"Wexler-Waite's zealous devotion to ingredient sourcing is most on display in the Margherita Del Leone ($24), with a sauce made from greenhouse-grown cherry tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala from Campania, and organic basil snipped from a live plant right above his prep station. Do not miss the Isola: Il Leone's famous, photogenic lobster pie (MP). The lobster comes from Maine, of course, and is strewn over hand-milled San Marzano tomato sauce and a drizzle of Italian rosé by the fistful."
"The wine list is refreshingly accessible, with bottles landing in the $50s and $60s with a few pricier outliers, and glass pours hovering around $15. The Aglianico ($18) tasted like briny black olives - a great pair with the Calabrian salami pie ($22), or the one with pecorino and locally-foraged mushrooms ($24). And the cocktails all use Italian spirits, like the martini with either Malfy gin or Vérita vodka."
Il Leone opened at 158 Seventh Avenue near Garfield Place on Friday, November 14, with Ben Wexler-Waite returning to lead the kitchen. The menu centers on Neapolitan-style pizzas and antipasti such as crispy pan-fried artichokes, saucy meatballs, and burrata with prosciutto di Parma. Ingredient sourcing is emphasized, highlighted by the Margherita Del Leone with greenhouse-grown cherry tomatoes, mozzarella di bufala from Campania, and live basil at the prep station. The signature Isola lobster pie uses Maine lobster over hand-milled San Marzano sauce and a drizzle of Italian rosé. The wine list focuses on Campania producers at accessible price points, and cocktails use Italian spirits.
Read at Eater NY
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