Alfio Ruocco and Luigi Russo, owners of Il Postino and Scalinatella, two of the New York's finest dining establishments, unveiled Scali Caffe, New York's newest Italian "Tavola Calda," located at 245 Bleecker Street in the West Village. Designed by architect Leslie Armstrong, Scali Caffe combines modern Italian decor with excellent Italian cuisine, offering a variety of ready-made and cooked-on-the-spot foods - baked, grilled, fried, and roasted delicacies, a range of delectable for both the eye and the palate. On the eclectic menu at Scali Caffe: everything from succulent comfort food to special gourmet dishes.
With almost two decades of restaurant experience behind them, Alfio Ruocco and Luigi Russo are known for creating meals for some of the most sophisticated Upper East Side residents. Their objective with Scali Caffe is to share the excellence of fine Italian cuisine with as many as possible food lovers further downtown, in a more casual but equally inviting setting. Ruocco and Russo commissioned architect Leslie Armstrong to transform their new space, the former home of New York Hot Dog and Coffee, into a comfortable restaurant that evokes the best of modern Italian design. Working with one of the cornerstones of contemporary kitchen design-unadorned stainless steel-Armstrong utilized a large skylight and colorful industrial fixtures to bathe the gleaming space with light. With accents such as red quartz counters, a bar of multicolored glass panels, and patterned wall design, Armstrong playfully punctuates the space with saturated doses of color. Reproductions of works by artist Curtis Ripley adorn the walls of the back room, enhancing the contemporary design vocabulary of the restaurant. A warm and inviting restaurant, Scali Caffe brings the best of regional Italian cuisine into the 21st century.