CONVIVIO
Translating the Soul of Southern Italy
Restaurateur Chris Cannon and acclaimed Chef-Partner Michael White are thrilled to introduce Convivio, a restaurant that exudes the soul and spirit of Southern Italy. Inspired by warm memories of Italian kitchens and the country’s unforgettable flavors—tomatoes, pancetta, sea urchin, and pesto—White crafts a menu that travels through the country’s Southern towns and creatively interprets revered recipes. Located in Manhattan’s charming Tudor City neighborhood, in the space of their former award-winning L’Impero, Convivio offers guests an irresistible opportunity to dine leisurely, sensuously and with gusto.
Cannon and White are unique figures in the hospitality industry—while affiliated with some of the most legendary restaurants in New York, they still exude the enthusiasm of hosts entertaining their most beloved friends. Cannon, creator of the James Beard award-winning L’Impero and three-star Alto, melds his love for creating enchanting, personal dining experiences with White’s culinary brilliance in Convivio.
To New Yorkers, Chef White is known for his work at Alto and Fiamma, where he earned three-star reviews from The New York Times, but to Italians, the Midwestern chef is like kin. He spent seven years studying authentic Italian cuisine and discovering the power of the country’s simple, fresh ingredients with Italy’s venerated Valentino Marcattilii at Ristorante San Domenico in Imola, Italy, and became enthralled with Italians’ vibrant family meals and recipes through his Southern Italian wife and her family.
At Convivio, Chef White recreates the vivid taste memories of such Italian meals, acting always as a translator—never as a manipulator of ingredients—and he creates recipes from just three or four ingredients, letting the flavors speak for themselves. The menu is divided into four courses, Sfizi, Antipasti, Primi and Primi di Mare and Secondi, which guests can explore as they wish, or order for a remarkably affordable prix-fixe menu price of $59 at dinner, $49 at lunch. Sfizi awaken the appetite with flavorful nibbles like Sotto Aceti, pickled seasonal green market vegetables and Panne Fritto, fried bread and cured pancetta. Antipasti creatively play on traditional recipes with items like Campagnola, buffalo ricotta, peppers, salame picante e coppa and Polipetti, tomato braised octopus “alla murati.” Primi selections honor Italy’s beloved pastas like Maccheroni, handmade pasta twists with red shrimp and pesto cetarese and Malloredous, Sardinian saffron gnocchetti, crab and sea urchin. Secondi are evenly divided between Pesci and Carni so that guests can enjoy light, Mediterranean-inspired recipes like Frittura di Paranza, crispy semolina-dusted fish with salmoriglio crema, as well as traditional savory fare like Bistecca all Pizzaiola, grilled flat iron steak, tomato, baby eggplant and capers and Porchetta alla Romana, suckling Duroc pig with pork cracklings. The desserts encompass a selection of carnevale-style desserts, including classic Panna Cotta, Zeppoli and house-made gelati and sorbetti.
Convivio’s 550-bottle wine list illuminates the astonishing quality and depth of the wines of Southern Italy and offers them at an affordable price point. In true Italian fashion, Wine and Beverage Director Levi Dalton chose wines based on whether he fell in love with them on first sip. Guests will find selections such as Fiano di Avellino Guido Marsella, one of the great—but often times unknown—white wines of the world, Savuto Odoardi, a complex red that can be found in the corners of Calabria, and Taurasi Mastroberardino which can stand up to the best Barolos and red Burgundies. In addition to offering wines from the regions of Southern Italy, Convivio gives guests a wide range of offerings from other classic Italian, European and American regions. The all-Italian beer list boasts offbeat and artisanal selections that showcase the flavors of Italy like Malthus Birolla with its distinct chestnut notes and Sesonette infused with chinotto, a native citrus fruit. Boasting one of the most extensive Amari and Chinati selections in the U.S., Convivio gives guests the opportunity to choose among the 21 selections or sample them in flights.
Upon entering Convivio’s historic 1920s building, guests are immersed in an energetic, sensual space. Looking both to Chef White’s authentic, flavorful menu and the high style and elegance of Italian fashion, Designer Vicente Wolf chose chic, handcrafted materials and rich colors and textures such as burnt orange, dark grey tweed and stainless steel. Each room enlivens the senses—from floors made of hand-quarried multi-toned slates to reflective lacquered ceilings; walls of high gloss, colored glass to textured paints. The entryway and bar area shimmer with metallic burnt orange walls, a hand-hammered copper bar top and Canyon Red stone tabletops. The candlelit dining room radiates a sexy and sophisticated environment as rich burnt orange banquettes interplay with white tablecloths and accent fabrics in saffron, silver and salt-and-pepper grey.
With Convivio’s richness in conviviality, flavor, and passion, Cannon and White give guests a pure translation of soulful dining the Southern Italian way.
