," he added, "Sicily is an island, so
there’s a lot of fish."
Di Mitri imported his mother, Ninni, and uncle Michelangelo Vitale
to help create the menu. A quick glance at their offerings and
it’s apparent that Scopello isn’t another red sauce palace. Sicily’s
global references are present in the caponata, a sweet and sour
eggplant stew. Sardines, another Sicilian staple, are baked and
stuffed with breadcrumbs, raisins and pine nuts; and slices of
raw swordfish "carpaccio" are paired with anise-flavored
fennel in a refreshing salad.
To welcome diners, a basket of warm, house-made focaccia is placed
on the table. That bread – tender and a bit chewy with the deep
olive flavor of the oil – is the real thing. A ramekin of mixed
olives steeped in fruity virgin olive oil with slivers of orange
peel come next. Dip a piece of the focaccia into the oil that
has absorbed the peel’s citrus notes, and it’s a delightful way
to begin the meal.
On Fridays, Di Mitri receives a shipment of burrata delle Murge,
a mozzarella flown in from Puglia, Italy. The outer part of the
cheese was barely firm. Not quite set in the center, the cheese
oozed when cut. Mild and milky, nuances of fresh grass emerged
as it warmed. Recommended for two, the serving could feed three
or even four and is a deliciously novel way to prime the palate.
If you’re not a herring enthusiast, pass on the fish and orange
salad. Thick ribbons of herring are served atop a tangy mix of
baby lettuce and wedges of oranges. The fish were as potent as
a mouthful of seawater; paired with the sweet fruit, the combination
gave a one-two punch to the taste buds. On the safer side were
tiny, plump mussels served in a delicately seasoned white wine
and saffron broth.
Pasta is served at least once a day at Sicilian tables, and it’s
well represented on Scopello’s menu. House-made ravioli stuffed
with mushrooms were exquisite. Each triangle of the dough was
as thin as lace. The filling was pleasingly chunky and the truffles
lent their rich, earthy flavor to the pasta’s velvety sauce.
The entrees are served on platters and not meant for delicate
eaters. At Scopello, two "Flintstones"-sized ribs were
cooked until the meat absorbed the lush flavors of the red wine
sauce. They were succulent in a he-man, last meal on Earth kind
of way. But the sauce, although tasty, was overly fatty, and
the side of green risotto cake, flavored with spinach and arugula,
was tepid and too chewy to be considered toothsome.
A better version of the risotto appeared in a pyramid of the
creamy grain circled by a special of veal stew with artichokes.
Order it.
The meat had more depth than most veal dishes, and those thick
slices of tiny artichokes – crisp on the outside and smooth inside
– are reason enough to return to the restaurant.
Among an impressive roundup of pastries, is a contender for best
spring dessert – a wild berry tart served with nothing more than
powdered sugar and a squiggle of caramel. Under a crown of sweet
raspberries, tiny, tart, wild blueberries and blackberries, was
a fluffy, lightly sweetened pastry cream. The tart’s thin crust
was a little cakey, like a cookie from an Italian bakery. It’s
the sort of simple fruit pastry served all over Italy that one
can never seem to find here.
How Fort Greene, once the land of take-out food served behind
bulletproof glass, became the second coming of Smith Street,
dates back to the first, brave bistro owners who opened their
restaurants along DeKalb Avenue. Now a new crop of pioneers is
invigorating Lafayette Avenue with great eateries. One can argue
against gentrification, but there’s no disagreeing that Scopello
is a welcome addition to the neighborhood.
Scopello (63 Lafayette Ave. between
Fulton Street and South Elliot Place) accepts Visa, MasterCard
and American Express. Pastas: $11.95. Dinner entrees: $13.95-$16.95.
For reservations, call (718) 852-1100.
