Some Twists at Torrisi Coming December 1st

Torrisi has seen its share of changes in its two and a half year run. When it opened in 2010, you couldn't make a reservation, but you could eat there for $50. On December 1st, in the midst of opening two new projects, Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi are bringing more changes to Torrisi's menu.

What used to be a $50 prix-fixe is jumping from $65 to $75. The six-course tasting will offer a choice between two pastas and "additional courses priced as supplements," Flo Fab reports. The 20-course menu will remain $160 and 20 courses, but will look to the seasons for inspiration, opposed to the epic dinner being loosely based on the history of New York. "Many guests having the prix-fixe often ask if they can have a tasting or order other dishes." Torrisi told Diner's Journal. "With these changes we give guests the option to curate their own experience more and go bigger if they so choose.” [Diner's Journal]

Two New Projects Coming this Fall from Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi

Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi have been kept busy at their neighboring restaurants on Mulberry Street. Torrisi and Parm are templates of Italian-American cuisine. Parm serves classics like chicken parm and baked ziti to those looking for a quick meal at a cheap price point. Dinner at Torrisi provides a look into the layers of talent that have made Carbone and Torrisi, and both of their restaurants, the successes they are. Aside from maintaining two of the most popular Italian restaurants in the city, the guys have also been busy readying to open two new projects on Thompson Street.

At the end of last year, the pair signed a lease in the old Rocco space at 181 Thompson Street. They've since revealed the name of the place and plan to open Carbone sometime in November. The restaurant will be a slightly upscale mid-century Italian-American restaurant where you can expect dishes like linguine with clams, octopus pizzaiola, and whole maraschino duck.

The Lobster Club, opening at 169 Thompson Street, is project number two; a sandwich shop whose menu draws inspiration from the triple-decker Saratoga Club at Parm. TLC is shooting to open before Carbone, possibly in October.

Sandwich, Mile End Sandwich, Opens on Bond

There is a clientele for every idea that comes to fruition in the city and that doesn't exclude lunch-centric restaurants.  The guys at Torrisi realized this and opened Parm, and now serve their takes on classic Italian-American sandwiches in droves on Mulberry Street.  Joe Dobias is the chef at JoeDoe, and he and his wife Jill got in on the action when they opened their second restaurant JoeDough, a sandwich joint, in the East Village.

Husband and wife Noah Bernamoff and Rae Cohen have crossed the river and opened an outpost of their Brooklyn based Mile End Delicatessan at 53 Bond Street.  Mile End Sandwich offers about a dozen sandwiches, breakfast items (they're open from 8am - midnight seven days a week), soups, salads, and sides.  Oh, and poutine, obviously.

A Quick Economy Lesson with Torrisi

In high school economics they teach you about elastic and inelastic demand.  Gas is a prime example of inelastic demand.  So is dinner at Torrisi Italian Specialties.  Regardless of the price, people are going to pay to eat at Torrisi.

The original price of the 4-course tasting menu was $50.  It's now $65.  The 20-course tasting is making a 20% jump, from $125 to $150.

The duo behind Torrisi and Parm, the red-hot Italian outfits on Mulberry Street, are heavily inspired by the city in which they operate.  Another price hike brings the MTA to mind.  The difference at Torrisi??  There's never any train traffic.

Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone Took Physics

The duo behind Torrisi and Parm fully understand how momentum works.  After two incredible successes in Manhattan's Little Italy, Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone are looking towards their 3rd lower Manhattan venture. 

Back in November, just around the time Parm was opening, they signed a lease for 181 Thompson Street that once housed the classic Italian fare under the moniker Rocco's Restaurant.  The team faces some negativity for taking over the space that had been Rocco's for 90 years, but like they said in an interview with The New York Observer, "This space was going to be available whether we took it or not."