food

In today’s Times, Donatella Arpaia announces the launch of her new restaurant, a Neapolitan-style pizza place in Chelsea, named – wait for it – Donatella. Here she assumes the title of executive chef, since as she puts it “the menu is developed, written and tested by me.”

But anyone who heard the P.R. around the relaunch of Mia Dona will find this party line familiar – and tricky to prove. On the Mia Dona website, a section on the cuisine states “Dona wrote the menu, and she, her mother and her aunts trained the kitchen cooks themselves.” Sit down for a meal here, however, and you will find distinct notes of Michael Psilakis in the fish dishes with capers and olives. There were also changes to family recipes, most notably the famous meatballs, as can be expected when you take grandma’s recipes and give them to a “kitchen cook” who was previously a sous-chef at Union Square Cafe, Jarett Appell. Appell is currently training in Italy, and according to one source, will be going on to the kitchen at Donatella when he returns. (more…)