Chef Matt Adler is winning red sauce fans at Caruso’s Grocery and drawing Cucina Morini crowds for $7 martinis — and now he’s boomeranging back to Navy Yard’s Osteria Morini.
Why it matters: Adler is taking over the same Altamarea Group kitchen that he helped open 11 years ago in a new “culinary advisory” role with the NYC-based company.
Between the lines: Though that means menu changes for the waterfront Italian, his other roles remain the same.
🍝 Dig in: The Northern Italian menu of hearty homemade pastas and wood-grilled entrees is getting a revamp with more veggies and cichetti (snacks) like crispy cacio e pepe zucchini and prosciutto-wrapped prawns drizzled in Calabrian honey and lemon.
- New bowls for chilly season include osso bucco ravioli, tortellini in brodo, and cheesy baked polenta with mushroom ragu.
- For mains, check out pollo alla lambrusco — an Italian riff on coq au vin.
The intrigue: Morini Mondays with $15 pastas won’t change, but Adler is rolling out a new carb-loading (and sharing) option: A four-pasta tasting with dessert for $50.
- “The restaurants that are successful right now are offering value,” says Adler, who’s adding more $12-$14 plates to the menu. “Then people come to you.”