Chef Laurent Tourondel Celebrates Spring With New Menu At New York's L'Amico
Famed chef Laurent Tourondel, whose most recent venues include L'Amico and The Vine, is ready to embark on his latest meu creations for spring time in New York City.
The restaurant collection has unveiled its new seasonal dining and cocktail menus to showcase some delicate, lighter flavors of Italian cuisine that he is known for, given his European background. When speaking with The Daily Meal, Tourondel explained that it was time to lighten up his heavier winter dishes with a lighter touch. "Our burrata on the winter menu incorporated walnuts, leeks and black truffles, which we've traded in for spring onions, broccolini, mint and basil to freshen it up a bit and make it more apropos for spring," he said.
As for what inspires the veteran chef, it's simple: he's all about the ingredients. "I'm often inspired by a single ingredient that can complement the rest of a dish. I love showing the range of one thing, and how it can bring out different flavors in others," he began. "I use fennel in a few of my dishes, for example, because it can be used in so many unique ways – to lighten a salad or with fish. I use it in my new Branzino dish with olives and lemon. It's a great Mediterranean sort of mélange."
New items include several lighter crudo dishes such as spiced tuna with Meyer lemon yogurt and charred broccoli sprouts as well as the yellowtail with grated lime, orange confit and sea salt. Vegetarian options include lighter dishes like steamed white asparagus with a farm egg, morels and spring mushrooms as well as the burrata with fava, peas, mint and spring onion vinaigrette. The menu continues to showcase his classic pizza and pasta dishes, also brightening them up with appropriate springtime toppings like zucchini, white mushroom and clams.
When creating any type of seasonal menu, optionality is at the top of Tourondel's list. "I always like to have a little diversity on my menu, a selection of lighter dishes and also some heartier foods," he said. "There are days when you want something a little lighter, more refreshing. But then there are days when you want to eat. You want something a little more filling. People should always leave satisfied."
The cocktail list has also undergone a seasonal transformation, now offering more flavor-filled beverages such as the Un Fizz Italiano made with Montenegro Amarao, lemon lime and Prosecco, as well as the Artichoked crafted with Cynar, Aperol, Boodles Gin and grapefruit.