Casa Tua’s NYC outpost in Miami is more stage than kitchen

Many fine New York restaurants have opened Miami outposts. But what happens when a great place in South Beach starts to sink into Manhattan?

Casa Tua, a Miami Italian joint that has been a magnet for bold faces in the Sunshine State, took off on the Upper East Side this month.

While the original has a quirky reputation, the New York outpost is mostly welcoming, but it’s definitely more stage than kitchen. I can’t say I’m surprised

After long construction delays, it’s good to see life again at the reopened Surrey Hotel on East 76 Street, the former site of Cafe Boulud, which was dark for four years in the shadow of the pandemic.

Casa Tua founder Miky Grendene told WWD that he chose Surrey because, “I think the UES needs, more than downtown, new blood, new things, new energy.”

The “mostly men in suits and ties” floor crew moves about as efficiently as Josh Allen’s Bills in the fourth quarter. There were so many who claimed to be Casa Tua veterans that I wondered who was bothering the store in Miami. I heard “tutto bene?” more times than a two-hour meal could last.

Casa Tua offers two extremely different experiences: the loud main dining room and a sexier lounge on the opposite side of the hotel lobby.

There’s energy and star power to spare in both, but especially in the main room. On the same night I saw Channel 5 star Rosanna Scotto, marketing powerhouse Alison Brod and author and former Real Housewives Ramona Singer.

“[This] it’s a place for the 50-and-over crowd to see and be seen, my wide-eyed friend pointed out to the women milling around the artwork-adorned space, like Cipriani, in miniskirts.

The hall’s warm lighting, dark wood, gleaming mirrors, cozy banquettes and soothing Italian-Spanish soundtrack are made for romance. Only the rapid arrival of a male diner next to the waitress ruined the mood.

Wherever you sit, the energy on the plate can be lacking. The moderately priced (by today’s standards) menu boasts quality ingredients, but it’s not in the league of the more experienced Sant Ambroeus nearby.

Casa Tua’s dishes are annoyingly ordinary for its extraordinary social aspirations. They swing unpredictably from first class to mundane.

The well-seasoned bresaola ($36) with shaved Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, in a generous portion, had more flavor than the oddly mild, 36-month-aged ham di Parma ($42), which was sliced ​​in thickness.

Lobster Spaghetti a la chittara ($42) arrived al dente with a delightfully spicy tomato sauce.

But on two occasions, the timid cacio e pepe ($32) twice had us asking, “Where’s the pepe?”

Chicken alla diavola ($44) lived up to its name, as juicy as it was fired up by peppercorns. But the veal Milanese ($72 and enough for two) lacked character under a crisp batter.

In a lifetime of minestrone, I’ve never had any of Casa Tua’s classic soup ($22). Either rename it “hot water with carrot and potato chips” or put it on the first plane back to Miami.

Traditional desserts like tiramisu are good, but go with the Pistachio Miky Gelato, a $30 multi-layered creamy affair atop crunchy Rice Krispies.

It’s big enough for at least three, and tasty enough to leave the previous trash behind.

Casa Tua is extremely friendly to the public, despite the fact that it is connected to a private club of the same name. Warmth was lacking only in an unsmiling lady who claimed that the lounge where I asked to be seated was “fully booked” at 7pm; it turned out to be less than half full all night.

I’ll be heading back to the lounge for a new, lighter menu they plan to launch this week – and hopefully a crowd worthy of the setting.