A New York is about to close one of the longest and most recognizable Italian restaurants in the city. Friday, February 27, Barbetta, historic address at 321 West 46th Street, in the heart of the Theatre District, will definitively end the service after almost 120 years of activity. The decision came in weeks after Laura Maioglio’s death, who died in January at 93 years: she was the one who led the restaurant since 1962 and represented its public face for over half a century.
Founded in 1906 by Sebastiano Maioglio, an immigrant from Piedmont, Barbetta is considered by several historical reconstructions the oldest Italian restaurant in New York and the most longevous among those still remaining in the availability of the founding family until closing. The restaurant occupies four adjacent nineteenth-century townhouses, with rooms furnished with furniture and objects from Northern Italy. In a district transformed over time by the expansion of Broadway theatres and by the commercial evolution of Times Square, Barbetta has maintained a traditional setting, becoming a reference point for the audience of shows, for artists and for a loyal clientele who frequented it for generations.
Under the direction of Laura Maioglio, which began in the early 1960s, the restaurant consolidated the choice of proposing a recognizable Piedmontese cuisine when in the United States the idea of “Italian cuisine” was still often associated with a generic repertoire and adapted to the local taste. Risotti, fresh pasta, dishes based on white truffles of Alba and a wine card centered on Piedmont labels helped to introduce a part of the American public to a regional dimension of Italian gastronomy, well before this approach became common in high New York food. Over time, the restaurant has also distinguished itself for the wide cellar and direct relations with Italian suppliers, elements that in the Sixties and Seventies were anything but discounted.
Another distinctive feature is the inner garden, built in 1963: a tree-lined courtyard hidden among the buildings of Midtown, a rare example of outdoor space in a densely built area. The offer of open air dining, now widespread and encouraged by the city policies of recent years, was then an exception. A patio that has become one of the most popular environments during the summer season and has helped to strengthen the identity and fame of the premises as an intimate and relaxed place in an area known especially for traffic and noise. .
The symbolic value of Barbetta has also been recognized in Italy: the restaurant has entered the Italian Historical Local Association, becoming the first in the United States to obtain this recognition, reserved for exercises with at least seventy years of documented activity. The closing, announced with a message on the official website, previews the last service just tomorrow 27 February; in these days the restaurant is liquidating part of the cellar with bottles offered half price. Reservations, as communicated by the management, rose rapidly after the advertisement. For the Theatre District it is the loss of one of the few activities that remained linked to the first phase of development of the area, before the great urban and commercial transformations that have redefined Times Square between the nineties and two thousand.
L’articolo Close Barbetta, the oldest Italian restaurant in New York proviene da IlNewyorkese.
