Paprika

RESTAURANT 101

Don't be fooled by the name, Paprika, located in the East Village, stems from Valtellina, a region in Northern Italy bordering Switzerland where the food is more Alpine and Austro-Hungarian empire than sun-drenched Italian. Chef and owner Egidio Donagrandi has been serving up non-regional Italian food for over ten years at his resto, but has now decided to shift his focus to his home and its unique cuisine.

The new menu focuses on the flavors and traditions of Valtellina, which is heavily influenced by neighbors Switzerland and Austria. Unique regional specialties and ingredients include buckwheat polenta, cheeses like bitto, crescenza, and casera --all of which are rare in New York. Another preparation Paprika uses is pickling, which is a technique used in Valtellina. Egidio pickles everything from red onions, beets and radishes to oyster mushrooms. Included on the menu are delicious appetizers like Dandelion Salad with pickled red radishes, soft crescenza, and spring onions and Bresaola Carpaccio with pickled oyster mushrooms and red radishes. Delicious pastas include Pizzoccheri Valtellinesi with buckwheat tagliatelle, savoy cabbage, casera cheese, potatoes and garlic, unbelievable Homemade Spaetzle with brussels sprouts and fava beans, and Buckwheat Lasagna with braised leeks and casera cheese fonduta.

THRILLS & DEALS

That's right folks, Paprika, the northern Italy eatery in the East Village is taking half off bottles of vino, every Monday night, all night. Now instead of dreading Mondays, you can at least have something to look forward to once the work day is over! The concise but adventurous wine list features wines from all over Italy, with the majority from northern Italy, including Piedmont, Alto Adige, Friuli, Veneto, and Lombardy, with a special focus on Valtellina, where the chef and owner Egidio Donagrandi hails from. Regularly prices bottles are between $28 and $91. Talk about a deal! Get over those Monday blues and turn them into mad Mondays!