By Abigael T. Sidi
My initial plan heading into Water & Wheat, the recently opened Italian restaurant at the corner of Broadway and West 89th Street, was to taste some of the homemade fresh pasta dishes. (A friend who shares my love for Arco Cafe and Bosino had recommended them.) Then, as I was parsing the menu, I suddenly spotted a dish whose name is etched in my memory, so vivid it will remain engraved there for perhaps forever: fritto misto.
I ordered it on the spot.
Fritto misto … It was mid-August of last year, in scorching hot Lerici, just south of Cinque Terre, Italy, and my family and I had been fighting all morning with locals for a minuscule spot of sand on the teeny tiny Spiaggia Fiascherino. Defeated, and, frankly, humiliated, we retreated from the beach to the eponymous small hotel on top the cliff, with one silver lining: It was 11 a.m. and a table was still available for visitors for lunch, at noon. When we were seated, we immediately spotted a plate loaded with a mountain of what appeared to be fish fry being brought to a large table of Italians by the balcony.
“Questo? It is fritto misto, of course,” our waitress explained with a beautiful Italian accent but staring at us if we just landed from Mars. “It is just fried fish.” Let me tell you, what is just fried fish for Ligurians turned out to be perhaps the most memorable seafood experience of my life. A feast of sardines, anchovies, calamari, and other small fish, as well as zucchini flowers and carrots, all fried to perfection in an incredibly delicate, airy way; an impossibly thin, translucent and crispy film of a crust giving way to the most marvelous sea and veggie flavors I’d ever experienced. Fritto misto, of course.
While not on the same level, of course, Water & Wheat does more than a very decent job with the dish, and gets credit for even offering it on the menu. (I might be wrong but I have not seen the dish served anywhere else nearby.) No sardines or anchovies (or any fish for that matter) in this one, but a hefty dose of fresh calamari, with a few tiger shrimp here and there, and small sticks of zucchini and yellow squash as veggies, all cooked to a perfect al dente.
Most notably, the coating was sensational, doing a real honor to the spirit of fritto misto, with a great execution on the crispiness, airiness and quasi-authentic taste. (The restaurant does live by its name!) That the lemon was grilled and thus caramelized on its surface added some beautiful notes of sweetness, acidity and complexity to every bite; however, the marinara sauce, served as a dip as it would be with classic fried calamari, was unnecessary and quickly forgotten. For a moment there, these bites brought back the memories of Fiascherino, and for this alone I am thankful to owners Telis Mitsakis and Kostas Moschos (who is also the chef).
The menu at Water & Wheat is quite large and offers nice variety. While dominated by the pastas and flatbreads, it includes many other interesting antipasti alongside the fritto misto. The highly advertised truffle ricotta bruschetta ($17), with creamy cheese infused with black truffle and laced with spicy honey, is a simple but tasty and velvety marvel, while the burrata ($22) comes with a beautiful and creative set of toppings including zesty watercress leaves, golden raisins, snappy asparagus stems and fragrant toasted pumpkin seeds.
As for the homemade fresh pasta, I did try the chitarra cacio e pepe, but was a little disappointed – too dry and pasty, and the pasta was slightly overcooked. Maybe just a case of bad luck and I’ll try it again, but the competition on the Upper West Side is fierce in this area (Arco, Bosino, Sempre Oggi, Accademia, Osteria 106, just to name a few this column has covered).
Water & Wheat has a beautiful, summer garden like decor, with dim lights and all, ideal for a romantic date if you can ignore the noise. (Better soundproofing is needed.) It is open every day from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., with takeout and delivery available at these times.
The Dish: Fritto misto ($22)
The Restaurant: Water & Wheat: 2418 Broadway (corner of West 89th Street)
Read all Here’s the UWS Dish columns here.
Subscribe to West Side Rag’s FREE email newsletter here. And you can Support the Rag here.
Another great review. “While not on the same level, of course, Water & Wheat does more than a very decent job with the dish, and gets credit for even offering it on the menu. (I might be wrong but I have not seen the dish served anywhere else nearby.)”. Celeste, a crowded, noisy and very good kitchen offers a more modest Frito Misto which is quite good. Given that Water & Wheat is a mere 3 blocks from my apartment, it will be on my lunch list soon.
Sorry but a fritto misto without anchovies/sardines is like a burger without a paddy. Ripping away the foundation of a dish. This looks like an elevated version of fried clams, and therefore I’m not happy with the price. But I’m definitely intrigued by the burrata dish you mentioned
I meant fried calamari
This location has housed many restaurants over the years. They have ALL had noise issues. It doesn’t matter how good the food is if you can’t have an intelligible/audible conversation with your dinner companion.
So so true. I only to Oesteria Acamademia when able to sit outside.
Almost every Greek restaurant has this.
Seems to be true. An otherwise terrific dinner at Elea was ruined by the incessant din recently. Unable to have a conversation, we ate and ran. Maybe it’s a deliberate tactic to turn over tables faster?
Thanks for this review. The restaurant hasn’t enticed me in but I may need to give it a try now, if only for the ricotta bruschetta!
Last fritto misto I had was at Eataly. What I miss are fried smelts. Mom used to fry them up Saturday night and we’d have them cold Sunday morning.
The food is great, the venue is welcoming and the servers are delightful. I’ve had great experiences there and look forward to my next visit.